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Aug 18, 2010 :: 180eNews

 

Two NC Film Festivals Receive NC Arts Council Grants

Earlier this week, the North Carolina Arts Council announced its recipients of their 2010 grants program. Among the 350 programs awarded funds totaling over $7.4 billion were two of the state’s film festivals. The Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington received $16,000 for a new realities program and artistic support. The other festival recipient was the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham. Full Frame received just over $44,000 as a state arts resource. In addition to the two film festivals, Charlotte’s “The Light Factory” also received funds from the grant program. Read more about the program here.

UNCSA Building Stars in New Daughtry Video

Former American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry and his band, Daughtry, recently completed their latest music video for the song “September” at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. The video was shot in the “Stevens Center,” a former silent movie theater that has been refurbished and is the primary performance venue for the arts school. Read more here or check out the video by clicking here.

Dirty Dancing Festival set for September

Fans of the 80’s classic Dirty Dancing can finally experience the magic of Baby and Johnny at the first annual “Dirty Dancing Festival at Lake Lure” on September 17-18, 2010 in the film’s original, breathtaking backdrop in the mountains of North Carolina. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Hospice and the Lake Lure Youth Center. The festival will include a special lakeside screening of the movie as well as an outdoor festival and evening gala. Find out more about the festival by clicking here.

NC and its Residents Featured in Several Reality Series

Several upcoming reality series will be featuring North Carolina and its people on the small screen. As many news outlets have reported, TLC’s “Kate Plus 8” cameras have been in Bald Head Island where Kate Gossilin and kids have once again come to vacation. CBS’s “Survivor” has just announced North Carolinians will be contestants on this upcoming season, which premiers September 15. Brevard is featured in Style Network’s “Too Fat for 15”, which debuted this week. And although she currently calls Savannah home, April Johnston of “Project Runway” is originally from the Charlotte area. Earlier this summer, native Darryl Pierce competed on Fox’s “MasterChef” and in case you missed it, ABC’s “Shaq Vs.” recently aired its episode featuring NBA all-star Shaquille O’Neal racing Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Concord.

Another Sparks Book Fast-Tracked to Silver Screen

Although the latest Nicholas Sparks book, “Safe Haven”, doesn’t even come out until September, it has already been fast-tracked for a movie as Relativity Media acquired the book’s rights. In addition to being active in launching the book, Relativity will be self-distributing the film. Since the story is based in North Carolina, the state film office will once again actively recruit the film with the help of the new 25% incentive. NC recently lost the latest Sparks book to be made into a movie, “The Lucky One”, to Louisiana despite the new incentive due to the cap remaining on qualified labor spend. Read more about Relativity's right aquisition by clicking here.

Jeffery Lyons to be Visiting Scholar at ECU

Noted film, theatre and television critic Jeffery Lyons will be a visiting scholar hosted by the School of Communication in the College of Fine Arts and Communication at East Carolina University this fall. Lyons will be on campus November 1-8 and will be teaching a featured writing course and will also give the welcoming address at the school’s High School Media Workshop. In addition, Lyons will give a public lecture. Lyon’s visit was made possible in part by the Eastern NC Film Foundation and the IBX Development Foundation. Read more here.

California Incentives Generate $2 Billion in Direct Spendings

California has allocated all of its $100 million in film and television tax credits, exhausting the state’s fund for the year in less than three months. Additional subsidies won’t be available until July 2011 and about 45 productions are on the waiting list. The Golden State had already allocated $200 million in tax credits last year. As a result of the program, it is being projected that $2 billion in direct spending, including $736 million in wages, is going back into California communities. Read more about the exhausting of the fund from Business Week here and the state’s official press release on the project here.

Quick cuts...

UNCSA alumnus Brett Haley’s “The New Year”, which already has won awards at the Sarasota and Los Angeles Film Festivals, will open the Nevada City Film Festival this week…Entries are now being accepted for the 2011 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival…Wilmington resident Kelly Gore Jefferson has been nominated for an Emmy in the category of “Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries/Movie” for her work on the Lifetime TV movie “Georgia O’Keeffe”…NC filmed “Wesley” and “Home of the Giants” are now available on DVD….Actor and Wilkes County native Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) was in his home county this week and did a children’s book reading followed by 2 hours of impromptu autograph signing.

Just For Fun….

Often times, movie and television locations are said to drive tourists to areas, though it is hard to calculate these figures and their impact. Read a blog entry from earlier this summer from Wilmington ambassador Dave Spetrino about his encounter with two “One Tree Hill” fans visiting the Port City from Norway by clicking here.

 

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