Below is a first-person article from filmmaker Maxine Trump, on what she learned while attending film festivals and self-distributing her debut documentary feature, Musicwood. On November 1, 2013, Musicwood opens in NYC at The Quad Cinema and will be available on iTunes and other platforms. For more information, check out the film's website at www.musicwoodthefilm.com A little about me and our film. I have only been on the festival circuit once before, with a short film, and even then I only applied to five festivals. So this time it really felt like the beginning of a steep learning curve. And when you’re in the thick of it, it’s all happening so quickly and there are constant choices and decisions learning experiences. There were so many times I thought, “If only someone had mentioned That to me!” Our feature film Musicwood is a political thriller. The most famous guitar-makers...
- 10/28/2013
- by Maxine Trump
- Indiewire
Sometimes it seems that inside every successful filmmaker there’s an embryonic rock star -- Johnny Depp, David Lynch and producer Thomas Tull (who was behind “It Might Get Loud”) are among Hollywood’s bigger guitar freaks and unlike a lot of guitar freaks elsewhere they can actually afford the merchandise. What guitar freaks often buy are Martins, Gibsons and Taylors, probably the best mass-produced acoustic guitars in America and whose makers are at the center of “Musicwood,” a new doc by Maxine Trump that opens in New York on Nov. 1 (and rolls out further thereafter). As explained in the film by Chris Martin -- great-great-great-grandson of Christian Frederick Martin, the German immigrant who started the Nazareth, Pa-based Martin Guitar Co. in 1833 -- certain woods were long ago determined to be the best for acoustic guitars: Brazilian rosewood (now endangered and forbidden) for the back and sides; African ebony (rare...
- 10/22/2013
- by John Anderson
- Thompson on Hollywood
WikiLeaks founder to judge films at the 21st Raindance Film Festival; 2013 line-up unveiled.Scroll down for full line-up of films
Julian Assange has joined the jury of the 21st Raindance Film Festival (Sept 25 - Oct 6), a London-based event that celebrates independent film in the UK and around the world.
The appointment is a controversial one. The Australian editor-in-chief and founder of WikiLeaks took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about sexual assault allegations.
It is understood that he fears Sweden would extradite him to the Us, where he believes he is wanted in relation to WikiLeaks’ disclosure of a significant amount of classified Us military and diplomatic documents.
Commenting on Assange’s appointment, Raindance founder Elliot Grove said: “Every year Raindance invites interesting people to join our jury. In the past we have had musicians like Mick Jones, Marky Ramone and [link...
Julian Assange has joined the jury of the 21st Raindance Film Festival (Sept 25 - Oct 6), a London-based event that celebrates independent film in the UK and around the world.
The appointment is a controversial one. The Australian editor-in-chief and founder of WikiLeaks took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about sexual assault allegations.
It is understood that he fears Sweden would extradite him to the Us, where he believes he is wanted in relation to WikiLeaks’ disclosure of a significant amount of classified Us military and diplomatic documents.
Commenting on Assange’s appointment, Raindance founder Elliot Grove said: “Every year Raindance invites interesting people to join our jury. In the past we have had musicians like Mick Jones, Marky Ramone and [link...
- 9/3/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
"Musicwood," a documentary from Maxine Trump about the market to procure wood for acoustic guitars, premiered last year at Doc NYC, and since then it's done a bunch of festivals and is about to launch its theatrical run. But leading up to the theatrical, Trump arranged a number of music festival screenings to build buzz for the film. This insightful case study shows all the work she put into making sure the film was screening at all the right places and found all the right advocates. All filmmakers -- but especially filmmakers that are making films about music -- have much to gain. "Musicwood" will premiere at Bonnaroo June 16, Solid Sound Festival in Massachusetts June 21 & 23, and Newport Folk Fest on July 26. The film opens theatrically in Juneau's Gold Town Theatre, Portland's Hollywood Theater and further dates in New York, Seattle and Chicago will be confirmed soon. For more information on...
- 6/12/2013
- by Maxine Trump
- Indiewire
Some of the world's most famous acoustic guitar-makers have come together to preserve the source of the wood in their iconic instruments. "Musicwood" follows the craftsmen behind Taylor, Martin and Gibson guitars into the forests of Southeast Alaska to negotiate with Native American logging companies.
In its Connecticut premiere, "Musicwood" will be screened at 6:30 p.m. Et on Monday, April 8 as part of the 2013 Yale Environmental Film Festival. At that time, you can watch a livestream of the film above, preceding a panel discussion with filmmaker Maxine Trump.
According to the film's website:
["Musicwood"] begins with the startling revelation that Native American corporations are clear-cutting vast acres of primeval forest. They are logging the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world and the largest reserve of old growth trees in the USA. If logging doesn’t change, the guitar will run out of Sitka Spruce in 10 years time.
Watch a trailer for "Musicwood" below.
In its Connecticut premiere, "Musicwood" will be screened at 6:30 p.m. Et on Monday, April 8 as part of the 2013 Yale Environmental Film Festival. At that time, you can watch a livestream of the film above, preceding a panel discussion with filmmaker Maxine Trump.
According to the film's website:
["Musicwood"] begins with the startling revelation that Native American corporations are clear-cutting vast acres of primeval forest. They are logging the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world and the largest reserve of old growth trees in the USA. If logging doesn’t change, the guitar will run out of Sitka Spruce in 10 years time.
Watch a trailer for "Musicwood" below.
- 4/5/2013
- by James Gerken
- Huffington Post
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