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Top 25 Most Viewed Film Courage Articles for 2017

Top 25 Most Viewed Film Courage Articles for 2017

(in order of views)

Check out the Top 25 Most Viewed Video Interviews For 2017 here

  1. How We Made a Horror Film in the Desert for $35,000 by VALLEY OF DITCHES Co-Writer/Actress Amanda Todisco and Co-Writer/Director Christopher James Lang

Chris: After high school, I knew I wanted to make films. I had planned to go to film school, specifically USC, but was never accepted. So instead I created my own film education at the University of Oregon, mixing and matching courses from the journalism documentary program, the theater arts department, and English film studies. It was an improvised approach that would become a precursor to my film-making style; making the best of whatever options are in front of me.

Amanda: My plans were to be different. To get away. To write fantastic stories. To thrive in Hollywood and become a famous actress and live in a mansion in Malibu. So I moved to California, and I really missed the rain. I like being able to waste a day and not feel bad about it. I moved back east and went to college, where I obtained a degree in English. I feel like everyone has all these ideas of what they want when they’re young, but they don’t think much about the kind of person this will make them. I still write stories, and I still act. But I’m doing it my own way with my best friend, so I think I’ve at least succeeded in being different…(Read the full post here).

2. Anything is Possible – Bernardo Arsuaga Q and A on The True Underdog Story of a Man, His Son and the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race

Bernardo Arsuaga: I guess they are. Maybe waiting for a regular sailing documentary, not knowing this is not just a sailing movie. THE WEEKEND SAILOR is much more. We have love, we have death, we have an underdog story, we have the first race around the world, we have a non experienced Captain. We have human story as well as a sports/competitive angle to the film…(Read the full post here).

3. A Holocaust Story That Spanned 70 Years and Two Continents – The Making of SURVIVING SKOKIE – Q and A with Filmmaker Eli Adler

Eli Adler: The sleepless nights really occurred prior to making the film. When the idea germinated, shortly after reading the Howard Reich story, my mind was working 24/7 trying to figure out how to tell this story and meld it with my family’s history. It really was something of an obsession for me, hard to explain. I suspect it is a common experience for anyone who is passionate about a getting a project made. A few other sleepless nights occurred as we became closer to the finish line but still short on needed capital to keep the momentum up. Fortunately, this was short lived.

I’m not a very “public” person, so sharing some of my more intimate moments with my father do make me a little uncomfortable. However, i know that those moments also make the film more powerful, so even though I find myself cringing during some scenes at screenings, I know that it is worth it for the greater good…(Read the full post here).

4. Have a Great Short Film Idea? The Film Fund is Awarding Up to $10,000 Dollars to Its Winner – Q and A with Founder and CEO Thomas Verdi

Thomas Verdi: For some reason a lot of people feel detached from movies, like they’re this far-off entity. I became friends with some creatives in high school, and they got me into Tarantino in a big way. I know that’s every budding filmmaker’s cliché these days, but he broke the rules and opened my mind up to what can be done in the world of cinema. Pulp Fiction floored me when I first viewed it. It was so raw, so creative compared to most of what I’d seen in the past, and at that age I just didn’t know movies could be like that…(Read the post here).

5. Every Year There Are A Small Number Of Unexplained Crop Circles – Q and A with Jonnie Hurn of IN CIRCLES Movie

Jonnie Hurn: At the time I joined [the Arts Academy] I was a big lover of the theatre, by the time I left my loyalty had jumped to film. Film was kind of seen as a dirty word there, we would be frowned upon for even mentioning film or TV in acting classes so a small group of us used to meet clandestinely in a café to discuss the movies we’d seen! I guess I was pretty much against the establishment of the course.

My daughter taught me how to be a child again and how to view the world with wonder and without prejudice, essential qualities for a filmmaker…(Read the post here).

Check out the 2017 Top 25 Most Viewed Video Interviews on Film Courage here

6. Writing is Always the Most Excruciating Part of the Process, It’s Never Good Enough by Josh Folan of Catch 22: based on the unwritten story by seanie sugrue

Josh Folan: I would sit alone in my bedroom, real hermit-like, for weeks at a time and then emerge with a new cut that I would force onto people, Seanie included, and hound them for feedback that I, probably defensively at best, took down and tried to implement into future cuts. I worked in Premiere. The number of different edits, if I really sat down and sorted the number out, would likely make me cry…(Read the post here).

7. After Years On Set As An Actor, I Also Learned How To Produce Movies by BnB Hell’s Lawrence Adisa

Lawrence Adisa: I started out acting first and took a few acting classes in Manhattan to learn the craft. Performed a lot of theatre in Manhattan as well. Then, after years of being on the set as an actor, I picked up the basics when it comes to the production side, as well as picking the brains of established DP’s and Directors that I became friends with…(Read the post here).

8. I Pointed the Lens at Everyday Life in Syria Ever Since My Father Bought Me a Russian 8mm Camera and Roll of Film by Elias Matar of EXODUS Movie

Elias Matar: It is very difficult adjust to normal life after a trip like this. I imagine it’s similar, though on a smaller scale, to what soldiers experience when returning home from war. When you’re there every moment can save someone’s life. But when we come back, no matter what you say to people, they don’t understand what you’re going through. I am grateful though. All of these trips have opened my eyes to the struggles of other people. Along the way, it created a greater purpose in my own life…(Read the post here).

9. My Philosophy on Filmmaking is to Aim High, Because Then You Will at Least Get Further Than if You Didn’t Try at All by Co-Writer/Co-Director Andreas Climent of ORIGIN Movie

Andreas Climent: I decided to make my own film school. I found out which books were part of the curriculum at USC and borrowed as many as possible from the local library. Then I watched hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes documentaries. Particularly all the behind-the-scenes material from Peter Jackson and Robert Rodriguez’s films were great…(Read the post here).

10. I Don’t Work with Actors, I Work with Human Beings by PROBLEMSKI HOTEL Filmmaker Manu Riche

Manu Riche: I am always wondering how I can document reality in such a way that it doesn’t feel false. I know that reality is just a construction of reality, but I want it to be accurate and poetic!…(Read the post here).

11. When An Activist Documentary Shifts Into A Suicide Watch, What Does A Filmmaker Do? – Q and A with Justin Schein of LEFT ON PURPOSE

Justin Schein: Ultimately I believe that difficult stories are important to tell; that you shouldn’t abandon them because they are challenging. But I knew that if I were to continue filming those challenges I faced as a filmmaker and a friend I had to be part of the story. I couldn’t hide behind the camera and pretend that they didn’t exist. Thus the film became about my friendship with Mayer…(Read the post here).

12. I Bring All Filmmaking Tools at My Disposal Amplifying a Theme, Balancing That With Needs of the Story by THE HOLLY KANE EXPERIMENT’s Tom and Mick Sands

Mick Sands: I remember letting Tom watch Saving Private Ryan when he was about 10. There was a plumber in the house that day and he disapproved of my decision to expose such a young boy to the horrors of war. Because of it’s realism, I considered Saving Private Ryan to be an important film (and didn’t care what the plumber thought), but perhaps this is where Tom’s darkness started!…(Read the post here).

13. Are You Adventurous Enough to Win $12,000?

Zooppa has partnered up with T-Mobile on a brand new project! T-Mobile gives its customers unlimited data and texting in over 140 countries and destinations—at no extra cost. T-Mobile wants to inspire those customers to travel and get off-the-beaten path—to be explorers, not tourists—and unlock adventures they can share when they take their phones. The ‘Hi, Mom’ project focuses on sharing the most extreme moments of adventure outside of the United States with family and friends back at home…(Read the post here).

14. A 29-Year-Old Autistic Man Goes on the Road in Search for Love – THE SPECIAL NEED Documentary Film

Enea is 29. He has blue eyes, likes trucks, and loves girls. He hasn’t found the right one yet. Still he has never stopped looking for her. One more thing about Enea: he is autistic.

One day, after taking a photo of a girl on the bus, he is pushed to the ground by her boyfriend. Enea’s therapist convinces his mom that the time has come for the man to cope with his sexual desires. Enea’s friends Carlo and Alex get involved and try to find a way for Enea to have sex in a safe and legal environment…(Read the post here).

15. Everyone Knows The Song – Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na…Batman! Now Discover Who Made This Classic Music

Pat Evans: Hey everyone! I’m Pat Evans, the director of THE BEAT OF THE BAT, which tells the story of Neal Hefti, Nelson Riddle and Billy May and how they created some of the most iconic Batman music of all time.

I’ve been a Batman fan since I was 4 years old and as a matter of fact, the very first album I ever owned was Neil Hefti’s Batman Theme and 11 Hefti Bat Songs. It’s what sparked my life-long love of Batman music and that’s why telling this story is so important to me…(Read the post here).

16. A Film Score Can Sometimes Save a Movie by Composer and Filmmaker Alexander Tovar

Alexander Tovar: I think artists most of the time are unsatisfied in life. That’s what makes them create, because there’s a dissatisfaction or obsession with something. But I can easily feel fulfilled. I don’t think one has to suffer to achieve “great” art. Of course there are several artists who suffered severe depression, pain and addiction that somehow fueled their creativity. But I’m very proud and happy of the work I’ve done. I work at something until I can’t work on it anymore, then I say, Well, this one is done now. It makes me happy when people laugh and enjoy the films…(Read the post here).

17. When Army Patrol Duty Turns Into a Horror Movie – FREAK OUT!

Isolated, stranded, confined.

Matan, a soldier in the IDF, sets off for a week of patrolling in a remote base in the north of the country with his unit. Overwhelmed with homesickness, he becomes an easy target for the other soldiers who try their best to make his life miserable…(Read the post here).

18. Writer/Director Chris Craddock on Working with Actor Alan Thicke in IT’S NOT MY FAULT AND I DON’T CARE ANYWAY

Chris Craddock: I like to write at home, usually several drafts. I’d guess I average around six drafts per project, depending. I get lots of notes from producer and friends. I listen to it all, and change what feels right…(See the post here).

19. Smuggling Illegals into Europe, Lazar Faces an Impossible Choice Upon Falling in Love with a Young Student – LAZAR

Lazar works as a ‘decoy’ or ‘bait’ who distracts the police and oversees the transfer of illegal immigrants across the border with the EU. Intelligent and discreet, he lives under the patronage of a local mobster and is able to support his family with the money he makes from trafficking. He falls in love with a young student, a stranger to his world, and contemplates changing his life. One night, his brother Toni is responsible for the drowning of one of the immigrants. Lazar is called to help and is faced with an impossible decision…(Read the post here).

20. Traveling To The World’s Most Frozen Lands – COLD LOVE Documentary by Deia Schlosberg on VOD

Why do Polar explorers and mountain climbers leave the comforts of home to explore our planet’s remote world of ice and snow? How can they fall in love with something so harsh and unforgiving?

No one knows the answer more intimately than explorers who travel the frozen terrain. As they strip off the trappings of society and carry only the absolute necessities, these adventurers connect to their core selves as they connect to the frozen earth. The brush of wind against skin tells the forecast. The path of the sun traversing the sky tells the time. The shadows against ice and snow tell the direction they travel. The force of the wind tells whether they travel or not. And all the while, no matter where they go, no matter how difficult the journey, these adventurers…(Read the post here).

21. The Horror and Comedy of Election Night 2016 – Q and A with WEIRD FOLK Writer/Director Scott Dunn

Scott Dunn: My acting teacher, JD Coburn, used to say, “Listen, take it personally, and respond instinctually… That’s the direction in which to go…(Read the post here).

22. What is the Zooppa ‘Heroes Known Around the World’ Contest? Nickelodeon Seeking Artists To Reimagine Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) For A Chance At $8000

Zooppa: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) are brothers who live in NYC, love to eat pizza, are pop culture consumers, and use weapons to fight evil and defend their city. The Turtles have become extremely relatable and we know people have a strong connection to the brand. While TMNT has both domestic and global appeal, we rarely see the Turtles in action outside of NYC. Therefore, Nickelodeon and Zooppa invites artists and creatives from around the world to reimagine TMNT. Create fun, engaging, and unique videos (30 seconds – 2 minutes) that bring TMNT to life on a global level by showing us what they are up to in your home town or city…(See the post here).

23. What Would Have Happened Had The Eric Garner Case Received Another Grand Jury Trial?

AMERICAN TRIAL seeks to discover what a trial in the Eric Garner case might have taught us. How is our legal system designed to handle cases such as Garner’s? What verdict may have been returned after all the evidence was presented? More importantly, what conversations, perspectives and emotions went unexamined because of the grand jury’s decision?…(Read the post here).

The Candy & Ronnie pose for a photo.

24. We Understand That For Short Films, Shorter Is Better But We Had To Stay True To The Movie by Skyko, Creator Of Candy and Ronnie

Skyko: We understand that for a short, the shorter the better. We know that we were possibly lowering our festival opportunities with a longer cut, but we had to stay true to the film, the actors, and our gut. We are ultimately aiming for long form projects so it was important for us to put forth full scenes and not chopped up versions just so we could fit a mold…(Read the post here).

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