Two SAG actors were named this week for the third season of “Shoot the Stars.” John Diehl (Miami Vice, Stargate) was announced Nov. 3 to play the male lead of Rick in “Oasis Motel” as well as a character in “The Disposables” with SFUAD Film School alumni, Matt Page in the second film. Diehl has more than 140 acting credits spanning 30 years of film and television. On Nov. 5, it was announced that Amber Midthunder will play the role of Rick’s daughter, Cindy, in “Oasis Motel.” Midthunder has 15 IMDB credits and is the daughter of actor David Midthunder. Principal photography for Shoot the Stars season 3 begins Monday Nov....
Eyre in the Family
posted by Nicholas Beckman
This article is part of a series of stories covering SFUAD’s new scholarship opportunity, The Robert Redford/Milagro Initiative scholarship, and the key players who have been vital to its success. “It’s all about networking,” Chris Eyre said, reflecting intently on his past 20 years in the film industry. Eyre, chairman of SFUAD’s Film School, spoke with such emphasis and humble pride about the path he has taken since attending NYU’s Master’s Program, that it appeared as if in this particular moment he had just put it all together, making sense of the incredible journey. Granted, as someone who had the life-changing opportunity to have his own creations workshopped and mentored by some of the movie-businesses’ finest as part of the Sundance Institute’s Director’s Lab, Eyre is no stranger to the intense and often unnerving world of independent film. “Ride the wave,” Eyre says. “That’s all you can do.” The wave Eyre refers to is the success into which he so modestly stepped when he met Robert Redford at the Sundance Institute. Eyre describes his first meeting with Redford as both daunting and, quite frankly, a little awkward (for Eyre, that is). Redford was reviewing the piece Eyre had written and created during his stay at the Sundance Labs. Eyre recalls Redford’s criticism as constructive and founded in years of knowledge of the craft, but there was only one problem: Eyre’s film was already finished. There was no time or resources to go back, re-shoot and fine-tune his work into a Redford-approved masterpiece. Eyre best described his reaction to this critique with a giant gulping “Huh?!” However, after spending time with Redford and learning more about the evolution of a filmmaker’s skill-set, Eyre found that those critiques were not calls-to-action, but solid advice for the...
Redford Opens the Door
posted by Nicholas Beckman
This year, 14 film students were offered the Robert Redford/Milagro Initiative scholarship. Twelve of them received partial rewards, and two were granted full-ride scholarships. All received the opportunity of a lifetime: to meet the man who brought them to Santa Fe. “I never imagined in the first week of college I would be meeting someone with such a big name,” says Anastasia McAllister, one of the recipients of the award. Competing film schools in America have been feeling “The Sting” from SFUAD’s new scholarship opportunity, which is being supported by Jeremiah Johnson himself, Robert Redford. Redford, who in recent years has not only established himself as a refined actor, director, political activist and founder of some low-key film festival in Utah you’ve probably never heard of, also really enjoys helping artists find their true voices and passions and providing the means for them to do so. A big name, indeed. Redford has played all the classics: Jay Gatsby, the Sundance Kid, uncredited basketball player; the list goes on! Meeting Robert Redford your first week of film school must feel like getting befriended by the most powerful gang member on your first day in prison: pretty damn comforting. But a reward should only be given to those who have proven themselves worthy, right? “…I was very much involved in the Native American Community and participated in many cultural activities.” McAllister explains, “I spent a lot of my time making art, like paintings and drawings.” Redford, a long-supporter of Native American rights and activism, teamed up with Chris Eyre, chair of The Film School at SFUAD, on Eyre’s first feature-length, Smoke Signals, as well as Skinwalkers and A Thief of Time, so it comes to no surprise that Redford and the Milagro Institute would reward those with socially conscious intentions. McAllister grew up in Vancouver, WA, “Better known as the city across from Portland, Ore.,” she accounts. She claims her family, and parents especially, have always been a supportive force in her pursuit of the arts and higher education, but it was her art teacher who really gave her the strength to continue her passion for art that not only captivates, but inspires as well. “Without meeting him,” she says, “I wouldn’t be pursuing a career in art.” She spoke of being granted a work-study position in the Grip House, the Film School’s facility for equipment check-out, which houses some of the best platforms a young filmmaker could hope to work with, in addition to being given a new Canon T4i. Being that her interest in film lies with production design and cinematography, it appears that Anastasia has found a nice little niche at The Film School. “ The transition into college has been amazing!” Anastasia boasts. “It’s only been three weeks but I already feel comfortable...
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