The Academy is also taking on a more prominent role in the effort to boost movie theaters, becoming more hospitable to composers and asking writers to show their work.
Film Academy announces several changes to the 2025 Oscars, including changes to rules affecting best picture, animated feature, and original score categories (More)
Maria Ressa, a journalist, media entrepreneur, and leading advocate for freedom of the press, will be the principal speaker at Harvard’s 373rd Commencement on May 23.
“Maria Ressa embodies Veritas. For nearly 40 years, she has dedicated herself to truth — its pursuit, its advocacy, and its defense — no matter the repercussions,” said interim President Alan Garber. “Her unshakable commitment to free expression and her courageous fight against disinformation are an inspiration to all who value democracy. We look forward to welcoming her to campus and to acknowledging her outstanding contributions to society.”
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/03/maria-ressa-named-2024-commencement-speaker/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Gazette%2020240320%20(1)
Oscar Segal is a resident of New York, filmmaker, and a leader in the cuase for people with disabilities
He does its show program every other week showing and how that he’s connected to the film industry and the cause to help autism people to get its rights
Last November the 13th Arlington International Film Festival took place at the Capitol Theatre on Mass Ave. It was another success featuring films from the world over and fostering a deep appreciation for different cultures and learning more about the human experience we all share. ACMi received an honoree award from the AIFF and our news director Jeff Barnd emceed the event. The relationship between ACMi and the AIFF goes back more than a decade. And our relationship has just gotten stronger.
Jefferson House in Arlington MA
The Jefferson Cutter House is a historic saltbox-style house built in 1832.
It was built by the Cutter family, mill owners in Arlington. In the 1970s, the house was sold to the Mirak family, who owned it for nearly 19 years.
In 1989, the Town of Arlington purchased the house for $1 and moved it to Arlington Center.
The house is now home to the Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum, which opened in 1998.
The museum houses a collection of Dallin's sculptures and paintings, as well as the
Cutter Gallery,
which exhibits the work of local artists.
In ancient Rome, feast days were indicated on the calendar by red letters. To my mind, all poetry and art serve as a reminder that every day we wake together beneath the sun is a red-letter day.– Steven Ratiner
Asfar she would say
pointing at a yellow tulip.
And the color of grass?
Akhdar.
My young daughter had mastered
not only the colors
but also the throaty KH,
two letters in English
that equal one in Arabic.
I would tell her it’s the same sound
as in khamseh, khubez, sabanekh—
five, bread, spinach
and my favorite name
Khaled, Immortal.
I once confessed to a friend wistfully
that I would not name my son Khaled
because Americans couldn’t pronounce it.
Now I wonder about such wisdom:
even my eight-year-old
could constrict her throat muscles the right way
to say Khaled —
immortal like an ancient olive tree,
a flame that never abates,
a mother’s love.
This spring, I saw a patch
of double hybrid tulips,
asfar tinged with akhdar,
and thought of my daughter’s
satisfied grin at learning those words
thousands of miles away
from her grandparents’ home
in Palestine.
Here we are, hybrid Americans
living between two languages
and speaking in colors,
splendid flowers in a distant field –– Zeina Azzam
“There was a child went forth every day,” wrote the Good Gray Poet, “And the first object he looked upon, that object he became. . .”. And, upon first reading Leaves of Grass, the truth of that idea struck me immediately, resonating with my own distant memory. In innocence, there seemed to be a much more permeable membrane between our consciousness and the surrounding world. The crossing over from seeing into becoming felt, is not only possible but inevitable, utterly normal. “And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day,/ Or for many years or stretching cycles of years.” I can remember, as a child, watching a grasshopper slowly climbing a waist-high stalk of timothy; eye to eye, we ached with the exertion, the need to ascend. (When was the last time I felt such immersion!) But soon enough (and just like Adam in the Garden) even children feel compelled to name those tangible experiences–– grasshopper, timothy, such words came later. And while language created an almost-visceral power and a certain sense of permanence––after all, I can call up that memory many decades later just by speaking those names–– it also brought with it a separation between the beholder and the beauty beheld.
But how to assess the layers of complexity surrounding such a moment if the very act of naming––and the spoken language that child is inheriting––already involves the experience of expulsion, fixed borders, and innocence lost? Palestinian-American Zeina Azzam has had quite an interesting journey toward becoming the poet she is today. Her family on both sides was rooted in Nazareth, in Galilee. (If memory serves, there was another child that went forth from that ancient town. . .but that’s for another story.) Her parents fled their home in 1948 as war raged around them––a conflict that would eventually establish Israel as the official Jewish homeland. But one person’s liberation can sometimes be another’s dispossession; as refugees, and empty-handed, her parents made their way to Syria, where Zeina was born. After spending some of her childhood in Lebanon, she and her family emigrated to the United States when Zeina was a ten-year-old. And today––writer, educator, activist–– she is the Poet Laureate for Alexandria, Virginia. Astonishing, yes? Last month, Zeina published Some Things Never Leave You (Tiger Bark Press) from which today’s Red Letter selection is taken. In the memory poem, she is teaching her own young daughter (not to mention her readers) the Arabic words for the colors that surround us in the world. She is also offering us a glimpse of the path––the many interwoven paths––words blaze before us and guide our footsteps. That is true for all of us but especially so in the hyphenated histories (in this case, Palestinian-American) that are integral in the American experience. We carry within us, embedded in our very words, the lives, and landscapes that helped give us meaning and purpose. You might be interested to know that Zeina’s daughter, Lena, will give birth to her second baby any day now. And another child will venture out into this achingly beautiful existence, reaching for fistfuls of the yellow, the green, the red––the as far, Akhtar, Ahmar––profuse across the heart’s vast fields.
steven.arlingtonlaureate@gmail.com
https://www.arrowsmithpress.com/community-of-voices
http://dougholder.blogspot.com
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta is undoubtedly one of the most charming coastal towns in the Pacific. Located in the Bay of Banderas, in the state of Jalisco, not far from the border with the state of Nayarit, it is the largest recipient of foreign tourists from the Mexican oceanic coast.
In addition to national tourism, Puerto Vallarta is visited and loved by a significant contingent of tourists from the United States, Canada, and Europe, a good number of whom arrive through international cruises that arrive here.
Vallarta, as its inhabitants know it, has all the tourist services of a world-class destination: from luxury hotels to the cheap but typically Mexican accommodation, entertainment activities, coastal and Mexican food restaurants but also international and gourmet, an intense nightlife, and of course a variety of water and land sports activities.
Its real estate offer ranges from houses and apartments to buy or rent of the highest range, to offers of more economically accessible stratum, but always with the charm of the Pacific.
And we cannot forget the famous Malecon of Vallarta, one of the greatest attractions of the port.
While Vallarta is a haven of peace on Mexico's most wonderful tropical coast, there is also room for excitement, partying, dancing, music, and the enjoyment of the senses. Therefore, thousands of young university students from the United States and Canada choose this port to welcome Spring in the already famous Spring Break. All this in a safe environment, but cheerful and full of life.
However, we are also visited by a large contingent of tourists from all the states of the Mexican Republic, who choose Vallarta as the best alternative for vacations. And it is that the testimonies that our visitors leave daily do not let us lie. After you visit Puerto Vallarta for the first time, a promise is made in each person's heart to return someday.
Playa Esmeralda
How to resist this combination of a quiet town and modern city, which has the most advanced services and tourist attention?
In Vallarta, tourists have the peace of mind of being able to walk alone or with family, day and night, anywhere in the city.
And, what you can do in Vallarta from dawn to dusk? just to show a few examples:
Have breakfast in a hotel or restaurant facing the sea watching dolphins.
Eating and feeling the wind on our faces.
Playas Conchas Chinas
Pescadores en el Malecon
And it is the national tourism that seeks a quiet beach where you can eat well, have fun and sunbathing. For its part, international tourism seeks refuge from the cold of the United States and Canada.
In Vallarta a point and apart is the food, where restaurants and bars have a reputation that spreads by word of mouth throughout Mexico and even overseas. It is already known the warmth and good treatment that characterizes those who serve tourists first hand, the endearing, waiters, bartenders and waitresses.
The scenes of happiness are repeated day by day. It is common to see a couple or family eat in a hotel restaurant and at the end talk up to 2 hours, laughing, enjoying, very relaxed. It is in those moments, when witnessing these scenes, that the Vallarta tourist servers realize that our services are of world quality.
It is no coincidence that tourists whom return to Vallarta remember the waiter who served them, the hotel receptionist and always greet us with great pleasure.
The same goes for American, Canadian, or European tourists, who see our service providers as part of their families. For many, it is gratifying to receive a spontaneous gift after a year of not seeing a client, who has not resisted returning to their favorite destination.
It is really surprising, but many tourists remember your name, your face, your smile and one, in return, remembers their tastes.
Everything to make a trip, an unforgettable experience, both for the visitors, and for the one who is dedicated to serving them.
On the other hand, the access routes to Puerto Vallarta are Air, Land and Sea. By land you can get to Vallarta by road, either by car or bus.
By sea: The Marina of Puerto Vallarta has capacity for more than 100 private vessels.
Visitors can enjoy some of the sports activities such as diving, snorkeling, kayaking, banana and jet skiing. Visit the Marietas Islands, watch hump whales, swim with dolphins, release turtles, motorcycle or horseback riding.
In February we have the Marina del Rey Regatta, which is held every two years, since 1972 bringing together sailors from all over the world. In March and April: Spring Break, in April: Holy Week and Easter. July and August: The city is visited by national tourism, because of the summer holidays. November to March: Almost partial occupation of American and Canadian tourism. November: International Sailfish and Marlin Tournament, and the Vallarta Golf Cup.
For this reason Puerto Vallarta is the second home of our visitors.
Thank you to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for putting together another edition of the the Art and Flowers
The 2023 Boston Marathon was ONE of the best marathons I had being |
Like our captain said: live your life with passion
Painter, sculptor and writer among many other things, Leonora Carrington (Clayton-le-Woods, Lancashire, 1917-Mexico City, 2011) was one of the most relevant artists in the ranks of surrealism. Her artistic career was always marked by her eventful biography, which made her an eccentric and tragic person. But her work should not be interpreted only as the manifestation of an unstable mind. Quite the contrary, she is the fruit of an extraordinary imagination, creator of an aesthetic, symbolic and conceptual world that is not always easily decipherable. Versatile artist, continually in search of new forms of expression, his paintings, drawings, writings, tapestries or sculptures speak to us about aspects of the human being (fear, pain, joy, strangeness or happiness) in a direct,
The exhibition intends to pay homage to this singular artist and to publicize the richness of a work that is well known in the United States and Mexico but that only in recent years has begun to enjoy greater relevance in Europe. Although Carrington has left an important mark on the trajectory of different artists of Spanish origin, her work had practically not been exhibited in our country until now.
https://www.fundacionmapfre.org/arte-y-cultura/exposiciones/sala-recoletos/leonora-carrington/
The 3D printing revolution is here! Visit the "PRINT3D" exhibition and discover to what extent this technology is transforming our daily lives. Are you coming to the future?
The Caixa Museum in Madrid, Spain
https://caixaforum.org/es/madrid/p/print3d_a87247586
Tom Hanks gift to Cambridge Typewriter
Tom Hanks letter for its donation to Cambridge Typewriter
wooden cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGUpLRGcGt0
Oscar Segal, a filmmaker whose work was screened in the 2022 festival, 'The Oscar S Show' is working to educate about SUPPORTED DECISION MAKING. To learn more, we invite you to watch this brief video and hear from parents and adult children that stand to benefit from legislation that recognizes the individual with disabilities.
Festival of the Dead, Salem, MA
Appropriately located in Salem, where most everything is witch and warlock-related, the Festival of the Dead takes place from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1 each year. The event includes a vampire’s masquerade ball, a witchcraft expo, tarot card reading, a psychic fair, and even a lecture on hunting for ghosts. Visit the website to see which activities take place on the day you choose to check out the festival.
Arlington International Film Festival, Arlington, MA
Called a “melting pot in cinematic form,” the Arlington International Film Festival celebrates the many cultures ever present in the film world. Held in Arlington’s Capitol Theatre, the festival runs in late October.
Boston Jewish Film Festival, Boston, MA
Held in November, the Boston Jewish Film Festival showcases several film genres that reflect Jewish heritage. “The Pianist” made its debut here in 2002. The festival aims to create a dialogue between Jewish and non-Jewish communities. Attendees can attend panel discussions with filmmakers and some producers following each showing.
Boston Comedy Festival, Somerville, MA
Laughter really is the best medicine, so plan to cure some ills by attending the Boston Comedy Festival in Somerville. Past performers include Nate Bargatze, who appeared on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” and Saleem Muhammad, whose appeared on “The Tonight Show” and “Last Comic Standing.”
Berkshire Museum Festival of Trees, Pittsfield, MA
In keeping with a Christmas theme, the Berkshire Museum Festival of Trees treats visitors to a cross between Christmas trees and the American West. Held from November through Jan. 1, visiting before you trim your own Christmas tree just might result in a very different theme for your family this year. Hint: Red bandannas and cowboy hats aren’t off limits for decorations!
Nantucket Historical Association Festival of Trees, Nantucket, MA
Anything Christmas-related on Nantucket Island is magical, and the Nantucket Historical Association Festival of Trees simply adds to the magic. Held in December, transforms the Whaling Museum into a winter wonderland.
Boston International Film Festival, Boston, MA
Preview international films without traveling to Sundance or L.A. The Boston International Film Festival is a can’t-miss for film fans. Dubbed a “red carpet affair,” world-renown celebrities are known to have frequented this event. Keep checking the website for a detailed schedule!
West Brookfield Asparagus & Flower Heritage Festival, West Brookfield, MA
Just so visitors—and Massachusetts residents as well—don’t get hung up on typical festivals celebrating films or cultures, it’s prudent to check out more unusual festivals taking place in the state. Case in point: The West Brookfield Asparagus & Flower Heritage Festival. Taking place in May, attendees can eat their way down Asparagus Alley, take part in a frog jumping contest, learn about the vegetable of honor, and more. It’s a family-friendly event designed to evoke the memory of festivals from days gone by.
OUTSTANDING LOCAL FILMMAKER - Sponsored by High Output
84 min | 2021 | US | World Premiere
We celebrate the screening of this film that was shot in Boston, MA and draws heavily on New England’s rich talent pool. This comedy follows three door-to-door salesmen as they struggle to get by while pursuing an analog profession in a digital world. They unwittingly begin selling propaganda for a cult, whose popularity sweeps the city, leaving the salesmen as the only people who can undo the damage.
The Arlington International Film Festival is thrilled to announce that this season AIFF would show films from the UNIFIED FILMMAKERS Film Festival |
September 15, 6 pm and Monday 19, 2 pm at Arlington council of Aging in Arlington 20 Academy St 1st Floor
For more information visit www.aiffest.org
Imagine Magazine
IMAGINE Magazine, in print and online, is totally devoted to the Film, TV/Video, and New Media production industries in New England. IMAGINE connects the dots for industry participants and tells their stories. We introduced Film Tax Credits to New England in 2002 and have been publishing since 1998.
IMAGINE features every aspect of the artists and technicians that make up the industry: the individuals, businesses, technology, industry events, opportunities, trends and developments.
Our goal supports the growth, enrichment, and enhancement of our industry in our region and mails and broadcasts those stories to the rest of the world.
IMAGINE supports the work of independent filmmakers and the process of bringing others (major studios/producers/independents) to our region to work, thereby enriching our community with work and experience. Promoting our region to the rest of the world shares the top of our priority list right up there with defending our hard fought for Film Tax Credits.
We encourage and advocate for our New England cities and states to support the industry and profit from it. This is a tax-based initiative on our part that grows economies on an advantaged scale. In the last twelve years we have zeroed in on passing and maintaining good film tax incentive legislation and have assisted all six New England states; three states have passed serious legislation.
http://imaginenews.com/purchase-this-months-issue/
The Arlington International Film Festival is thrilled to announce that the
2021 AIFF VOICES OF OUR YOUTH program will screen at the FICIE
July 8 - 22, 2022. The trailer will run prior to the screening to an audience of more than 10,000+ people, giving AIFF Sponsors international recognization.
Festival Int'l de Cine Ind. de Elche, Spain (FICIE)
Celebrating their 45th year in July 2022