Behind the Scenes – focus on the filmmaker

November’s Scene is a bit different, as we wanted to give our members more information on the festival finalists. So in alphabetical order by finalist film, we present the top four filmmakers for Season One of the Haydenfilms Online Film Festival.

Fortunate Son – directed by Quinn Saunders

Born and raised in Mt. Holly, New Jersey, Quinn Saunders attended Rutgers University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in English and a minor in Art History. After Rutgers, Quinn settled in New York City, spending his free time writing and studying acting with William Esper and at the Actor’s Studio while slowly working his way down the corporate ladder at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Accepted into the Film Production program at the University of Southern California in the spring of 2000, he has written and directed several short films and received his MFA in August 2003. At USC, Quinn was chosen by Robert Zemeckis to be one of the rare students the director mentors. “Fortunate Son” is the result of that mentorship process.

I Killed Zoe Day – written and directed by Powell Weaver

Powell Weaver recently graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts film program at NYU. The recipient of one of only two $35,000 scholarships given by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Powell’s films have screened in over 25 festivals. He has shot, edited and directed projects for Universal Records and VH1, and his work has screened on MTV, MTV2 and BET. He currently works as a production assistant at Nickelodeon in New York.

Life or Breath – written and directed by Steve Desmond

Steve is a Chicago native and a recent graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in Cinema-Television Production. Based on his previous film work and screenplays, Steve was chosen as one of only four seniors to direct a 480 project, a prestigious advanced level production at USC. His film was Life or Breath: a darkly comedic thriller based on a short story by Nelson DeMille. Last year, Steve won a Student Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for producing the USC Thesis film, Saving Worms. Since graduating, Steve has written three original feature screenplays and is currently shopping them around to different companies.

SmartCard – directed by James Oxford

James Oxford holds a B.A in Fine Art from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI, as well as an M.A. in Fine Art from the New York Academy of Figurative Art in New York. James has worked in the movie industry since 1993, and his feature film credits include Xmen 2, Planet of the Apes, The Patriot, and the upcoming Superman feature film. His second film, Dark Waters, is currently in production. James’ art can be viewed at his website, www.jamesoxford.com

Now it’s your chance! Tell us about your latest project, and you could be chosen for Behind the Scenes in the coming months. Whether you’re a producer, actor, or grip, we’re looking for YOUR story.

Contact our news staff by submitting the form at http://www.haydenfilms.com/contact_files.php?context=news and you may be selected as the focus of our next feature!

Congratulations to the 2005 Viewer Appreciation Award winner!

With all of the online votes counted and the top four finalists announced, we at Haydenfilms have one more job, and that is to congratulate Chad Davis of Tuscaloosa, AL as the 2005 winner of the Haydenfilms Viewer Appreciation Award.

Chad will be receiving a Haydenfilms check for $250.00 simply because he became a Haydenfilms member, and voted for at least seven films during the 2005 festival season (his personal favorite BTW - SmartCard.) Thanks to Chad, and to all of our members who participated in our successful first season!

Announcing the Top Four Finalists for Season One Haydenfilms.com Online Film Festival.

Lehigh Valley, PA (PRWEB) November 8, 2005 -- The Haydenfilms Online Film Festival is pleased to announce their top four finalists for Season One, competing to win the $10,000 grand prize at our awards ceremony in December of 2005. The online community selected the finalists from the thirty-six films participating in the festival, which ran August 30 through October 30, 2005, via an online voting system created for the festival.

The finalists in alphabetical order are: "Fortunate Son" submitted by Quinn Saunders; "I Killed Zoe Day" submitted by Powell Weaver; "Life or Breath" submitted by Steve Desmond; and "Smartcard" submitted by James Oxford. While the winning film will receive the grand prize, the other finalists will receive prize packages contributed by sponsors such as Write Brothers, CMP Books, and Akimbo. These four films will also be showcased at Haydenfilms.com through August 29, 2006. Season Two of the Haydenfilms Online Film Festival begins August 30, 2006.

Finalists for the festival submitted short films no longer than thirty minutes to be reviewed by a unique, professional judging panel consisting of eight national media professors and film industry experts. Each judge viewed and voted on the films, and the top thirty-six films were made available for online member voting during the festival period.

Haydenfilms.com was among the first solely online film festivals, beginning in October 2004 as a way for independent filmmakers to showcase their works to the online community. Of the various online film festivals, they were the first to accept all short films regardless of genre, and the first to offer a $10,000 cash prize to the winning filmmaker. Submissions were accepted until July 15, 2005, and included a wide variety of films, ranging from student submissions, animation, and documentary formats.

The Online Film Festival is just one component of Haydenfilms.com, which is quickly becoming known as the premier online resource for independent filmmakers. In addition to the Festival, the website offers its members industry news, job and resume posting, message boards, and shopping for filmmaking software and equipment.

For more information on the Festival, please visit http://www.haydenfilms.com/ or contact Haydenfilms LLC at 610-894-9639. # # #