VISIT HOUSTON

Young Film Makers Showcase 1995

 

HOUSTON FILM COMMISSION'S TEXAS FILMMAKER'S SHOWCASE 1995

Pictured from left to right: ....(...)...

Texas Filmmaker's Showcase at DGA Theater, Los Angeles

 

The Films

Listen (17:40 min.) 

A young man attempts to help his upstairs neighbor out of an abusive relationship with her husband.

Bob Cook & David Jahns - Arlington
David Jahns graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music, minoring in film and video, from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1994. His student productions have screened at many national festivals and competitions. Most recently, he was awarded a graduate assistantship at the Florida State University Film Conservatory where he will be pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production. 
Robert Cook is a filmmaker and Director of the University Media Center for the University of Texas at Arlington. His work has been shown at the Charleston Film Festival, the Dallas Video Festival, the Center for Research in Contemporary Art, Film in the Cities, the Ansel Adams Center, and the San Antonio Museum of Art. He is currently a candidate for a Ph.D. degree in Humanities. 

My Tears Are Witnesses to This (2:50 min.) 

This film explores loss from the viewpoint of someone who has experienced one. It recounts the narrator's thoughts for someone who has recently passed away.

Tarvis Watson - Houston
Tarvus Watsib wrote, directed, and edited "My Tears Are Witnesses to This" when he was 17 years old. His interests include film, music, and literature. Tarvis currently lives in Houston and will be attending the University of Southern California in the Fall of 1995. He plans on pursuing a career as a motion picture director. 

Step Fast (45:00 min.) 

Step Fast weaves the musical tale of Johnny Brando, part-time mechanic and fill-time wild one, who is reunited with his childhood sweetheart to solve his father's murder.

James Froeschle - Austin
Originally from northern Colorado, James Froeschle holds an MFA in Film Production from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago. He also studied filmmaking at NYU. Froeschle has several short films to his credit, and recently directed Monte Warden's music video "Give My Heart a Break" from Warden's latest album. 

Hell (5:30 min.) 

A sleep-deprived man sets out on a fast journey in a sports car. He winds up on a hyper-speed animated ride through Hell.

Lance Kubena - Austin
Lance Kubena graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin, earning a BS in Radio-Television-Film. He specialized in film production and animation, completing several collective and individual short films. In his final semester, he produced "HELL," assuming most of the creative roles himself. Currently, Lance is expanding his experimental animation skills while producing a short entitled "Mindwrecker." He will be living in Seattle this fall, where his fiancee will begin graduate school. 

Virtual Rose (7:00) 

Once upon a time, in the not-too-distant future, a young computer artist named Bud finds her way into the vast global computer network known as the Matrix. She meets an entity with whom she has an intense relationship, so intense that she begins to lose interest in her non-virtual life. Virtual Rose is a chapter in her story.

Paul Yeager - Houston
After many years of making documentaries, first as a lighting cameraman, and later as a writer/director/producer, Mr. Yeager enrolled at the University of Houston in a series of post graduate courses in directing for the theater, taught by noted director Jose Quintero. These courses inspired the creation of "StageCenter," an anthology series of short TV fiction pieces, produced by Houston Public Television. One story from this series "Cornflower Blue," won the Gold Prize for Best Original Short Screenplay from the Writers Foundation of America, and the Silver Prize for Short Performance Works from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Virtual Rose is the sixth and final story created for the series. 

La Llorona - A Tale of Tears (6:30 min.) 

This story explores the old Mexican folk tale about a woman who kills her chilren. What would drive a woman/mother to do that? This piece parallels that story with current issues of domestic violence.

Susan Jasso - El Paso & Fernando Cano - San Antonio
Susan Jasso, from El Paso, and Fernando Cano, from McAllen, Texas, met in Austin where they joined creative forces and produced three short student films. During this time, they also founded Yerba Buena Productions (YBP). Under YBP, they worked on several other short films, a documentary, and their first feature, "Painflower." Currently, Susan works for Tierra Films in El Paso as Assistant Director for Upcoming Produciton. Fernando, now residing in San Antonio, is overseeing the completion of post-production on "Painflower" and has several projects in development. In the future, Susan hopes to develop and work on a Latino sitcom. Fernando plans to focus on producing Latino-themed films and documentaries. 

Fit (8:00 min.) 

One morning Lizzie realizes that she can no longer fit her tongue into her lover's mouth. This unfortunate event impels Lizzie to explore a variety of innovative fitting techniques...A visual dictionary of the senses. A meditation on female sensuality.

Rachel Tsangari - Austin
Rachel Tsangari is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, and holds an MA from New York University in Performance and Cinema Studies. She received a Diplome from the Insitut National Du Film Et Des Communications in Paris, and completed her BA at Aristotle University of Thessalonkiki, Greece. "Fit," made while at the University of Texas at Austin, has received numerous awards including "Best of Fest" at the Charlotte Film Festival in May of this year. Rachel lives in Austin and is currently in post-production on two separate 60-minute projects and an animated Super 8 short. 

The Significant Other (10:00 min.) 

It's not that Kathy is choosy when it comes to men... It's just that her life is not picture-perfect. In any case, love doesn't come in a flash... Or does it?

Tassos Rigopoulos - Austin
Tassos Rigopoulos was born in Geneve, Switzerland in 1967. He grew up in Greece, where he studied law at the University of Athens and film production at the Hellenic Cinema and Television School, "Lycourgus Stavrakos." He has worked as a production assistant and assistant director on several shorts and features in Greece. Tassos is currently a student at the University of Texas at Austin, working towards a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production. 

Cryptic (11:05 min.) 

Cryptic is about the inability of a young man to separate himself from his memories.

E. Steven Fried - Austin
E. Steven Fried is a New York-based filmmaker who studied filmmaking at the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently at work on several screenplays, one of which he hopes to make in the coming year.