SADDLE UP at the ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE!!!!!

Great news for all SADDLE UP fans. If you can't make it to the New York showcase, you'll have a chance to watch these great films and enjoy meeting the filmmakers, at the ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE here in Austin!!

Mark your calendars:
March 22nd, 4pm
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz

Naiti Gamez, Director of Photography

Naiti Gamez has shot 3 of the films that will be screened at SADDLE UP NYC: Danzak, Kid and Martha. She will be at the showcase representing the film Kid.

About Naiti

Naiti Gámez is a Cuban-born, Miami-raised, filmmaker willing to call anywhere "with a flexible approach to language" home.
She has worked as a cinematographer, director and editor on award-winning films and television series. Her latest film, Love, Sadie, has just been completed. Love, Sadie was awarded a Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund Grant (Austin Film Society), was a semi-finalist at the 2008 Student Academy Awards, and is premiering at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival.
As a cinematographer, her film credits have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide, including Clermont-Ferrand, Tribeca, SXSW, Festival du Cinema de Paris, Woodstock Film Festival, Hampton's International Film Festival, Festival de Cine Internacional de Barcelona and Taos Talking Pictures. Her film and TV credits have aired on television networks such as Showtime, MTV/MTV2, & tuTV.
Naiti has also worked at various non-profit organizations in the U.S. and abroad. As a youth-media educator, she's collaborated with young people to produce videos about social issues that affect them. She holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Smith College, and an M.F.A. in Film Production (Cinematography concentration) from the University of Texas at Austin.

www.marielita.net

SADDLE UP NYC commercial #1

watch video!

Shot by Drew Daniels and Romina Olson, two of the SADDLE UP NYC selected filmmakers, directors of the film Oley

Miguel Alvarez: Kid

Kid

A coming-of-age ritual defines the relationship between a thirteen-year-old boy and his estranged father.

Depending when found, Miguel Alvarez is an engineer, writer, photographer, filmmaker, expatriate, or graduate student. His work has screened throughout the United States, garnering prizes and gathering critical acclaim along the way. In addition to writing and directing, he has produced short films for New York film artist Raul Castillo and recent Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award recipient Cruz Angeles. Currently pursuing an MFA in Film Production, he is the recipient of the Robert Rodriguez/Elizabeth Avellán Award and Warren Skaaren Fellowship from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Directors' Guild of America Student Award. Much of his time is now spent developing his first feature, Atlantic City, and finishing his latest short film, Mnemosyne Rising. He currently resides in Austin, Texas and is kept awake solely through copious amounts of Big Red.

http://www.estebandido.com

Marshall Rimmer: Color by number

Color by number
One day during class, Adam works up the courage to ask Jenny if she likes him. When his paper note engenders a seemingly positive response from Jenny, Adam decides that he is not ready for a relationship and decides to end it before it begins, but not, however, if Jenny's crush Tommy has anything to say about it.

Marshall is a filmmaker born in Fort Worth, Texas. He's graduating in May of 2009 with both a bachelors of business administration in marketing and a bachelors of science in radio-television-film. His web-series entitled The Wingmen garnered a finalist position by both South by Southwest's Greenlight Awards and College Broadcasters, Inc.'s Student Producion Awards. He is currently in the pre-production phase of his first feature film.

http://www.marshallrimmer.com

Lucas Amman: Popsicle

Popsicle

Spooky Molly would do anything to meet Jeffrey of Jeffrey's Spectacular Puppet Hour, but there's only one thing standing in her way to create the family of her dreams: her older sister.

Lucas was raised in Cypress, Texas. It was there he climbed every tree, conquered every imaginary villain and saved the universe a million times over (you’re welcome). His creative spirit crystallized during his four years in Austin where he has continued to climb trees, make movies, make music, and fight mutants.

www.lucasamann.com

Logan Strobel: The moon or bust

The moon or bust
Jet packs are an efficient and fun way to travel. A jet pack can be fashioned quickly and easily with today's modern technology. Forget Earth and all its troubles, live out a simpler and more fashionable life in space.

Logan graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in film. Interests include animating, writing, directing, and vérité.

Katja Straub: Martha

Martha shows the view on life through the eyes of an 11-years old girl that struggles to accept her family (the most embarrassing family in the world, Martha is convinced). After many recent moves, due to her father's adventurous nature, Martha and her family just moved to a small Texan town to take over a restaurant. Martha struggles to adjust to the new environment. She directs her frustration onto her little brother and finds outlets for it in vivid daydreams, where she fantasizes about how her life might otherwise be. We follow Martha into her world where reality and imagination merge into one.
Based on my own childhood memories, Martha is about coming to terms with, and eventually accepting, one's roots, blending humor and drama into a short film that combines realism and surrealism.

Katja Straub is an artist, writer, and filmmaker whose films have screened in numerous festivals and museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Images Festival in Toronto, the Viper Basel in Switzerland and the Museo Nationale Reina Sofia in Madrid. Her short film "All White People Are French" received the Special Jury Award at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin in 2005.

Before moving to Texas, Katja graduated from the University of the Arts in Berlin, where she received her Master in Experimental Film. In Berlin she also held an apprenticeship as a scene painter for the German Opera and worked as a freelance art designer and painter for films and music videos.

Awarded the Homer Lindsey Bruce Fellowship and the Warren E. Skaaren Scholarship, she received her MFA in Film Production at the University of Texas at Austin in 2008, where she is currently teaching film and video production.

www.rocketfilm.de

John Moore: Refurbished

Refurbished
Whatever happened to that toy you threw away? In 1999, “Furbies” were the most in demand toy in America. However, two years later they fell by the wayside, as most trends do, and became essentially worthless. “Refurbished” tells the uplifting story of how a group of these interactive creatures found a new voice through the creativity of an Austin inventor. Their tale acts as a microcosm of the “DIY” (Do It Yourself” culture that is sweeping the nation.

John Spottswood Moore is a multi-award winning writer and director. While receiving a BA in Film from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Moore studied advanced level classes in Acting, writing, directing, and animation. His debut film, "Lemonade Stand", won multiple awards, including Best Fiction Film at the 2008 Open Apperture Film Festival and Best Comedy Film at the 2008 Scene First Film Festival. Since then he has worked in both radio and television in multiple creative positions. Moore is currently pursuing an MFA in Film Directing from the University of Texas at Austin.

Gabriela Yepes: Danzak

Danzak
Nina is a 10 year old girl whose life dramatically changes when her dying father and Scissor Dancer master asks her to fulfill his last wish. Inspired on an Andean myth and on the short story by Peruvian writer José María Arguedas, "The Agony of Rasu Ñiti".

Since her graduation in a Peruvian film school in 2003, Gaby never stopped working on films -from documentaries for the United Nations to a war film in the Balkans- and hopes she doesn't have to wait too long to complete her debut as a feature film director.

contact

Please RSVP to saddleupnyc@gmail.com
You can also send us your comments or questions.

Drew Xanthopolous: Western brother's adventure story

Western brother’s adventure story

A young boy living in rural Texas constructs an adventure story incorporating family, friends, and the filmmaker. The boy is viewed through the lens of his imagined story as he both invents and enacts it. Blending elements of fiction and nonfiction, this short documentary is an unusual portrait of a 9 year old boy by way of his imagination.

After studying anthropology at the University of Florida, Drew worked for over a year in the Bay Area as an associate producer, editor, and camera operator. He was fortunate enough to have worked with distinguished filmmakers as Jed Riffe, Emiko Omori, Maureen Gosling, and Vicente Franco. He left the Bay for Missoula, MT where he worked for over a year as a commercial photographer's first assistant and where he also drafted works of his own. He is in his first year as an MFA film production student at the University of Texas at Austin.

www.bydrewx.com

Drew Daniels and Romina Olson: Oley

Oley experiments with visual stimulation and finding beauty in normality. The quintessential Texas landscapes are as much characters as the main leads and the soundscapes looming over the scenes. I recommend to sit back and enjoy and not ask questions...just enjoy.

We made this film spaced out over a couple of weekends, just me and Romina, sometimes we had the help of an additional person but that was rare. Romina drove the truck, I filmed out the back, she pushed the dolly, i shot the scene. Under the guise of several cinematography class projects, we completed this film out of short ends, discontinued film stock, and donations. Romina and I both "directed" this film but much was improvisation and instinct on behalf of everyone involved at every stage of the film. It was a fun experiment that we'll never forget...in celluloid we trust.

flickr.com/photos/rominaolson/

youtube.com/drewdaniels

Alan Lampert : Mr. Shoop

Mr. Shoop
In a world where self-expression is seen as a disease, Mister Shoop can't bear to go on. At long last, it seems as if the human race is coming to an abrupt end, and he has big plans.


Alan Lampert is a recent graduate of the University of Texas film department and long-time lover of the art of storytelling. Whether it's written, visual, musical, or otherwise, Alan is a boy in love with creativity and human expression. With a strong aesthetic sensibility, Alan is currently pursuing a career as a production designer in the Austin, TX area, and continues to create personal projects on his own time

Adam Morgan and Erik Johnson: An apparent celebration

An apparent celebration

As darkness falls on the deep southern woods, a mysterious wanderer is found traveling alone through unfamiliar territory. What he finds is more than expected.

Adam Morgan was born in a small mountain town in Idaho. He moved to Houston, Tx at the age of ten so that his mom could fly in space. He is currently studying film at the University of Texas, and has had scripts chosen each semester for production, which he also directed. His latest films, "Throwing Things At Little Kids," and "An Apparent Celebration" were both chosen to be showcased at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. He is currently writing his first feature-length screenplay.

Erik Johnson is a graduate of The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, Arizona. While working in audio production in Los Angeles, he relocated once again to Austin where he is currently studying film at The University of Texas. His first short, "Everything Means Nothing To Me", screened at the Arbor Theater in Austin. His second short, "Here I Am, I Am Hear", was chosen as one of the best in semester. "An Apparent Celebration" is his latest film, and his first collaboration with Adam Morgan. It screened twice at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and has already received a very positive response. Erik also plays guitar in the band Pompeii.

Attend the showcase

SADDLE UP NYC
February 18th, 6pm
Anthology Film Archives

32 2nd Ave New York, NY 10003

Tickets available at the door for $6. Seats are limited. Please RSVP to saddleupnyc@gmail.com

About the program

SADDLE UP NYC is the first showcase of UT Austin student films in New York City. The exciting student-curated program includes some of the latest and greatest student documentary, animation, fiction and experimental work from both undergraduate and graduate filmmakers. From cowboy poetry to gypsy wagons to the Peruvian Andes, SADDLE UP demonstrates the range, talent and potential of UT's RTF students.

SADDLE UP NYC films and filmmakers:
-Western Brothers' Adventure Story, Drew Xanthopoulos
-Martha, Katja Straub
-Kid, Miguel Alvarez
-Mr. Shoop, Alan Lampert
-The Moon or Bust, Logan Strobel
-Lucas Amman, Popsicle
-Oley, Drew Daniels
-An Apparent Celebration, Adam Morgan/Erik Johnson
-Refurbished, John Moore
-Color by Number, Marshall Rimmer
-Danzak, Gabriela Yepes

AND THE PROGRAM IS....

The following outstanding films were chosen for the very first SADDLE UP NYC program:

Drew Xanthopoulos - Western Brothers' Adventure Story

Katja Straub - Martha

Miguel Alvarez - Kid

Alan Lampert - Mr. Shoop

Logan Strobel - The Moon or Bust

Lucas Amman - Popsicle

Drew Daniels - Oley

Adam Morgan/Erik Johnson - An Apparent Celebration

John Moore - Refurbished

Marshall Rimmer - Color by Number

Gabriela Yepes - Danzak

Congratulations to all the filmmakers! It's gonna be a great show!