Camera Guild Names 11 Film Showcase Winners

[Tim Tyler]

LOS ANGELES, April 1, 2004 -The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) has announced 11 winners in its Eighth Annual Film Showcase competition. The winning entries were photographed by Harry Box for Ask Curtis, Michael Chambliss for F-Stops, Ken Glassing for A Life for a Life, Anette Haellmigk for A Single Rose, Rob Kositchek for Inconvenience Store, Rachael Levine for Home, Darin Moran for Ola's Box of Clovers, Vasco Lucas Nunes for Recycle, Michael Pescasio for Mrs. Marshall, Christopher Probst for Descent, and Mark Schwartzbard for Psychoanalysis Changed My Life. The Showcase will premiere Sunday, April 25, at 3 p.m. at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theater.

 

"This Showcase is a preview of the future of the art of filmmaking," says National Guild President George Spiro Dibie, ASC. "It demonstrates a deep reservoir of talent in our Guild, which bodes well for the future. The films selected by our judges are all works of art where the cinematographers played important roles in creating entertaining and interesting stories."

 

The competition is open to all ICG members who are still photographers, camera loaders, assistants and operators. Entries must be 30 minutes or less. More than 70 entries were evaluated on how artfully the scripts and performances were translated into images that serve the stories.

 

The idea for the annual competition was conceived and developed in 1997 by Kositchek, a camera operator and Guild member. His goal was to provide his colleagues in the Guild who are aspiring cinematographers with an opportunity to showcase their talent and skill.

 

Dibie explains that many people who join the Guild as camera loaders, assistants and operators see those roles as steps on their path to the future. He says that many of them shoot short films as a way to sharpen their skills, hone their creative instincts, and to form collaborative relationships with writers, directors and other aspiring moviemakers.

 

"Rob deserves a lot of credit for developing the idea for this competition," says Dibie. "Over the years, he has played an important role in organizing and managing this important event."

 

Judging is done by Guild cinematographers, assistants and operators who evaluate the effectiveness of the contributions made by the directors of photography.

 

"They are judging both the artistry of the cinematographers and the skill with which they execute the visual grammar that supports the intentions of the filmmakers," he says. "It generally takes a cinematographer to make these judgments, because artful camerawork is usually designed to be non-obtrusive and transparent to the audience."

 

Dibie describes the competition as fierce. He says there were many extraordinarily artful entries, which made it difficult for the judges to pare the list down to 11 finalists.

 

"While we congratulate the 11 finalists, we are also urging those members whose films didn't make it into the 2004 Showcase to try again next year," he says. "It was a very close call in many cases. You have to persevere in order to succeed in the long-run."

 

The April 25 premiere at the DGA will be followed by a reception (no RSVP necessary). Additional screenings are slated for the Cannes International Film Festival, and many other cities around the country. The ICG Film Showcase is one of many initiatives sponsored by the Guild for the purpose of helping its 6,000 members gain recognition and advance in their careers. Kodak has sponsored the Showcase screenings since their inception.