Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Reimagines 2021 Festival Experience + You’re Invited

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) is thrilled to announce the return of its annual festival, the 21st edition, to be held as a hybrid event across 12 days from Feb. 17-28, 2021. In response to the ongoing pandemic, AJFF has reimagined the festival experience to combine at-home virtual screenings with select drive-in movies, expanded conversation with filmmakers and special guests, as well as other unique components that prioritize the safety, comfort and convenience of audiences.

The 2021 AJFF film lineup, to be announced over the coming weeks, will include over 30 narrative and documentary features plus short film offerings, representing a diversity of genres and subjects. Powered by CineSend, the festival’s Virtual Cinema will allow audiences to access the very best in international cinema from a smart TV, home theater, computer, tablet or other mobile device.

In addition, thanks to an exclusive partnership with Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AJFF will also offer a limited number of drive-in screenings in the 11-acre The Home Depot Backyard greenspace, a spectacular backdrop for a physically distanced but shared moviegoing experience.

Always core to the festival’s mission of fostering dialogue, AJFF will continue its commitment to community conversation with enhanced guest programming, including speaker introductions and extensive Q&A panels that further explore the themes and topics presented onscreen.

“Cinematic stories feed the soul at a time when we need the help of film artists to make sense of our world, to be inspired, and to reignite our shared sense of humanity. Our festival staff and volunteers have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure the core tenets of the festival – community, representation, storytelling and experience – are preserved in our 2021 hybrid edition,” says AJFF Executive Director Kenny Blank. “It’s gratifying to see that, despite the pandemic, the pipeline of new films on Jewish themes is as strong as ever. We look forward to being ‘together through film’ in February, our motto for these COVID times.”

Additional details on films, virtual screenings, programming, and drive-in dates to come soon.

FASHIONADO

Penland School of Craft Announces Spring 2021 On Ground Concentration Classes

2021 Spring Concentrations March 7 - April 30 (Scholarships available) are back! Penland School of Craft is proud to announce their return and line-up for workshops this Spring.

”We've been waiting for this day for months now, friends—the day we can invite you back to campus for workshops!” Penland School of Craft

Penland School of Craft is thrilled to have a lineup of six accomplished instructors ready to teach, share and learn with you for eight weeks this spring:

• Brien Beidler - Finishing Touches: Materials, Tools, and Methods

  The “charming but completely unpretentious*” books made in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries have a unique way of harmonizing skilled craft, quirky aesthetics, and evidence of the hands that made them. With these leather bindings as our inspiration, we’ll explore the process and material details that make them so appealing while leaving room to add our own context to their structure and design. We’ll cover a range of techniques, including sewing on a frame, lacing in boards, sewing endbands, working with leather, and gold tooling with egg glair and gold leaf. We’ll place a special emphasis on finishing (applying decoration to the covered book) and making finishing tools. All levels. Code S00B

  *From a description of historic bindings in Hannah French’s Bookbinding in Early America. 

  Studio artist; teaching: Escuela de Artes y Oficios Santo Domingo (Colombia), Penland, North Bennet Street School (MA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Alabama, University of Utah. 

  beidlermade.com
  @bhbeidler

• Matt Repsher - Finding Form and Surface

  This workshop will focus on developing form and surface in pots using history, environment, and personal experiences to help students develop a unique voice in clay. I’ll share the techniques I use to create elaborately patterned vessels, including wheelthrowing, handbuilding, carving, and color slip inlay. Working mostly in mid-range stoneware fired in electric kilns, students will push the boundaries of ceramic materials by experimenting with multi-layered surface treatments using colored slips, underglazes, and glazes. Projects, exercises, and conversations will stimulate exploration and growth. All levels. Code S00CA

  Studio artist; teaching: Indiana University, University of New Mexico, Penland, Pocosin Arts (NC), Arrowmont (TN), Santa Fe Clay (NM); residencies: Pocosin Arts, Penland resident artist program; collections: Boise Art Museum (ID), San Angelo Museum (TX).

  @repsherceramics

• Kit Paulson - The Explorer’s Notebook: Borosilicate Fieldnotes

  A notebook is a license to explore the world. In this class, we’ll explore and catalog ideas, methods, and structures in flameworked borosilicate glass. The workshop will have a strong emphasis on daily hand-skill practice, which we’ll temper with drawing, reading, demonstrations, and slide shows. Students will learn techniques in solid structural flameworking and also build a strong foundation for making hollow, blown forms. All levels. Code S00GB

  Studio artist; teaching: Pilchuck (WA), Bildwerk Frauenau (Germany), National College of Art and Design (Dublin), Pittsburgh Glass Center, Urban Glass (NYC); residencies: Rosenberg Residency at Salem State University (MA), Tacoma Museum of Glass (WA), S12 (Norway), Penland Resident Artist Program; collections: Tacoma Museum of Glass, KODE (Norway), Renwick Gallery (DC).

  kitpaulsonglass.com
  @kitpaulson

• Thomas Campbell - Fabrication Fundamentals

  This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of steel fabrication with an emphasis on both functional and sculptural design. We’ll begin with weekly exercises and assignments that emphasize proper fabrication technique, design, critical thinking, and problem solving. We’ll build on these exercises to establish a skill set that will support personal exploration. Daily demonstrations will include, but not be limited to, technical drawing and layout, basic sheet-forming, MIG and TIG welding, grinding and sanding, finish work, and patination. We’ll also cover shop safety and efficient work practices. Students will leave with newly acquired skills and a thorough understanding of steel fabrication. All levels. Code S00I

  Note: this workshop will not cover forging.

  Studio artist; teaching: Haystack (ME), Penland; Haystack Open Studio Residency; exhibitions: Signature Gallery (Atlanta), Blue Spiral 1 (NC), Metal Museum (Memphis), Mint Museum (Charlotte); collections: University of Arkansas at Little Rock; gallery representation: Blue Spiral 1; former Penland core fellow. 

  thomascampbellcraft.com
  @thomas_campbell

• David Clemons - Wear a Great Story

  Once upon a time… Whether in drama, mystery, social commentary, or personal history, stories link us to our past, teach us lessons, memorialize events and people, and look to project the future. In this workshop, guided technical and conceptual exercises will help students develop and hone their use of materials, form, iconography, and symbols to convey narratives through wearable pieces and small sculpture. Technical information will include surface embellishment, cold connections, soldering, hydraulic forming, casting, basic stonesetting, enameling, and integrating alternative materials. Bring your curiosity and willingness to explore a variety of subjects as we execute numerous pieces and live a great story during our eight weeks together. Some metalworking experience will be helpful, but this workshop is open to all levels. Code S00MA

  Studio artist; teaching: University of Arkansas, Penland, Haystack (ME), Pocosin Arts (NC), Arrowmont (TN); Oregon College of Art and Craft residency; exhibitions: Crafting Futures (NC), Wear (NC), Wearable Pewter (IL and Istanbul), Appetites and Objects (MD); collections: Yale University Art Gallery (CT), Metal Museum (Memphis), Arkansas Art Center.

  davidharperclemons.com
  @harperclemons

• Annie Evelyn - Furniture Sampler

  This furniture workshop will include a little bit of everything! Starting with a two-week chair project, we’ll cover machine- and hand-tool usage and the basics of joinery and design. We’ll spend one week on upholstery techniques and make a fully webbed, sprung, padded, and upholstered ottoman. Next, we’ll learn simple digital drawing using Rhino and cut shapes with the CNC machine. Then we’ll use that knowledge to make forms for bent lamination and steam bending. During the last three weeks, students will work on self-directed projects. Throughout, we’ll have fun and organize some campus events to bring people together (safely) to celebrate art. All levels. Code S00W

  Studio artist; teaching: California College of the Arts, Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons The New School of Design (NYC); exhibitions: Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), Center for Art in Wood (Philadelphia), Houston Center for Contemporary Craft; publications: Impossible Design by Agata Toromanoff, The Independent Design Guide: Innovative Products from the New Generation by Laura Houseley, American Craft.

  annieevelyn.com
  @annie_evelyn_furniture

Registration is open now on a first-come, first-served basis. Scholarship applications are available through Slideroom and are due December 15, 2020.

Finally, as excited as Penland School of Craft is to open these spring workshops, they can't ignore the fact that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. They have learned a lot since the first cancelled sessions back in March, and they have made sweeping updates to campus to help us operate safely this spring.

Many aspects of 2021 Penland workshops will be altered accordingly. Before you apply, please read their COVID-19 Safety Guidelines so you will know what to expect and what will be expected of you.

FASHIONADO

Feature Film/Miniseries Based On The Life Of Siegfried & Roy

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The authorized biopic telling the life-story of Siegfried & Roy, who also serve as Executive Producers, will continue on schedule despite the recent passing of Roy Horn from complications of COVID-19 last week. The emotional story will cover their life together and how they influenced each other to achieve world-renowned success.

Nico Hofmann and Sebastian Werninger on behalf of UFA Fiction, confirmed the script by award-winning writer/director Michael Bully Herbig is in its final stages and pre-production will begin after its completion. The project has been in development with Siegfried & Roy and UFA for more than two years. The biopic will be distributed as a feature film in theaters and expanded to a limited series for television.

"Roy and I worked closely with Nico and Bully to tell the story of our life together, on and off stage," said Siegfried Fischbacher. "This will be our personal and emotional journey that could only be told as we looked back over how the connection between us built our career and led to our achievements. Now that Roy is gone, this movie will be the ultimate tribute to the truly special person Roy was not just to me but to our audiences and fans."

UFA CEO Nico Hofmann has been personally involved in the film's creation and is also executive producing.  

"Roy's death deeply affected me," said Hofmann. "Roy had so much power and an incredible energy. He only had one motto: 'Always live your dreams!'  His strength and duration inspired us all – including just recently when we met in February with Michael Bully Herbig to further refine the vision for the film. This film will be our legacy for him. Together with Siegfried we will shoot the biopic – and Roy's spirit will guide us."

"Ever since I saw my first Siegfried & Roy show in the early nineties at The Mirage in Las Vegas, I was spellbound," said Michael Bully Herbig. "Telling the story of these two exceptional artists to a large audience makes me very happy and is proof that dreams do come true, like Roy used to say. I am very grateful for their trust."

FASHIONADO