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A Newsletter for The Institute for Spiritual Entertainment - New York City
December 9, 2004 Volume 1, Issue 2
On the Agenda
1. Muriel's Message
2. Point of View
3. Upcoming Events
4. Featured Filmmaker
5. Links
6. Other Announcements
Muriel's Message
Greetings All:
It has been a terrific first year of ISE NY and I feel so blessed to know you all, to hear your dreams and to be inspired by you. I want to thank you.
This has been a year of exploration, brainstorming and networking. Our group is growing very fast. Next year we expect to notch up the experience and offerings of ISE-NY; to begin to actuate the dreams that you have expressed. You have asked for seminars to help support you with your own creative projects and for more opportunities to actually work on uplifting projects together. Much is in the works; we will be offering seminars ranging from the practical financial, legal and logistical issues of production through to the creative, writing and performing aspects. All of this will come from a spiritual point of view; we will draw from the great wisdom of all the spiritual and religious disciplines of the world as presented by a variety of guest leaders. Throughout the next year, our national group will be building a data base for resumes and this is just a small part of what I expect will come out of our association.
I want to remind everyone that this is your group; this is your vehicle for change in the entertainment industry. I am here to hold the open space for you to step in and make things happen. If you see something that will be of great service to the group or that will nourish and enrich your own work and self please feel free to step forward into that space and create it. I have to say that for me stepping up to the plate is incredibly rewarding.
Last month we had our first day long seminar with Stephen Simon. This was only possible because of the hard work and long hours volunteered by me, Cynthia, Guirlaine, John Barilla, Mick and Andrew and most important the pro-bono offering of Stephen Simon. The work was completely worth it. People came from Chicago, Texas, Iowa, Illinois, Florida, Wisconsin and even England to participate. Stephen was inspiring, empowering and created a charged atmosphere of self-discovery. It was a safe space within which to clarify our ideas and speak out our intentions. The room was filled with exceptional talent; many participants were already established and successful professionals who were looking to expand their influence in entertainment through writing, directing or producing. It was a meeting of like hearts and I was nourished, and inspired. Stephen will return again in the summer of 2005. Please let me know what kind of events you would be interested to participate in.
I want to remind you to donate to our parent organization ISE http://www.spiritualcinemacircle.com/Public/Communities/ISE/index.cfm . The first order of business is to create our worldwide web ISE professional database for which we need about $5,000. If everyone donates only $1 we will have this website up and running. So I recommend sending a check for $5 or $10.
I hope to see you at the party next week and look forward to many more great adventures together next year.
Blessings in the Holiday Season and much love,
Muriel
Point of View
John Barilla on 11/21/04 writes:
. . .and a good time was had by all. Its the day after ISE-NYs successful presentation of "Spiritual Filmmaking 101" a daylong workshop with Stephen Simon. Limit - 25 participants. Result a full house with a waiting list in Suite One on Hotel Ws second-floor mezzanine. You know, in an event like this there is some itinerary, and there are some expectations. There are also at least some few who know that what happens is just what happens, and quite a few others who are willing to allow just what happens to happen all in a quite skillfully guided sort of way. So, yes there were people practicing the art of pitching creative ideas scripts and books; and there were scenes from participants scripts played out. There was critical feedback, and valuable information, and good sound advice writers should take an acting class? Hmm interesting! There were dreams in the room that floated through the field of implication, into the subatomic ether, through the winds and forces of the cosmos; from dispersion into coagulated individual form and then into the living, breathing, dynamic, interconnected, extra-human molecule that swirled around Suite One yesterday. Fresh, new opportunities for spirit to play, to reveal itself to itself. Each of those dream-buds came up courageously exposed, and well rooted in hope, in pain, in epoch inspiration, in dramatic perspective, in psychic vision, and in good humor. So what happened? It is what we have to give that was given - what in fact, "happened." Along with the challenge to grow and the suggestions on how to do that, each person and each dream was given the grounding nurturance of careful critical concern and the sunlight of attention; and such care-full attention is encouraging, inspiring, expanding, and life-giving. Then of course, sometimes its not! So there too was the presence of the greater opportunity around and amidst it all to realize that spirit is the great player, the grand observer, and the unseen director; to know that in some way, in some moment, everything must "happen" - truly a beautiful thing.
Upcoming Events/Screenings
ISE-NYC MEETINGS ISE-NYC meets the first Tuesday of each month presently at 810 Broadway PH, Buzz 10, 9th Floor. The space is fast-becoming overcrowded, so Muriel is on a mission to find a larger and public location. If you have any suggestions, please send them to Muriel Stockdale, muriela@nyc.rr.com. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
WORLD INDIGO DAY - INDIGO WILL BE RELEASED IN THEATERS ON JANUARY 29TH
Over 50 theaters around the US will be screening INDIGO on that day, and hundreds of other churches around the world have also agreed to show the film that won the "Audience Choice Award" at the Santa Fe Festival. Why is INDIGO being screened in theaters for only one day? We are trying to do something very new here, something that has never been done before in any theater. We have made an exclusive agreement with the AMC theater chain, and they want to know just how supportive this "New" audience is. We have been telling them that the esoteric spiritual community is very much like the traditional Christian market that came out to support Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." If we prove this to them, then it will pave the way for many other films with Spiritual messages to receive mainstream distribution. It also increases the likelihood of INDIGO getting a longer run in all these theaters.
PLEASE ATTEND ONE OF THE SHOWINGS NEAR YOU AND SHOW THE FILM INDUSTRY THAT FILMS WITH A SPIRITUAL MESSAGE HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF BEING MASSIVELY
SUCCESSFUL AT THE BOX OFFICE!!!
Tickets for all theatrical screenings of INDIGO will go onsale online at the end of November. Since each theater will only show the film once, we expect all the showings to sell out, so make sure you buy your tickets early, as soon as it is announced.
Here is a list of cities where INDIGO will be shown in theaters:
Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit , Eugene, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington, DC (for a list of the specific theaters, please go to www.indigothemovie.com)
IF YOU ARE NOT IN ONE OF THESE CITIES, YOU CAN HELP US ARRANGE A SHOWING NEAR YOU.
We are declaring January 29th "WORLD INDIGO DAY." Along with the support of world renowned author Doreen Virtue, hundreds of events are being sponsored around the world to bring more awareness to our Spiritually Aware children. Doreen and I will be offering a live conference that will be broadcast to every participating church. Also, Stephen Simon, Neale Donald Walsch and I will be taping a fifteen minute introduction that will be shown before every screening of INDIGO. We want this to be more than a movie, but a life changing event.
If you would like to help sponsor a showing in your area, here's all you will need:
1. You need to be at least 75 miles outside one of the theaters where INDIGO is being screened by AMC.
2. The ability to gather at least between 50 and 100 people.
3. A DVD Player and quality digital projector.
If you are a member of a church or group and would like to sponsor a showing of INDIGO on "World Indigo Day," please send us an e-mail at
indigoday@belovedcommunity.com. We'll then get back to you and discuss all the details.
WHY DO WE FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET FILMS LIKE INDIGO PLAYED IN MAINSTREAM THEATERS? We are out to do nothing less than change the world, and to do
that we need to get these messages to as many people as possible. Let's face it, most people in the world don't read many New Age type books, but almost
all of them go to the cinema. That is where we will touch the millions of people who would not normally be exposed to these messages. But we need your
help. Please attend a screening of INDIGO near you. Put January 29th on your calendar.
In Peace,
James Twyman
For those of you that were at our last meeting on November 2nd you will remember the inspiring discussion that we had about hands-on-healing modalities. Several of us have experience in those traditions and others were very interested. Dina has forwarded this information about the IM School as requested by some at that meeting - Muriel
HEALING EVENINGS WITH LEVENT
Upcoming Alternate Thursdays: DECEMBER 16 JANUARY 6
7:00pm to 10:00pm, $30 per evening
IM SCHOOL OF HEALING ARTS
122 West 26th Street, 8th floor, NYC 10001
TEL: 212.741.8159
EMAIL: INFO@IMSCHOOL.COMWWW.IMSCHOOL.COMThese evenings focus primarily on self-healing methods. The interactive sessions include guided meditations and discussion of topics related to our evolutionary journey. Energetic exercises are addressed to the specific needs and conditions of the participants. Evenings are open to anyone who would like to attend. You may attend any or all sessions.
Featured Filmmaker
David Giardina
"TAFFY WAS BORN" - David spent a good part of his childhood performing with various theater companies around Connecticut including Oddfellows Playhouse (where he studied acting, script writing and directing and more), Theatre First, Company 1 in Hartford, and the Alliance Theater Group in New Haven. In 1977 David was one of 100 teenagers from around the country to participate in Center For Creative Youth, a residential arts program based on Wesleyan University Campus. It was there that he first began making his first short experimental films.
After graduating from high school in 1980 David received a scholarship from Hofstra University and graduated with a BA in theater in 1984. From there it was off to New York City to pursue professional acting. He joined AFTRA and SAG and appeared in many productions through these unions including "As The World Turns", "NY's Most Wanted" (he played the criminal of the week!), after school specials for ABC and CBS, including Linda Lavin's directorial debut "Flour Babies", as well as comic roles on the USA Network, appearing opposite Gilbert Gotfried. David has had many walk-on parts on the big screen in such films as REGARDING HENRY and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and MOONSTRUCK.
Since 1992 David has been living in Manhattan and dedicating himself to writing/directing/producing independent features. He was the Assistant Director on the feature MESSENGER by award-winning Director Norman Loftis. In 1995 he directed, co-wrote and edited the horror homage to the classic monster films HOUSE OF MONSTERS. The feature garnered praise from executives at Universal Studios and Sarah Karloff (yes, Boris' Daughter)! David is currently working on 3 new scripts, which will be produced very soon.
* for further information please contact http://www.taffywasborn.com/filmmaker.html
There will be a Connecticut screening of "Taffy Was Born" on Saturday, Jan. 15.
Links
Other Announcements
Submit your announcements and pertinent articles of interest to the Spiritual Cinema Community to Kat L'Estrange, kinc@efn.org by the 30th of each month to have them included in the next newsletter. If you wish to be removed from this list, please send an email to kinc@efn.org with "remove" in the subject line. If you know of others who might be interested in receiving a copy of this newsletter, please have them send an email to kinc@efn.org with "subscribe" in the subject line. Peace.
An ISE-NY website will be announced soon! Stay tuned. Thank you.
The Institute for Spiritual Entertainment, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. www.spiritualcinemacircle.com |
