26 August 2010
Back to Spain:
17th Granada International Young Filmmakers Festival
Edge of the Desert continues its Mediterranean tour with a stop at the 17th Granada International Young Filmmaker's Festival in Granada, Spain. The film will be competing in the International Competition - Live Action section and eligible for the BEST SHORT FILM shot in 35 mm and/or 16 mm prize.
For more information please visit the festival's official website at:
3 August 2010
More Italian Screenings:
8th Imaginaria Film Festival &
IV SHORTini International Short Film Festival
Edge of the Desert continues its presence in Italy where it will be in competition at two more festivals.
The 8th Imaginaria Film Festival takes place in Conversano, Italy from August 25 - 29, 2010 at the Complesso di San Benedetto. For more information click here:
The IV SHORTini International Short Film Festival will be held in Augusta, Italy at the Cittadella Degli Studi. The festival runs from August 1 - 5, 2010. Edge of the Desert will screen as part of the International Shorts Competition block on September 4th at 10:30 pm.
11 June 2010
EOTD in Competition:
6th Annual Libertas (Dubrovnik) Film Festvial
We are proud to announce that Edge of the Desert will have its Croatian Premiere as part of the shorts in competition section at the Libertas Film Festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The city, built in the 7th century is known as the "Pearl of the Adriatic" and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Now in its 6th edition, the Libertas Festival has been visited by filmmakers from around the world and celebrity guests such as Owen Wilson, Chris Cooper and Woody Harrelson. This year, the festival jury will be made up of Director of Photography Dante Spinotti (Last of the Mohicans, LA Confidential, Heat), actress Mira Furlan (Lost) and Canadian producer Robert Lantos (Eastern Promises, Crash, The Sweet Hereafter).
7 June 2010
Italian Premiere:
8th Annual Ischia Film Festival
Edge of the Desert lands in Italy for a screening at the 8th Annual Ischia Film Festival, located on the volcanic island of Ischia in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Naples. The festival runs from July 4-10th and has a special focus on location, specifically regarding "the artistic use of locations, allowing audiences to gain profound insight into the beauty and richness of landscapes, local and international cultures."
The film will be screened on July 9th at Torre del Molino.
Upcoming Screening:
Black Hills Film Festival (Hill City, South Dakota)
Edge of the Desert has been selected for the first ever edition of the Black Hills Film Festival.
The festival runs from May 14-16, 2010 in Hill City, South Dakota. Screenings will take place at several venues across the Black Hills area including at Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorials!
Saturday, May 15th at 10:00 am, Hill City High School Theatre
EOTD International Premiere :
11th International Film Festival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain)
We are proud to announce that Lea Nakonechny's short drama Edge of the Desert will have its international premiere at the 11th Festival Internacional de Cine de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria where it will compete with 12 international films for the 10,000 € prize of best short. The festival runs from March 12-20, 2010 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands), Spain.
Edge of the Desert is one of only two Canadian films selected for the official section of the festival, the other being the feature film La Donation by Quebec director Bernard Émond.
The film will screen twice during the festival as part of Competition Shorts Block 2:
Tuesday, March 16th at 4:00 pm
Thursday, March 18th at 9:00 am
Theatre 2, Monopol Multiscreen Cinema
(Plaza Hurtado de Mendoza, 1, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain)
EDGE OF THE DESERT - Montreal Premiere during
Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois 2010
Edge of the Desert will have its Montreal premiere as part of the 28th edition of Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, screening in the shorts program "Désirs troubles."
Friday, Feburary 26th at 9:45 pm, salle Claude-Jutra, Cinémathèque québécoise
(335, boul. de Maisonneuve Est, Montreal)
Director Lea Nakonechny will be in attendance and the screening is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at the festival box office or in advance by clicking here.
Article on ARID SEA FILMS at TIFF '09 in Qui Fait Quoi (online)
Arid Sea Films fait sa niche au Québec
Charles-Stéphane Roy
Il y a deux ans, Qui fait Quoi s’entretenait depuis le Festival Slamdance avec Lea Nakonechny, Simon Nakonechny et Adam Budd, le trio derrière Arid Sea Films, une boîte de production créée à Swift Current, en Saskatchewan, qui venait de s’établir au Québec.
Arid Sea Films vient de compléter «Edge of the Desert» de Léa Nakonechny, un court métrage impliquant plusieurs Québécois, sélectionné en première mondiale au Festival de Toronto. Le trio, qui est maintenant éligible aux programmes de la Sodec et du CALQ, a dû composer avec la seule participation du Conseil des Arts du Canada durant les dernières années, illustrant le dilemme de plusieurs créateurs issus de petites communautés canadiennes décidant de s’établir dans d’autres provinces et espérer produire leurs films.
«Le CAC est essentiel aux premiers pas de plusieurs cinéastes canadiens, a témoigné Simon Nakonechny à Qui fait Quoi lors du TIFF. En Saskatchewan, il n’existe pas de programmes comme Jeunes Créateurs, ce qui oblige les nouveaux réalisateurs à financer eux-mêmes leurs films, ou se tourner vers des boîtes déjà établies aux critères plus commerciaux. Le CAC nous donne une liberté de création unique.»
«Edge of the Desert» est le premier des trois films produits par Arid Sea Films à bénéficier de talents québécois, dont ceux de la directrice photo Catherine Pallascio, du monteur image Stéphane Lafleur, du monteur sonore Frédéric Cloutier et du mixeur Gavin Fernandes. Le trio a dû investir ses propres deniers pour compléter le budget du film, estimé à 80 000 $.
«Le tournage était complexe, alors que nos locations étaient éloignées les unes des autres, notamment à Leader, près d’un désert à la frontière de l’Alberta, a expliqué Léa Nakonechny. À titre d’exemple, nous avons dû utiliser une caméra de Calgary, du matériel de Régina, de l’équipement sonore de Vancouver et des filtres de Los Angeles, car le film fut tourné en noir et blanc...»
Arid Sea compte déposer sous peu des projets de courts métrages en développement auprès de la Sodec, et ainsi tourner près de leur lieu de résidence pour la première fois de leur jeune carrière, ce qui leur fera économiser des frais d’hôtel et de transport, une situation un peu plus confortable pour eux.
«Nous sommes heureux de pouvoir compter de plus en plus sur des artisans québécois, dont nous admirons le travail, ajoute Simon Nakonechny. Nous sommes venus nous établir à Montréal non seulement pour avoir accès à de l’aide qui n’existait pas en Saskatchewan, mais surtout parce que nous aimons le cinéma québécois et vouons un grand respect pour les jeunes cinéastes d’ici.»
C.S. Roy
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8 September 2009
EDGE OF THE DESERT screening times at TIFF '09
Arid Sea's latest film, Edge of the Desert by Lea Nakonechny, will screen twice at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Short Cuts Canada 5 program:
The Director, Producers and several cast members will be in attendance. Both screenings are open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at the festival box office or online by clicking here.
Rush Lake native, Lea Nakonechny, to premiere film at Toronto International Film Festival (Regina Leader-Post)
Click here to read an article about Edge of the Desert's upcoming premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival by the Regina Leader-Post's Heather Polischuk.
Edge of the Desert a film by Lea Nakonechny
Canada - 2009 - Drama
16min45sec - 35mm (1.85)
Black and White - Stereo
1542 Feet - 470 Metres
Synopsis
One hot August morning, best friends Josie and Natasha skip school and hitch a ride with two oilfield workers into the Great Sand Hills. In the dream-like desert landscape something happens that changes their friendship forever.
Cast
Elya Rushka (Josie)
Elya Rushka, 21, is making her big screen debut as Josie in EDGE OF THE DESERT. Born and raised in small-town Saskatchewan, Elya began acting in various school and community performances at a young age. She is currently completing her final year in the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan and continues to pursue theatre as an extracurricular pastime.
Jordi Wieler (Natasha)
From the time she was a very young child Jordi loved to act. Now, having just completed an English degree at the University of Saskatchewan at the age of 24, she finally has the opportunity to see herself on the big screen. EDGE OF THE DESERT is Jordi’s first film role and, although she will soon be busy working on a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing, she hopes it won’t be her last.
Steve McKnight (Chad)
Raised on a ranch in southern Alberta, Steve attended Mount Royal College in Calgary and the University of Lethbridge. He now operates a ranch in the Saskatchewan Sandhills. Having previously acted in school plays and community theatre, EDGE OF THE DESERT his his first film acting role.
Devon Bonneau (Jerrod)
Devon Bonneau is a Saskatchewan-raised actor and musician who has appeared in many theatre and film productions. He last appeared in the Regina Little Theatre's productions of A Heart in the Ground and Love,Sex and the IRS. Currently studying Audio Engineering and Film Production in Vancouver, he is enjoying the West Coast but still pines for that prairie lifestyle.
Crew
Director/Writer - Lea Nakonechny
Producers - Simon Nakonechny & Adam Budd
Cinematography - Catherine Pallascio
Focus Puller - Patrick Blanchet
1st Assistant Director - Trevor Cunningham
Production Sound Mixer - Cameron Wiest
Key Grip - Shawn Bauche
Editor - Stéphane Lafleur
Sound Editor - Frédéric Cloutier
Re-recording Mixer - Gavin Fernandes
Music - Simon Nakonechny & David Payant
Financial Assistance
About the Director
Lea Nakonechny was raised in the tiny village of Rush Lake, Saskatchewan. As a teenager her father introduced her to manual photography which evolved into a fascination with the cinematic image. She studied film at Concordia University and the University of Regina, winning several awards for her student work. Her first major effort, Two Museums (2005), toured Saskatchewan theatres during the provincial Centennial and won the Artistic Vision Award at the 2006 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.
Lea's work explores themes of identity and place, often using landscape as a dramatic element. A devotee of celluloid filmmaking, she continues to pursue her love of cinematography alongside writing and directing. She lives in Montreal.
