Monthly Archives: August 2013

whistler_forweb_small

The Whistler

For four days in April, whistlers from all over the world descend on the quaint, somewhat remote North Carolina town of Louisburg to whistle operettas, concertos, Beatles medleys, and everything in between at the International Whistlers Competition. This year, mild-mannered graphic designer by day and world-class whistler by night Tim Eggert — who finished 12th at the competition two years ago — is gunning for the number one spot. 

The Whistler follows the 33 year-old Eggert in his attempt to claim the title of the world’s best competitive whistler. (Eggert’s performance of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” won the Allied Arts competition at the 2011 International Whistlers Convention.)

Scheduled for release in 2014.

HechoAmano

Hecho a Mano: Creativity in Exile

The Emmy Award®-winning documentary Hecho a Mano: Creativity in Exile weaves together the stories of four Cuban artists living in Miami: pianist Paquito Hechavarría, sculptor Tony López, and ceramicists Nelson and Ronald Currás.

Even those who may have never heard their names before should be familiar with their work: Hechavarría played piano for some of Cuba’s biggest bands, was a regular performer at the Fontainebleau in the ’60s, and created the infectious opening to Miami Sound Machine’s “Conga;” López is responsible for thousands of sculptures, including the unforgettable Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach; and the Currás Brothers are known for large-scale tile mosaics that grace private homes, hotels, and public spaces throughout the Caribbean.

From Cuba to their early experiences in exile to today, Hecho a Mano explores their dedication to craft and their ability to create under often challenging circumstances. A documentary about life’s unexpected turns and the joy of working with your hands.

The film premiered on Miami PBS affiliate WLRN In February 2011 and has aired in select markets nationwide, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Antonio and Denver.

Winner: 
*Emmy® for Historical/Cultural Program, Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 2011 
*Best Florida Documentary, 2010 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
*Best Local Film, 2010 Miami Short Film Festival
*Best Documentary, 2010 Miami Short Film Festival 

Producers: Brett O’Bourke and Gaspar González
Director: Brett O’Bourke
Writer: Gaspar González
Director of Photography: Richard Patterson
Editor: Christina Burchard
Assoc. Producer: Christine Sylvain

Plastic_Paradise_forweb_big

Plastic Paradise

In the 1940s and 1950s, the return of American GIs from the Pacific helped launch a postwar Polynesian craze that lasted more than three decades. Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki expedition, James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific, and Hawaiian statehood all fueled the phenomenon. This “tiki” culture — so named after the large, wooden sculptures found throughout Polynesia — included candy-colored, rum-infused cocktails with names like the Zombie and the Missionary’s Downfall, crazy Hawaiian shirts, exotic instrumental music fused with space-age pop, and a nonstop party scene inhabited by self-styled nonconformists and swingers.

Today, the spirit of tiki endures among a new generation of Polynesian popsters like musician Denny “King Kukulele” Moynahan, cocktail anthropologist Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, and tiki historian Sven Kirsten.

Plastic Paradise explores this fascinating, little known, and surprisingly enduring subculture. Making stops in Los Angeles, New York City, and South Florida, the film culminates with a visit to Hukilau, the largest gathering of tikiphiles on the East Coast, held every year at one of the last great holdovers from tiki’s golden age, Fort Lauderdale’s famed Mai-Kai Restaurant

Plastic Paradise premiered in 2013 and has aired in major markets coast-to-coast, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Miami.