Mito-Kids wins Best Documentary NHFF 2009

2009 NH DAY & NIGHT WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
"Crooked Lane" & "Mito-Kids" Honored.

NH Film Festival kicked off Thursday with a packed house at The Music Hall to see Marc Dole's "Mito-Kids: Documenting Life" win NH Documentary Film of the Year and Chase Bailey's "Crooked Lane" win NH Film of the Year. Both awards were determined by the NH Jury.

In "Mito-Kids," Dole, the owner and founder of Hatchling Studios, told the story of his four teenage daughters who have grown up with disabilities that stem from mitochondrial disease, a chronic, genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of the cell fail to function properly.

Mito-Kids PRESS COVERAGE
Foster's Daily Democrat
Seacoast Online




When Bailey's name was called for "Crooked Lane," the entire cast and crew joined him on stage, including stars Ann Cusack ("The Informant!"), Brett Cullen ("Lost"), Eliya-Quaye Constance, 9, of Brentwood; Noa Siegel, 11, of Exeter; executive producer Mark Constance and co-producer Bethany Constance (parents to Eliya-Quaye).

MITO-KIDS: DOCUMENTING LIFE and TWEET to have home town premieres at the New Hampshire Film Festival.

PORTSMOUTH, NH (October 12, 2009) This week’s New Hampshire film festival will feature 6 films created with the support of Hatchling Studios. The documentary Mito-Kids: Documenting Life and the award winning short Tweet were directed by Marc Dole founder of Hatchling, which celebrated its tenth year in business in September.

“After ten years in business and offering many different services, we were very happy this year to be involved in so many great films that brought us back to our core skills as storytellers.” said Dole.

Mito-Kids: Documenting Life Produced by Marc & Wanda Dole and Karlina Lyons, Mito-Kids is about the struggles, triumphs and everyday life of a New Hampshire family in which four teenage sisters have grown up with disabilities that stem from mitochondrial disease, a chronic, genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of the cell fail to function properly. The girls face challenges that include seizures, deafness, diabetes, immune disorders and severe learning and developmental disabilities. Yet despite these many challenges, Mito-Kids is an inspirational and relatable film about perseverance and family.

"I have always loved making and watching documentary films, I just never knew I was in the middle of my own documentary. But now that I am I hope we can bring awareness to the world about this disease." said director and father Marc Dole.

The Dole family has shot close to 100 hours of home video, beginning with the birth of their first daughter 20 years ago. The story starts before mitochondrial conditions were even a mention at medical conferences, let alone an area of genetic study. Mito-Kids follows the family through holidays and family vacations, seizures and hospital stays. Interviews with medical experts explain the role of mitochondria in producing cellular energy and reveal what happens to the human body when these cellular powerhouses fail. The incidence of mitochondrial disease is estimated at 1:3000-4000 individuals in the US and yet the disease is relatively unheard of in the public sector and poorly understood in the medical community. Mito-Kids aims to increase the understanding of mitochondrial disease and its connection to epilepsy, diabetes, ALS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Heart Disease and many other neurological disorders.
The premiere screening of Mito-Kids will take place October 15th at 4:45 PM at The Music Hall along with the short films Cinema 93, No Good Reason and Finding Someplace Like America. A second screening is scheduled for October 18th at 2:30 PM at the Moffett Ladd House along with Ear Whacks, Cinema 93, Happy Hunting and Finding Someplace Like America.

Tweet puts a social networking spin on the classic cop genre. Tweet won best director and best film at the 2009 NH 48 hour project. Starring fellow director, Chase Bailey (Crooked Lane) as officer J.P Jones, Tweet is a short comedy about a police officer who uses social media websites like Twitter, YourTube and Facebook to catch criminals. This 48 hour test of endurance and filmmaking skill included a 15 person team who worked non-stop one weekend to make the film. Producers Wanda Dole and Karlina Lyons were joined by other Hatchlings of past and present including writer J. Zachary Pike, and graphic designers Brian Meanley and Jeremy Clough.

Tweet, winner of Best Director at the NH 48 Hour Film Project, will premiere on Thursday, October 15. The festival is open to the general public.


From Producing to Editing and Visual Effects the Hatchling team has also taken part in Crooked Lane, Killing Dinner, Ear Whacks, and Drawing from Life.

“Whether it's a television commercial, or a corporate video, our daily work at Hatchling is to be storytellers.” said Dole “Working on independent films is just an extension of what we do day to day. The great thing about working on indie films is that it allows us to flex our creative muscles, and try new techniques.”

On Tweet Dole encouraged director of photography Jonathan Millman to use his Nikon D-90 digital still camera to shoot the video. “Using a DSLR camera allowed us to use prime lenses like hollywood features to create a rich cinematic depth of field.” said Dole. It also created many other challenges because the camera was not built for shooting a movie.



Four other NH films
On Crooked Lane the Hatchling team created a digital workflow based on the ground breaking RED One camera. The RED is a full size, high end camera used by many cutting edge filmmakers like Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and is quickly becoming the predominant digital camera for indie film makers. Hatchling was there on set with laptops in hand transferring the files off the camera and starting visual effects and editing hours as soon as the first scene was shot.

“The RED allowed us a completely digital workflow along with a four thousand pixel wide image so we had a lot of data to work with to create the 15 visual effects we did” said Brian Meanley who was the Visual Effects supervisor for the film.

Looking forward to 2010 and the production of the feature length documentary Mito-Kids Hatchling also has an animated short called Super Service directed by Brian Meanley in production along with supporting 4 other live action short films made by our friends in the New Hampshire Film Community.

About Hatchling
Hatchling is an award-winning interactive, animation, and content creation company located in the scenic heart of Portsmouth, NH. With clients like MTV, NBC and ESPN to brands like Reebok, Charmin, Timberland and PC Connection. Hatchling's short films include The Toll, Endurance Challenge: Mordred's Isle and Tweet http://www.hatchling.com/

About the New Hampshire Film Festival
The New Hampshire Film Festival (NHFF) presents the best in recent independent cinema from throughout the United States and around the world to New Hampshire and New England audiences. Since its debut in 2001 as the New Hampshire Film Expo, the New Hampshire Film Festival has grown in leaps and bounds. These days, heavy hitters such as Avid and Regal Cinemas lend their sponsorship, while industry experts participate on panels and in workshops. http://www.nhfilmfestival.com/



www.Mito-Kids.com
www.Hatchling.com
www.CrookedLane.com

N.H. Film Festival previews 'best ever' program | SeacoastOnline.com

N.H. Film Festival previews 'best ever' program | SeacoastOnline.com




By Gina Carbone
gina_carbone@comcast.net
October 02, 2009 2:00 AM

PORTSMOUTH — The New Hampshire Film Festival is like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.




Everyone involved seems to have five different roles on 10 different films, many shot by friends and colleagues on the Seacoast.
Several of those filmmakers and organizers gathered Thursday night at The Page for the NHFF Media Party.

The NHFF started as a "film expo" in Derry with around 70 film submissions and a program of roughly 50 films. Now it's entering its ninth year with more than 700 submissions from around the world and a program of 80 films from Oct. 15-18 in downtown Portsmouth.

"It's the best ever. The deepest ever," said Zac Gregg, festival finance director. "Some years it's been hard to fill the program. This year, it was hard to say no to a lot of people."

Headlining films this year include "Serious Moonlight" with Meg Ryan, Kristen Bell, Justin Long and Timothy Hutton; "Paper Heart," featuring Michael Cera of "Juno" and "Arrested Development"; and "Mystery Team," a comedy shot in New Hampshire from Manchester filmmaker Dan Eckman.

Some bold-faced names acting behind the scenes include George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, executive producers of the documentary "Playground"; and Morgan Freeman, executive producer of the documentaries "Delta Rising" and "Prom Night in Mississippi."

The festival will include around 30 New Hampshire films, with several shot at least partially in Portsmouth. Some of those hyper-local films include "Crooked Lane," "Ear Whacks," "Killing Dinner," "Drawing from Life," "Tweet" and "Mito-Kids."

Ann Cusack — sister of actors John and Joan Cusack and one of the stars of "Crooked Lane" — will be in attendance and serve on the Grand Jury.

NHFF Executive Director Nicole Gregg said the quality of the festival "improves exponentially every year."

"In addition to the headliners and probably our most accomplished New Hampshire Night ever, we have the most consistent program all the way through," she said. "Our most proud program through and through."

And there are new venues this year in which to showcase the films: Seacoast Repertory Theatre and the Moffatt-Ladd House have been added as screening locations.

"Part of the festival is to highlight Portsmouth," Nicole Gregg said. "It's really rounding out the program nicely."

Because the festival has reached out on a global level — with more than a dozen countries represented — Gregg said filmmakers are flying in from all over the world and putting themselves up in local hotels to attend the festival.

"Close to 90 percent of the films will be represented by filmmakers," she said.

On Thursday, at least 50 area filmmakers and supporters drank, talked and watched the debut of the 2009 NHFF trailer.

Among those mingling were City Manager John Bohenko; Marc Dole, writer/director/producer of "Mito-Kids," co-writer/director and actor in "Tweet," executive producer of "Ear Whacks" and producer of "Drawing from Life"; Alfred Thomas Catalfo, writer/director/producer and actor in "Ear Whacks"; Mark Constance, producer of "Killing Dinner" and executive producer of "Crooked Lane"; and Chase Bailey, who acted in "Ear Whacks," "Tweet" and "Killing Dinner," was an associate producer on "Mito-Kids," an executive producer on "Killing Dinner" and the Keira Knightley film "The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers," and wrote/directed/edited "Crooked Lane," starring Brett Cullen and Ann Cusack.

Cullen, whom fans may recognize from "Lost" and "Apollo 13," has featured roles in three NHFF films: "Crooked Lane," "Killing Dinner" and "The Burning Plain."

Cullen also co-starred in "The Life Before Her Eyes," which played at the festival last year and which was co-produced by Bailey. The two are both starring in "Killing Dinner."

In addition to executive producing the Keira Knightley film showing on N.H. Night, Bailey was also an executive producer on the 2004 Johnny Depp film "The Libertine."

Bailey has been a supporter of the NHFF for years — serving on the Grand Jury at one point and currently a member of the Board of Directors, along with Constance and Dole. He spent Thursday night chatting with local peers.

"This is my hometown," Bailey said. "I love it. And it's so well run."

Of the films he's not involved in, he's most looking forward to: "Mystery Team" ("I've heard nothing but great reviews about it"), "The Burning Plain" ("I really want to see that") and the documentary "Food, Inc.," which will include an appearance by Stonyfield Yogurt CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg.

One of the strengths of the festival is its small-town location, and Bailey hopes it keeps that appeal while also continuing to grow in quality.

"I want it to be the East Coast Sundance," Bailey said. "It's got a lot of years (to get there), but it could."

MITO-KIDS: to premiere at the 25th annual Boston Film Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MITO-KIDS: DOCUMENTING LIFE to premiere at the 25th annual Boston Film Festival

Boston, MA (Sept 15, 2009) The documentary film Mito-Kids will premiere on Sunday, September 20th at the 25th Annual Boston Film Festival. The film will play as part of a block of medical related documentaries covering Autism, Alzheimer's Disease and stem cell research. The festival is open to the general public and festival organizers will be extending a special invitation to the Boston medical and medical research communities.

Mito-Kids is about the struggles, triumphs and everyday life of a family in which four teenage sisters have grown up with disabilities that stem from mitochondrial disease, a chronic, genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of the cell fail to function properly. Marc Dole is the father of these four special young women and the film’s director. Marc’s children face challenges that include seizures, deafness, diabetes, immune disorders and severe learning and developmental disabilities. Yet despite these many challenges, Mito-Kids is an inspirational and relatable film about perseverance and family.

"I am very proud that our premiere will be in Boston because our family's search for answers about mitochondria started at Childrens Hospital in Boston over 15 years ago." said filmmaker and father Marc Dole.


As a father and a filmmaker, Marc has shot close to 100 hours of home video, beginning with the birth of his first daughter 19 years ago. The story starts before mitochondrial conditions were even a mention at medical conferences, let alone an area of genetic study. Mito-Kids follows the family through holidays and family vacations, seizures and hospital stays. Interviews with medical experts explain the role of mitochondria in producing cellular energy and reveal what happens to the human body when these cellular powerhouses fail. The incidence of mitochondrial disease is estimated at 1:3000-4000 individuals in the US and yet the disease is relatively unheard of in the public sector and poorly understood in the medical community. Mito-Kids aims to increase the understanding of mitochondrial disease and its connection to epilepsy, diabetes, ALS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Heart Disease and many other neurological disorders.

The screening of the film will take place September 20th at 11am at the Kendall Square Cinema along with the medical documentaries Hope Deferred, The Sundowners, and A Vision of Wholeness.

About Filmmakers

Marc Dole, Producer/Director/Father of 4 daughters with mitochondrial disease. Marc is the owner and founder of the award winning Hatchling Studios, an alumni member of the New Hampshire Film Commission, Speaker, Panelist and Filmmaker. His films, including Tweet, The Toll, Endurance Challenge, and The Norman Rockwell Code, have screened at over 100 film festivals, with 14 “best of” awards.

Karlina Lyons, Producer. Karlina has more than 15 years of experience working in international and domestic media production, focusing on producing educational content for children and families. From 1998 until 2005 she worked in the International Production Division of Sesame Workshop. She is currently a consulting producer for the Cambodian Educational Media Initiative (CEMI), a partnership between WGBH and the global NGO World Education.
www.Mito-Kids.com

About Boston Film Festival

The 2009 Boston Film Festival celebrates a Landmark year with a distinct program of films on September 18-24 at the Kendall Square Cinema. A schedule of feature films, documentaries and shorts will be presented at the 25th festival. Filmmakers, actors and supporters have the opportunity to network at various events hosted by Boston’s signature restaurants throughout the week. A variety of awards are given annually. As the origin of many illustrious storytellers, the region provides an idyllic setting to experience a festival of motion pictures. The BFF is "quickly finding its place alongside the great film festivals of America." The BFF has premiered 25 years of remarkable films such as; American Beauty, North Country, The Piano, Reservoir Dogs, Jesus Camp, The Ground Truth, Flash of Genius, Grace is Gone, Trade and many others. Additionally, a vast list of directors and talent have participated at the festival including; Greg Kinnear, George Clooney, Dane Cook, Sam Mendes, Sir Ridley Scott, Jerry Weintraub, Alison Eastwood, Robin Tunney, and many more. The Boston Film Festival is dedicated to supporting evolving filmmakers by providing a forum to showcase their artistic vision.
http://www.bostonfilmfestival.org

Press contact:
Karlina Lyons
mitokids@gmail.com
www.Mito-Kids.com

Making films is like making Sangira

I am giving a 10 minute speech at a networking event called "Pecha Kucha" this Thursday night (August 27th) at the Gas Light in Portsmouth. My topic is "Producing a movie is like making a Sangria, everyone has their own recipe and thinks theirs is the best." Since I only have 10 minutes and 20 slides I am not going to say anything earth shattering but its basically a good ice breaker for a networking event. Maybe I can get a winery to sponsor me and I can head out on the road and give an expanded course at events all over the world and we can watch a film at the end and drink Sangria.
Hope to see you there
Marc

Tweet News

"Tweet" is in the Digital SLR Online Film Festival on Dailyfilm
http://bit.ly/L5WvT - Please cast your vote!



Vote for "Tweet" in the Daily Film Online film festival.


This festival is dedicated to us crazy people that have shot a film fully on a Digital SLR camera like the Nikon D90








"Tweet" also made the "Best of New Hampshire 48HFP"
Screening and Awards Ceremony
Wednesday July 22nd at 7:30 p.m.
Red River Theatres
11 South Main Street, Concord
Tickets may be purchased online at
http://www.redrivertheatres.org/index.php (credit card required).

Here are the Best Films of New Hampshire 2009



"Stalling" by Wax Idiotical Films
"Arbor Day?" by Dooster Productions
"The Way They Were Inside" by Purple Finch Moving Picture Society
"Chasing the Red" by Umbrella Productions
"Order Up" by Banded Light Productions
"The Waiter" by Coruway
"Ungesehene Bewegung" by Team Name
"Music Killed My Parents" by Rotn
"Don't Just Stand There" by Root2
"Tweet" by Pineapple Pictures
"Dead Silence" by 3D President

"Tweet" the movie shot on Nikon D90

From tracking leads on Twitter, to viewing videos of crimes posted on You Tube and Facebook. "Tweet" is the story of a veteran detective who is tired of his younger partner who does all her work at a computer.

Created for the inaugural New Hampshire 48 hour film project.
Shot Entirely on a Nikon D90 (because creating a movie in 48 hours wasn't hard enough)
Edited on Final Cut Pro




Pineapple Pictures
Directed By Marc A. Dole, Written by J Zachary Pike
Starring Chase Bailey, Sam Pannier, Jason Santo, Michael Venn and introducing Angel Smith as "Marie Otterbein"
Produced by a whole crazy crew of our best friends

Elements
Character: Max or Marie Otterbein, Waiter/Waitress
Prop: sunglasses
Line of Dialogue: "Don't just stand there. Move it."

Film Roundtable - 2 hours of Yada Yadah Yahdah

After over 40 comments on my twitter, FB and IRL (In Real Life) I needed to move my reply to my blog because the micro blog replies were too long.

First Props to Van and Matt for putting in the NH filmmaker round table.

Second we can meet at a place that we can buy drinks or food and not have to let the state fund our meeting and that means we wont get kicked out. Even though "Alcohol is the lubricant in the Film industry" we dont have to meet at a bar.

So here are my notes and suggestions on what I like about Filmmaker socials, and maybe a roundtable is not a social.
Money talk is needed but it cant be the centerpiece. Its tough because a vocal few kept talking about it and others even helped to discuss the topic with answers so it may have looked like thats what the group wanted.
There is money in the state and good projects will find money. I have raised money for projects and had other projects I loved never raise a red cent. Thats an easy way to find out if you have a good project and if people trust you to do what you say you are going to do.
Filmmakers can make films without money and that's actually the point behind the 48 Hour Project which is a big event for the NH filmmaking community. So many things were missed last night about some of the projects people are working on and want to work on.
The Media Makers meetings are setup really well. You have 3 minutes to say who you are and what you are working on. Put a clock on it and go around the room. And the best thing any filmmaker can learn about money is a elevator pitch so that's under 1 minute. I vote that next time we go around the room and get 1 minute to say whatever we want. Then after all that open up the floor to whatever people want to discuss.
And in the fashion of good old Chuck Barris TV put a gong up so anyone can stop the current conversation and we can move on.

BTW put the gong on the opposite side of the room from me if you disagree. put it next to me if you dont :-)

Mito-Kids on ABC ch9

Hi All

NH Chronicle will be airing a half hour special on our family documentary "Mito-Kids" Thursday night at 7:30 please tune in if you can. I hope they will also place it onliine and if they do I will be sure to send a link

There is a teaser here
http://www.wmur.com/chronicle/index.html

And more of the story here
http://www.wmur.com/chronicle/18739955/detail.html

I will be adding more video to www.mito-kids.com over the week as we do more interviews and take some vacation time

Thanks

Marc

Mito-Kids Documentary

For years I have wanted to do a documentary based on the extrordinary lives of my 4 daughters and their battle with mitochondrial disease which affects each one differently. This is the initial teaser. I plan to do a 5 minute piece on each child over the next month as I develop the longer feature version