May 29, 6pm:
Producer Jane Charles adapted the book SOLD by Patricia McCormick into the film of the same name, and Shawn Telford turned his short film The Last Virgin in to the feature film BFE. Come hear a presentation from both filmmakers about how they created new work from something else, as we continue our current topic, "Transformation." Both films are featured at this year's Seattle International Film Festival- for dates and times of the SIFF screenings, please go here:
About the Presenters:
Jane Charles has more than 20 years of experience in the film industry, and has recently produced the films Switchmas, Fat Kid Rules the World, Grassroots and SOLD, with Oscar-winning director Jeffrey Brown and executive producer Emma Thompson, which wrapped shooting April 2013 in India & Nepal.
As a member of the Directors Guild of Canada, Jane worked in production on the original Cannel Films shows 21 Jump Street, Booker, Wise Guy, Neon Rider (with the late Winston Reckert) and the feature films Bird On A Wire (Goldie Hawn, Mel Gibson), Run (Patrick Dempsey, Kelly Preston) and Pure Luck (Danny Glover and Martin Short), as well as several TV movies.
Jane’s first feature films as producer, Cyberteens In Love and Once In a Blue Moon, were distributed internationally, and premiered at the Montreal and Toronto International Film Festivals. She has also produced countless television commercials, television shows and music videos for Sting, Harry Connick Jr and Our Lady Peace. Beginning in 1996, as Executive Producer, Jane successfully ran Apple Box Productions (1996 – 2002) and Run Spot Run Films (2002 – 2007) before relocating to Seattle, WA where she makes cause-based films that entertain and enlighten and is co-founder of the non-profit Stolen Youth.
Shawn Telford is an Actor/Writer/Director whose debut feature film BFE won a Special Jury Prize at the Sarasota Film Festival for Best Ensemble and was also awarded a Special Mention at US in Progress, Paris, part of the Champs-Élysées Film Festival. His short films have played in a number of festivals, most notably the Seattle International Film Festival, 1 Reel, San Francisco Independent Film Festival and the Jecheon Int'l Music & Film Festival in Korea, among others.
He received his MFA in acting from the University of Washington’s prestigious PATP (Professional Actor Training Program), where his favorite roles included Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Haroun in Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Other stage credits include Lewis Black's One Slight Hitch, Steven Dietz’s Yankee Tavern, Martin McDonagh’s Pillowman and Vincent Van Gogh in Vincent in Brixton (all at ACT), Nicky Giblin in The Seafarer (Seattle Rep), Grapes of Wrath (Intiman), as well as Red Badge of Courage and Jason and the Golden Fleece (Seattle Childrens Theater).
Shawn has also acted in numerous short, feature and student films as well as the TV series Grimm, Leverage, and The Fugitive. Film credits include Nothing Against Life, Dishonesty, un Film de James, The Delivery, 8 Minutes To Love and Professional Courtesy. Yet, despite all of this real acting, he is most often recognized as 'the train guy' from the Washington Lottery commercials and the ‘bearded BECU guy,’ from an ad campaign that appeared on buses, billboards, ATMs and in-flight magazines all over the Northwest.
In addition to acting, casting, teaching and filmmaking, Shawn is also a professional writer. Since 1998, he has written music criticism as well as arts & entertainment pieces for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Rocket, the Tablet, Seattle Sound Magazine, the Louisville Eccentric Observer and eyeheartmusic.com. He is currently working on a memoir “I Gave My Ears to Rock ‘N’ Roll” which chronicles his experiences, observations and philosophies related to music, music appreciation and music criticism while slowly going deaf.
This event is in conjunction with the Seattle International Film Festival!