Level Diversity & Filmic License: The 2010 Orlando Film Festival - Feature

The intonation of Orlando as a film destination has long revolved around its proximity to Disney and Universal, a paradox not unlike Hollywood. In recent years with the advent of film schools and a rise in the filmmaker quotient surrounded by UCF, Valencia and FSU, the city has evolved. With the continued implementation of the Orlando Film Festival which functions itself as "Cinema For Free" but is more encapsulated in the idea of a festival "For Filmmakers, By Filmmakers", its continued creation shows an event in transition working towards a common goal which is reflected in an idealism of diversity and cinematic voices.Not Even The Devil, a bare-bones action film made in Puerto Rico by uber-passionate filmmaker Andres Ramirez, harks from the "El Mariachi" school of filmmaking but, unlike Robert Rodriguez in his early years, the aspect of easy-to-access Final Cut, Pro Tools, Royalty Free Music and the like has made it realistic to make an in-your-face action pic that has, at times, studio-level quality. Granted, there is a progression of formulaic genre bases that stretch belief as well as some underwhelming acting at times which is to be expected. However, certain sequences like the storming of a compound where a man unloads a Mac-10 against an invading sniper force rachets high despite the fact that not even one shot was fired.Montana Amazon easily captured the most star power of the festival with Oscar Nominee Olympia Dukakis as well as the long- missing Haley Joel Osmont playing backwards country folks that take to the road on their way to Canada after circumstances result in a quick escape from their hometown. The comparative hijinks don't play too seriously instead opting for more eccentric laughs. The same intensity that marked Osmont's early work is still prevalent. Currently finishing an Experimental Theater degree at NYU, Osmont's star, depending on his own goals, should again be on the rise having smartly skipped the awkward years. Also of interesting caliber is Alison Brie, now starring on NBC's "Community", who plays sister to Osmont's lost soul using her considerable timing with a degree of off-structured sexuality which tends to hark to an almost "Pushing Daisies" quality straddling the essence of black humor with a tinge of conscience. Mozart In China approaches the personification from another way. With China making its way into the perspective of global film financing but also seeking to improve (or at least spotlight) its cultural relevance without overcoming with its party politic, this specific film takes the family angle to its logical end create this distinction. Using an Austrian boy as a guest coming with his Chinese friend back to a small fishing village in the South China Sea provides the basis. The Mozart element comes from a stop-motion puppet element that forms the magical basis within the story where Mozart (as a puppet) comes to life after everyone is asleep. This magical figure stows away with his piano in the boy's luggage and meets a beautiful Chinese shadow puppet whom he writes a vignette for. The resolution reflects in with the live action story of a grandfather, whom the kids are staying with, owing money to a local gangster. This consideration seems resolutely thrown together to reflect a bridging of cultures but its ultimate intention seems uncertain.Of special note, within the Shorts Program entitled "Love", the film "Children" stood out. Its strength revolved in its ability of its director, Jon Strong (himself a UCF Film Student) to get his young actors to affect a naturalism that jumped off the screen and reflected in the audience with their own life through simple truisms.Empire Of Silver, a boon in its anamorphic film presentation, in comparison to alot of the other films which were shown in pure digital formats, is vivid in its sheer pedigree buoyed by the involvement of Jeremy Thomas, who produced "The Last Emperor". The overarching narrative of the piece resides in the Boxer Rebellion and the importance of silver in the overall trade at that time in China. The ideals become a struggle for power between a family searching for an heir, a son betraying his love for a woman that can never become his wife and a country fighting to find its footing between the upper class strutting their wares and a lower working class simply trying to keep their heads above water . An interesting inclusion, which ultimately pulls one out of the movie despite its novelty, is the casting of Jennifer Tilly ("Bound") as a confidant of the betrayed woman in question. Ultimately like the similar "Sheltering Sky", the vision of what is being portrayed is not an immersive as the actual story itself. Comparing the progression to Hong Kong's recent "Bodyguard & Assassins" (which effected a similar rebellion) shows both its strengths and weakness. However its inclusion speaks volumes about the openness of the festival to the cross-cultural possibilities of these kinds of Asian foreign films.In My Sleep, an LA noir film taking its lead from Hitchcock films, looks to be made on a budget with its almost straight-to-DVD production value. However, that said, there are moments of tension in the film that actually play quite true with a confidence. Adding in the use of some very recognizable character actors gives the project a brevity it might not have had along with a musical score that underplays, almost to a fault, its intention. "Not Even The Devil" followed a similar music based track to its ultimate advantage. The resolution here within "Sleep" intuits itself in soap opera-style to be sure but it at least has the presence of mind to experiment with the idea of a creative ode.Lunopolis, easily the best film of the festival, sheerly for its originality, perhaps goes a little far in its dense diatribe of mythology, religion, science and sheer fiction but it is a great farce for what it is. The cracks show at different parts but the set-up involving a hidden warehouse below the Louisiana swamp is wonderfully realized. The mockumentary style does not wink at all giving the film a sense of solidity despite the incessant amount of technobabble placed upon the shoulders of the audience member. The great aspect is that it does not speak down to its consumer but truly makes you work to keep up. The eventual resolution perhaps is a little light but the journey moving towards it is quite cool. In an age where everyone is pushing for the next "Paranormal Activity", the fact that a gem like this can meander unabated though the festival circuit is a great boon for independent filmmaking because it shows the creatives are thinking.The Orlando Film Festival shows that with a great program, a burgeoning VIP membership, participating local venues and, above all, an audience wanting to see movies (shown by packed hallways and theaters) point to a growing festival with a want for more.