Doug Lantz is director of the inspiring and uplifting marching band documentary From the 50 Yard Line, which had its World Premiere at the 11th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival, where it won the Viola M. Marshall Audience Choice Award Grand Prize.

Doug Lantz has worked in television broadcasting for the past 15 years and currently works at Blake House Media, a production company based in Los Angeles.  He has worked in audio engineering, videography, and producing. He has worked many programs including Good Morning America, Nightline, 20/20, Primetime, and World News Tonight.

As an alumnus of the Centerville Jazz band in 1985, his current passion includes documenting the life-changing effects of this unique high school marching band program in the film From the 50 Yard Line. In conjunction with the film, he has created a music education fundraising website March4Music.

Hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, Writer/Director/Editor, Lidia Sheinin has made her first film Happily Ever After, unique short short story telling a sad romantic tale in four minutes using split screens. It won 1st Place for Best Experimental Film at the 11th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival.

The film was produced by Gary Cohen, who had brief career as a child actor, later working at KROQ-FM in LA, and eventually for Adobe Systems on their Photoshop and Photoshop Elements products.

Together, Gary and Lidia formed Scared Mouse Productions to produce Happily Ever After and other projects.

Happily Ever After recently screened at the 2007 MergingArts Short Short Story Film Festival, where it won the Imagination Award for excellence in artistic vision.

Matt Wittmer is a graduate of the Documentary Institute at the University of Florida and a former intern at the documentary production company, Kartemquin Films. 

He has recently directed the short documentary film The Regiment, which tells the unusual story of a group of Dominican youth from Providence, Rhode Island who take part in a civil war re-enactment in Olustee, Florida.

The 14th Rhode Island Reenactors Program helps Providence high school students recreate the history of the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment. By being immersed in the life of the Black soldier of the Civil War, the students learn about the role of African Americans during the war and about the history of the war generally.  They are led by Robert Goldman, a veteran Civil War reenactor.

The Regiment had its World Premiere at the 11th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Nitzan Mager, is the writer and director of the short film I Am God which had its World Premiere recently at the 11th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival. She has also appeared as an actress in a number of films and theatre including Nobody Loves Alice and Hag Same’ach!.

I Am God is a powerful short film based on a Israeli poem about a man traveling in Israel who has lost himself. He meets a grieving mother, her orthodox neighbor, a soldier, and a young Palestinian in his travels and discovers that sometimes finding yourself is not enough.

We speak with the creators of the animated short film Voodoo Bayou, which won Second Prize for best animation at the 11th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival and screened at the eighth annual RIIFF Horror Film Festival.

Javier Gutierrez is the film’s writer and director and Susana Jacques is the executive producer of the film. They have used their artist’s eye from the world of advertising at Ciber Films to develop a dark and enchanting tale of a Voodoo doll that comes to life and tries to escape from his nemesis, the witch-doctor.

This short represents the first film of three planned chapters. The captivating original score, which won First Prize for best score at RIIFF, was composed by Rodrigo Barbera.

Filmmaker Stacy Dymalski and actress Billie Harsh speak with us about the comedic short film The Write Stuff which satirizes the hypocrisy of critics.

A stand-up comic and writer, Stacy is the founder of the independent video production company Saffire Systems. A member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), she’s also written, directed and produced several successful commercials and short films.

Billie started performing at the age of three and has appeared in several musical productions across the country. She currently works with Stacy and three others at Crazy Parkite Productions, where she works managing production in addition to acting.

The interview was recorded live at the 11th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Chris Burgard is the director of the provocative documentary Border, which gives viewers a front row seat along the United States Border with Mexico. The film screened to much acclaim at the 11th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Chris has quite a varied background which includes having worked as a ballet dancer, stunt double, and actor - both on television roles in Tour of Duty and Growing Pains, and in numerous films including Pirates of the Caribbean and The Last Samurai, featuring his horsemanship. He even wrote and directed a Troma film cult classic, The Ruining.

Chris is touring the United States with his latest film Border aboard his "Big Blue Bus" in order to educate people on the situation on the southern border. Details on the tour dates can be found by visiting his website.

On this episode, we talk with Marcin Glowacki, director of the short film The Stewardess (Die Flugbegleiterin).

Born in Poland and living in Germany, Marcin is both an actor and director, as well as the founder of Jim Pansen Production, a Berlin-based film and television production company which focuses on the medical field.

The Stewardess is a black comedy short film which investigates over consumption and man’s relationship with nature. It is on the surreal side, both funny and gross, and ironically has a vegetarian edge to it.

In addition to the screening at the 11th annual RI International Film Festival, The Stewardess also screens at the 8th Annual RIIFF Horror Film Festival October 18-21, 2007.