SquiggleBooth

Our first submission!

To learn how to submit your own favorite childhood photos, check this page for instructions and guidelines. To see other submissions, check here.

I love to hear people talk about their childhood, their stories, their perspective, the little details. It is especially interesting, when you have a photo to refer to.

So, here is what I hope is a start to a great collaborative project. I would like for all of you to submit your favorite childhood photos. As an example, I have used my favorite photo from my childhood as a start.

To learn how to submit your own favorite childhood photos, check this page for instructions and guidelines. To see other submissions, check here.

My podcast Banana Bus will be playing at the 10th annual Hi Mom! Film Festival. It will be part of the Matineevening block which will screen at the Arts Center in Carrboro at 6pm on Saturday, September 6th.

For those who are new to the site, you can view Banana Bus here. The Hi Mom! Film Festival is one of the premier festivals in North Carolina showcasing international films with a certain amount of flair and fun (translation: not boring).

Hope to see you there.

It is sad to see such a talented actress as Madeline Walters leave my neck of the woods. So the day before she left, we shot this little podcast that highlights some of the inner turmoil she faces as she heads to Hollywood to seek stardom. We wish her all the luck in the world.

Shot beautifully by Todd Tinkham. With tons of help from Amanda Gurkin & Kelly Cook.

Ajit says:

Another entry by Todd Tinkham, this short film is one of his early works. Like many of his films, there is an undercurrent of religion which normally reveals itself in unusual and surprising ways. Like it were prehistoric relic with a dark past waiting to return to its former glory.

Todd:

It’s strange looking back at your own films. One begins to see unplanned patterns emerging on the screen. Although I am not religious, religion plays a big part in many of my films, comedy and drama.

I grew up Catholic and attended parochial schools at a time when the vast majority of the teachers were still nuns. But very few of them were under 60 years old, and many were well into their 80s – which meant they were pretty worn out and more than ready to retire to wherever it is they send aged nuns. Some of the oldest nuns would literally fall asleep at their desks during class. Needless to say, all hell would break loose – until they opened their eyes. Punishment fell fast and hard at Saint Ann’s School.

Brutality was common among the Sisters Of Mercy that I knew. I witnessed severe beatings by gangs of nuns and was given more than one nosebleed for my quick and clever remarks. One day in the 5th grade, I was beaten by three nuns and then locked in a closet for the rest of the day. When my mother found out that I’d caused trouble at school, she beat me some more and grounded me for a month. A good Catholic, bless her soul.

AND THEN THERE WERE NUN, one of my earliest films, is mostly fun, but it’s also heavy and frightening, much like Catholic schools. Surprisingly, AND THEN THERE WERE NUN did very well on the festival circuit – screening at more than 30 film festivals in 2006 and 2007, including the Vienna International Film Festival in Austria and the Rebel Planet Short Film Festival in Hollywood.

Ajit says: Hello everyone, Welcome Nic Beery!

Nic: This experimental podcast is an atmospheric piece that explores the contradictions of life, the environment that surrounds us, and human relationships. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes confusing, it’s always a journey worth taking.

Enlightenment begins when one is curious to explore, seek answers and question what they are experiencing around them.

Shot in and around the Haw river, natures natural beauty is a wonderful juxtaposition to what the filmmaker was striving for in this piece.

The trailer for my upcoming short. Starring Amory Casto & Dan Kelly, with cinematography by Jim McQuaid. The idea is pretty simple: a love story told in only three words. The music is “Dance, Dance, Dance” by Lykke Li.

Will update this page when I have more info about release dates and all that good stuff.

There will be an hour of my films screened at this year’s All American Film Festival. My program will be part of a local filmmakers block that starts at 3pm on Saturday, March 8th at the Marvell Center, Durham. Dear Stranger, Indian Giver and (crowd favorite) Banana Bus will be among the films I will be screening. Of course, I will be there to answer questions and chit chat afterwards.

The All American Film Festival is a four day event that features some of the best local and national films including Slamdance Grand Jury Winner Abel Raises Cain. There will also be tons of local music. I expect to be jumping from one location to another to keep up with it all, should be a lot of fun. Hope to see you there.

Update: Banana Bus wins Best North Carolina Film Award at the All American Film Festival. Woohoo! It was a fantastic festival, the audience were so smart and friendly, the films were incredible and the filmmakers who attended were a pleasure to meet. Can’t get better than that!

Okay, Ajit, here it is. This is a teaser of our film, AMERICAN ROAD. I’ve never made a teaser before, so I’m not sure if anyone will feel teased by it. Teased – as in they’ll wonder about the film, the characters, and what happens to them beyond the few minutes shown here. Not sure if I’m doing it right, getting to the essence of what the film is about without revealing too much. Mary & I are interviewed briefly about the film, and then we hit the road, exploring America, chasing dreams, and running with the wind, rain and scorching sun of the American landscape. I hope this works for Squigglebooth.

Ajit says: Welcome Todd Tinkham, it works beautifully.

Along with giving and receiving gifts, driving to see family has become a holiday tradition (Jesus who?). In these parts, as I drive by small towns, the silent glow of holiday lights bring out the warm fuzzies within me. The song is the theme music from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, composed by Jon Brion. A song that I can play in repeat forever. Seriously, can music get any prettier than this? Kelly and I have been dancing to this ever since I downloaded it, the video also tries to capture some of that. If you have never heard of the word Bokeh, check here. The upcoming new year will bring new videos, new people and, maybe, a new site. Happy Bokeh Holidays everyone!