SquiggleBooth

Our first submission!

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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.

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. 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!

As part of his retrospective, local filmmaker Todd Tinkam will screen my film Banana Bus on Saturday December 8th, 7pm at Carrboro’s Century Center Cinema. I have emailed everyone in the area that I could think of but if you haven’t received an email, it doesn’t mean you aren’t invited. Come, and bring people. It is going to be awesome on the big screen. Details:

The Carrboro Century Cinema will screen a collection of award-winning short films from TinkhamTown Productions, including the recently completed ALEXA, and the amazing family short, SADIE TURNS SEVEN, which has screened at more than 50 international film festivals this year, including the 2007 Rhode Island International Film Festival the 2007 Staten Island Film Festival, and the upcoming 2008 Short Film Festival of India. Admission is $4. Popcorn and soft drinks are free.

Layle McFatridge from MacMost has a flattering article about me and my relationship with the Mac. If you know me, you know how much I love my G5. It is just a tool but I love using it. The article also talks a little about my start as a filmmaker and videoblogger. Incredibly, Layle manages to make me sound coherent and also eloquent. Applause!

Ron Barba, one of our contributors, posted a recent recording of his comedy act on Youtube. I am so bloody proud, one of the best stand-ups I have ever seen.

There will be several videos from SquiggleBooth that will be screeened at the ConvergeSouth Film Festival this October. ConvergeSouth is the annual meet-up for bloggers from the South (the biggest of its kind), so if you are one, please make sure to come because it doesn’t get better than this. Last year, they had some great sessions with people like Robert Scoble and Elizabeth Edwards in attendance.

My videos should be playing on Saturday, October 20th between 8:15 and 9:30. All the details can be found here.

Squigglebooth is also got featured on MacMost. If you are Mac person, these podcasts are tailor-made for you.

It is kinda ironic that SquiggleBooth is receiving some of this attention especially since I have not posted a video in a month or so. However, in defense of this elongated vacation, I would like to state that the videos currently in production are more ambitious than our previous work and thus need a lot of tender love and care. Hope you understand.