Brandon films among the best in international Lost in Translation competition

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This article was published 22/12/2017 (3087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two Brandon filmmakers landed in the Top 3 in Filmaka’s international Lost in Translation competition.

Miles Crossman’s first short film, “Old World New,” placed second, while Nate Bower’s “Tradduction” tied for third with Christina Cannarella’s “Stop. Look. Listen.”

“It’s a really great start to this endeavour that I set out on,” Crossman said. “When I first got into filmmaking it was a result of me telling my kids … ‘you can be anything you want to be when you grow up,’ and my daughter asked me, ‘when are you going to make your movie, Dad?’”

Crossman said it has been an “amazing experience” to have people respond to his art, as he pursues his passion.

“Old World New” was filmed in Brandon, and follows a young Ukrainian immigrant as he adjusts to life in Canada. Dmitry has been a victim of an off-screen slight, and is getting influenced by a father figure to go and seek revenge.

In Crossman’s words, this short film is an attempt to identify this struggle and call out the negative response he believes all humans have within them to seek vengeance.

Bower’s film, also shot in Brandon, follows the story of a transgender teen and the family struggles. A main message in the film focuses on the unconditional love for a child.

Both Bower and Crossman emphasized the teamwork that went into creating the films.

“It’s not possible without all of the people that put time and effort into making these projects happen,” Crossman said. “We both had crews of 11 and we needed every one of those people, and that doesn’t include the actors, without whom, we have nothing.”

Filmmakers from around the world entered the competition, including people from across North America, New Zealand, Uruguay, Romania and Germany. There were 20 submissions in total.

The first place prize went to Matthew Kalish of New York for “Speechless Nights.” All four films in the Top 3 can be viewed at filmaka.com.

Filmaka, based in Los Angeles, describes itself as a digital platform for aspiring filmmakers to showcase their talents, compete for opportunities and build their careers. They offer a new competition every 45 days, with different themes.

There are modest cash prizes for each of the competitions, ranging from $750 to $2,500. Winners are determined by a jury, which includes professionals in the film industry — top producers, directors and well-known actors.

“I was really excited by the quality of filmmaking with all the finalists,” stated jury member Don Murphy, a producer with an extensive list of credits. “Each one was unique, thought-provoking and very professional. Because of the diversity of themes and talents picking a winner was very difficult. Congratulations to each and every one. I hope you go forth in the world of cinema and conquer it.”

Murphy’s body of work includes “Natural Born Killers” (1994), “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” (2003), and three “Transformers” movies. He is currently in production on “Transformers: The Last Knight.”

“You make a movie and you put it out … you hope people see it, but you rarely get feedback,” Bower said. “To have industry people look at it, and say that it’s worthy … yeah, that’s pretty awesome.”

Landing in the Top 3 also means participants are eligible to participate in Filmaka’s final competition next summer to win a chance to make a fully financed feature film.

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