I grew up in Brooklyn in the late 1940s and into the early 1950s. In 1952, I went off to college and my life changed forever.

I had what I can only call a normal life, at least on the surface. Yet, I always felt no one understood me. Of course, I did not understand myself either. My friends felt the same. First, there was World War II. After the war, we were part of America resettling itself with the threat of what we called “the bomb” hanging over our heads. It was not easy being a child and having bomb drills in class where we hid under our desks until the principal called off the mock attack. Mushroom clouds were deep in our consciousness. Next came the Korean War and more upheaval. We lived in a rapidly changing world that we did not comprehend. Our elders decided that we did not have to understand anything as long as we obeyed their wishes. Only years later did I realize how confused they were and how they found it impossible to explain the world to us. Blind obedience was far better than clarity and understanding.

A few words about my parents are necessary and important to better appreciate, if possible where I come from. My mother and father were not overtly abusive. They were not drinkers. They were not drug or sex addicts. Not the most patient of people, at times they could be rough with me. I was a difficult child for them. Before my mother’s recent death, she admitted to me that I was a hard child to handle. She thought, though I turned out all right. My mind ran in many directions at once. Usually I concentrated on what I wanted, not what they wanted. I wanted to have fun, or at least what I understood to be fun, meaning enjoying doing what I wanted rather than what they wanted. I can define it now as having a free and open imagination, an anathema to my father. My father would not allow me the opportunity to have a mind that was open and free flowing. He made sure I understood his philosophy that fun was for people with no ambition. I had to be ambitious because, he said, that was the only way to be. Growing up Jewish in New York and his being first generation American had everything to do with his ambition for me. Their was constant skirmishing between us and I usually lost. At least then, I lost. After all, I was a kid, and he, my father who ran the family. I depended on him for food, clothing, a roof over my head, shoes, a bed to sleep in.

My father was stern and practical, so stern at times that his face rarely gave anything back to the world around him. His eyes were hazel mixed with gray, soft, not dense, a surprise in a face usually set to take on the world. His moustache was thin, just enough to cover his upper lip. Usually I recognized it was there when he bent to kiss me good night before I went to sleep. He was an insurance broker who insisted I excel in school and, mainly, that I not follow him in his work. He did not want to attach “and Son” to his letterhead. Nor did I. I could not articulate it, but I knew that trudging all over the city 12 hours each day was not the life for me. To his credit, he had other ideas for me, a profession such as medicine, and if not that, at least dentistry or law. He thought teaching, though honorable, paid little, and thus a waste for a bright youngster, me. My father sold what he called general insurance, but hardly any life insurance because, in his later years, he told me, it was hard for him to tell someone they might die someday. Instead, he concentrated on home, theft, fire and auto insurance. He spent long hours traveling by bus, trolley and subway everywhere across New York City to see his many clients. He collected his premiums and, when possible, but not often, he sold them more insurance. It was not an easy life, but, as he said many times, it beat shoveling coal.

At mid 20th Century there were as many as a dozen newspapers published in New York City. My father bought most of them and read every word as he journeyed around the five boroughs. By the time he arrived home at night, there was not much of the day left for him. That, and trips he made to clients after dinner limited his reading time and his leisure. He rarely read a book. He left that pleasure to my mother who never tired of reading best sellers and romance novels that she tried to hide from me in a bottom drawer of her dresser. I spied her secreting her books, and, being curious, when she was not home, I went to the drawer, would open the book, and read a few pages, usually enough to know I did not want to read more. Two books in particular that I recall were “Forever Amber” and “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” Even then, neither held much interest for me.

Television was in its infancy and had little affect on our lives other than when, in groups, we sat around living rooms watching wrestling or boxing on small TV sets. We listened to radio for news, music, soap operas and serials like “The Green Hornet” and “Jack Armstrong.”

My mother was petite and very pretty with a ready smile, very smart, a quick wit and a sudden temper. She was tireless and worked around the house at breakneck speed, cleaning cooking, doing laundry. I know now that my father refused to allow her to work outside the home. They did not allow it in his family growing up and he would not allow it in his family as an adult. As an outlet for her energy, she painted rooms, stained doors, moved furniture, sewed buttons, turned the collars of our worn shirts, cuffed trousers, hemmed skirts, ironed our shirts and hers and my sisters clothing. We changed our outfits every day in our family. It was a great source of pride for my mother to have us all look just so when we went out to face the world.

Both parents had a temper for reasons I did not understand then and to this day, I do not fully grasp. They were quick to anger and I was usually on the short end. Sometimes I suffered a ready and sudden slap with their hands or in my father’s case, a few lashes from his belt, and the threat of the buckle, rather than just the leather, against my flesh. Beating were infrequent. The threat of a slap or punch, however, hovered over me like a sword ready to strike. Mostly I avoided that kind of suffering by limiting what they considered my bad conduct away from his and my mother’s eyes. I believe their quick tempers had to do with their frustration of not realizing their potential because of the Crash, the Depression that followed, and World War II.

As I said there was some physical abuse. I expected that as surely as I awoke each day. Parents hitting children was normal. It was part of life and expected. We compared notes and it was a source of pride, to show each other the nastiest marks on our bodies. But there was abuse of another kind. It was far worse.

“Notebooks, 1954-1961” is my life in diary form from the journals, and notebooks I kept in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Starting with this synopsis, I will post these journals on the Digital Filmmaker Blog in serial form over the next year. The next entries will be the introduction to the book. Once the introduction is online, I will present my journal in the order I wrote it. First, please take a few minutes to read about my early life. And recognize, that as some things change, how we grow up never seems to change no matter the era.

When I started writing my notebooks The Korean War had all but ended. Vietnam, a blip on the horizon, had not yet invaded our consciousness. It is my personal story, but it is in some ways the story of my generation, or at least those of my generation who lived a similar life in the late 1950s and into the next decade.

Many of us then were confused and searching. Through our parents, we were taking a long breath that had started with the Great Depression, and lingered painfully through World War II, culminating with the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan. We came of age in the so-called Silent Generation when America sought solace in Levittown, freedom from war, and early, blissfully, innocent television. We did not know we were silent. We lived life as it happened, as others before us had, and these memories and experiences define that time for those who lived it with me.

We were similar to youth in any age. Our lives were our own. Our dreams were our own, but they were also universal. I believe my book speaks for a generation once derided as without a voice. It is for these reasons I believe my “Notebooks” will resonate especially with those of my generation and their children as they seek answers. Recall, the fifties were also the age of Dwight Eisenhower, his lean, comforting shadow still hovering over the memories of World War II, then only over ten years. The Korean War, undeclared, ugly and without end, ever a mystery to many why we were there having our youth killed, a floundering blot on our diplomatic and military history. These years were the preludes to the horror we would face after the promise of the disrupted, brief Kennedy era. By the mid-1960s, my life had changed, as had America’s, unsettled by forces beyond our control and dominated by runaway events we still suffer from today.

The book takes me from the relative safety of middle class Jewish life in Brooklyn, to WASP dominated Lafayette College, in Easton, Pennsylvania, then an all male school of less than 800 students. There, to my disbelief, I had a roommate who had never met a Jew before he met me. In the book, I tell about the difficulties I had in college as I tried to find a direction for my life other than the one laid out by the heavy handed influence and dominance of my father and mother. I eventually break some of their chains and become my own man. You will hurdle along with me through many youthful indiscretions, including heavy drinking, sexual adventure, long nights without sleep, and my many failed romances. I describe the hundreds of books I read that I still revere. I talk of my tastes in jazz and popular music, poetry and collecting words. After graduating Lafayette with a degree in history, I work many jobs before becoming a mail clerk at NBC two years later. That led to my becoming a copy boy at NBC News in an era now long gone once dominated by paper and film. It ends with me going to Washington in 1961 as David Brinkley’s assistant. Five years later, I am in Vietnam as bureau chief for NBC News.

The “Notebooks” is the story of how I came of age, but I was no Holden Caulfield. We may have been from the same time, but we lived in different neighborhoods, stood on different corners, and had different ethnic and religious backgrounds. My attack on life was frontal, direct, all encompassing. I often struggled in my quest. However, I survived to have a long and productive life.

I thought my original notebooks, scraps of paper with times and places and the many pages I typed and scribbled had disappeared. I thought those sleepless nights, and the many bottles of ale and shots of vodka had gone to waste. To my surprise, delight, and even some shock for the memories they jogged, I found more than 50 of the notebooks a few years ago, faded but still intact. With those, I wrote the “Notebooks, 1954-1961.”

Now, please watch the DVN Blog for the introduction to the “Notebooks” due here soon.

“With a click of a button, you open the door in to another world - the one in your mind. That which lurks in shadows now takes a new face, the one inside us all and only unlocked by the imagination. You have fallen into Unknown Realms”

This concerns the launch of the Unknown Realms: Japan channel on various P2P TV and web TV platforms like Vuze, Veoh, iTunes and many others, which coincides with the DVD release of 152 and Rodosha - The Laborer. Finally some of the films that I talked about previously are available on the internet for viewing.

Unknown Realms: Japan is a channel featuring a collection of short films beckoning back to the days of the Twilight Zone, produced by DK PRO (including 152 and Rodosha - The Laborer). The channel explores the mysterious, thrilling and unknown all with a Japanese twist - from psychological mysteries, to stories of haunted train tunnels, to surreal looks at the mundane, including documentaries about hidden aspects of Japan. The channel currently features short films that have screened at various film festivals around the world, including the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Italy. It will also feature future films of DK PRO which are currently in production. Attached is a press release for the Unknown Realms: Japan channel with details and links for the channel in all its available platforms as well as details on all the films screening on the channel and 3 films currently in production (available at http://www.dariru.com/unknownrealmspressrelease.pdf). A press kit which includes posters, production stills and images for all films can be downloaded at: http://www.dariru.com/unknownrealmspresskit.rar (14 meg compressed file)

Both 152 and Rodosha - The Laborer are now available on DVD on Amazon.com and all films are currently in negotiation for distribution in addition to being broadcast on Unknown Realms: Japan, so readers would be able to check out the films easily.
sincerely,
Darryl Knickrehm
director DK PRO
http://www.dariru.com

Being tapped to screen your film at one of the country’s top film festivals. That has to be every filmmaker’s dream. The Tribeca Film Festival 2008 runs April 23rd to May 3rd and, newcomer that it may be, after only seven years on the scene, clearly Tribeca has become one of the best places for a filmmaker’s work to be seen. The Digital Filmmaker spoke with a half dozen fortunate filmmakers whose documentaries and animations are among the many kinds of films selected this year. We particularly wanted to know what they hope or expect being included will mean for their film’s future. Call it a look not at the films themselves, but at the filmmaker’s experience. Some filmmakers have been to Tribeca before and are returning with new work. Some are experiencing the festival for the first time. All echo the sentiment of Carlos Carcas, a first timer who is coming all the way from Spain to screen his film “Old Man Bebo”at the festival.
“Just being a part of the Tribeca Film Festival in itself is an honor. As a filmmaker, it’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase one’s work in a prestigious event. When I heard the film had been accepted to compete in Tribeca, I was in a state of shock and euphoria. I always dreamed about participating in Tribeca, and to go with this film is already a prize.”
For information on the festival and its film offerings the festival’s website is at www.tribecafilmfestival.org .

For what the filmmakers have to say, please read on.

Nina Paley “Sita Sings The Blues”

Nina Paley is a returning filmmaker. Two years ago she had a short at Tribeca. One thing she hopes Tribeca will do for “Sita Sings the Blues,” a feature length, animated “breakup film” which receives its North American premiere at Tribeca, is for other festival directors to become aware of it, seeing or hearing of it there. As she explains, it’s a whole lot easier if you know other festival directors are aware of, and also already interested in your work than if you just submit.
“Sita”, which is in what she calls its festival year, screened earlier at the Berlin Film Fesitval, where it had its World Premiere, and “good things came out of Berlin.” Because of Berlin, she was invited to “a whole bunch of other festivals.” Her hope is Tribeca will do the same. And it costs a lot less, she has learned, if they invite you. There are expenses to submitting, for duplication, postage, and so on. These are smaller if festivals ask you to attend.

Paley particularly likes that Tribeca is in New York, where she lives and where she is happy all of her friends can finally see it, in a theater, with other people, in the dark. The way it should be. Being in New York also makes it easier to manage all the work that goes into presenting it. And, she confides, there are a million things to do. As with many filmmakers, money is tight. Trying to get “Sita” out into the world with no money, she can’t, for example, afford p.r. Many a filmmaker will sympathize with that challenge. At least in New York she knows some people in the press. Honor that Tribeca is, she recognizes every great thing creates new problems. She is overwhelmed trying to make all the arrangements, including making sure all the people who helped her get tickets. A friend says of her “She’s like a wolf running through the woods,” trying to do them all.

Paley has a sales rep, but is still looking for a distributor, which she also hopes will materialize because of Tribeca. She knows “Sita” is a tough sell. A niche. It’s animated, but not for kids. Looking for her best deal, the hope is Tribeca will give it “a big push.” She will also tell you she has always made art. She makes the films she does “because I want to see it. When I started I wasn’t thinking about getting into the Tribeca Film Festival. I was just thinking about the film.”
Of course, being one of the filmmakers at a major festival, she is looking forward to seeing others’ work.
What would she say to aspiring filmmakers about themselves applying to Tribeca? Her advice is simple. “Send it in. Who knows how this works. It’s a mystery.” In her words, “Of course, I’ve had more rejections in my life than acceptance.” Basically, she’s saying, all you can do is not get in. And maybe, miracle of miracles, you will.

When the Digital Filmmaker asks Paley what she got out of Tribeca the last time she was there two years ago, she doesn’t hesitate a moment. With great enthusiasm she will tell you, “They gave me a great bag of swag.” What was in it? “Final Cut Pro!” What else was in there? “Lip balm. Sunglasses. A nice bag. Who cares!” Not when the freebie bag has Final Cut Pro!

Alas, the swag bag laws have tightened. Since last she was at Tribeca there’s been a swag bag crackdown, so she doesn’t expect that again.

But a decent distribution deal would be nice.

Robert Drew “A President to Remember”

Famed documentarian Robert Drew brings an intimate look at President John Kennedy to Tribeca in his “A President to Remember.” He has been to many a festival and to Tribeca before. “What this festival and other successful festivals do… Tribeca more than most,” he tells us, “it creates a two week thriving film community. It energizes people. Broadens your viewpoints.”

Like Paley, he is aware when Tribeca selects a film then many of the other major festivals around the world want you to come. They issue invitations. So it has a multiplier effect. The festivals he cares about are the ones that feature documentaries or are all docs. Tribeca is a broad picture. Hollywood is a part of it, but documentaries are given top billing. He feels well treated there. His film gets reviewed at the head of the list.

Furthermore, he has observed, people make a festival. Good people are the secret. This particular group that works behind the scenes at Tribeca, people you never hear about, “is amazing.” A smart bunch. Some might ask, for example, why another Kennedy film. With them, he didn’t have to explain anything. They knew this is a big year for presidential politics.
The last film he had at Tribeca was of his WWII experience. Unbeknownst to him, while it was screening at the Amsterdam festival, one of Tribeca’s top people was seeing it there and when he got back to the United States, before he could call them, she called him. To Drew, that means the folks who run Tribeca are enterprising. Then he has nothing but praise for the way they handled it. They billed it prominently. Gave it good projection. Got a good audience there.

For “A President to Remember,” this year’s entry, Drew explains, this film is meant for people who didn’t experience JFK directly. He is hoping people will realize once we had a history of great presidents. Which, in his opinion, the current administration doesn’t reflect. What Tribeca is doing for him. First, they selected it. Out of the hundreds of films that are submitted, it is “good for the film that it was selected. Good that then they will show it four or five times with excellent projection, good p.r. Hopefully, it will draw crowds.” More importantly, being in the festival “would then accomplish the purpose of the film, which is to remind people of a great president” who held office at a time when we respected and admired the man in the White House. He thinks the film has a job to do. And this festival will help it do that.

We wanted to know the importance of this festival to him when he’s been in so many. And had so many successes. “Yes, I still get excited.” The film he’s working on is always the most important. And Tribeca is “an important boost.”

Dori Bernstein “Gotta Dance”

Dori Bernstein we reached in post-production, putting the finishing touches on her entry “Gotta Dance.” Two years ago, she was at Tribeca with “Show Business: The Road to Broadway, ” where it premiered, and it was “huge, fantastic, the perfect place to launch the film.” Tribeca launched it “on such a high level” and gave them an opening which attracted distributor attention and press attention. They were given a red carpet spotlight premiere. She calls that “a magical night.” The film dealt with Broadway, and as Tribeca is in New York, the Broadway community came. What happened to them at Tribeca was “very valuable to catapulting the film. As a result, we did get theatrical distribution release. It played all around the country. Now it’s out on DVD.”

Also an incredible experience is what Bernstein says was the personal handling. “Tribeca took such good care of us and the film. Even after the festival was over. They continued to be very supportive of their filmmakers.” Bernstein says the festival put word of their film in their online newsletter. Sent email blasts when it was released, telling people where it was playing. Helped to publicize it throughout its life.

Now she returns with “Gotta Dance.” “Gotta Dance” is a world premiere. She is ecstatic that she got in. Especially after only sending in a rough cut. She felt from Day One that Tribeca was the perfect place for her latest film. It was her dream to get in. But she is well aware, “This is a tough one to get into. At the end of the day, either it fits what they need or it doesn’t, even if you’ve been in before.” But she also knows the festival had confidence in her — seeing just a rough cut — “that it would turn out well and be finished on time.”

She wanted to and is thrilled to be at Tribeca, not only because it is such a spectacular festival, but also “because everyone is here.” Meaning everyone in the film is in New York area. Her senior hip hop dancers and the New Jersey Nets, “which is what makes the screening so special. The lights will come up at the end and the cast of the movie is going to be there.” Up on stage. What a moment. Not only will they get to see the film while the audience does, but the audience will get to see her stars.

Her dream is for every distributor to see the film, fall in love with it and want it desperately.

Tribeca makes that possible.

Douglas Tirola “An Omar Broadway Film”

Douglas Tirola is new as a filmmaker to Tribeca, but not new to Tribeca itself. He’s been before, wearing a different hat. Taking pitches in the All Access program, not screening his own film. This is the first doc he’s directed.
For this particular film, “this was THE festival we wanted to go to.” Tirola always pictured it being at Tribeca. For a few reasons. One of which is that “An Omar Broadway Film” takes place almost entirely in Newark and East Orange, right across the river.

Another because, after being involved for six years with the All Access program, he feels a relationship with the festival. “I think they do a great job. They make you feel they are making a long-term commitment to you.” He feels they really want the movie to go where it can go — beyond the festival circuit. Tirola describes a kindness, feeling treated like family, with all the “support for us and for the film.” He thinks that’s unique. He’s been in other festivals. It’s not always that way. “Since the movie was accepted the level of and amount of support from different people at the festival is extraordinary.”

The Digital Filmmaker talked to Tirola the morning after a pre-Tribeca event. What he found remarkable was that questions from the various festival workers went beyond their immediate area of responsibility. Someone in p.r. might ask about distribution and vice versa. People had actually seen the film. Dozens of films are in the festival and he could see they actually knew his movie. Had actually watched more than the first five minutes of his film (and the others). They could talk about the movie. And because they had actually seen it, Tirola feels they will be better prepared to support it.
His takeaway. Instead of solely being concerned with how the festival fares, they seem to care about what the festival can do for the film. Tirola believes the festival people genuinely care and want his movie to “find its home” not only at but after the festival. For him he will always feel “this connection to Tribeca.” For anything that needs being done, “There are six people helping me, far beyond what does happen at the festival itself.”
His expectations beyond the festival? He has a couple.

“We’re just like a lot of movies. We got it made far enough to submit to festivals and because it got accepted, now that it’s in, we went to final production.” Now that it’s in finished form, with that boost from the festival, obviously, he hopes for theatrical distribution. “The goal is to find a distributor who best understands the film and will get it out to an audience.” And here again, Tribeca is a help. Tirola hasn’t “been to all the festivals in the world, but I will say because Tribeca is in New York City, you get the New York industry people.” More of them are here than most other places that hold festivals. Then there is a further wrinkle. The uniqueness of Tribeca being in New York City, plus the support of the people behind the festival, means you get more diversity in the audience — a great mix of industry people, film devotees and just regular folks. People in the business get to see the film at screenings with regular folks, not just the crew who flew out to see the movie, and “being in New York, where the audience and the crowd is a little tougher, if the movie plays in that bit tougher room and a potential distributor sees the audience is on the side of the movie, that’s an advantage.” After all, Tirola is trying to show there is an audience out there for “An Omar Broadway Film.” Being at Tribeca make that happen.

“An Omar Broadway Film” is about, as Tirola puts it, “a guy who is in prison.” So he can’t be there. But another main character is his mother. A woman who lives in a modest house in East Orange, New Jersey — she gets to be there. Tirola says, “If for some reason this is the only premiere the movie ever has, it’s important for us that the mom be there and it be special.” And Tribeca helps make it special, even going so far as to help them find a place after the screening to have a party.

At the end of the day, “It’s a documentary. This is probably the biggest opening and biggest stage it will have.”

Andy Abrahams Wilson “Under Our Skin”

Andy Abraham Wilson is a first timer. Tribeca is the place where he’s launching his doc, “Under Our Skin” and he calls it “the best venue for this film.” Partly that’s because of the subject matter. “Under Our Skin” is about the Lyme Disease epidemic. And New York and the Tri-state area were a hot spot epidemic area. Hence, a perfect place to premiere.
He hasn’t been there yet, but already he feels what the other filmmakers describe, under the heading, “treating us well and they really care.”

Wilson, of course, hopes for sold out crowds. He’s excited about getting this film out to the public. He’s also excited also being asked to be on a panel, Behind the Scenes. Only three filmmakers will be on that panel and he’s the only non-fiction filmmaker.

Being on a panel can only help. As any filmmaker knows, going to a festival is all about visibility and awareness. Wilson takes it further. Creating awareness and buzz about the film is important. “All filmmakers want to create awareness and buzz about their film.” But he also wants to “create buzz and awareness about the issue. The Lyme Disease epidemic.” His sister had it. He thought she was malingering. This film, he quips is “ penance for the way he treated her.” More earnestly, he had a friend who got sick, then sicker and sicker, with a mysterious illness. Eventually she was seriously ill. He was very concerned. She was very concerned. Many wrong diagnoses followed, until, finally, the diagnosis of Lyme Disease. So the film is as much about the issue. And the issue is personal.

So, it seems, even for a newcomer, is the relationship to Tribeca.

“Everyone wants their film to do well, “ he reminds us. “Tribeca is a big festival. Lots of people are coordinating. It feels like they our holding our hands.” Compared to other festivals, “they seem to have an investment… an engagement with the film.”

“It feels like they are holding our hands.” Wilson has been to other festivals. He doesn’t think all others get that treatment. “Under Our Skin” has a prime screening time. He, too, cites the newsletter, tracking the film after its play.
And, of course, there’s that panel discussion.

Eileen Douglas is a broadcast journalist turned independent documentary filmmaker. Former 1010 WINS New York anchor/reporter and correspondent for “ABC-TV’s Lifetime Magazine,” she is the author of “Rachel and the Upside Down Heart,” and co-producer of the films “My Grandfather’s House” and “Luboml:My Heart Remembers.” She can be reached at www.douglas-steinman.com.

“A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy.” Produced and Directed by Robert Drew
Narrated by Alec Baldwin

Call it nostalgia. Call it remembrance. Call it a reminder of how things were before John F. Kennedy was assassinated forty-five years ago in 1963. In every way, you will be right. Today, President John F Kennedy is a man steeped in myth, especially to today’s generation and probably for anyone under fifty years old. He is an icon unlike almost any other American president except for possibly Abraham Lincoln. Robert Drew’s latest film is not for the cynical, the know-it-alls, or those who will say, I’ve been there, done that. It is an unabashed, affectionate look at John F Kennedy. Few people really know anything about him except the obvious.

Almost fifty years ago Robert Drew helped develop hand-held cameras that allowed him and his crews to enter, as flies on the wall, the inner world of Kennedy – with his permission, of course — as he campaigned for president, then won the Oval Office, and then went through a host of crises that he solved with a dedicated staff. For this film, Drew culled highlights of Kennedy’s life from the four major films he directed about him during those heady years. In “A President to Remember” we watch JFK campaign for president. We witness speeches he made – especially portions of the one about his Catholicism and how it would not affect how he would govern the country. We see excerpts of John Kennedy and Richard Nixon in the debate that changed the tone of the campaign and then helped to turn the election his way.

Importantly, Drew and his cameras had access to the Oval Office during two major confrontations when Kennedy was president. The major foreign crisis was, of course, when the Soviet Union under Nikita Khrushev moved missiles into Cuba. Here we see JFK interacting with his advisors, not panicking, being thoughtful, and being careful because one false step and the world could have seen nuclear war. Kennedy was able to face down the Soviet Union and cause Khrushev and his military to remove the missiles, thus allowing the world to breathe more easily without the possibility of nuclear war.

The other powerful set of scenes that take place in the Oval Office were those during the time when Governor George Wallace of Alabama refused to allow black students to enter the University of Alabama. Driven by Attorney General Robert Kennedy and ably assisted by Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, it was an epic diplomatic battle over state rights between Alabama, in the person of George Wallace, and the Federal government over who had control of desegregation. Troops massed. Large crowds gathered. The nation was tense because Wallace threatened to stand in the schoolhouse door and not admit the two African-American students. We observe the Kennedy brothers being calm and resolute in the face of a defiant George Wallace. We watch as they face down Governor Wallace and finally win. The two students are admitted. President Kennedy goes on TV that night and sets the tone for future government commitments to civil rights. I seriously doubt that any president today would allow such intimate access to show the highest in government at work. I have to wonder what the result of President George Bush going to war with Iraq would have had, had at least some of his discussions been recorded for posterity.

Though the film does not take us through everything in Kennedy’s life, we do get to see him on trips to the Berlin Wall, and his journey to Ireland. We see the sometimes awkward grace of Jackie Kennedy, how she supported him in her role as First Lady, the intimate looks she gives him, and her ability to win people with her smile and her gentle charm.

Is this film worth seeing? If you know very little about John F Kennedy and his presidency, the answer is yes. If you think you know more than you do, the answer is still yes. If you know in detail everything about JFK, the answer is a strong yes. We will probably never see the likes of John F Kennedy again. The film refreshes our memory. Rush to wherever it is playing. It is not comprehensive. It cannot be. It is selective. In these selections, however enough of JFK’s intellect, his wit, his caring attitude, his humanity and his style show through, if even only in small doses, to make the movie worth your time when it comes to a theater near you. This is especially so with the Democratic Party campaign for its candidate for president nearly over and the campaign for a new president about to being.

Julie Saul, owner of one of New York City’s most pretigious contemporary photography and art galleries, will be the juror for the 2008 Photo Review Photography Competition. The Photo Review, a highly acclaimed critical journal of photography, is sponsoring its 24th annual photography competition with a difference. Instead of only installing an exhibit that would be seen by a limited number of people, The Photo Review will reproduce accepted entries in its 2008 competition issue and on its website. Thus, the accepted photographs will be seen by thousands of people all across the world and entrants will have a tangible benefit from the competition.

Also, the prize-winning photographers will be chosen for an exhibition at the photography gallery of The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and will be exhibited on The Photo Review’s website.

Because their work was seen in The Photo Review, past winners have been given one-person exhibitions, have had their work reproduced in other leading photography magazines, and have sold their work to collectors throughout the country.

Awards include a Microtek ArtixScan M1 Dual Media Scanner ($650), a copy of SilverFast HDR Studio digital camera RAW conversion software from LaserSoft Imaging ($499), a Lensbaby 3G Lens and Wide Angle / Telephoto kit ($359), camera bags from Lowepro ($200 and $100), a $250 gift certificate from Calumet Photographic, a $250 gift certificate for Museo Fine Art Paper, two $50 gift certificates from Sprint Systems, and $250 in cash prizes.

An entry fee of $30 for up to three prints, slides, or images on CD and $5 each for up to two additional images entitles all entrants to a copy of the catalogue. In addition, all entrants will be able to subscribe to The Photo Review for $35, a 20% discount.

All entries must be received by mail between May 1 and May 15, 2008.

For a prospectus and details, send a self-addressed, stamped business-size (#10) envelope to: The Photo Review, 140 East Richardson Avenue, Suite 301, Langhorne, PA 19047. The prospectus may also be downloaded from The Photo Review website, www.photoreview.org . For further information call 215/891-0214.

Santa Rosa, Calif. – Think Tank Photo today released three new or completely upgraded rolling bags that provide more protection and security for transporting heavy and expensive photography gear. All three rollers feature advanced security features, such as front and back cable locks, a TSA lock, and the Security Plate “Lost and Found” service.

Airport Airstream — This new, small roller complies with international air travel guidelines and accommodates up to a 400mm lens and multiple DSLRs and lenses. It features new and enhanced security features: TSA combination lock for the zipper sliders, a security cable for securing the roller to immovable objects, a front cable and lock for securing a laptop case to the bag, and the new Security Plate system for easy identification. With Think Tank Photo’s new Security Plate photographers can register their roller’s unique serial number at the company’s Lost and Found site. If Think Tank Photo is informed that a lost or stolen bag has been located, it will contact registered users at no charge. The optional Airport Airstream Low Divider Set lets up to a 15″ laptop lay safely inside of the roller.

Airport Security V2.0 — This large roller, which is renowned for its ability to hold a large amount of gear while complying with most USA domestic airline size requirements, has been completely upgraded. Like the Airport Airstream, it now comes with all of the company’s enhanced security features. In addition, the optional Airport Security Low Divider Set is now available, which allows the Artificial Intelligence 15 & 17 laptop cases or the Cable Management 50 to lay inside of the roller.

Airport International V2.0 –This new version of the popular mid-sized roller was recently named a 2008 winner of the “Hot One Award.” In making this award the judges noted that the Airport International was “the first large rolling camera bag to meet all international carry-on size requirements.” The roller, which now includes the new enhanced security features, was designed to accommodate a 300 2.8, 400 2.8, or 500 4 with lens hoods, multiple DSLR bodies and lenses, and other photography accessories.
The AI Low Divider Set is also available for safe laptop storage.

“With all of these rollers we’ve listened to photographer fears and designed in strong, customizable features that allow them to use this rolling camera bag not only as a means of transporting equipment from one site to the next, but for storing it securely during a shoot,” said Doug Murdoch, Think Tank Photo’s founder and lead designer. “As they are rollers, photographers can move quickly from one flight to the next and without the burden of carrying this weight on their shoulders. The goal is to minimize the wear and tear on their bodies and the fears associated with transporting expensive photographic equipment.”

About Think Tank Photo
Headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, Think Tank Photo http://www.thinktankphoto.com is a group of designers and professional photographers focused on studying how photographers work and developing inventive new carrying solutions that meet their needs. They are dedicated to using only the highest quality materials and design principles, and employing materials that are environmentally benign.

Product Specifications
Airport Airstream
Internal Dimensions: 13.5” W x 6.5-7.5” D x 15.5” H (34 x 16.5 x 39.5 cm)
External Dimensions: 14” W x 8” D x 17.5” H (36 x 20.5 x 44.5 cm)
Weight: 9 - 10.5 lbs (weight varies depending on accessories)
Price: $289

Airport International V2.0
Internal Dimensions: 13” W x 6.5” – 7.5” D x 18.5” H (33 x 16.5-19 x 47 cm)
External Dimensions: 14” W x 8” D x 21” H (36 x 20 x 53 cm)
Weight: 9.5–11.5 lbs; 4.3–5.2 kg (weight varies depending on accessories used)
Price: $329

Airport Security V2.0
Internal Dimensions: 13” W x 7-8” D x 21” H (33 x 18-20 x 53 cm)
External Dimensions: 14” W x 9” D x 22” H (35.5 x 23 x 56 cm)
Weight: 12 - 14 lbs/5.4 - 6.4 kgs (weight varies on accessories used)
Price: $369

Chicago, IL - Zacuto is announcing the release their new packages for the Letus35 Extreme Lens Adapter [http://www.zacuto.com/Letus.htm]. Zacuto’s product line for Letus35 Extreme [http://store.zacuto.com/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=37] features a complete setup for handheld use that is lightweight - while integrating all the functionality of Zacuto’s highly rated line of camera support accessories. Besides the handheld package, configurations are also available in two other kits for tripod mounting.

Zacuto’s Letus Studio Handheld Package [http://www.zacuto.com/Letus_studio_handheld_kit.htm] includes the Letus35 Shallow Depth of Field Adapter [http://www.adapterplace.com/content/view/21/5/lang,en/] plus all the Zacuto brand hardware necessary to achieve a balanced and completely quick-releasable (Zacuto trademark) shooting outfit that is quick to setup and fast to move about on location.

The DOF adapter is a powerful tool, allowing inexpensive DV, HDV and HD cameras with small CCD’s
to capture a shallow depth-of-field to achieve a 35mm motion picture look. One interesting benefit is that while the DOF is very similar to 35mm film cameras; with the 1/3″ pickup area, the field-of-view is much wider. This is a huge benefit to independent filmmakers because they are typically on location vs. a studio and need the widest field-of-view (wide angle) they can get. The Letus35 Extreme adapter is an affordable yet high quality unit which is easy to use and will fit all cameras.

“After extensive tests, I’ve found that Letus35 Extreme loses the least amount of light of any of the DOF adapters on the market (including P+S-Technik & the Movie Tube)” says, Jens Bogehegn, Product Designer/Technician Zacuto USA.

“We invented a new part just for the Letus35 called the Z-Riser [http://www.zacuto.com/Z-Riser.htm]. When using a DOF adapter two issues are important. Balance & Support [http://www.zacuto.com/Letus_07.htm]. These setups tend to be very front heavy so designing the system with balance is critical for both handheld and tripod use. Second, support is key to your equipment lasting. Electronics are delicate, in a Zacuto setup, the electronic components including the Letus35 just sit with no pressure on them on the Zacuto rig. The Zacuto setup has to take all of the stresses or damage will occur to the electronic components.” Says, Steve Weiss, Product Designer/Sales Zacuto USA.

The Zacuto Letus35 Extreme case [http://www.zacuto.com/Letus_Zacuto_case.htm] is the first of its kind to be able to put the entire built Letus35 setup in a case fully assembled. It could take 30 minutes to assemble all of the parts of your rig each time you set it up. “The less you take the components on and off the less breakage you will have. Plus, you can come out of the case and shoot within 1 minute, who wouldn’t want that?” says, Steve Weiss, Product Designer/Sales, Zacuto USA.

“Our handheld kit for the Letus35 adapter uses more than a dozen of Zacuto’s best products, including our latest (Version 3) Universal Baseplate [http://store.zacuto.com/product.php?productid=30&cat=0&page=1] and Z-grips [http://store.zacuto.com/product.php?productid=69&cat=0&page=1] ” says Steve Weiss, Zacuto’s Co-Designer/Sales Director. “Z-Grips give you that Zacuto low hand position that DP’s say is much less fatiguing when shooting for many hours. Plus, the handgrips themselves fully articulate for further comfort.”

For more information about the Zacuto/Letus Extreme Configurations visit http://www.zacuto.com/Letus.htm

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded seven years ago after the 9/11 attacks to revitalize lower Manhattan through a celebration of film and culture. Since its founding, the Festival has generated more then $425 million in economic activity for New York City. It has been a home to more than 950 filmmakers debuting stories from around the corner to around the globe.

Each year, the strength of the film program has increased. The acclaimed documentary, Taxi to the Dark Side, which premiered and was acquired at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, was just nominated for Best Documentary at the 2008 Academy Awards. Another 2008 Academy Award nominee, Salim Baba, had its North American debut at the 2007 Festival and is now up for Best Documentary Short Subject. The 2007 Festival also featured more than 30 films that received distribution.

Think Tank Photo announces the release of Hydrophobia™ 300 - 600, the first rain cover specifically designed to be pre-mounted for quick deployment. When in the field, where inclement weather can destroy a shot or gear, photographers need a simple and hassle free system for immediately deploying a rain cover to protect their SLRs and lenses.

When it appears it may rain, photographers attach the Hydrophobia over their lenses before going out into the field, rolling it up tight and out of the way. Then, when weather threatens, they simply unroll the rain cover over the rest of the lens and body, securely protecting both. The rain cover fits onto a 300 f2.8, 400 f2.8, 500 f4, and 600 f4, making it ideally suited for sports and nature photographers.

Hydrophobia comes with two extended sleeves through which photographers insert their arms to access all of their camera controls. It allows them to shoot vertically in either direction, and they can add a tele-converter to the lens by simply unzipping the back. (Eyepieces for different camera models are sold separately.)

The fabric used on the Hydrophobia is ten times as waterproof as normal fabric. Instead of a “spray” coating, a “film” is applied to the underside of the fabric, as well as a tricot mesh to protect it, making it a far more impenetrable three-layer fabric. In addition a waterproof tape is applied to all seams, providing an even more waterproof barrier.

Other key features include:

• Clear PU back and top to see controls.

• Memory cards and batteries can be changed without taking the cover off.

For professionals and amateur SLR shooters who can’t afford to lose a shot or to have their cameras and lenses damaged, the Hydrophobia 300 - 600 is a powerful new tool for getting the shot in even the roughest conditions.

For more info go to http://www.thinktankphoto.com