Lost Film Fest

This is a belated update on what I’ve been up to.

So much has been a’brew.

- I would love to come back to Europe with Lost Film Fest in late 2008 early 2009. If you want to help out, please get in touch.

- My friend Amber just moved to Philly from Chicago to help Liz and I out with Evil Twin Booking and Lost Film Fest and various other projects. She has no idea what she’s in for…muahahahah.

- Liz is starting to work on pieces for radio, so I’m super excited about this. She’s one of the best writers ever and has such a great voice. Her first project is for an NPR podcast, and hopefully we’ll be doing some collaborative stuff this summer. Stay tuned.

- I just went to the Maker Faire in the bay area a couple of weeks ago, and it was amazing. I’d highly suggest going to the next one. www.makerfaire.com

- I also went to Lightning In A Bottle (www.lightninginabottle.org) and did Lost Film Fest at the renegade drive in. It was amazing! I have to say that The Do Lab are amazing geniuses… It was awesome hanging out with pals like Daniel Pinchbeck, Arrow One, John Carr, Mike Russek, Julie Rasmussen, Dan Lesh, Alex and Andee, and new friends like Irene, Y2, Ryan, Elizabeth, Robb, Erin, the other Elizabeth, Kristen, Scotty, Jenn.. So many amazing inspiring people.. what the hell!??

….and the myriad of projects abound…

LOST FILM FEST

I have a few LOST FILM FEST shows left on the west coast in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Check out the tourdates on the sidebar for all the details.. Spread the word if you’d be so kind. I’m kind of taking a break over the summer from touring and putting together a new program for this fall, so if you’ve seen any really great shorts that fit the kind of format that I spin in the Lost Film Fest show feel free to drop me a line. I’m especially looking for mutant tech, sustainability and DIY / “how-to” clips, as well as pieces covering events in the Global South. There are some really good video pieces in progress leading up to the DNC and RNC protests this summer. Also, there’s an amazing piece that should be making the rounds this fall about the last days of Copenhagens’ Ungdomshuset/(Youth House) called ‘69′ by Nikolaj Vijborg who made USA Under Attack. Keep them coming! Good work! Check out the new graphic for Lost Film Fest, the photo was taken for URB Magazine by Ted Adams. The image on the screen is from Don’t Call Me Crazy On The Fourth Of July by Rich Pell, which will be on one of the upcoming Lost Film Fest compilation DVD’s (see below) If you’d like to organize a show email Liz Cole at info (at) eviltwinbooking.com.

EVIL TWIN BOOKING AGENCY

We’ve just added some really awesome speakers to our roster, including Dr. Vandana Shiva (Ecologist, Physicist and Activist), Dr. Mitchell Joachim (Host of the Discovery Channel’s FUTURE CAR, and green architect), Daniel Pinchbeck ( Author of 2012: THE RETURN OF QUETZALCOATL and Breaking Open the Head), Severn Cullis-Suzuki (environment and culture activist), and inventor Mitch Altman who can teach you how to make a TV B GONE or BRAIN MACHINE TRIP GLASSES!. We’re also arranging screenings of BOMB-IT THE MOVIE, as well as performances for DJ JORO-BORO of the Bulgarian Bar. Our regulars are still on tap like The Yes Men, Lost Film Fest, Bernardine Dohrn, Ed Begley Jr., and the whole gang. We’re looking for more speakers on environmental and legal issues so feel free to share ideas. If you want to organize any shows for these wonderful folks, get in touch with Liz Cole or myself - info (at) eviltwinbooking.com | www.eviltwinbooking.org

TRAIN ON THE BRAIN (dir. Alison Murray)

Iden and I are releasing the classic freight hopping doc TRAIN ON THE BRAIN on DVD. It’s directed by Alison Murray who also made the films CARNY and MOUTH TO MOUTH (with Ellen Page). It’s taken a really long time for the DVD to come together, but with the help of MJW and Hellhound Productions, it finally it comes out June 3rd. yay! The DVD turned out awesome and the packaging designed by Mark Splinter looks great too. Please spread the word to your friends, and let me know if you want to do a review or interview Alison Murray. Any support you can offer us on our first release is super appreciated. The trailer and ordering instructions are here: www.trainonthebrain.com.

HOLLYWOODCANSUCKIT! (HCSI)

We’re also in the process of launching HollywoodCanSuckIt.com. (…and it does! ). Where else can you find a delightful snarkalicious cavalcade of commentary and news for nerdy troublemakers and the activists who love them? I’ll be writing for the site as well as Liz Cole, Al Burian and a cavalcade of others. We’re still looking for a few good contributors who want to cover current stuff like recent pranks by The Yes Men, as well as enlighten us with news that doesn’t make the news. Please respond if you’re interested in writing little snippets. Additionally, HollywoodCanSuckIt.com is also the name of our dvd label. TRAIN ON THE BRAIN is our first release, and following later this year will be the release of 4 volumes of LOST FILM FEST DVD compilations and some other surprises. A Miro Channel is being planned as well. This will be fun.

Sleep is for squares..
xo Scotty Beibin

Well, it looks like I’m about to kick off the swing states tour schedule right at the beginning of the year in Des Moines; Jan 3 to be exact. I’m proud to be part of The Caucus Of The Future, which is an alternative to the Iowa Caucuses. I’ll be presenting Lost Film Fest there and giving workshops. It’s an alternative in the sense that it’s all about self reliance and sustainability, and relying on our own communities for problem solving rather than electing officials who are beholden to corporate interests.

xo Scotty

Take a peek:

The Caucus of the Future will take place January 2nd & 3rd, 2008 in Des Moines, Iowa, running concurrently with the Iowa Caucuses. Our goal is to dream up and practice the many ways we can take power out of the hands of those who claim to represent our interests, be they elected or unelected, and redistribute it to everyone through a network of free communities and neighborhoods. Through workshops, discussions and performances, the Caucus of the Future will provide a forum for exchanging alternative ideas that are based on mutual aid and cooperation. Patrons of the Caucus will share skills and resources with each other, demonstrating the many ways we can make a difference in our own lives, with or without casting a vote. We do not do this to gain control over others, but to attain control together–over how we provide each other with shelter, education, art, and information, over how we resolve conflicts, over how we share resources and ideas, over how we determine our own lives.

Some workshops and discussions you can expect to see might include: Alternative Energy/Fuel, Sustainable Agriculture/Permaculture, Alternative Media, Direct Action, Self-Defense, Folk History, Bicycle Repair, Community Gardening, Consent, Gift Economics, Urban Exploration, Community Organizing, Alternative Education, and much more.

The Caucus of the Future will provide a festive atmosphere with free organic vegetarian food and beverages, and performances by musicians and artists.

For more information please visit www.caucusofthefuture.com or contact info@caucusofthefuture.com

Liz and I just arrived to the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Our friend Matt Pascarella from the BBC is flying in from NYC shortly, and then we’re off to adventures. We’re completely exhausted, and totally nerding out in a corner by an electric socket, but in a few hours I’ll be presenting a short vj set at the 20th anniversary celebration of IDFA. I also just found out I’ll be doing Lost Film Fest in Berlin on the 11th. Information about that show is forthcoming.

My old friend Alain and the crew from La Zone in Liege have been working feverishly to do the french subtitles for a bunch of the films. They are totally rocking my world right now. We’re super looking forward to the next three weeks. I’m so glad to get out of the fucking united states for a bit. I really need a break from the Idiocracy. xo Scotty

I have 3 LFF shows coming up close by Nov 5-7. I’m pretty excited because a documentary film crew (jaded multimedia) will be following Liz and I around trying to gain some insight into what the hell we’re doing (do we even know?) Hopefully they will figure it out. Here are the dates/locations. Please spread the word. Bring friends!

Nov 5 Mon
Philadelphia, PA @ Bubblehouse. | 3404 Sansom St. | 9pm | admission by donation | all ages

Nov 6 Tue
Brooklyn, NY @ The Change You Want To See | 84 Havemeyer St. | 7:30pm | dontation $5-10 sliding scale | http://notanalternative.net/wordpress/

Nov 7 Wed
Doylestown, PA @ Siren Records | 22 s. Main St. | doors 6pm | $6 | http://www.sirenrecords.com/

I’ll post the European tourdates as they become clear. There’s also a chance I’ll be doing 2 midwest dates at Loyola and Oberlin after the west coast tour if all goes according to plan. If not I’ll go there in the spring. The next couple of months is going to be pretty crazy: Green Fest in San Francisco, traveling down the west coast doing Lost Film Fest and spreading Raw Revolution bars around, Doing Lost Film Fest shows in the midwest, Thanksgiving with my family, Touring Europe with lost Film Fest doing stuff with IDFA, the EU cultural capital, and activist spaces. I’m dying to do the film fest at Mariatchi (Manu Chao’s neighborhood bar) in Barcelona.. I can only dream.. I’ll be coming back to the trial as well as the perils and travails of living in wild west Philadelphia…

xo Scotty

The past few weeks have found me deluged by emails, IMs and phone calls about the incredibly bizarre mention of Lost Film Fest during the trial of environmental activist Eric McDavid.

Here’s a bit of background for those of you who haven’t gotten the lowdown on the “green scare”, and the case of Eric McDavid’s entrapment by the FBI’s secret agent Lolita. I have been paying close attention to the case (originally called the Auburn 3 case - now it’s one plus 2 snitches) for the past year or so, and of course followed the trial from when it began.

So: The US government has been trying for years to spread fear about the environmental movement by labeling environmental activists as terrorists. Eric McDavid’s case is part of this federal offensive, and it reeks of entrapment.

A few years ago the FBI, apparently inspired by the fine American cinema masterpieces “Spy Kids” and “Red Dawn”, recruited a 15 year old top spy named “Anna” straight out of junior college civics class. “Anna” was a high school student at the time. They gave Anna their blessing to play hookey for the next two years and charged her with the mission of finding terrorists within the radical environmental movement. Failing that, she had to scrounge up the next best thing…

Anna, armed with an expense account to buy garlic, grungy thrift store clothes and supplied for concocting dud bombs, set out to infiltrate the environmental activist movement and encourage criminal mischief. According to the trial transcripts, “Anna” attended a bunch of protests and posed as a street medic. (Having zero medical training, she brushed off injured people who came to her for help.) She befriended three young activists, including McDavid, and spent the next bit of time traveling with them.

Anna brought the group to a wiretapped cabin in California owned by the FBI, where she used her Lolita skills to woo McDavid into helping her assemble sabotage devices. The devices were built to fail, taken from tried and true FBI dud recipies. McDavid and crew were arrested by the cabin and charged with “conspiracy to destroy property by means of fire or explosives”, even though their collective organizing skills were probably best suited to planning vegan potlucks.

While Lost Film Fest is mentioned tangentially in the prosecution’s outlandish rant, the prosecution’s statement regarding Lost Film Fest is consistent with the sort of scare tactics, flimsy rhetoric and blatant lies our government uses to justify harsher penalties and broader definitions in the crackdown on people who speak out about injustice.

Here is the quote in question, in reference to events at the 2005 Philadelphia Bio conference. We apologize for the transcriber’s poor phrasing.

“He [the prosecutor] also talked about the cop that died of a heart attack and said he died because he was ‘wrestling’ with protesters. He said that some people felt sad about it and wanted to have a vigil and the people that were glad that the cop died went to the ‘Lost Film Festival’ where they were showing films on how to make molotov cocktails. [McDavid's lawyer] objected to that comment and the judge ordered the jurors to strike it from their memory.”

Was the prosecution saying that independent film festivals are “danger zones” where people learn how to make molotov cocktails? Is he saying that public art events are breeding grounds for terrorism? This reminds me of John Ashcroft’s post 9-11 freakout over nude statues on Capitol Hill while the anthrax scares raged.

Whew, I’m glad the judge had the good sense to “strike” that from the jurors’ memory. Did he use a Vulcan neck pinch to do that? Hypnotism?

Anyhow, the sad ending to the whole thing is that McDavid was convicted of conspiring to blow up government and other facilities as part of an eco-terror plot, due to technicalities, and now awaits sentencing in December. This conviction carries up to 20 years in prison. I’m not sure how the guilty verdict was reached, since the jury came out of the trial calling “Anna” and the FBI liars, and saying that they should be ashamed of themselves. Eric’s lawyer is currently working on an appeal. Any contribution you can make to this case will help. Please visit www.SupportEric.org for more information on how you can help.

The Indypendent’s coverage sums up McDavid’s case well (http://www.indypendent.org/2007/09/15/the-net-widens/) and includes other articles on the “Green Scare” documenting the federal government’s aggressive actions against protesters.