OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2012 FARGO FILM FESTIVAL

This one is special.

I submitted Photos & Drawings to many, many festivals. The rejections were tough, the Official Selections made your day and the awards from Flyway Film Festival and Ego Festival left me stunned.

Getting into the Fargo Film Festival is ever so sweet. This is my home country, North Dakota, this is where I grew up. To have their support feels just awesome and makes even a bit teary thinking about it.

Thank you, Fargo Film Festival! The festival looks really fun with Jay & Silent Bob kicking off the festival and special guest Rich Sommer (Harry Crane on AMC’s Mad Men). I am a fan.

Regrettably, I am not sure if I will make my screening as I have committed myself to 5 days of educational workshops in Austin at SXSW. 

Please get out and attend this festival and support the arts in North Dakota.

We Won! Photos & Drawings: Wisconsin/Minnesota Showcase Award

Photos & Drawings won two awards that the 2011 Flyway Film Festival.

We won the Wisconsin/Minnesota Showcase Award and a Special Jury Award for Cinematography for our D.P. Steve Speers. Incredible!

Pictures: Jon & Alyssa after receiving the awards. The awards are AWESOME granite Axes.

This was an amazing and special night for our little film and I am so proud of everyone involved in the film.

We have to thank Rick Vaicius and the Flyway Film Festival staff for putting on such a wonderful festival too. I saw great films like: Radio Free Albemuth, Saw Dust City, The Winter Frog, Terrebonne, Alone, Gosia's Witch and met with terrific filmmakers.

Flyway also brought in Jon Reiss who gave us a great film self-distribution workshop and overall pep-talk to continue doing what we do. They also brought in Producer Ted Hope to do the keynote which I regretfully could not attend.
If you live in near Pepin, WI you have to consider attending next year. There is something special happening at Flyway and experiencing it is the only way to discover what you are missing.

Hope to see you there in 2012.

OFFICIAL SELECTION 2011 FLYWAY FILM FESTIVAL!

This just in!
PHOTOS & DRAWINGS
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2011 FLYWAY FILM FESTIVAL!
http://www.flywayfilmfestival.org/

Yay! PHOTOS & DRAWINGS just got accepted into the Carmel Art & Film Festival. Carmel, CA is home to Clint Eastwood one of my favorite filmmakers, ever!

http://carmelartandfilm.com/

PHOTOS & DRAWINGS Accepted into South Dakota Film Festival

Just got word, PHOTOS & DRAWINGS was accepted into the South Dakota Film Festival in Aberdeen, SD. September 16-18 2011.  Awesome!

South Dakota Film Festival
http://www.southdakotafilmfest.org/

Photos & Drawings Trailer

I am super excited to share the Photos & Drawings Trailer. It turned out beautifully thanks to the help of SPLICE and editor/colorist Joanna Day and music by Thomas Fay.





Two artists in search of inspiration discover something more. 

Written, Directed & Produced by Jon Maichel Thomas
Producers: Matt Osterman & Alyssa Thomas
Starring: Sasha Andreev, Linnea Mohn, Corey Walton

+ Trailer Credits
Editor/Colorist: Joanna Day @ SPLICE
Sound Design: Kent @ SPLICE
Composer: Thomas Fay

3 Films. 2 Fests. 1 week.

Pure Craziness!!! Next week I have three films making their premieres.

#1 My short Photos & Drawings is playing Twin Cities Film fest before the feature CONVICTION. Written & Directed by yours truly. My labor of love, this will always be my favorite of course!

#2 Phasma Ex Machina, an intelligently beautiful film I co-produced and did the titles for is premiering regionally. Written & Directed by Matt Osterman.

3# THE TESTED, a honest, heartfelt, gem of a movie is making it's debut at the Woodstock Film Festival. Written & Directed by Russel Costanzo.

WHAT AN HONOR THIS IS to have all of this happening at the same time. It is proof that hard work pays off, sometimes a little luck comes your way, and how you really wish you could time travel so you could be in all three places at once. Luckily I get two of the three. (Best of luck at Woodstock Russell and Melissa.)

I hope you can make it out to the Fests and take in these movies. I am extremely PROUD of every film. All the filmmakers and directors (including myself) put every last blood, sweat and tear into these pictures. This is commendable because Films don't happen overnight, everything must fall into place to make them happen, and once it is done you hope and dream of getting into a festival.

I look forward to next week and this rare event. Hopefully we all continue this ride as it is truly "one lucky trio".

Music Video: Lookbook - Over and Over

Saw this video for Lookbook’s new video for “Over and Over”. Made by some great Minneapolis folks. I really love the concept, cinematography and art direction. Awesome Video... Nice job guys:

Directed by Bo Hakala
Art Director and Special Effects Technician -Sarah Jean Kruchowski
Additional help from Ben Krueger and Mike Gunnerson.
Special Thanks to Aaron Landry, Todd Cobery, Andy Awes and Tasty Lighting.

Lookbook is Grant Cutler and Maggie Morrison. Their new album is Wild At Heart.

THE VICIOUS ALIVE

So I've been a fan of this local Minneapolis band for a while called The Vicious Alive. I am definitely a little biased because the band was started a few years ago by my long time friend Thomas Fay and brother Scott Thomas. From the first song they played for me, rough and raw, acoustic in my living room, I was hooked. It was solid, true rock+roll music with hints of references to bands of our past and present like: Led Zeppelin, America, CSNY, The Cure, Audioslave, Alice in Chains, or STP. It was music I love, the stuff I listen too.

And ironically, for the past two years I've been the drummer for TVA. It kind of happened accidentally really. Their previous drummer moved away and I was the only one left standing who knew the songs well enough. But really the needed someone to fill in on 3 days notice to compete in a battle of the bands. We pulled it off. It was a lot of hard work and we didn't win.

The video I am sharing is from THE VICIOUS ALIVE's recent recording session for the album Supermodel Suicide, due out this spring. Scott and Thomas are running down a track from the album called "Sentiment" while Chris Harrington preps the studio.

The finished album will have a lot more going than this, more vocal and guitar layers. This video however captures what got me hooked from day one... solid rock+roll songwriting.

Lonely Dear: I Was Only Going Out [Polyvinyl]

It is always humbling to make new friends and then see them make gorgeous work. This is not surprising from Ron Eyal (Director) and Amy Seimetz (Actress). I love the new video they collaborated on for Lonely Dear.



Ron and his directing partner Eleanor Burke were just honored in Filmmaker Magazine's "25 NEW FACES OF INDEPENDENT FILM" article. Their film Stranger Things is a must for your short list of upcoming films to see.

The Lonely Dear music video features the talented Amy Seimetz, actress and director of City on a Hill.

Great work guys!