February 1, 2011

Mania featured at OpenLens Festival! Recap

The screening of Mania at the OpenLens Film Festival was a hit! A 30 minute Q and A after the film was filled with questions about how the film was made and some personal feedback from the filmmaker, D.V. Schaefer, and Ronnie Duquette who was a ball boy for the Portland Trailblazers in 1976-1978. Ronnie was featured in the film as one of people who were positively involved with the team and how it effected their lives. Others in that segment, "Giving Back", were Dee Dee Anderson who was the Cheerleader coach and Larry Steele who runs a basketball camp. Ronnie gives the audience a brief tour of his sports shoe collection which includes Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Bill Walton. He commented during the Q&A that it was a similar time when you could go up to the players and get to know them, whereas today their seems to be a wall between the fans and the pros.

Figaro was screened the next day at 1:00 pm and included an excellent discussion on the making of Figaro with Eugene Opera's Executive Vice President Philip Piele and D.V. Schaefer.

January 26, 2011

Mania featured at OpenLens Festival!

The OpenLens Festival of Eugene Oregon will be featuring two films by D.V. Schaefer, including Figaro and Mania. Mania is the story of the Portland Trailblazers from their origin in 1970 to the completion of the film in 2008. Noted Trailblazers include Harry Glickman, Bill Schonely, Clyde Drexler, Jack Ramsey, Stu Inman, Nate McMillan, Darrall Imhoff, Brandon Roy, Jerome Kersey, and many more. The film tackles the issues of being a expansion team, success in the 1976-7 world Championship and trips to the finals in the 90's, and its rebuilding process of in 2006.

For more information on the OpenLens Festival and screening times, go to:

http://openlens.proscenia.net/06SCH/index.htm