#IAmTx

[xetastheband-blog]

psyched to announce that we will be part of the soundtrack to @iamtxfilm 🎤🎬🎧✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻✊️#iamtx #afropunk #texasfilm #independentfilm #blackandpunk #pleasurevenom #blxpltn #punksofcolor @pleasurevenom @blxpltn @afropunk

[doomonfilm]

Festivals : Indie Grits 2019 - Southern Scenes Block (2019)

As a cast member of I AM TX, it’s a good feeling to know that your film has been accepted into multiple festivals.  Your friends and collaborators will more than likely always have something positive to say about your work, but getting an impartial and honest opinion from those without personal investment is always a bonus.  I AM TX found itself in the Indie Grits Fest block dedicated to short films made by directors based in the south, and I could not have been happier to be grouped with such high quality work.

The Derby, directed by Remington Smith, focuses on the 2017 Kentucky Derby and its impact on both attendees and locals.  The behind the scenes look is one that Churchill Downs does not normally share, as we get the chance to talk to vendors, those who care for the grounds and animals, attendees who spend their time in the infield, and the crowd that hangs out in Millionaire’s Row on the 6th floor.  The film ultimately serves as a brief microcosm of America itself, with the distinction between the haves and the have-nots being painfully clear.  The documentary is wonderfully shot, with a handful of memorable moments that will stick with you long after your viewing is complete.

Shannon Silva’s Shoot The Duck is a lighthearted short film focused on a skating competition where competitors see who can ‘shoot the duck’ the longest.  The cast is almost entirely made up of children and young teenagers, the skating rink location lends itself to colorful backgrounds and expressive lighting, and the anticipation of taking part in a competition is captured without being overly dramatic.  While not a piece that could be extrapolated into feature length, Shoot The Duck is perfectly fine being what it is as a short narrative, and could easily find itself placed on television or in tandem with a major network that makes content for young people.

Of all the shorts in this block, Street Flame really and truly spoke to me.  Austin-based director Katherine Propper took a group of young Austin skaters and graffiti writers, gave them a platform to be themselves, and added a story about loss and dealing with the grieving process that accompanies losing someone close to you.  The film felt incredibly natural, the story hit me right in the feels, and at the conclusion of the short, I felt like wanting to watch it again.  Definitely one I’ll be keeping tabs on well after I leave the Indie Grits Fest. 

Will Berry’s Nashedonia, at just four short minutes, was a pure rush of blood to the head.  The humor of the film was incredibly sharp, the non-native perspective of a place as cherished as Nashville, Tennessee was refreshing, and the compisition of the film being shot in frame with an innovate captioning style all stood out amongst the rest of the films in the block.  This is the kind of short that would make Jim Jarmusch jealous. 

To West End, With Love is director/writer Melissa Alexander’s love letter to the West End of Atlanta, Georgia, done in a style that, while echoing films like Slacker, manages to have its own unique flare and energy.  Told in three parts with minimal spoken dialogue, the film stands as a line in the sand against the practice of gentrification that is erasing similar neighborhoods nationwide.  The visual diary presentation puts you square in the passenger seat with the subjects of the film, and the three stories are all unique enough to show the range and diversity that exists in the West End, while being connected enough to stand together as parts of a greater whole.  Black and white was also a great choice, as it gives the film a timeless feel.

As In Death, a documentary by Mark Raafat Kammel, focuses on former 911 operator Sidney Brodie and the Durham Homicide & Memorial Quilt, a project he started in 1996 that (sadly) continues to this day.  Whenever a homicide occurs in the Durham area, Brodie sews a new piece onto the quilt with the victim’s name, and the quilt is often presented at funerals and community gatherings to put a visual representation to the senseless violence that plagues not only Durham, but the nation at large.  The true heartbreak of the story, outside of the violence, is what the quilt did to Brodie’s marriage, and how his commitment to bettering life for everyone has locked in his commitment to the quilt.  Quite the compelling and thought-provoking documentary, if I do say so myself.

Whistle Down Wind, a collaborative effort between Julia Christgau and Andie Morgenlander, is a love story about being unafraid to untether yourself from the things that hold you back from following your passions.  The story is an extremely personal one, told mostly in close-ups and intimate moments between the two principal actors, with a narrative arc that finds itself to be uplifting, heartbreaking, uplifting again, and heartbreaking again all in the span of a few minutes.  The love story between the two women is a painful one, as they are forced to hide their love, only for the moment they can embrace to be subverted by the status quo.  The final shot and its subtlety will stick with me for a long, long time.  

Charlotte Taylor was handed the extremely tough task of rounding out the Southern Scenes block, but she more than stood up to the task with The Fields Lay Fallow, a music video in the form of a short film for artist Nomadic War Machine.  The piece focuses on a group of mysterious women performing a set of rituals deep in the woods, capped off by a celebration of wildness when a stranger unfortunately stumbles into their midst.  The music is strong, the visuals are stark, and the impression the piece leaves on you was pitch perfect as a way to end out a round of incredibly strong material.

If the Southern Scenes block is any indication of what I am in for in terms of overall quality, then I cannot put the excitement of anticipation I feel into words.  There is quite a bit on my schedule for the next few days, so stay tuned for my thoughts on all that I have the pleasure to view while at Indie Grits Fest 2019.  

[lvrdgrimes]

I AM - SACRED CRIES/FORGIVE ME

[bellaspadiva]

@Regrann from @texaseducationagency - Students in Jordan Burrell's class begin each day by singing and playing instruments together – but this is no ordinary music class. Burrell teaches specialized support at Lincoln Middle School in the San Angelo ISD. One of the main goals of the program is fostering communication in students with special needs and intellectual disabilities, and Burrell has found music to be a natural and genuine way to teach that. "We know that there's been a lot of research behind how our brains process music because it separates things into parts – parts of wholes – and so it allows our kids to take what would normally be really difficult language and put it together in a way that's a really normal way for our brain to process it," said Burrell. Recently, as the result of a classroom grant, the school added more percussion instruments, including a drum set, box drums, shakers, and drumsticks, to their morning music time. Burrell said he wants "that cadence to come across when we're speaking," and the various percussion instruments "allow that cadence to happen appropriately." Burrell accompanies the students on an acoustic guitar while other staff members play different drums and model what the music should look and sound like. "Through that, we're modeling what that communication should sound like," said Burrell. "Sometimes the music is not always pretty, but it is beneficial even if it's not pretty." Students also have opportunities to sing solos, "which is really cool," said Burrell, because many of his students have low vocabulary. "We don't get a lot of expressive vocabulary out of them – tremendous receptive skills – but we don't get a lot of expressive. But when we're singing, we get a ton of expressive language." Burrell said the students can take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it other places: "We've seen lot of communication growth because of that and that's super exciting for us as educators." #IAmTXEd @sanangeloisd

[nilority-blog]

Tami Roman Fans Express Concern After ‘Basketball Wives’ Star Uploads New Video

Tami Roman Fans Express Concern After ‘Basketball Wives’ Star Uploads New Video

Tami Roman recently uploaded a video of herself vibing to a chill R&B track and the look on her face has fans thinking she’s been indulging in some potent marijuana.

“Don’t Tempt Me #IHaveFunInMyCar #carkareoke #iamtxs #tooblessedtobestressed #enjoylife,” Roman captioned a clip of her lip-synching to TXS’ “Don’t Tempt Me.”

Fans quickly responded to her video.

“Auntie u been smoking some of tht…

[doomonfilm]

Trailers : I AM TX (2019)

After a long pre-production process, a fever-pitch paced shoot and months of editing in conjunction with festival submissions, I am happy to announce that the ball is officially rolling with I AM TX, the short film directed by Austin-based artist Ryan Darbonne that I was lucky enough to star in beside Audrey Campbell of Pleasure Venom and Jonathan K. Horstmann of BLXPTN.  The film focuses on a black punk rock trio returning home from a stint on the road, attempting to decompress from the madness that is their place in the broader music scene, only to arrive back home to deal with the madness that is their place in their own backyard.

The official world premier of the film will be at the 2019 Method Fest in Los Angeles, followed by screenings at the 2019 Indie Grits Festival in Columbia, South Carolina.  More festival placements will be announced in the near future, as well as potential screening information for the Austin area and release information for the future.

For more information, follow the I AM TX - Film page on Facebook, or follow us on Instgram via @IAMTX.

[bellaspadiva]

@Regrann from @texaseducationagency - Fun. Engaging. Challenging. Hands-on. Interactive. These are the words used to describe Mrs. Morgan’s sixth grade science class at Nebbie Williams Elementary School in the Rockwall Independent School District. The students start most classes by saying, “Today I will feed my brain so that I can make a difference” – and they say their class is different than others. “I think Mrs. Morgan is the greatest science teacher ever,” says student Brooklyn Watkins. “She makes science fun and she is always so positive.” Students in this sixth grade class enjoy projects, especially their current Super Hero Project, which requires the students to take an element from the periodic table and turn it into either a super hero or a super villain – complete with a history, powers, and properties, all based on the element itself. They also enjoy Science Journal Checks, where they review what they have been learning by translating their notes into artistic or literary interpretations. “Mrs. Morgan is an amazing science teacher,” said another student, Orion Groak. “She gives us hands-on experiences, making the topics not only about learning but about fun. She is kind, caring, and won’t leave a single student behind.” Mrs. Morgan is not just teaching her students science – she is also teaching them leadership skills. Students are challenged to be and do their very best, from their assignments to the way they interact within groups and partnerships. The lessons have built not only their knowledge base, but also their self-reliance. “Mrs. Morgan is a really fun, energetic, and optimistic teacher,” said Charlie Russo, another student in her class. “She makes learning interesting even if you don’t like science. Her teaching style is one you wish all of your teachers had.” #IAmTXEd @rockwallisd http://ideationstationtx.com http://IntersectionsTX.com http://shermanoffthesquare.com https://ideationstationtx.bisner.com/?community_home_index (at Intersections)

[bellaspadiva]

@Regrann from @texaseducationagency - Athens ISD’s Erin York preaches her message like an old-time tent revivalist. As an Instructional Technologist, she insists that kids today learn differently than their parents did. That means educators must learn to teach differently or miss out on connecting with all their students. “There’s still a place for traditional, stand-and-talk teaching,” says York. “An engaging teacher who builds relationships, tells good stories and relates well to kids will always have a place. But there’s no doubt that more and more often, students today tune out pure, lecture-based instruction.” Rather than combat the new methods young people are using to approach learning, York became an early adopter of technology in the classroom instead — first using it as a behind-the-scenes teaching tool and eventually in the classroom itself. As the district’s instructional technologist, York goes into classrooms where she supports and encourages teachers to become more comfortable and fluent with adapting technology as teaching enhancement tools. “Technology used correctly can make a lesson more engaging and relevant to the kids, more real for them,” said York. “Students today are digital natives. They grow up digitally fluent. I want to close the generational gap.” Athens Middle School sixth-grade math teacher Andrea Patterson is one of the teachers closing that gap thanks to York. She uses technology to visually and audibly record her lessons in her first-period class, which she can then replay in subsequent classes — as she moves around from student to student monitoring how each is responding. “Erin has been a supporter of my classroom from the first day I started to implement my technology,” said Patterson. York believes this evolution in the classroom is a good thing. “Kids really value themselves as problem solvers,” she said. “It’s about teaching kids how to access knowledge and content and learn from that — for life.” #IAmTXEd #athensisd http://ideationstationtx.com http://IntersectionsTX.com http://shermanoffthesquare.com https://ideationstationtx.bisner.com/?community_home_index (at Intersections)

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#IAMTX ooweee

[jayelly12]

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#IAMTX