Blog
May 17, 2013
Hey there, y'all. It's been a hott one since we posted here, and a ton has happened since our last missive. Here's an update for you on some of our projects…
It's hard to believe we're five months into 2013 – and this year started off with a bang. Getting Nice Girls Crew 2 shot, in the can, and edited for CAMFEST took up much of January to March. We also had a very inspirational journey to Kampala, Uganda where we shot a new film for Project Heart: Uganda. Although the edit promises to be another daunting challenge, we're exited to share this story of Ugandan families seeking medical solutions for their children with heart disease.
In our queue: a very hot promo for MTV Desi, our Visual Communications $100,000 film grant project, new music videos, a new science fiction film and continued editorial work on the crowd funded film Nature Boy. We are also grinding away at another comedic effort that involves girls and weed. Stay tuned for more news.
Finally – we wanted to leave you with this recent blog post about life on an indie set. We think there are a couple tricks for you to store in your back pocket.
As always, y'all…be good to each other. Paz.
posted by josh@chopsfilms.com
Blog
July 27, 2011
Happy summer everyone! We’ve been so busy we have seemingly neglected our blogging responsibilities, but now we’re back with some exciting news. First, in all things Punching at the Sun, we are proud to announce that Punching will be available On-Demand in millions of homes this August on Comcast! We are really excited about this opportunity for a larger segment of the population to see this film. It’s been a long time coming, and now it is here…
In other news; we shot a short promo for the Vijay Iyer Trio as part of an ongoing collaboration with them, PIA is screening at the Slant Film Festival on August 11th in Houston, Texas, and BIG ups to Chee Malabar and our continued collaboration as his new album, Burning Tire Artisan, gives solid props to Punching at the Sun. Go get a copy and listen to some brilliance.
Last but not least we’re really excited to announce that principal photography for Nature Boy has begun! We’d like to give extra love to all of you who stopped by Kickstarter to donate to the Nature Boy campaign. We are proud to announce that not only did we meet the funding goal we had established, but we exceeded it by almost four thousand dollars. We are humbled by the belief that our backers have in us, and we are excited to see where it takes us.
Check back soon for updates! And as always, be good to each other. Paz.
posted by josh@chopsfilms.com
Blog
April 7, 2011
Hey there all, we’re back. And we’re back with exciting news from the Chops Films editorial desk; Clap Clap had a successful NYC premiere at BET's 2010 Urbanworld Film Festival last fall, PIA is coming to the 2011 VC Film Festival April 28- May 7 for its Los Angeles premiere, and we are busy-busy developing and executing new projects and proposals. A big thank you goes to India Currents and the San Diego Asian American Film Festival for their kind words. Check out the wide variety of new projects we are featuring; Project Heart: Uganda, Kings Speech Parody LOL, and Drip 1.1. We are very excited to be working on such a broad range of projects, and with such an awesome group of talented actors, cinematographers, and writers. This year we plan to unwrap a bunch of new productions, including new Codependent Collective work featuring Chee Malabar, a commercial promo shot for Priya Living and a short piece featuring Vijay Iyer. 2011 is shaping up to be a thoughtful and entertaining year. Check back often to stay involved with our current list of films. Peace, and be good to each other.
posted by josh@chopsfilm.com
Blog
August 4, 2010
Hey summer people, hope you’re all relaxing out in the nice summer air because it’s hot. It’s hot and it reminds us of the three weeks we shot Punching at the Sun in August of 2004 in Queens. That was hot. Nothing quite like summer shooting in NYC…
Let’s start off with a couple of announcements.
* PIA has won both the Best Sci-Fi Picture and the Technical Achievement Award from the 2010 Phoenix ComiCon! We are grateful and humbled by the award committee that selected us, and are just honored to be able to participate.
* Chee Malabar’s new video is fresh and live. This one is hot. Directed by Tanuj Chopra. Not to be missed. Co-dependent is working on the next one, make sure you stay tuned for updates on it.
* If you haven’t done it yet, get over to the PIA fan page on facebook and keep up with its progress and announcements. Let’s keep the dialogue about AI and robot technology going.
* Speaking of PIA, the Desedo blog had some positive ruminations on the film, and we thank them for that. And finally,
* Stay tuned for updates on the New Voices For Youth East Palo Alto summer filmmaking program, upcoming screenings, and a new 2010 directors reel.
Again, be good to each other and especially yourselves. Until next time friends, stay cool.
Posted by josh@chopsfilms.com
Blog
May 19, 2010
It is almost summer, and everywhere the days are getting longer. Here at the home office we are getting excited for the fairest of seasons and reflecting on the last month. Thank you to everyone who was able to come out to our screenings in Los Angeles as part of the VC Film Festival and the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, we’re happy to report that the screenings were a success and thanks for your support. There is an Indiewire article about the Futurestates series that gives a nice nod to PIA. Also, check out this kind blog about PIA titled From the Stars.
On the local front Chops Films director Tanuj Chopra is running a summer filmmaking program for teenagers in East Palo Alto starting in June. We are excited to see the stories these students pursue during the duration of this exciting workshop.
And keep your eyes out for a new video coming from Chee Malabar from his new album Burning Tire Artisan. His performance as part of IFFLA and on behalf of The Co-Dependent Collective was a great success. Until next time friends, be good to each other, and especially to yourselves.
Posted by josh@chopsfilms.com
Blog
April 5, 2010
Hello everybody, and happy spring to you. As this new season grows around us so do the opportunities to come out and see some of our recent projects in a different part of the country. But first off, a big thank you to everyone who was able to get out to our screenings in San Francisco and San Jose in March as part of the 28th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. As it does every year, the SFIAAFF showed a lot of beautiful films, and had a number of great industry and social events for everyone involved, from filmmakers to audiences. We are already looking forward to next year…
On the horizon for us are three screenings of Clap Clap in Los Angeles as part of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and the VC Film Festival, a video collaboration between Tanuj Chopra and Chee Malabar, a live performance by Chee at the Rhythm Village at the ArcLight Cinema, and other surprises scattered throughout the spring and early summer months.
Collaborators and friends Chee Malabar and Tanuj Chopra are showcasing their new work at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles this April. Come out and see Chee perform cuts from his upcoming album Burning Tire Artisan and catch a screening of Clap Clap, Tanuj's new short film noir starring Sung Kang, Tillotama Shome, and Manu Narayan. It's all happening at the ArcLight on the week of April 20-25 in Hollywood California. The finest in Co-Dependent Film & Hip Hop.
Also, check out some vintage work from the vault, shot over 10 years ago: 1998
Posted by josh@chopsfilms.com
Blog
March 11, 2010
We have a website! Welcome to the 90's, right? It does come at an opportune time for us however, as we have TWO films screening at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, which is beginning today. PIA & Clap Clap will each screen twice as part of the 28th installment of this annual benchmark festival.
In addition to coming out to our screenings, you should get yourself some tickets to a few other amazing films by directors we love, specifically Prithi Gowda's Televisnu, Kit Hui's Fog & Suzi Yoonesi's Dear Lemon Lima, All three are beautiful films. The festival's home page, with all relevant information & showtimes, is HERE. The programmers have done another unparalleled job with their selections this year & the festival promises to be an exciting event. Come out and support Cinema!
Be sure to check back here for more information & updates about Chops Films future projects & appearances.
Posted by Josh@chopsfilms.com