Mary McGreevy and Susan Bernstein, the filmmakers behind
Seven and Sixty Productions, briefly documented the pluses of Twin Cities living in a short film that went viral last year, called
“Why We’re Here.”
This year, the pair is building on that idea with a new film in progress that will pay homage to Minnesota winters. They were inspired in part by filmmaker Andrew Clancy’s
movie titled “A Year in New York,” according to McGreevy.
“Winter is such a defining theme for us,” McGreevy says via email, adding, “We love it. We hate it. We get through it. We celebrate it. We’re both interested in the idea that we’re surrounded by beauty in our everyday lives,” a fact which, she says, often goes unnoticed.
They like the idea of putting together “small pieces of art that reach out and grab hold of people.”
They’re asking for three-to-four-minute video submissions that speak to the winter theme. Submissions are due on Feb. 13.
Skiers, ice fishing, texting with gloves on, and the iconic
Winter Carnival are some examples of the kinds of things that people could shoot, the submission guidelines explain. “We're looking for work that captures the emotion and beauty of people, nature, and our surroundings in the context of winter,” the guidelines state.
The filmmakers will stitch together the most compelling images and set the whole thing to the music of a local artist. They want to “develop a collective picture of how we see it, feel about it, and live through it, to show ourselves, and to show others who don’t live here,” the guidelines say.
Metro Magazine is sponsoring the project.
The pair is also working on a Web series that profiles colorful, quirky local personalities.
Source: Mary McGreevy, filmmaker, Seven and Sixty Productions
Writer: Anna Pratt