Join CinemaKC at Altman Education Grants Networking Mixer & Celebration on Aug. 15!

This just in from the Film Commission of Greater Kansas City!

Kansas City, Mo. – Every class of dedicated pupils deserves kudos upon successful completion of its studies. Better yet, how about a feel-good party with refreshments and special guests?

That will be the scene at the Altman Education Grants Networking Mixer & Celebration, presented by The Film Commission of Greater Kansas City and The Robert Altman Emerging Filmmakers Fund, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15 at Third Eye Productions, 2024 Main St.

Admission is free to this “graduation” party honoring the inaugural class of 10 Robert Altman Education Grant recipients, as well as 10 KC Sourcelink grant recipients. These 20 have participated in the FastTrac® NewVenture™ program at the UMKC Small Business & Technology Development Center. Seats for the program are endowed by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Those who attend the Altman Education Grants Networking Mixer & Celebration can mingle with grant recipients and a host of others involved in local film production, while exchanging knowledge and ideas about superior moviemaking and its entrepreneurial possibilities.

Guest speakers will be Kansas City filmmaker John Altman, a cousin of renowned film director Robert Altman, who will share a story about Robert Altman on the set of the 1996 movie, “Kansas City”; and Christian Heaton, a Kansas City native and a producer of such reality TV series as “The Amazing Race” and “America’s Next Top Model,” who participated in the Kauffman FastTrac® program out of the University of Southern California.

The event will also offer a variety of cinema-friendly door prizes, from movie passes to a portable HD video camera.

Congratulations to the 2012 Robert Altman Education Grant recipients:

Terence Berger is a stand-up comic, who grew up in a large family. His short film, “Berger the Kid,” shows a young boy’s struggle for attention while being raised by a single mother.

Stuart Bury co-directed the animated short, “Dried Up,” while at the Kansas City Art Institute. The film, about an old man living in a weird dustbowl world, won a Student Academy Award.

Anita Cordell produced the short film, “Charismata,” about a little girl with a special gift for healing animals. She is working on a documentary about a faith-based Montessori school.

Tim DePaepe is a documentarian, whose PBS-broadcast short film, “Quiet Passages,” depicted the journey of Japanese-American war brides from post-World War II Japan to Kansas.

Timothy Friend wrote and directed the action-horror feature, “Bonnie & Clyde vs. Dracula.” He is currently developing the script of his crime melodrama, “Pussycat Rampage.”

Nathan Kincaid earned a Master of Fine Arts in Motion Picture and Television Directing from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. His work has been shown on TV in Poland.

Jim McCullough scored with his superhero short, “In Captivity,” which was screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and won Best Film in the 2011 International 48 Hour Film Project.

Andrew Pritzker is a screenwriter, whose female-driven western, “Sweet in the Saddle,” was a finalist in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2007 Nicholl Fellowships.

Mary Taylor specializes in animation. Her short film for children, “How to Put a Square Peg into a Round Hole,” was featured on the Yahoo web portal home page.

Andrew Shepherd is a 2012 graduate of Olathe Northwest High School. His action-adventure flick, “Planet Earth: 2808,” won first place in the Best Feature/Miscellaneous category at the 2012 Focus Film Festival in Lawrence, Kan.

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About Robert Altman
Legendary film director Robert Altman (1925-2006) was born in Kansas City, Mo. His distinctive movies, known for their ensemble acting and overlapping dialogue, include “M*A*S*H” (1970), “Nashville” (1975), “The Player” (1991), “Short Cuts” (1993) and “Kansas City” (1996), which he shot in his hometown.

About the Film Commission of Greater Kansas City
The Film Commission of Greater Kansas City supports the work of major and independent film companies and media production teams working on location in the Kansas City region. Visit us online at kcfilm.com.

About the Robert Altman Emerging Filmmakers Fund
With the blessing of the family of Robert Altman, the Film Commission established the Robert Altman Emerging Filmmakers Fund in 2011 to help local filmmakers better realize their cinematic visions and creative business pursuits.

About Kauffman FastTrac®
Kauffman FastTrac® is the leading provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills and insights, tools, resources and network to start and grow successful businesses. Kauffman FastTrac® was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation in the United States devoted to entrepreneurship. For more information about Kauffman FastTrac®, visit fasttrac.org and follow the organization on twitter.com/fasttrac, facebook.com/kauffmanfasttrac and fasttrac.org/linkedin.

About the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open people’s eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship training and education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo., and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For more information, visit kauffman.org, and follow the Foundation on twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

About the UMKC Small Business & Technology Development Center
From concept to capital, the UMKC Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) provides a comprehensive entrepreneur and small business development program. They provide counseling, training and research for new ventures, existing small businesses and innovative technology companies, including technology counselors to provide more in-depth support and a variety of tools that help clients evaluate the direction of their technology, departmentalize concepts and chart strategic direction. For more information, go to sbtdc.umkc.edu or email at umkcsbtdc@umkc.edu.