First Person Arts

Uwishunu has posted the winning story by local filmmaker Ted Passon from Tuesday’s Slam. Check it out, along with the slightly-delayed live-blogging by John Steele.

The other videos should be up shortly at Uwishunu’s YouTube page!

And Katie’s got a nice review over at Based on Real Life that proves you don’t even have to be able to see the performers in order to have a great time at the StorySlam!

Next StorySlam:
Tuesday, August 26th at L’Etage.
Theme: “Worst Ever”
You know the drill: Doors at 7:30 and the Slam begins at 8:30.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the “Caught” StorySlam last night. The house was packed as usual, and despite some really tough competition, Ted Passon came away with the victory! My thumbs are a little sore from live-Twittering the whole thing…Keep an eye on Uwishunu for the video of his ‘divine’ and ‘all-consuming’ performance.

Katonya Mosley had the crowd eating out of her hand and meditating on her fingers last night. Katonya won the “Secrets” slam back in May, so she, Ted, and all the winners will go head-to-head in a StorySlam battle royale at the First Person Festival, November 11th-16th at the Painted Bride. (So pick some other week for your Caribbean vacation).

Here’s Katonya from May:

Clear the decks of your other obligations and make your way to L’Etage at 6th and Bainbridge for some StorySlam hijinks! Here’s what you need to know:

Tuesday night at 7:30, the doors of L’Etage swing open for the latest installment in the 2008 StorySlam series!

For many of us, there are certain books that hold more than just pages into the lives of other characters.. they hold memories into our own lives, into our own pasts.

Watch as one woman reveals her own past, including dark childhood confessions and touching memories of her relationship with her mother, while describing the meaning of a particular book, her “object of affection.” Want to share something about your own past? (and I’m sure you do!) Tell us your story and create an impression with First Person Impressions, this summer’s documentary competition.

“A Quaint and Curious Volume”

Congratulations to our friends at Attie & Goldwater on receiving support from Sundance for their work-in-production Goundo’s Daughter:

GOUNDO’S DAUGHTER, a new documentary by Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater, is one of 16 feature documentaries (selected from 325 applicants) to receive financial and creative support from the Sundance Documentary Fund. The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program supports U.S. and
international documentary filmmakers who “explore the critical issues of our times with highly crafted storytelling and stylistic innovation.”

GOUNDO’S DAUGHTER explores issues of FGM/C and asylum

If Goundo is deported to Mali from Philadelphia, her two year-old daughter will almost certainly be forced to endure female genital mutilation/cutting—performed on 92% of the female population in Mali. GOUNDO’S DAUGHTER is the story of Goundo’s fight for political asylum in the U.S. and her determination to protect her daughter and stop the cycle of FGM/C.

Read more about the film here. I’ve seen a rough-cut of this gripping documentary, and it’s an extraordinary legal and personal drama set against the backdrop of an onerous and capricious asylum system, and Goundo’s story is not over yet! If you’re not familiar with the Attie & Goldwater oeuvre, get on it!

Docudelphia is an occasional feature on the First Person Arts Blog that showcases new and emerging documentary films under production in and around Philadelphia.

The word “spirituality” carries so many different meanings for different people (no matter how much Webster tries to limit it to one).
Take a few minutes to immerse yourself in one unique woman’s spiritual journey of finding a sense of connectedness and the divine feminine in “Chant to Your Mother.”

Have your own unique take on the meaning of life? Create an impression and tell us your story by submitting an entry to this year’s documentary competition, “First Person Impressions.”

Gary The Storyteller told this story at “On the Road”–last month’s Story Slam–about his descent into abject addiction:

Next Slam: Tuesday July 22nd @ L’Etage Doors at 7:30pm. Theme: “Caught”

Check out our ad in this week’s City Paper and come out Tuesday the 22nd ready with stories about getting caught, or doing the catching:

Hosting this month will be former slam winner and one of last month’s guest-storytellers, Katonya Mosley. Here she is, telling the winning story for May’s “Secrets” StorySlam:

Remember, the doors open at 7:30 and he Slam begins at 8:30!