Interview with Fraser Jones

Fraser Jones combines comedy, drama, documentary, and narrative to bring a unique perspective from the most unlikely of subjects — Uber drivers. Set in the beautiful city of Nashville, Tennessee, Your Ride is Here, showcases the myriad of experiences that bleed together on a daily basis and join together to form the rich tapestry of life. You can read more about the Atlanta filmmaker below.

What is your connection to the South?

I was born and raised in Atlanta, where a big ole’ chunk of my heart will always remain. I also decided to return to the South, specifically Nashville, to shoot the entirety of this film.

Where did you get your inspiration for this work?

This film is loosely based on the life events of my close friend and collaborator Michael Harris. As he told me his hilarious and heartbreaking experiences as an Uber driver in Nashville, I knew I desperately wanted to make a film that could re-tell these scenarios and create new ones with a docu-narrative, fully-improvised approach.

How did you start making films?

As a kid, I was always playing with my family’s VHS camcorder and tried my best to make a “short film” with it when I was five, an unwatchable comedic thriller entitled “Kill Phil.” This passion for strange visual storytelling naturally led to theater and screenwriting and eventually a life dedicated to filmmaking.

Did anything interesting or funny happen on set during the shooting?

We got pulled over by the police for a busted taillight in our picture vehicle. Three times, in fact. But the cops were nice enough to let us go and allowed us to keep filming even as they questioned us, which ended up becoming a scene in the film.

What do you look forward to the most during Indie Grits?

I’m super excited to meet and relate to a large group of independent artists with a connection to the south. Let’s hang, folks!

Why should someone see your film?

Chances are you’ve probably ridden in an Uber, or at least a taxi, and have some strange story to tell about your experience in one. So why not see a relatable film about the lives of the drivers and passengers and have a laugh along the way?

7 March 2017

Myrtle Beach Image-making Workshop

by Amada Torruella, Visiones Co-Curator

In 2016, I identified a need for artistically challenging activities in Myrtle Beach. As in many southern cities, there is a burgeoning art scene fighting to break ground, and I believe that given the nutrients of opportunity and resources, art can thrive.

This past weekend, I went to Myrtle Beach along with our designer, Savannah Taylor to host an image-making workshop on Myrtle Beach’s Main Street. William H. Miller Studios generously donated their space for us to use, and over the course of the day, we facilitated an image making workshop where locals created and prepped illustrations for screen printing. Artists worked directly onto transparency sheets, and these transparencies will be transformed into one-of-a-kind, colorful screen prints for this year’s art program. From line drawings, to bold illustrations and typographic poetry, artists expressed their stories, opinions, and Visiones.

We’re really pleased with how the first part of this project turned out and I look forward to how the rest of it shapes up. We’ll host another workshop at the beginning of March at the Richland County Public Library, so keep an eye out for that announcement! This project is very important to me and I’m honored to be able to share it with all of you in the community. Stay tuned for more information on our art program and interactive screen print exhibition!

21 February 2017

IG 2016 Selection “Rotatio” Featured as a Vimeo Staff Pick!

Congrats to Ian McClerin, creator of Rotatio, an Indie Grits 2016 selection, on his Vimeo Staff Pick! Rotatio, a short documentary about a record of a young woman’s trauma, serves as the only visual document of this artist’s meditative, haunting practice. Also, feel free to check out the artist featured in this doc, Shannon May Mackenzie. As always, we are incredibly proud to see an IG alum’s work appreciated, or in this case, singled out by Vimeo as a video they “really, really love.” Great work!

7 February 2017

Water Me Goes Global!

The Waterlines video game experience, Water Me has gone international! Created by Michelle Skipper, Cecil Decker, James Owens, Danny Oakes, and Chris Johnson for Indie Grits 2016 as part of the Waterlines project, this immersive video game experience about the struggles of keeping your beloved plant alive during a flood has been receiving lots of positive reviews amongst the gaming community around the world! Check out this amazing game walkthrough by video game vlogger and enthusiast, Smiling Boris, based out of Hong Kong.

Interested in what Indie Bits has in store for 2017?

Indie Bits is open to all modes of game development: tabletop, desktop, mobile, console, experimental, humanities/serious gaming, any genre; you name it they want it.

Benefits of acceptance into the Indie Grits community (other than being a part of the most exciting festival in the Southeast) include:

Access to private artist lounge with food and drink
Complimentary transportation to and from the airport (handled by us not you)
Free access to several music concerts
Free access to late night parties, and other special programs

Indie Bits is currently accepting submissions for this April! The deadline is March 17, so get involved and get those submissions in!

Click here to submit today!

31 January 2017

Meet Indie Grits Intern Ellen Jones!

Ellen is a wannabe literary polymath currently in her junior year at USC, and now the newest member of the Indie Grits Visiones team. She was born and raised in Columbia and her hobbies include reading, DJing for her university radio station, and making sure everyone knows how she thinks they should be living their lives. She has had the privilege of educating herself through travel, and what she can’t learn onsite she absorbs through books. She is always game for an argument and values the gift of sarcasm above all else in others. She hopes to eventually earn her PhD in Comparative Literature and one day be paid for her opinions, for they are far too valuable to be given away for free.

Her thoughts:

Growing up, I, like so many others, faced the familiar world of unsettled teenage girls desperate to leave home and see and be a part of something different. I never felt the full veracity of these cravings though, because I was fortunate enough to be raised in the Columbia arts community, the Nickelodeon providing particular parentage. I saw something different everyday. I spent most of my childhood seeing and hearing all about the Nick; however, I was never able to discern how exactly I fit into it. I went to films with my mother, all while rolling my eyes in a desperate attempt to not admit how cool she was. As I got older, and I realized that I was actually working to be just like her, it dawned on me that the Nick isn’t a community you have to fit into; its spirit is built off of individuality and freedom of expression, no matter the message.

The Nickelodeon serves as a platform for people to hear and be heard. Indie Grits in particular has acted as a celebration that worked to provoke thought, hoping that thought would then provoke change. In 2015 Indie Grits challenged us to think about where we were headed as a community and what we wanted our future to be. In 2016 we turned to Indie Grits as a mode of expression and for solace – to reflect and witness our trauma of the 2015 floods in an effort to find healing. This year, Indie Grits has invited our community to celebrate the culture of one of our fastest growing demographics. I find the Visiones theme particularly exciting because it offers me an educational platform rather than a reflective one – the chance to be receptive rather than introspective. Having the pleasure of being behind the scenes to put this together makes something I already loved that much more important to me. Indie Grits is my favorite time of year and I am so excited to be a part of the team that makes it happen.

23 January 2017

What’s in Store for 2017

In this article first published in our Winter Nick Mag, Indie Grits Co-Curator Amada Torruella discusses the inspiration behind the Visiones theme and her own experiences as a Salvadoran in Columbia. Her words stress the importance of collaboration to one’s personal development, the Latinx artistic community, and the Visiones theme as a whole, and explain the core ideals behind this year’s theme.

Festival Co-Curator Amada Torruella talks about inspiration for the 2017 theme, Visiones, and what’s in store for this year’s festival.

I have been an immigrant since the moment my family fled El Salvador’s civil war in the late 1980’s. Migration has always been a huge part of who I am and has deeply affected the way I see the world. In 2014 my husband was accepted into the University of South Carolina’s biochemistry program and we moved to Columbia, where he became the only Latino PhD candidate in the department. We moved far away from our friends and family to start over again, to adapt and to make sense of a new life. During my first few months in Columbia I struggled to find my place in the community and writing was key in helping me make sense of things. It was during this time that the Visiones theme began to grow from my observations, personal pieces and poems that explored cultural dissonance, identity and relationships with otherness.

I was lucky to find stable ground at the Nick where I started as a volunteer at the 2014 Indie Grits. The Nickelodeon has provided me with numerous experiences and opportunities. Above all the organization has introduced me to community leaders, colleagues, artists, Nick members, and volunteers, who have taught me the tremendous role art plays in a community. The Visiones theme continued to evolve when I began collaborating with Pedro Lopez De Victoria a Puerto Rican musician, co-worker and creative partner at the Nickelodeon.

As a Salvadoran working for an organization that seeks to make its environment thrive culturally and artistically, I’ve spent much of my time connecting with other Latinxs in Columbia. I’ve been inspired by many organizations along the way such as Palmetto Luna Arts, whose work in the community is invaluable. I realized early on that Palmetto Luna could play a critical role in our next Indie Grits venture.

Palmetto Luna’s mission is to foster an understanding of Hispanic/Latino culture by promoting artistic creation and generating spaces of cultural expression for the community in the state. As their Executive Director Ivan Segura explains, “The Latino community in South Carolina has long been an underserved community. Latinos experience several barriers to access educational, social and health care services. The opportunities to participate in artistic endeavors are even more limited. During the last 10 years, our organization has been developing artistic programming to build a bridge between Latino artistry and American culture.” The more I work with Ivan and the Palmetto Luna board, the more I’ve come to realize how far our partnership could take our community. Together we will strengthen the creative platform for Latinxs across South Carolina.

“Visiones is about delving into the dream world of the Latinx community. It’s about weaving together aspirations and stories interconnecting Latinx minds. It’s about magnifying Latinx experiences. It’s also about showcasing new works of art that defy stereotypes and celebrate Latin American culture.”

For the Visiones project, Indie Grits has also joined forces with other local organizations such as PASOS, Viva Columbia and Appleseed Legal Justice Center. Visiones is also about pushing the city of Columbia to deepen its cultural exchange with Latin America. Over the past few months, the Nick has built international relationships with the Consulate of Mexico in Raleigh and the Oaxaca Film Festival in Mexico that will help shape the 2017 festival. Through this journey, Indie Grits has also created alliances with leaders in the Southeastern filmmaking community such as O Cinema Miami and Austin Film Society, allowing for us to expand our filmmaking network.

Visiones is about delving into the dream world of the Latinx community. It’s about weaving together aspirations and stories interconnecting Latinx minds. It’s about magnifying Latinx experiences. It’s also about showcasing new works of art that defy stereotypes and celebrate Latin American culture. Community has the power to generate positive shifts in today’s narratives and in April 2017 we will come together to transform those narratives. Honoring Latinx heritage is important, making our stories and dreams visible is a must.

– Amada Torruella,
Visiones Co-Curator

Article was originally published in the Winter ’17 issue of the Nick Mag.

19 January 2017

Tuesday January 24th: Ann Arbor Film Festival

Since 1963 the Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) has traveled the country providing new access and new perspective to films originating from all over the world. The tour is cultivated into programs that narrow the technical realms of the films for more targeted viewing, the Nickelodeon will be exhibiting the digital collection. The AAFF current tour began in August and will continue until February, and this coming Tuesday January 24 at 6pm they will be spreading the genius with the Nick.

This year’s tour features a digital program that offers nine videos extending into multiple genres such as experimental, animated, documentary, and narrative. The selection includes the Chris Frayne Best Animated Film Award winner Resonance by Mateusz Sadowski, as well as Ralitsa Doncheva’s Baba Dana Talks to the Wolves which claimed the Eileen Maitland Award for Women’s Voice. The program also includes many other notable works all for your viewing pleasure.

Come out this Tuesday at 6pm to the Nickelodeon Theatre and enjoy the amazing selection of films. For more information, a full program guide and tickets please visit nickelodeon.org

18 January 2017

Indie Grits finalist in Knight Cities Challenge!

We have great news: Indie Grits has been named a finalist in the 2017 Knight Cities Challenge!

The Knight Cities Challenge was begun by the Knight Foundation three years ago to support innovation in cities across America. Each year, finalists are chosen out of thousands of applicants, and this year alone over 4,500 applications were submitted to the Knight City Challenge. We are proud and grateful to announce Indie Grits as one of 144 finalists chosen out of this overwhelming number!

Every Knight City Challenge applicant must submit an idea to make a specific city more successful and to increase talent, opportunity, and civic engagement. We would like to think that Indie Grits fits this description, and we are overjoyed to be considered for this honor.

Winners of the Knight City Challenge will be announced in the coming spring and will receive a share of up to $5,000,000 to fund their project. If Indie Grits is selected, the funding will be put to use for our 2018 festival.

17 January 2017

Watch our 2016 Indie Grits Recap Video!

Video editing by Dalia Hussein. Music by TOMBOi.

Getting antsy waiting on Indie Grits 2017 to begin? We’re hard at work curating films, reaching out to musicians, and gathering all kinds of art of for Visiones 2017, but we’ve made this recap of last year’s Waterlines festival to satisfy your grits cravings.

In 2016, we welcomed filmmakers, puppeteers, musicians, and other innovative minds to the Nick, and we can’t wait to do it all again in 2017. For those that participated in Waterlines, this recap video will take you back. For all of you Indie Grits newcomers, watch this video to get ready for the overwhelming creativity and southern hospitality you’ll experience when you attend our upcoming festival. Stay tuned for more throwbacks to last year and sneak peeks of Visiones 2017.

Until then, happy watching and we’ll see you April 20-23!

12 January 2017

Calling all Indie Gamers!

Submit to Indie Bits 2017

Deadline: Friday, March 17, 2017

Indie Bits is an arts and education organization that aims to design and promote inclusive gaming experiences for all. Founded in Columbia, SC and focused on the Southeast, Indie Bits cultivates thoughtful production, education, and community oriented expression with regard to games, technology advancement, social outreach, and code-based learning. Building from their public exhibitions at the Indie Grits Film Festival, the Indie Bits leadership seeks to facilitate powerful creative gaming experiences via educational services, creative curation, and collective media literacy.

In the past, Indie Bits has featured digital media, ranging from casual to experimental. This year, we are excited to expand our family to include tabletop gaming. Simply put: if it’s interactive, independent, and connects to the southeast — we want to see it.