T. Arthur Cottam Explained

T. Arthur Cottam
Occupation:Film director, screenwriter, and producer

T. Arthur Cottam is a screenwriter, actor, producer and film director. A graduate of the Film and Television Production program at the Tisch School of the Arts of New York University, Cottam resides in Los Angeles, California. He acted in theatre, and received an Artistic Director Achievement Award from the Valley Theatre League for his role in the theatre production Othello, an alternative mashup adaptation, created and directed by Josh T. Ryan. Cottam directed short films along a topical series called "Dirty Little Shorts".

His existential work Pornographic Apathetic deals with four people recounting pornographic film dialog in a state of apathy. Pornographic Apathetic was featured in numerous movie festivals, and received eight film awards as well as critical acclaim. Cottam's film Carbuncle was featured in 2006 at the Milano Film Festival in Italy, and was recognized with a nomination in the category of "Best Feature Film". His 2006 film Filthy Food received the award for "Best Experimental Short Film" at the festival CineKink NYC. Cottam's film 52 Takes of the Same Thing, Then Boobs was an entrant in the 2010 International Short Film Festival in Piombino, Italy, and was featured in AFI FEST in the same year.

Education

Cottam graduated from the Film and Television Production program at the Tisch School of the Arts of New York University.[1] [2] Cottam's thesis work at NYU was titled Beer Goggles, the film received the Best Editing award at the First Run Film Festival and was featured at the Chicago and New York Underground Film Festivals.[3] He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NYU in 1998.[4]

Career

T. Arthur Cottam is an actor, and film-maker,[5] based in Los Angeles, California.[6] Cottam was a member of Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group, and performed along with co-founder, Josh T. Ryan, and actors Denise Devin, Bernadette Larsen, and Zombie Joe, in 2000 for a series of productions titled "Sketches 7: Bury the Hatchet", directed and created by Josh T. Ryan and Zombie Joe.[7] He continued performing in theatre in Los Angeles in 2001.[8] In 2002, Cottam received an Artistic Director Achievement Award from the Valley Theatre League for his role in the theatre production Othello created and directed by Josh T. Ryan. Cottam's short films were produced along a topical series titled, "Dirty Little Shorts". His film Pornographic Apathetic debuted in 2002.[9] The existential plot features four individuals (two women and two men) who recreate dialog from pornographic film while in a state of apathy.[10] [11] Pornographic Apathetic garnered eight film awards, and was featured at more than 50 film festivals.

Pornographic Apathetic received positive reception from journalist Gary Dowell of The Dallas Morning News, who described it as "Especially notable ... an experimental work that strips the mystique from porn". Pornographic Apathetic was selected for inclusion in the Puchon International Fantastic Festival (PiFan) in South Korea; the festival "aims to identify the important elements of fantastic films, such as creativity and popularity".[12] The movie was shown at the Paris Porn Film Fest at the Le Brady cinema, in Paris, France.[13] The film was featured in an exhibit in Vienna, examining the nature of pornography.[14] [15] Writing for San Antonio Express-News, Mike Greenberg observed, "T. Arthur Cottam's Pornographic Apathetic is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen. (The excellent actors are mostly clothed, never touch each other and are nearly motionless, but the dialogue is not suitable for children or bluenoses.)"[16] The film was given a favorable review by reporter Robert W. Butler of The Kansas City Star who covered the piece during its presentation at the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee.[17] Butler wrote, "Your ears will burn while watching T. Arthur Cottam's superlative satiric essay on the desensitizing effects of pornography, but you'll also be laughing. ... It's lurid. It's raunchy. It's vile. But all this nasty lubricity is delivered deadpan, a device that deconstructs the whole intention of porn." Marc Mohan reviewed the film during its feature at the Portland International Short Short Film Festival, and wrote that it "makes the most of its one-joke premise".[18] In 2007, The Orlando Sentinel characterized Cottam as a favorite film-maker at the Florida Film Festival.[19] Los Angeles Times journalist Borzou Daragahi cited the film as an example of problems with the adult film industry in an article about a sexual art exhibit; he commented, "The piece makes you laugh while illustrating one of the paradoxes of smut: At its core, it's rather idiotic and boring."

In 2006, Cottam's film Carbuncle competed at the Milano Film Festival, alongside another U.S. film titled The Blood of my Brother by Andrei Berends.[20] Carbuncle received a nomination in the category of "Best Feature Film" at the Milan Film Festival.[21] Cottam's 2006 film Filthy Food was featured in the San Francisco Underground Short Film Festival,[22] and received the award for "Best Experimental Short Film" at the festival CineKink NYC. In 2010, Cottam's film 52 Takes of the Same Thing, Then Boobs was an entrant in the International Short Film Festival in Piombino, Italy.[23] It was featured in a section of the International Short Film Festival which included selections of films that were considered "visionary" and contributed a "visual impact" to cinema.[24] [25] 52 Takes of the Same Thing, Then Boobs was featured in AFI FEST 2010,[26] where Lane Kneedler associate director of programming called it "the most outrageously 'out there' film that we have scheduled".[27] In an interview with Girami, Cottam stated he had intended to direct a feature-length film for some time, and wanted to combine his talents with actors who could improvise in front of the camera. Cottam said he had a great experience working with the actors on the film Carbuncle, and stated he let improvisation be the tool by which the actors could show emotions and create their characters. In September 2010, 52 Takes of the Same Thing, Then Boobs was shown at the Black Rock City Film Festival located at the Burning Man site in the Nevada desert.[28]

Filmography

Film

YearFilmRole
2002Between UsDirector, producer, cinematographer, writer
Beer Goggles Director, producer, writer
Pornographic ApatheticDirector, producer, cinematographer
2006CarbuncleDirector, executive producer, cinematographer, writer, actor:"Director", Composer
Filthy FoodDirector, producer, cinematographer, writer
2008Dirty Words: The Letter C Director, writer, actor
Je dis non, Ali Co-producer, Cinematographer, Actor: "Le Jongleur"
201052 Takes of the Same Thing, Then BoobsDirector, executive producer, cinematographer, writer
2012Laser BlastersDirector, producer
ObjectsDirector, producer, cinematographer, writer
2013PollywogsCo-director, Co-producer, Story
2013The Human RaceActor

Theatre

Awards and nominations

YearAwardOrganizationWorkCategoryResult
2002Artistic Director Achievement AwardValley Theatre LeagueOthello
Zombie Joe's Underground
Lead Actor, play, comedyWon[29]
Best in filmFirst Run Film FestivalBeer GogglesBest editingWon[30]
Christopher Wetzel AwardGene Siskel Film CenterPornographic ApatheticIndependent Film ComedyWon[31]
2003Best in filmMilano Film FestivalBest Short FilmWon[32]
Bunny AwardBoston Underground Film FestivalMost Effectively OffensiveWon
200410 Degrees Hotter AwardValley Film FestivalBest Short Film, Jury AwardWon
Audience AwardBrooklyn International Film FestivalBest ExperimentalWon
2006Best in FilmMilan Film FestivalCarbuncleBest Feature FilmWon[33]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Filmmakers/Cast. 2011-02-09. Misfit Films presents Carbuncle. www.misfitfilms.com. 2011.
  2. News: Film Details. Brooklyn Film Festival. Film Library. 2004. 2011-02-10.
  3. News: T. Arthur Cottam. sahmmy.com. Sahmmy. 2011. 2011-02-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20110122172638/http://sahmmy.com/TwoNewDads.html. 2011-01-22. dead.
  4. News: Alumni Web Links (TACL). Tisch School of the Arts of New York University. Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. 2011. 2011-02-10.
  5. News: Gary . Dowell. July 9, 2004. What's best at the fest?. The Dallas Morning News. 3H; Section: The Movies; Dallas Video Festival.
  6. News: Sexual Imagination on Display. 2011-02-09. March 25, 2009 . Borzou . Daragahi. Los Angeles Times.
  7. News: Los Angeles Times. Theater Beat; Details Are Sketchy in 'Sketches 7' Show. Jana J.. Monji. August 25, 2000. 26; Section: F, Entertainment.
  8. News: Los Angeles Times. Stage Light; Intelligence Comes Out of 'The Box'. Robert. Koehler. May 3, 2001. F34; Section: D.
  9. News: Midnight Movies. The Orlando Sentinel. February 28, 2003 . Sentinel Communications Co.. 10; Section: Special section.
  10. News: Welcome to the reel world – Film festival celebrates cinema from mainstream to independent and global to local . The Kansas City Star. April 16, 2004 . The Kansas City Star Co.. 18; Section: Movie.
  11. News: "The Porn Identity": Hosen runter . German. Frankfurter Rundschau. January 1, 2011. 2011-02-09.
  12. News: Fantastic Movies to Return for PiFan. Korea Times. June 29, 2004. Hankook Ilbo. South Korea.
  13. News: Vu sur le www : Un compas dans l'œil, un script porno, etc. www.ecrans.fr. French. Ecrans. October 10, 2008. 2011-02-09.
  14. News: http://www.openspace.ru/news/details/8839/. www.openspace.ru. ru:В Вене открыта порновыставка. Russian. OpenSpace.ru. March 25, 2009. 2011-02-09.
  15. News: http://www.ural.ru/news/culture/news-88994.html. www.ural.ru. URAL.ru. March 26, 2009. ru:В Вене открылась порновыставка. Russian. 2011-02-09.
  16. News: Mike. Greenberg. Brave, new world of creative short films emerging on the 'Net . February 4, 2007. San Antonio Express-News. 04J; Section: S.A. Life .
  17. News: Robert W.. Butler. April 16, 2004 . Top 10 to see at the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee. The Kansas City Star. The Kansas City Star Co.. 17.
  18. News: Marc. Mohan. Beyond the multiplex a filmgoer's declaration of independents. October 21, 2005 . The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. Oregonian Publishing Co.. 42; Section: Arts and Entertainment.
  19. News: Sentinel Communications Co.. The Orlando Sentinel. 10; Section: Special section. Shorts: Competition Shorts. March 9, 2007 .
  20. News: Milano Film Festival 2006. Italian. www.milanodabere.it. Milanodabere.it. September 13, 2006. Rosario. Pipolo. 2011-02-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20110722042515/http://www.milanodabere.it/articoli/movies/milano_film_festival_2006_1571.html. 2011-07-22. dead.
  21. News: "Marilena de la P7" a fost numita "Cel mai bun lungmetraj". www.hotnews.ro. HotNews. September 27, 2006. Romanian. 2011-02-09.
  22. News: Christ Almighty. Michael . Leaverton. August 29, 2007. SF Weekly. www.sfweekly.com. San Francisco, California. 2011-02-09.
  23. News: La Video Art si fa strada a Visionaria 2010. www.solonews.net. Solo News. September 20, 2010. Italian. 2011-02-09. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120316100832/http://www.solonews.net/3361/news/la-video-art-si-fa-strada-a-visionaria-2010.html. March 16, 2012.
  24. News: Al via Visionaria 2010 con Pupi Avati e Isa Barzizza. www.sienafree.it. SienaFree.it. October 14, 2010. Italian. 2011-02-09.
  25. News: Visionaria 2010. www.exibart.com. Italian. October 23, 2010. ExibArt. 2011-02-09.
  26. News: 52 Takes of the Same Thing, Then Boobs. American Film Institute. 2010. Shorts Competition. 2011-02-09. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101107072009/http://filmguide.afifest.com/tixSYS/2010/xslguide/eventnote.php?EventNumber=4758. 2010-11-07.
  27. News: AFI FEST 2010: Previewing the Short Film Programming. www.indiewire.com. Indie Wire. November 1, 2010. Kim. Adelman. 2011-02-09.
  28. News: 2010 Black Rock City Film Festival: Official Lineup. www.badlit.com. August 30, 2010. Mike. Everleth. 2011-02-09.
  29. News: 'River', 'Othello' Win ADAs. Los Angeles Daily News. December 4, 2002. U5. Evan . Henerson.
  30. News: Beer Goggles. www.mishorts.com. 2011. 2011-02-10. Mishorts.com.
  31. News: 2003 Shorts. www.woodstockfilmfestival. 2002. Woodstock Film Festival. 2011-02-09.
  32. Web site: Internet Movie Database staff . Awards for T. Arthur Cottam . . IMDb.com, Inc. . 2011 . 2011-02-09.
  33. News: Intervista a T. Arthur CottamIl: regista di Carbuncle si racconta a giraMi. www.girami.it. October 22, 200. 2011-02-09. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110722034627/http://www.girami.it/scheda_notizia.php?ID=333. 2011-07-22.