What with trying to keep up with Sacha Baron Cohen, portraying touchy subject matter in a humorous light and struggling with her own body hair, actor Anna Faris had a lot on her plate while filming “The Dictator.”

“With Sacha’s movies, you have to be very, very pliable,” she said.

According to Faris, the film was challenging because of the on-set dynamics. Cohen’s emotions and behavior would change unexpectedly from bring charmed by Faris’ character to threatening to kill her.

“It was unlike pretty much any filming process I had ever gone through before and you really didn’t know where the scene was going to go,” she said.

Appearance issues also came up: Faris’ character is a somewhat stereotypical left-leaning, food co-op running, feminist lit major, and had to dress the part. In somewhat of a departure from many of her previous roles, Faris sports unflattering overalls and boots, a boyishly cropped hairstyle and hair in other places.

“For ‘The Dictator,’ I had to grow out my armpit hair, which was a new experience for me,” Faris said.

She said her newly grown underarm fuzz defined her summer and provided entertainment at parties.

“If I’d have a drink or two, I would lift my shirt and show off my armpit hair, and it made people gag,” she said.

Faris’ character also acts as the unexpected love interest of Cohen’s character, Admiral General Aladeen, the dictator of the Republic of Wadiya.

“I think she teaches Sacha’s character to care and to change and to love through her passion,” she said.

“The Dictator” opened in theaters May 16.

Zoey (Anna Faris) in "The Dictator." Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon. (c) 2012 Paramount Pictures.

Pavel Borisenko understands how loss of freedom and creativity can limit the citizens of a country.

Borisenko is a Belarusian national with dual citizenship living in the United States. He is also an aspiring filmmaker with a rebellious nature.

When not studying media arts at Pima Community College, Borisenko spends his free time writing movie scripts and creating short films. Some of his work uses religion, history and philosophy to compare Belarus and the United States.

Belarus has been under the dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenka for about 17 years. The government limits citizen access to information by controlling radio, TV and newspapers.

In 2010, Borisenko scripted and filmed a movie called “The Dictatorship” in Minsk, Belarus. He used the capital city’s Soviet-era statues and murals as backdrops for the movie, which compares Soviet power to modern-day religion.

“Belarus was the perfect spot for the movie,” Borisenko said. “As a national, I’m able to travel there with no visas and the relics that are still standing are great for film. The country is heavily indoctrinated by Lukashenka, the dictator, which adds an element of interest.”

Borisenko was born in Minsk. His father was from Minsk and his mother from Rayovka, a tiny village outside the capital. He spent most of his childhood in Rayovka before his mother, Irina Borisenko, came to New York City.

“I came for a visit when I was 8,” Borisenko said about his first trip to the United States. “When I was 9, my mom told me ‘Well, we’re going to be Americans.’” The United States approved her application for citizenship a week before she was planning to return.

“It’s crazy,” Borisenko said about the events that followed. “They Americanized me. I went by Paul and they stole my middle name.” His middle name, Sergeivich, is only on official records in Belarus.

Borisenko decided to come to Arizona after he graduated from high school in Manhattan, N.Y., because he wanted to become more independent and explore real life. “I wanted to get farther away from family and stuff,” he said.

He applied to Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. Both schools sent acceptance letters.

“U of A was the perfect place for college life,” he said. “Big school, different place, new experience.”

His business focus started when he became a coin dealer.

When entering college, Borisenko’s resources for collecting and selling coins were limited but he managed to keep a small income and collection for himself. He dealt in foreign and American coinage but said his favorites were American silver dollars and Russian rubles.

Originally planning on majoring in business at UA, Borisenko quickly changed to media arts.

“I like making movies a lot more, and I decided to follow my passion,” he said.

Borisenko received his first camera at age 14 and has been “on and off” making movies and short amateur films with his friends in New York City and Tucson ever since.

He attended UA for the fall semester in 2008, then began attending PCC for general education courses in Spring 2009. He is currently enrolled in a digital arts class at PCC, which has sparked his interest and improved his skills.

Borisenko bought a camera for his classes that allows him to capture video and still-photo scenes.

He likes learning video editing programs such as Vegas, and is becoming more efficient on Mac computers.

Borisenko is currently working on a feature-length script for a philosophical thriller titled “The Free Man.” It will be filmed entirely in Tucson, especially around the UA campus.

He is recruiting PCC actresses and actors, but has only a partial script for now.

Former actress and assistant screenwriter Alexis Soto has worked with Borisenko on “The Free Man” for several months.

“I think the new script is brilliant because it questions society,” Soto said.

Soto restructures and sometimes rewrites the raw script material Borisenko sends her. “He’s out of the box,” she said. “He’s eccentric in a very good way.”

Borisenko likes to include subliminal messages within his script to make people think more about events and situations occurring around them. He wants his viewers to question the meaning of everything.

His fondness for religion and philosophy impacts his interpretative filmmaking style.

“It is about the observation of religion in society and finding the urge to seek meaning and purpose in their life,” Borisenko said.

Aspiring filmmaker Pavel Borisenko works on editing equipment at PCC video lab. Photo by Larry Guarano.

The clock reads 2:35 a.m. In a makeshift Tucson studio, Isaac Horenblas puts the finishing touches on his latest music.

Spending hours to create a three-minute track is just a normal night for a kid who has spent his entire life around music.

“I started playing piano since before I can remember, picked up guitar and drums soon after and played in some bands,” he said.

“I fell in love with hip-hop and started to write, produce, master and perform my music.”

All of his work is original, he said.

“No one else is in the studio editing my work. I make the ideas in my head that I put onto paper, and that turns into the music that comes out at the end of the process.”

Horenblas, a Pima Community College sophomore majoring in business, knows the road ahead is rigorous but said he is ready for the challenge.

“I’m not going to let anyone say that I can’t make it,” he said. “I’m putting my heart and soul into this. Becoming an artist is not a joke. I will do everything to accomplish my dream.”

Music provides a way for Horenblas to tell his life story, which has had its ups and downs. He uses personalized up-tempo beats.

“This is a new style that hopefully will catch on with this generation of music lovers,” he said with a smile.

Horenblas uses a stage name, MBforKING. The name doesn’t mean anything special, but he thinks people hearing it will want to know more about the artist.

His latest project, titled “High Class,” is already creating buzz in his home city of Portland, Ore. Nightclubs in Portland have contacted him.

He keeps fans up to date and gets his name out by dropping a new single once a week.

“The more I have out, the better chance someone outside of Portland will hear it and take notice of what I am doing,” he said.

Horenblas also plays his music at PCC campuses. When students approach to ask who is singing, he gives them headphones to listen.

“It works,” he said. “I was nervous at first to do this but if I want people to hear my music, why not hear it from the source?”

On a recent afternoon, several students took a listen. “Dope style,” said one. “I want to hear more of this.”

Horenblas takes inspiration from young musicians such as Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller and Chris Webby.

“These guys are all around my age and to see them making it big helps push me to keep striving forward,” he said.

His goal is to record a track with artists he admires.

“Just being in the same studio as them would be a dream come true,” he said.

To hear Horenblas’ music, type MBforKing in the search bar on Soundcloud.com or Reverbnation.com.

Where does Horenblas want his music career to end up?

“The top,” he said with confidence and swagger.

“My time to shine is coming and when it comes, I will be ready. I just hope everyone is ready for what I have in store for the world.”

Photo by Eric Klump.

By THOMAS F. JOHNSON

Racks of books, glass cases filled with “Warhammer” miniatures and a barrel of dice greet customers who step inside Hat’s Games.

Insignia from “Magic the Gathering” and “Warhammer 40000” adorn walls of the store, which caters to tabletop role-playing, war, board and card games.

A custom “Warhammer” robot stands more than 2 feet tall, towering over miniatures that measure less than 5 inches.

The front counter contains a plethora of snacks for sale. Tables for playing games crowd a vast back room.

Patrons can expect to always find at least one or two people playing games of every kind. Dozens of gamers attend on the most packed nights.

Gamer David Spirack, who plays in a Generic Universal Role-Playing System every Tuesday, said he works across the street from Hat’s and decided to check it out.

“It was sort of an accident,” he said.

When he saw the wide, sprawling back room, he knew the store was the place for him.

Manager Dave Hat started the store by taking out a loan to buy the remnants of a long-gone business called “Things for Thinkers.” The salvaged items had been stored in an old train car.

Hat’s advice on how to get into gaming: “Check out the local community. If you like the community, then buy the starter.”

First you must find a gaming group to join.

“There are some groups who meet every day, and some that only meet once a month,” Hat said. “Depends on what suits you.”

The store dedicates lots of shelf space to “Pathfinder,” a spinoff/competitor to “Dungeons & Dragons.”

Hat suggested that interested gamers visit the store on days the Pathfinder Society meets.

The group’s next gathering will be May 20.

Tuesdays are usually the best night for getting a game going at Hat’s, Spirack said.

Searching for games online via the meetup.com website is another option.

Spirack has noticed a decline in gamer turnout over the last few months. He speculated it could be because of a temporary lull, or because several game masters were not able to continue their games.

Other top Hat’s sellers include role-playing games that are spinoffs of “Warhammer 40000,” such as “Dark Heresy,” “Deathwatch” and “Rogue Trader.”

The store does not carry the “World of Darkness” and “Dungeons & Dragons” games, Hat said, because of their move to online-exclusive content and because their parent companies don’t provide support for small game store owners like him.

Things might change with the advent of an upcoming fifth edition of “Dungeons & Dragons,” he added.

Hat, who doesn’t have time to game as often as he would like, said his favorites are sci-fi, board games, card games and historical games.

He said the weirdest thing that has happened in his store was when a ringtail cat lived on the roof. The critter snuck in at night and ate snacks.

In the future, Hat wants to expand by acquiring several other entertainment-oriented stores. A comic store currently occupies a separate section of his floor space.

However, games will remain his main focus.

Gamers gather on a Tuesday night to play a Generic Universal Role-Playing System, or GURPS, campaign. Photo by Thomas Johnson.

As the semester comes to a close, many of us spend long days and late nights writing essays and studying for finals.

Whether it be a loud roommate or distracting electronics, home might not be the best study place.

To keep from losing time to video games or hanging out with friends, many students go to designated study areas.

And what better commodity to have at your study space than coffee to keep you energized while you work?

Here’s a list of coffee shops around the different Pima campuses to check out for study purposes as well as the caffeine.

DESERT VISTA

CaffeNation

Address: 3191 E. Valencia Road Phone: 294-4995

Hours: Daily, 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Website: caffenation.com

If you don’t actually like the taste of coffee, you’re in luck.

CaffeNation offers a huge selection of specialty-flavored mochas that can come hot, iced or blended.

For less than $4, you can get a 16-ounce mocha in just about any flavor you can think of, including chocolate cherry, orange, peppermint, caramel, French silk and peanut butter.

Every menu item is moderately priced. A small hot chocolate costs less than $2. For under $3, you can get a muffin, scone or bagel with cream cheese.

DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

Epic Cafe

Address: 745 N. Fourth Ave.

Phone: 624-6844

Hours: Daily, 6 a.m.-midnight

Website: epic-cafe.com

Less than a mile from Downtown Campus, Epic is conveniently located on the north end of Fourth Avenue and offers a great menu of drip coffee, espresso and blended drinks.

I recommend the blended brownie mocha. For about $4.50, you get a big cup full of brownie-flavored coffee slush. Doesn’t sound amazing? Try it. Get it with whipped cream. Study. Be happy.

The Wi-Fi  can get slow during peak hours, so try to visit when it’s not too busy.

EAST CAMPUS

Crave Coffee Bar

Address: 4530 E. Broadway Blvd.

Phone: 445-6665

Hours: Daily, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.

It’s a bit of a drive from East Campus, but unfortunately there’s not much of coffee selection nearby. There are plenty of Starbucks in the area, but Crave has an atmosphere only a local cafe can offer.

It offers a full menu of assorted hot and cold beverages, plus delicious pastries and desserts such as fresh-baked muffins, apple strudel and tiramisu.

NORTHWEST CAMPUS

Glass Onion Cafe

Address: 1990 W. River Road

Phone: 293-6050

Hours: Vary daily. See website.

Website: glassonioncafe.com

The Glass Onion Cafe might be the most unusual coffee shop in town. The place is fun, with a long drink menu offering coffee, hot chocolate and even milkshakes.

The food menu includes soup and salads, vegetarian and vegan options and Beatles-themed sandwiches like “Why Don’t We Do It in the Roast?”

The Glass Onion hosts music and open mic nights at week’s end, so keep that in mind if you’re hoping for a quiet spot.

The cafe opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends. It closes between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the week.

WEST CAMPUS

Sparkroot

Address: 245 E. Congress St.

Phone: 272-8949

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

Website: http://sparkroot.com

West Campus also lacks a decent selection of nearby businesses.

For something different, head a few miles east to downtown to Sparkroot, an artsy little space with unique decor and a tasty menu.

Sparkroot has drip coffee for about $3. Lattes and great hot chocolate cost about $4. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the specialty “Nola” coffee drink for $3. The menu also offers pressed panini sandwiches.

A cup of hot chocolate from artsy Sparkroot costs about $4. Photo by Miki Jennings.

While many students will be taking summer classes, working and enjoying the chance to sleep in, Pima Community College student Alan Gonzalez, 25, will be dancing on tour in China.

He will tour with the Artifact (or Art If Act) Dance Project, a collaboration between Tucson dancers and musicians.

“I started dance as a hobby but now dance as a job,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez got started with dance in middle school at age 14. At 18 he formed a group called EXNO Dance that has opened concerts for artists in Mexico. From there, he began participating in the dance department at PCC.

“I have done several choreographies for the dance shows, such as ‘GrATTITUDE,’ ‘The Four Elements’ and ‘Dance Fusion.’ For this year, I have two choreographies that will be in the upcoming show called ‘The Four Seasons,’” Gonzalez said.

Last year, Gonzalez missed the auditions for the 2012 tour of the Artifact Dance Project but got in touch with Claire Hancock, co-director of the company.

She came to watch him dance in one of his dance classes for an impromptu audition.

Now he’s a part of the large cast of Artifact. The dance project features 28 dancers and a live orchestra.

Ashley Bowman, the other co-director of the Artifact Dance Project, said she was happy to work with so many artists, including Gonzalez.

“His artistry shines through his movement and we look forward to seeing him grow as the tour progresses,” Bowman said.

Studying digital arts and visual arts, as well as dance, Gonzalez is very creative. In addition to dancing in the Artifact Dance Project, Gonzalez was asked to design the T-shirt for this year’s tour.

“He and I share some similar skills as graphic designers for dance,” Bowman said.

The production combines live music, dance and film in an artistic way. The origin of the project’s name is found in a tagline on its website: “ART exists IF we ACT upon our ideas to create it.”

Gonzalez graduates this year, but will miss the PCC ceremony because his flight to China leaves the day before the event.

“I always expect some familiar faces in the audience,” Gonzalez said. “But this time, performing in China will be a whole new experience and it will be a new world watching us dancing.”

The group will hold shows in Tucson on May 10-13 at the University of Arizona Stevie Eller Dance Theatre. Show times are 7 p.m. on May 10-12 and 2 p.m. on May 13.

Tickets are $25 general admission or $15 for students. For more information, call 344-8984 or visit artifactdanceproject.com.

Photo collage by Dahen Vincent

By AIMEE ZIEGLER

After decades spent working as an engineer, a Pima Community College student found a love for graphic design.

Cindy Brocious was hired to design this year’s edition of SandScript, PCC’s literary magazine.

Brocious began her undergraduate studies in resource planning and landscape architecture, studying how to develop recreational sites such as playgrounds.

She lived in Park City, Utah, and enjoyed nature just beyond her backyard.

“I have always enjoyed the outdoors so the idea of combining love of nature with a career that mirrored that interest defined my undergraduate studies,” Brocious said.

Times were tough when she completed her bachelor of arts degree in the ‘80s, however. There were many job seekers and few jobs.

Brocious spent a few years “finding herself” and working in administrative assistant positions in a variety of venues: insurance, medical offices and observatories. While at the observatory, she volunteered to be a remote observer.

“I was being the actual astronomer at the telescope while the professional astronomer was in a cozy, warm office miles away,” Brocious said.

She decided to return to school to learn physics, math, astronomy and chemistry, and enrolled in the industrial engineering graduate program at the University of Arizona.

With a master’s degree in hand, she obtained a job at Raytheon as a quality engineer.

She later switched to reliability engineering, conducting statistical and failure analysis.

Part of her job was developing test scenarios to improve Raytheon missile designs.

“After working in engineering for 23 years, I decided to take early retirement,” she said.

Once again Brocious returned to school, this time seeking an artistic outlet.

She enrolled in a PCC digital arts class, applied computer graphics.

“I found out how to do anything with any media,” she said.

Brocious took Photoshop classes to enhance her photographs, but found that InDesign software was a more powerful tool.

“I took an InDesign course that was almost as rigorous as engineering,” she said. “You have to follow certain disciplines.”

When she saw fliers advertising for a SandScript graphic designer, Brocious interviewed with student editor Brian Pastor.

“I sent him an InDesign portfolio and kept bugging him,” she said. “I think I wore him down.”

The literary magazine has now been sent to press, and the student staff is wrapping up final details under the direction of faculty adviser Joshua Cochran.

“Working with these people has been very delightful,” Brocious said.

Aztec Press reporter Leftrick Herd contributed to this story.

SandScript unveiling

ceremony May 16

Contributors will be recognized when the 2012 edition of SandScript is unveiled May 16 at 7 p.m. in the Downtown Campus Amethyst Room.

The literary magazine staff will present awards for first and second place in the genres of poetry, prose and visual art.

Writers will be asked to read a portion of their submissions, and visual artists will have their work projected.

Refreshments will be served after the ceremony.

Retired engineer Cindy Brocious now enjoys graphic design. Photo courtesy of Cindy Brocious.

This year’s Pima Writers’ Workshop will showcase a diverse selection of 14 workshop leaders.

“I try to choose authors who will be generous with their time and contribute to the supportive atmosphere of the conference,” workshop director Meg Files said.

The writing conference will be held May 24-27 at the West Campus Center for the Arts.

The $130 fee includes a manuscript consultation with an author or agent. The deadline for manuscript submission is May 10.

“New writers will gain much, in terms of both practical information about writing and inspiration,” Files said. “Writers will have opportunities to begin new stories and poems.”

Files aims for varied authors in genres including poetry, fiction, nonfiction and screenwriting.

“I choose authors whose books and writing I really like,” she said.

“After reading Justin Torres’ ‘We the Animals’ and Michael Parker’s ‘If You Want Me To Stay,’ two books that just blew me away, I invited the authors to the conference.”

Other luminaries include “Crazy Heart” author Thomas Cobb, Kevin Canty, Joshua Mohr, Gina Ochsner and Sarah Raimone.

Workshop topics range from “Researching and Writing a Historical Novel” to “What I Learned in Hollywood.”

For registration details, view a PDF version of the workshop brochure at pima.edu.

For workshop details, call Files at 206-6084.

“Ninja Quest” tells the story of Darryl, a young man from a gang-ridden neighborhood. He tries to better his life by joining the Army. While on leave, he confronts the gang that has plagued his family.

Advanced cinematography students directed, funded and produced the film, under the direction of David Wing. It was shot using a broadcast-quality, high definition digital camera.

The free screenings will also showcase work from beginning and advanced students in digital video and film arts classes.

-By Eric Klump

Electrifying show

spotlights fashion

Pima Community College students will light up the runway with an “Electric Night” fashion show on May 4 at 7 p.m. in the West Campus Proscenium Theatre. Admission costs $2.

The show will spotlight  more than 100 student-designed garments, including wedding, formal and party dresses.

A Phoenix disc jockey will provide music, and Los Angeles designers will present awards.

KGUN-9 TV will feature “Electric Night” on its “Morning Blend” show, but a date has not yet been set.

For more information, email Nancy Spaulding at nspaulding@pima.edu or call the theater box office at 206-6986.

-By Vanessa Avila

Pima Community College’s Wind Ensemble will perform a “Gershwin Spectacular” under the direction of Mark Nelson on May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the West Campus Center for the Arts Proscenium Theatre.

The Wind Ensemble will perform selections from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and Larry Daehn’s “As Summer Was Just Beginning,” a tribute to the late James Dean.

The brass, woodwind and percussion ensembles will also perform selections of chamber music.

Faculty member Eileen Perry Schwartz will perform “Rhapsody in Blue,” one of Gershwin’s most well-known compositions.

Schwartz was recruited to the University of Arizona on a full scholarship. In 1980, she began to teach at PCC. She was named pianist of the year in 1989 and was voted “Outstanding Faculty of the Year” by her students in 1996.

Tickets are $6, with discounts available.

Go to pima.edu/cfa or call 206-6986 for more information.

College Chorale

and Singers

The Pima Community College Chorale and College Singers will present a spring concert under the direction of Jonathan Ng at the West Campus Center for the Arts Proscenium Theatre on May 6 at 3 p.m.

The Chorale will perform works composed by Mozart and Mendelssohn. The group will also sing two folk songs, “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” and “The Water is Wide.”

The College Singers will perform pieces written by Mozart and Bach. They will join with the Chorale to perform “Gloria Patri,” a piece written in Venetian double chorus setting by G.P. da Palestrina.

The concert will conclude with a performance of Handel’s “Hallelujah, Amen from Judas Maccabaeus.”

Tickets are $6, with discounts available. For more information, contact the box office at 206-6986 or visit pima.edu/cfa.

Orchestra concert

Celebrate moms this year with a Mother’s Day concert performed by the Pima Community College Orchestra on May 13 at 3 p.m. in the West Campus Center for the Arts Proscenium Theatre.

Alexander Tentser will direct the PCC Orchestra in their performances of pieces composed by famous classical musicians such as Schumann, Vivaldi, Haydn, Schubert and Tchaikovsky.

The PCC Orchestra is composed of high school and college students, as well as community adults.

The concert is open to the public. Tickets are $6, with discounts available. For more information, contact the box office at 206-6986 or visit pima.edu/cfa.

-Compiled by

Meggie Costello-Kessler