Heading to Virginia

I am packing for the overnight flight *groan* to Norfolk for the Redemptive Film Festival. Am very curious to see how this one will be run, as it has a different approach than most.

Last night Tallis opened "On the Razzle" and here are some pics :)

(Oh and here he is in his Hallow'een costume too heh heh.)

We didn't win

I am back in Seattle after a variously entertaining, upsetting, lonely, expensive, and fun trip. Saw some amazing films - the quality of art was very high throughout, in my opinion. Met all sorts of fabulous and great-to-know people, including two possibilities for representation for the film. Got to hang out with my DG buddies - the best thing of all. Had dear Nathan sit with me through the interminable awards ceremony and stay with me through the interminable final party and drive me home - bless him!

Such a different homecoming that the one last weekend when I was carrying a trophy . . . ever hopeful that we will sell this, trophies or not.

Trying to scrape myself together to get back on the horse and get back to work with Ben.

L.A. Screening Day

Well . . . it sure was fun to see Haynes and Matt and Camilla and Nathan and Don and Kitty! That ROCKED! They came to the screening, and then The DG guys and I went out to dinner at a fabulous British Restaurant and I had a chocolate souffle to die for. That was the wonderful part.

However, it was 90 - some degrees outside, and the screening started 40 minutes late and then started without sound, so they had to re-play the first 3 minutes again, which was not my favorite thing in the world, and then because the whole schedule was so late, the movie after us with its crowd of excited folks came into the lobby and talked very loudly over my very-quiet movie. And the industry guys who were sposed to come of course didn't, which worked out okay because if the very-late start, actually.

These things happen. Poor film festival gals and guys, they are working so hard, and this is such a great festival, sometimes these glitches happen, what cha gonna do?

I got a great interview with Leslie La Page, founder of the Festival, for my documentary, and of course interviews with Matt, Nathan, and Camille at the Vancil house later, which was a blast. And we watched a silly Cartoon Network show for hours, which was just my speed after a long day.

Slow morning today. Bout to start watching films and then party tonight, seminars tomorrow and awards dinner tomorrow (Sunday) night. Win or lose, that is a wonderful, exciting spectacle here, if it is like last time.

Fingers crossed!

I love L.A.!

I am sitting in my nicely-discounted hotel room (thank you La Femme Film Fest!) and drinking green tea, about to get ready to go to my screening. As before, when I screened here three years ago with "Dancing With You", I was very impressed with the way this festival is run. Leslie La Page and her staff are geniuses at making a felicitous experience for everyone.

I am full of gratitude for all the hundreds of people, from Honorable Bird and the Sainted Investors on, who made this crazy independent film of mine a reality. Whether I win a prize here or not, it is a complete joy and honor to screen at this festival.

Time to put makeup on over my scar and step out into 80 degrees and L.A. traffic.

May good things happen today!

WE WON AN AWARD!!!!!

Dark Horse Won AN AWARD!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!

We won the "Best of the Northwest" award!

I am really tired, it is 3 am, and I just got back from the third of the after-parties . . .

But here are pictures and I am going to bed really happy hugging my gorgeous trophy . . .

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!

God bless every sponsor and volunteer and employee and patron of the delightful and wonderful BendFilm Fest Here it is: proof that no matter when your movie screens (as "Dark Horse" has seemingly always screened at the crack of dawn!) they can still honor you with a glorious award:) Take heart all you fellow striving filmmakers!

Screening Day at Bend, Fri. Oct. 10

"Dark Horse" screened this morning at 10:30, to an amazingly-packed house of 65 people. I expected the usual morning screening of five people and was very pleasantly surprised. Also, they truly loved it, and told me so, which was wonderful! The founder of the award for women directors was there. I do not think she is a juror, more's the pity; she gushed.

After the screening two different festivals came up, handed me their cards, and said that I was in their festival if I wanted to be: Astoria and Ashland. That was certainly unprecedented!

And, miracle of miracles, who should walk in but my friend Karen Holm, whom I have known since I was 9 and she was 8! She could not remember my email and had not let me know she was coming, so I was utterly overjoyed. We spent the afternoon together and I got her in to several things, which was fun. I saw the house that she and her partner have renovated, and it is charming and light-filled and full of tasteful art. It sings. She bought me lunch and I came back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes and then went to the "Meet the Filmmakers" party, followed by the "Industry Party" for filmmakers only. There I met some really great people, including Marya Mazor, the brilliantly-talented director of the short that screened before "Dark Horse", called "The Winged Man", which is a stunningly-lovely film done with magical realism, AFI backing, a Jose Rivera script, and a whole lot of heart. She is really going places. (Case in point, she has a meeting with A Very Big Star next week for her next project - wow).

I also had a GREAT talk with Scilla Andreen, Carlo Sanducci's business partner in Indieflix. She was very persuasive . . . :)

And I met Curt Ellis, who did that fabulous doc I saw last year called "King Corn", and he said that going to film markets, like Ben and I want to do next month, is really a good idea, not because you sell it right there, but because when you get it done, they have had 15 minutes with you and will take your calls and look at your next movie. All the distribution he has gotten has been from folks he met at independent film markets. I am encouraged that our plan to go to LA next month might not be that stupid. Wish I had thought of going to IFP though, as that is where he made his best contacts, he said. :( It was last month.

They are all going on to a bar, but I came back to the hotel, I am really tired.

I did let one of the fest folks know that I do not think it is fair for some films to have multiple screenings, and ones like mine to only have one. On a Friday morning. So that everyone I meet can't come. Five or six of the features here have two or more screenings. Bit unusual, most fests I have been to either give everybody one, or everybody two, like SIFF does.

I am talked out- my voice is a wreck from shouting at parties, I am in a very chemical-laden hotel room - and still it is a hugen mind-boggling, grateful-tears-inducing privilege to be here, and to have folks talk so kindly about my film. Many times at the party folks would introduce me and the reaction would be "Oh I have heard such fabulous things about that movie!"

Ever hopeful that I can someday sell this and get on to Camilla!

Good night.

BendFilm So Far

I am at the BendFilm Festival (http://www.bendfilm.org/)

It took me 8 lonely long hours to drive here over the mountain pass of Mount Hood in the snow. Scary! I have determined to go home by way of The Dalles, as they say that is easier. First snowstorm of the year here in Bend. Not my favorite thing. I do not drive well in snow.

I am staying in a hotel, the Phoenix Inn, that told me their carpets are not new. Alas, they are; the room stinks to high heaven. So I have the window open to its maximum of four inches, and the icy air is pouring over me. Been in the room twenty minutes and the chemical soup is already giving me a headache. I may need to drive home tomorrow if I can't handle the room, which would be a shame, as I really like the atmosphere here. Lots of people say it feels like Park City, and it is not just the snow, it is the energy. A very lively, loud, packed crowd for the opening screening and party that I arrived late to this evening. I went straight from the car, in my jeans, and was underdressed. But as this is Bend, OR, not everyone was all fancy, so it was okay. Phew.

At first, at the party, I stood in a corner clutching a coffee I was not drinking (am allergic) for something to hold, and smiled vaguely and politely at the passing people, feeling very lonely and wondering why the heck I had come.

After about fifteen minutes of this, a very nice blond lady named Sandy, who turned out to be the head of the entire festival, came over and asked why I was standing by myself. I said it was because I didn't know anybody, and she introduced herself, said that she really loved my movie (love her!), and introduced me to two nice gents in dapper leather jackets who are here to see the festival. Later she brought a lovely lady over who is the founder of the BendFilm Faerie Godmother award for women filmmakers, who of course I was very very glad to meet. Bless her. And I met one other filmmaker. The rest of it was me being as nice as I could and trying to hand out as many postcards as possible for tomorrow's - you guessed it - 10:30 a.m. screening. Sigh. I will probably have four people there again, just like I had at my early-morning screenings in Texas and Oklahoma. Ever hopeful!

I am going to try to go to sleep now with all this chemical smell. I brought my charcoal filter mask but, wierdly, the filter in it still smells like Plane Chemicals, as I forgot to wash the cotton mask and change the filter after Oklahoma, and I seem to have not brought a clean filter . . . DOH! *fingers crossed*

If I can get through this weekend physically unscathed, it will be a miracle, with all these chemical. It will help to spend all day watching movies!

And next weekend in L.A., at the fabulous La Femme Film Festival, I will not have the option of driving home if it gets physically rough to handle, but there I can surely leave the window wide open, as the weather will certainly not be 30 degrees in October :)

http://www.lafemme.org/

At the end of the month I am going to Virginia for the Regent-College sponsored "Redemptive Film Festival", in which all the films screening have already won awards. Very unusual and very nice of them :) I screen at that one on Oct. 31 at 1pm.

http://www.redemptivefilms.com/

So it is going to be a big month for screenings! Fingers crossed for a win here or at La Femme, but I know from my early screening times that that is not very likely.

May it go as it should . . .