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.