Rehearsals

(These are my three actors: Lisa Martin, Daryl Dorge and Robert Kostyra.)

I was starting to feel a bit stressed out about Rave Review (short film shooting next month), but I had two rehearsals this week with my actors and a meeting with my DP, so those have re-energized me for the project. As the writer of the script, I really enjoy hearing how the actors interpret the characters. And I get to remember the important part of my role as director that has nothing to do with organizing details and making decisions: working with the actors to find the True Connections between the characters and the True Expression of their needs/desires/feelings. Awesome, energizing stuff!

Festival

The Festival was fun. I was a little nervous before my film showed. Not sure what I thought might happen - booing? People throwing stuff at the screen or stalking out? None of that transpired, and it was a relief when it was over. There weren't a ton of people there, but some friends I wasn't expecting showed up, so that was great.

Saw lots of really great films and one freakshow: Firecracker. It was cool to talk with the other filmmakers from all over N. America (there were films from outside N. America but the filmmakers didn't travel with).

Continued to inspire me to send out to a bunch more festivals, so I guess that's my weekend project. And having our first rehearsal this weekend, so excited for that!

Opening Night

Tonight was the opening night of the Winnipeg International Film Festival - the first festival I am attending as a participating filmmaker! The reception at the Fairmont was fun (good veggie snackies) and I got to meet some people in person I only knew by name.

Rode over to the opening night film in a limo (!) with attendees from Atlanta, Los Angeles and Chicago - I'm very much in the minority as a local! Enjoyed The Big White - nice fun work by Williams and Hunter and excellent performance by Giovanni Ribisi. Disappointed that it won't have a theatrical release - add it to your NetFlix list!

Very fun to see my name in the program and on the website. Certainly at the least, this is inspiring me to send out to some more festivals and get my dvds and postcards finished, etc.

Skipped the shorts tonight as I'm still wiped out from travelling, but hope to catch a lot of the next three days. It's tough because I've been spoiled by NSI FilmExchange, where you don't have to choose between simultaneous screenings. But very impressive range of films for a festival that's only 2 years old!

Road Trip

Attended my 15th college reunion at Oberlin College, then have been zipping around Boston, Martha's Vineyard, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore! I head back to the 'Peg tomorrow am starting to return my brain to non-travel status.

It's been great to visit friends and family, but there's plenty to look forward to in Winnipeg in the coming months.

First of course the Wpg Intl Film Festival this weekend - psyched to check out as many other films as possible.

Then need to meet with key crew to prepare for shooting Rave Review next month. And dig in to rehearsals.

Folk Fest not too far away, and then the Fringe. And I'd like to take a week or two at a cabin to work on a couple of screenplays... So I think I'll find a few things to keep me busy...