National Geographic has come out with the list of the best photos. Check them all out, but we have put this one in The Bowl to have a look-see. As you can see, the Animal World is pretty brutal. You might want to have a parent with you to see the others…
We couldn’t contain this one. We wanted to do a proper roundup (with at least three or more robos), but these were just too cool to stay in The Bowl.
What makes a film festival truly “filmmaker friendly”? I want to explore this. To kick it off, a filmmaker sent me this which he received from Joe Cultrera of the Salem Film Festival in Salem, Massachusetts:
FILMMAKERS FIRST:
I pushed to make this a filmmaker-friendly event. Here’s what we did last year and are sticking to:
#1) No entry fees (we are not looking to make money from our filmmakers).#2) Each feature-length film will be sponsored by a Salem business and the filmmaker will receive those sponsorship dollars as a screening fee (last year this was $250). This created a real community feel to our 2008 event – allowing small businesses to be active and visible sponsors and giving filmmakers the rewards of that participation.
#3) Attending feature filmmakers will receive free accommodations in our attractive and historic downtown (we want as many filmmakers as possible to participate).
#4) The Audience Award Winner receives a run at CinemaSalem – including a share of the gate.
#5) Attending filmmakers will have a great time (free food and drink, passes to Salem museums and parties, good attendance, intelligent dialogue, great swag; new friends).
I was complaining again. I know what I love. I know what I want to see. Unfortunately it aligns all too rarely with the film industry’s main desires. Along these lines, Bill Horberg and I were emailing back and forth about our pursuit to bring Edwidge Danticat’s The Dew Breaker to the screen. Bill remarked:
Art House has become everyone’s favorite perjorative. And we don’t get to say “probably too mall for me.”
I love that. People generally only want to see ambitious films once they are already made and some critic — if they haven’t all been fired from their jobs — shames them into wanting to see it. It gets worse at the level of gatekeeper and financier: if you quiz them about their favorite film, it generally is something quite beautiful and aiming high. They seem to forget why they got into this business — to make films that are as ambitious as their favorites. The hard economics of this craft leaves everyone shaken and skittish. Yet you can marry great material to reasonable budgets. Unique worlds, original characters, dramatic and truthful situations — these will always be what makes up great films. But money is afraid that all people want to see is escape. They also want to be transported, transformed. They want to appreciate their lives and to aspire to more. They want to recognize themselves in others whom lives are quite different. They want to see their stories told. Ah, well. I am going to keep trying.
We will get this movie made. It’s just too good not to. And its coming together nicely. Stay tuned.
