blaugra

Pre-flight checklist

It is the eve of the opening of the 6th annual SouthSide Film Festival.  Opening night  - of anything - is always exciting. 

When I worked at a theatre, opening nights were full of stress-eating and over-primping and lots of up-to-the-final-moment OCD-like double checking everything and then fretting that nobody would come and then fretting that we would have to turn people away.  The latter rarely happened.  Post-performance, I'd come down from the adrenaline shot at a bar with a few shots of vodka. 

This being the 6th festival, we all have the routine down.  I'm doing little more than being a liaison this year, which is a big step forward for me, me who used to plan parties and run mini-film series and facilitate press-filmmaker interactions and manage volunteers. I'm actually thinking I might be able to enjoy myself.

But because a festival doesn't always go as planned, I also have to plan accordingly for my personal comfort (I love that phrase- personal comfort.)

Here's my pre-opening checklist:

Love it, hate it, love it!

We're about two months away from that darn film festival I've worked on. 

I just noticed the videos on the website, our mistress must have just added them. 

Last year the documentary workshop class, who usually gets local subjects to work with like an earth-friendly shop and gallery, or a theatre or a silversmith or a chocolatier, was directed to make documentaries about the film festival itself.

I have to say that they make me qvell with pride.  "...you might feel a slight sting. That's pride fuckin with you..."

Three shorts were made, three different filmmaking teams' takes on the festival, and they were made from start to finish in less than 4 days. Most of the students had zero experience going into the project.  I like all three but I think this one is my favorite.  If you know me off-blog, and you've never been to this festival, I hope you watch it and then can perhaps see why I can't seem to love it then leave it.

Straight, No Chaser from FilmTreks on Vimeo.

Oh, and if you tweet you can follow that darn film festival. 

Kiss the Pro

Long story short:

There are two films in competition for a cash prize. 

The films have to take a nonsensical script that is simply handed to them and create a moving story. 

Two filmmakers have done so. 

Watch here. 

View the two films entitled "Kiss Kiss" and "The Pro."  The page says "2007" but ignore that confusing problem.

After you have watched each of the two movies, rate 'em. 

By rating the films you are voting for a winner and hence are part of a democratic process.  No electoral college.  A 20-something filmmaker will get cash and you control the outcome.  A lot like Dancing with the Stars but less complicated.

The professional judges have judged and the two short films are at a tie.  Voting closes this weekend.

"do you have a craving for film?"

This is a funny newsbreak about the weekend's film fest.

now I'm the one who's salty

My body feels like it went on the Cyclone 50 times in a row and then ate 4 Nathan's hot dogs.  Whiplashed, weary and a little nauseated.

And if I am going to keep up the Coney Island theme, then I have to call some of the people at the film festival sideshow freaks. And I say that with kindness in my heart because apparently, the "I love everybody" proclamation ended up not on the cutting room floor as I had hoped but in the final freakin' movie.   

My house looks like a bunch of frat guys trashed the place, with piles of shoes next to the door and a kitchen that hasn't been very well cleaned over the past two weeks because I've been stopping at the house to throw things around in between meetings or deliveries.

Each year the festival closes with a "filmmakers brunch" at the coffeeshop. This is not a simple omelettes and coffee affair.  This year's menu was pancakes, sausage, lemon pound cake, creme brulee french toast, stuffed peppers, shrimp and chicken salads, stuffed flank steak, penne with vodka sauce, chocolate covered strawberries.  All of it homemade in their little kitchen. Pics from Zac Forsman here.   He is speedier than our fest photographers at posting his shots, and he's a really good promoter of his own work.

For me brunch is kind of the cherry on top of the melted ice cream sundae of exhaustion.  Even though I just basically show up, help with some serving and spill coffee everywhere.  Oh, and look like Terry Shiavo in her hospital bed.  Seriously.  Awful.

Not hungover at all, just tired. One person said to me, after I tripped for the 4th time, "You're very elegant."  another said, "You look a little worse for wear."  to both I said thanks, and sod off (with a smile.)

I'm looking forward to blowin' town later this week. 

teenagers

The first day I worked with the teenaged volunteers at the film festival was heinous.  The second day was tolerable.  The third day was, as they called it, "the best of all three days." 

Very small audiences showed up, but there was the Puerto Rican day parade and lots more distractions to distract us.  Chris said, "We are all doing things we didn't expect to do today."  I love that. 

We had so much fun that I made a cheesy video.  The text is full of grammatical and other errors so step off.  But you wanna see it? Here 'tis!

Sports 4

That show was awesome.  Here's a thing I threw together with my crappy-ass camera, and yes, Sports for Kin dissolves into a Yo La Tengo song instead of one of their own because it's fucking 3 am and I just want to go to sleep.   I also could have added forced comedical captions but you can write that script if you want. 

More about the band here.  They rocked, and they're great guys, and the whole production was a nice collaboration. 

Wow, I have nothing to complain about. 

Simmer down

Totally forgot what it was like to manage, I mean, micromanage, the kids' film festival.  I'm exhausted from sitting around, worrying, and from trying to "supervise" teenagers, which is just wasted energy.  Teachers: God bless ya.

I'm wound so tight that my ribcage actually hurts when I take a deep breath.  My friends suggested I take more pills, please.  I'd like to redact my "I just love everybody" ecstasy-laced statement.

I'm going to detox quickly and then book over to that place to set up that party.

While I'm out, the festival should be featured here on the 11PM newscast.  Yo Philly!

Unrelated - Have you ever tried those grody foot pads that remove all the toxins from your body?  Feedback, please.   

me me me me me

I'm preparing myself to face three days of kiddies at the "Kids' Film Series" along with managing some teenaged volunteers. I have shaken off my booziness and am practicing smiling a lot.  Must pull this off within the next hour!  Aaah.

In other narcissistic news, I was interviewed for a documentary yesterday.  In my head, I knew what they were going to ask me.  WHY. Why do you do this?   

At age almost-41, I'm questioning everything in my life.  Why do I write like this?  Why do I hang out with that person?  Why do I hate washing dishes? Why do I work with this film festival?  I tried to prepare myself with answers ahead of time. Say something that makes you appear intelligent, I told myself.  And then self said, too late now!

In front of the camera, I kept forgetting to look at the interviewer and instead stared right into the lens.  Then they asked the question - Why...?

"Because I just love everybody!!!"

I don't know who slipped a hit of ecstasy into my mochaccino to make me talk like a such a lunatic.

Better than L.A.!

I already talked about I FUCKING HATE YOU and how much I fucking love it.  So I met Zak the filmmaker who flew in from Cali and I said, "I fucking love your movie."  I am, as my husband describes me, a goofball. 

But I love what Mr. IFHY said about us!  And his photos! And the fact that he posted the above bootleg video of the audience last nite!

"The SouthSide Film Festival has the distinct reputation for being one of most filmmaker friendly festivals going. Their heart is definitely in the right place. I made the decision to attend this fest about a month ago and I thought I'd share some stories here, as they happen..."

"I have never, ever had such a fulfilling experience with an audience. And I think this is why SouthSide is such a great venue... their audience HUNGRY for these kind of films. As IFHY played down, I was astonished at how engaged the audience was -- this compared to the screening recently in LA where the reception was good, but not overwelmingly so."

Yeah!  Suck it, L.A.!  Of course, by "hungry" perhaps he means "desperate."  Yes, desperate. Get used to it.