I recently was laid off from my day job so funding the next short film project, Greenspoke, is going to be a little tricky. I tried something fun (this isn’t an original idea) of selling space in the credits on eBay. Do a search on eBay for Greenspoke to see the auction. Not sure if we’ll get any nibbles but I will keep you posted on what happens

I packaged up 2j to send to Ouat! (pronounced “what”) Media in Toronto – Jessica Klement from Ouat! was part of a great panel discussion on distribution sponsored by the ReelHeART International Film Festival (RHIFF).

Check out Ouat!’s site for more information about distribution:

http://www.ouatmedia.com/

We sold our first 2 DVDs on createspace.com yesterday. Yay! I think I may have spammed the cast and crew a bit yesterday between the Honorable Mention award at RHIFF and the DVD availability. If you would like to buy one, it’s $12 USD and you can get it here:

http://createspace.com/250395

I was having internet access issues in Toronto so sorry that I haven’t kept up with the blog. The festival was a wonderful experience. Lots of good films and friendly smart fun filmmakers and festival folks.

Films that stood out (in no particular order):

Close to Midnight – personal and yet accessible story line, thoughtful choices from lenses to camera angles to color to music, extraordinary performances from the actors (Michael Bianco brought a rare level of sensitivity to the role of Chris Ryan). Kudos to director Ken Castellano and the cast and crew for this moving feature.

Brick by Brick … a Civil Rights Story – at times frightening and disturbing in its raw look at racism, director Bill Kavanaugh’s and Sylke Froechtenigt’s skillfully told tale of a long-term fight to integrate the city of Yonkers.

Leda and Her Art – 92 years old and she makes me feel like a total slacker – the funny and insightful story of Brazilian sculptor Leda Gontijo. There are people in the world who show you how to be alive – Leda is one of them.

Paola or The Art of Survival – Barbara Sostaric’s well-crafted and touching documentary about the obstacles and creative solutions of Paola, a single mother in Recife, Brazil as she tries to support her family. Paola’s story is troubling in its depiction of abject poverty yet inspirational when we see Paola’s resilience and dedication to her children.

The Red Room – Writer/director Elina Fessa’s beautifully realized story of an exotic dancer confronted by a long-lost love.

The German Lullaby – Director Tess Malone examines the betrayal of an innocent and the echoes that ring out through generations to come.

Futures and Derivatives – Writer/director Andrew Halpern creates a world where beauty is revealed in a very unlikely place.

Soul 37 – it’s all about heart and living fully – link goes to a previous blog entry about this touching film by David Shin.

Asian Task Force – a skillfully executed send-up of 90s cops shows like the A-team. If you like hot Asian actors playing something other than the nerd, funny and amazing fight scenes, then this one is for you. William Lu directed – Comedy Central needs to pick this one up to follow Reno 911 and class the evening up a bit.

Sneaky Snake – Lost in the Holy Land – need I say more? Best Animation Winner and that snake is a flirt

And Then She Was Gone – this lovely, dreamy film was shot in Savannah and features Diana Scarwid and actor/director Jacqueline Pennewill (also directed by Pete Konczal)

But back to me me me

two julias got an extra screening because people were trying to buy tickets after the original screening date. Several other films were in the same sitch. How fun is that? It gave me a chance to see films that I had missed – (The Red Room, Portrait of Envy) and to feel the reactions of a mostly new audience to two julias.

I was invited to be interviewed (along with several other visiting filmmakers) by saucy RHIFF director Shannon Kelly at their Lunch and Learn series. I talked about what drove me to write the script and told Shannon my favorite curse word. One of those is true.

And on a less positive note, my now former employer had the grace and style to call me during the festival to let me know we were breaking up. I went in to pack up my stuff today and turn in the card keys. I feel suddenly much lighter.

Met with Nathan (the projectionist) about the sound and aspect ratio a few minutes before start time. Shannon Kelly held the start time until she could get there to kick things off properly. Brian did a lovely song and dance and kept us amused while we waited. I talked about writing the script two years ago in response to the privacy abuses of the Patriot Act.

Opening film in the group was a beautiful, poetic piece called Ismeria.  two julias was next. I didn’t notice how overly bright it was until the movie was actually running. It looked blown out on the large screen TV. 25 or so enthusiastic viewers seemed to enjoy it – laughed in most of the right places. I had great support from filmmakers David Shin (Soul 37), Will Lu (Asian Task Force) and Cosmos Kiindarius (The Quickie). I’ll be bugging them for feedback tomorrow.

Kurt and I wound up leaving during Susan For Now. It was making me physically ill (literally) – too much actual blood (it was a documentary about S/M sex clubs in Seattle). I had to leave when they started lighting alcohol on a woman’s back. It’s too bad because the rest of the program sounded interesting but I needed to keep that yummy dinner down.

Now we can relax a bit and enjoy the rest of the fest.

I used an exclamation point. Don’t be scared. We just got back from an amazing filmmakers dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant called Grupa (I may not be spelling that right). I had Falfalle with seafood and it was so good my stomach fell out. I put it back in and Kurt and I headed back to the bed and breakfast to get cleaned up for the premiere.

Earlier today, I dropped by the radio station  (CIUT) and left a few free passes. Also stopped a few people on the street and pitched their attendance – free pass, free popcorn, cajun canapes (no accent because I am lazy) and Nine, count ‘em, Nine short films. Such a deal! I’m excited and nervous and hope I don’t make an ass out of myself when I have to talk in front of the audience. I’m happy with what we did in the film – I’ll be sad if it doesn’t get a good response but also know in my heart that it is good work.

We went to the screenplay reading today of Scavenger, a post-apocalyptic sci fi treat and got to meet and dine with the screenwriter tonight. Sounds like she has a lot of good things happening in her world. It’s been wonderful meeting so many diverse (in every sense) filmmakers, writers and audiences.

Toronto is a beautiful, walkable city. I did get to ride in Patsy’s red mini-van limo again today, all the way in the back. Star treatment.

The opening party (at the Southern Accent Restaurant) for the ReelHeART International Film Festival (RHIFF) was a blast. Great food, sexy sexy smart crowd, and some good films up in the Venue space upstairs. The standout film was David Shin’s Soul 37 – a man discovers his heart has left him and it may die if he doesn’t change his ways. It’s funny and touching.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be doing an interview this morning on CIUT 89.5 radio on the University of Toronto campus. You can listen live online if you’re not local. Then on to a Lunch and Learn program for filmmakers about distribution and all that good business stuff and a dinner out with the other filmmakers. Not sure which program we’ll be attending tonight. Too much to choose from

Doing Time on U of T College Radio

I’m doing a radio interview tomorrow morning with Andy on CUIT radio’s Take Five program. You can listen live at 9:05 am Eastern (6:05 am Pacific – get your lazy butts out of bed cast and crew!). I’m sharing the stage with Sylke and Bill, whose film Brick by Brick will show Tuesday night.

In other news:

We had our first breakfast today – Roberta put on a nice spread with fruit, coffee, yogurt, cereal and french toast. MMM – french toast. Ooo la la!

Didn’t make the best first impression with our festival director – showed up a half hour late for orientation because I was talking to the Lithuanian family that is staying here and lost track of the time. Those of you who know me know that is out of character – but we got talking about politics.

Got lost when Kurt and I headed back to get lunch. Don’t turn on Spadina. Nice street but very misleading. It’s a little warm for us Seattlites and I didn’t bring a hat but I did remember the sunscreen. We did a wonderful walking tour of Toronto with other filmmakers and actors who will be performing in the screenplay readings. The tour was led by the amazing historian and performer Bruce Bell. We learned alot about Toronto history and the theatre district, and got a special tour of the beautifully restored Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres.

Canadian money is beautiful. I hate to spend it.

Rode the subways – nice, clean, fast.

After lines lines and more lines – we literally spent more time getting to the airport and going through security and customs in US and Canada than we did on the plane – Audra and Patsy from ReelHeART picked us up at the airport. Audra big smile and she even had a sign with my name on it. Unfortunately I had no idea where the camera was at that point so it will stay burned in my memory. I sat way in the back of the mini-van so it felt like a big red limo. We rode into town with Tariq Nasir. Tariq is the director of Belonging, a documentary about his Palestinian family’s experiences in 1948 and 1967 and beyond.

Annex Garden B&B is nice – clean, private bath, comfy room and wireless. Host Roberta is great and it even has a desk for me to write this.

We’re going to head out and explore up some grub – rain has been off and on but it is much warmer here (23 C – look it up).

Kurt just pointed out to me that two julias is listed in the program as a Director’s Pick!

We’re heading to the ReelHeART International Film Festival (RHIFF) in Toronto tomorrow morning. The shuttle arrives at the uncivilized hour of 4:35 am. That’s a nice time to come home after a long crazy evening – not  a great time to roll out of bed and comb your teeth, brush your hair, take the dog for a shower and do your business on the lawn.

I’m excited and nervous about the festival. two julias was my life for about a year – I made some lasting friendships, learned alot about working with actors and producing a film on a microbudget, and am proud of the piece we submitted. It’s wonderful to get into a festival in a big film town like Toronto. RHIFF has been great and I’ll be posting my impressions as Kurt and I spend time at the festival and in and around Toronto.

Smiling Zombie Productions is a Seattle-based film production company. Our recent production, two julias, is an official selection of the ReelHeART International Film Festival (RHIFF) in Toronto.

two julias, the story of a young woman seeking love online who gets caught up in an international counter-terrorism operation, premieres June 18 at 8 pm as part of a great RHIFF lineup.

Tom McIntire leads the Smiling Zombie team. His feature-length screenplay, The Smiling Zombie, made it through the first round in the Washington State Screenwriting Competition. Finalists will be announced July 1.