First Live Online, First Cast/Crew Festival.

FIRST LIVE ONLINE, FIRST CAST/CREW FESTIVAL.

Online festivals: not my idea of being worth it, personally. Look, getting into anything is certainly nice, and as Jonny would say, it's about getting the laurels, but at a certain point, I find that to be a bit ridiculous. I'm sure that, yes, the number of laurels on a poster or DVD box looks impressive and might get you into some places, but I if I know that a lot of these festivals are weak and bogus, I know the pros certainly will. I don't think I'm fooling anybody. And really, I'm interested in the live feeling. I mean, I'm a theater director, for crying out loud - I think there's something to being in a crowd, experiencing that energy, and, especially since neither non-Equity theater nor short film festivals make you ANY money, it's nice to ENGAGE with people afterward and talk about things.

That being said, I am still very appreciative of any time our film is deemed worthy to get into any festival. It means that at least ONE person liked it enough to program.  And thus far, two years after principal photography and one year after the very first Festival submission, we've been accepted into seven festivals - online and "in-person." So that's cool.

Oh yeah - and we have a new poster!

So last month we got into the MINI MOVIE FEST. Its one of the online festivals BUT this was was streaming live - so we got to sit back and watch the festival as it streamed... from the apartment of a guy in Russia.

Again, hey, we got into a festival. I WILL say that my ideas of what festivals are and consist of has changed, um, DRAMATICALLY since first starting this blog. There were one or two cute films we saw in this fest, btw.

Then we got into the California International Shorts Fest. Which was about to be SUPER cool because it was slated to be on a Saturday at the Complex Theater. Now, I have two shows that I directed (one that I wrote) in the Hollywood Fringe Festival this summer and the way things were going to work out, they'd screen HOMESCHOOL at 1pm at the Complex on Santa Monica Blvd, at 5:30, I'd go watch my play ANGEL'S FLIGHT (a film noir comedy cabaret burlesque play done at a bar on Vine), and then see SLIGHTLY DRAMATIC, the one woman show I directed, at the Complex at 8 before going to work.

But the venue changed to Santa Monica. Fine. I'd drive to Santa Monica at 1, then back to Hollywood for ANGEL'S FLIGHT, and then--

Then they cancelled the Festival because the Santa Monica venue double booked.

So I should have seen this coming.

They rescheduled for a few weekends ago at the ACME in NoHo. This was cool, as it was close, I could FINALLY attend a festival with Charlie, our lead, plus Jonny's dad, our composer, was in town, so we all went together, had coffee early, and had fun photos taken:

What you CAN'T see in these pictures at the five other people in the room. Including three filmmakers and the host of the festival. And I think the last guy was associated somehow.  So it was a large room with, like, US in it. We did a talkback which I found hysterical. The host was trying so hard to make this seem like it was all legit and professional, but seriously - CHARLIE should have asked us a question.  It was all a bit ludicrous.  So yeah, I'd like to go to another REAL festival. I'm so glad we didn't miss the Maryland one.