Wonderful week of film watching!

From Margaret: On Friday, Bob and I saw Family Portrait in Black and White. This is about an eastern Ukrainian woman raising 23 foster children in an atmosphere of both love and way too much control. Sixteen of the children are the biracial offspring of visiting African students and Ukrainian mothers, who swayed by endemic racism, abandoned their babies. The footage on the children was spectacular showing a special trust of the filmmaker. During the Q&A, the filmmaker Julia Ivanova who lives in Canada said she is trying to show the film to as many people as possible to raise money for these children who live in meager conditions. Next was The Black Power Mixtape 1067-1975 made by a Swedish woman and presenting a treasure of 30 year old images from long ago taken by Swedish journalists. The scenes of those times take on a fresh global angle through the outsider perspective of the Swedish filmmaker. Next came Knuckle by Ian Palmer which was an unusual glimpse into an unusual custom of bare knuckle fist-fighting to solve conflicts. Really. Last film of the day was a midnight show of Martha Marcy May Marlene, a thriller starring Sarah Paulson who played in Swimmers (she's sweet and funny). The film was about a young woman who escapes from an abusive cult. Different. Scary in a good fun thriller way.

Watched Sing Your Song first thing this morning which was so great that I was wide awake every minute after only four hours sleep. Harry Belafonte! Wow... his lifetime of singing and activism..would be a perfect Chesapeake College film.. Belafonte's daughter Gina talked during the Q & A about creating some curriculum to go along for schools.

Later we watched live stream of Sundance Awards which you can all catch on the Sundance website. I was really happy to see Hell and Back Again win and also Brick Novak, those hilarious short films.. Ah... another great year for films.. Lucky us! CFF is going to have an interesting and fun slate once again...

"Daylight come and I want go home"

No, I'm not talking about our eagerness to leave, but rather an inspirational film that Margaret and I saw this morning about Harry Belafonte called "Sing Your Song." Produced by his youngest daughter Gina, this film depicts not only the musical development of this popular singer, but also the activism that has been part of his adult life from early on. From civil rights to famine in Africa to gang violence in LA to blacks in prison, Belafonte serves as a model to us all, leading us to ask, in the words of Ruby Dee, "What's my assignment?"

I believe that this film would work well in our festival, whether in association with the Frederick Douglass Honor Society, Chesapeake College, or even Mid-Shore high schools. I met with Miss Belafonte after the film and gave her my CFF business card, telling her to expect our request for a screener.

Filmmaker on the Shuttle

At Sundance super groovy conversations take place on the bus shuttles, in line waiting to get on the bus, and in lines waiting to get into the theatres. People are easy to talk to here and I'd go so far as to say even extra-friendly. I think it's because we're all on the same page. There's just this feeling that everywhere you turn, people are pretty much here for the same reason: they love films and like to talk about them! Early this afternoon, we hopped a shuttle after Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (Bob gave CFF business card to producer) where in the theatre we spotted Jed Dietz talking to the director of the film Reagan. On the bus, a young man named Zef turned and extended his hand for a handshake, introduced himself and off we went on a typical fun film chat. What did we like so far? What was the best? Have you heard anything about this film or that film? Where are you from? And you? Turns out Zef lives in New York City, makes short films, and after exchanging cards promised to send us a screener. He's working on a few films right now and just finished a short called Remember to Remember about a boxer who suffers a head injury outside of the ring. Then, off we went in different directions. A Sundance moment!

Bob's Celebrity Watch

Celebrity watching, or rather, scanning the landscape for possible celebrities, is a favorite sideline here at Sundance. You can always see one or more during the Q&As after each film, but it is really exciting when you're just standing on the street and one passes right in front of you, which is what happened to me two days ago while waiting outside a venue for Margaret. Before my wandering eye should appear Melissa Leo, a cast member of the old "Homicide" television series, and star of "Frozen River" and more recently "The Fighter," for which she has been nominated as Best Supporting Actress. What made this sighting so special was that she looked directly at my CFF hat - there was no mistaking it. We definitely need to send her one.

Margaret's Day Four of Film Watching...

From Park City on a warm and clear day: Every day I say to myself "post on the blog..do it now.. " and time flies away from me. Reporting finally that I'm in Sundance heaven, happy as a true cinephile can possibly be. We just left writer/director Maryam Keshavarz's wonderful film, Circumstance, about two teenagers amidst the subculture of Tehran's underground scene. Original. Beautiful glimpse into a world unfamiliar to most Americans. Last night we saw The Mill and the Cross which is definitely one of the top most unusual films I've ever seen. The director is a painter and a poet and has taken Bruegel's 1564 epic masterpiece, "The Procession to Calvary" and brought the characters alive in a most amazing way. I've never seen anything like it. Actors Rutger Hauer and Sir Michael York as well as the direcor Lech Majewski were present in the theatre which was quite a thrill to just see them up close and listen to them talk. If I had to pick a favorite so far it's a toss up between short films Brick Novax Parts I and II which are simply hilarious. When I spoke to the young filmmaker Matt Peidmont to say how much we loved his shorts, I told him about CFF and Easton and he smiled the entire time we spoke. Excited to be so well received at Sundance, he said..when he was just playing around being silly. My other favorite is a film about a young female powerlifter from Texas titled Benavides Born. When I congratulated the filmmaker and introduced myself to the co-screenwriter Daniel Meisel after this film as scout for CFF, he thanked ME for working on a film festival. Sweet, huh? He said festivals are enjoyable but especially important because this is often the only place some filmmakers have an opportunity to reach an audience at all. Another sweet moment was listening to the puppeteer Kevin Clash (he is ELMO) talk about the film Being Elmo..and the experience of working on Sesame Street for 26 years! Would love to have this one in our community! (and that gorgeous fury red moster Elmo was even there too)... Also loved Catechism Cataclysm... We heard several filmmakers at Coffee Chats at the Filmmakers Lodge which is a special treat, one on Being Elmo and the other this morning on the film Reagan and the film Page One about the New York Times. Much to think about there on media topics.
When going from place to place on the shuttles, we see dozens of volunteers - I hear there are 1700, yes 1700 total. Can you imagine?
Now going to see another film about art - !Women Art Revolution..we have photos to show and post on return...more later...

Hell and Back Again ...

I had the privilege of seeing Danfung Dennis incredibly powerful, beautifully crafted documentary about Marines in Afghanistan last night. A photojournalist who has logged many months embedded with troops in Afghanistan, Dennis turned to the moving image for its impact and capacity to more fully document the war. The resulting film is extraordinary. By focusing on the efforts of a single platoon and the impact of a wound on Sergeant Nathan Harris life once back home, Dennis manages to shed light on the many, many issues of the Afghanistan War: goals and tactics, impact on Afghanis caught in the middle (Marines repeatedly ask village elders how they can help and are repeatedly asked to 'please leave'), as well as the cost to soldiers, specifically those killed and the challenges of recovery, the frustrations and demons that arise once Sergeant Harris returns home. Harris is a magnetic man with a great sense of humor and the depth of his commitment to the larger cause and his fellow Marines was striking, as were the marital and life strains he and his wife Ashley faced as his recovery faltered. A very powerful experience.

On a technical level Dennis innovative use of sound and the film's intercutting between battlefield and home front provide a visceral sense of the haunting, alienating experience of having been through something no one at home can fully appreciate.

I had the opportunity to speak with him afterward and am hopeful we can bring the film to CFF 2011. I had visions of screening the film as a closing event to honor those serving and spark a discussion of the many issues raised. Could we invite a group veterans from Walter Reed for the event?

Family Feud

Last night (at midnight no less) I saw the documentary "Knuckle" - a look inside the violent tradition of bare-knuckled boxing among the Travellers clans of Ireland. A royal family feud that has lasted more than 40 years still reigns supreme, prompting regular, brutal bouts between families, particularly the Quinn-McDonoughs and the Joyce's - most of whom are cousins ... and few seem to remember how the feud began. Brutal, but hard to look away.

HBO picked it up and plans to turn it into a TV series. Hopefully the doc itself will have a festival life.

Stay tuned!