Sitting in the dark

It's hard to say what the attraction is to sitting in the dark.  But I love it.  That is, I love it when I'm sitting in the dark with 200+ people all sharing a cinematic or theatrical experience.

Today started with a text from fellow filmmaker Ashley McKenzie and 20 minutes later, at 11 am, I was back in front of a screen for two great documentaries.  And a lot of people were there will us.  A quick introduction to Milliflore Clarke (whose work I've admired for a while) and then Zoo Revolution and Bad Coyote took us all over the world, then back to Cape Breton for two docs that questioned our relationships and ability to live with animals.  I was left with many questions, exactly as it should be.

A quick sip then back in the theatre for more Atlantic shorts including Megan Wennberg's Grain Elevators.  This was a poem on film project so I was really pleased to see it.  I'll be shooting one this fall so this was inspirational.  I was also pleased to see friend Natasha MacLellan on the screen!

 My T&S cast and crew...thinking of you all before tomorrow's screening!

Then it was off to the 10x10 challenge.  This is a project where 10 Atlantic directors get paired up with 10 Atlantic bands or musicians and they have 1 week and very limited resources to create a music video.  The results can be extraordinary and over the last few years, I've seen some incredible works.  Milliflore's video with Irish Mythen was lovely, as were several others (there was no program and my memory fails me for the artists, sorry) and so was Heavyweather's Adam Penney's video for  AA Wallace.  It's something I'd like to try when I get the nerve!

A quick bite (that I snuck into the theatre because there wasn't time to sit and eat) and then it was back in the theatre to see Bill MacGillivray & Terry Greenlaw's Hard Drive (shot by my own DP, Stephanie Weber Biron) and Eva Madden's short about Bill for the GG award he recently received for his lifetime of great work.  It was a dark film that pained me, in a good way, as I was swept up in the story.  There is a standout scene with Megan Follows and lots of lovely moments that stand out in this low budget feature.  Another glass of wine with new friends then back to the Festival lounge to end off the night!  I'll soon close my eyes and lie down in the dark this time. Tomorrow is the big day.

Today's new encounters and chats: Ashley & Milly, Pat Condon, Mike Cuffini, Justin, Jennice & Brad, Ian Foster, Bill & Terry, Ally & Tina Thoden, Jinx MacGillivray, Adam, Stephanie, Andrea Dorfmann, Fless, Colin MacKenzie, John Walker and Jason Beaudry.