Tag Archives: film festivals

Three and a Half Months Later…

1 Nov

Well hello my long lost friends.  Happy November 1st.  I know – I said “blogging will resume” back in July and now it’s almost four months later!  I owe you all a big apology.  I dropped off the face of the earth without so much as a warning or a note that I was alive and well.  But here I am… alive and well and I’ve missed writing and connecting with all of you.  So I hope you forgive me and my crappy communication.

Meanwhile, I have exciting news to share, which I hope makes up for my long absence!  Adam and I are now the proud parents of this little guy:

Baby boy at 16 weeks

That’s right!  We’re having a baby.  I’m currently five months pregnant and feeling great!  The pregnancy has been quite smooth thus far – absolutely zero morning sickness, energy’s remained pretty high and as far as we know – baby is doing swimmingly.  For the most part, I haven’t been turned off or turned on by any weird foods – actually… just milk.  I’ve been craving tall glasses of cold milk, which is definitely a new thing for me.  Though you all know my obsession with dairy products, so I guess it’s just heightened a bit.  Other than that, I’ve been eating like I always eat – while trying to keep it a little healthier by cooking more and adding in extra fruits and veggies.

In this ultrasound photo the little babe’s chilling upside down.  He looks pretty happy – sort of looks like he’s smiling right?   And just look at that spine and those skinny little legs!  CRAZY!  At our twenty-week scan last Wednesday we saw him sucking his thumb and just this past week I’ve started feeling him moving around a little.  What a trip.

As for me, I’m totally getting all ‘nesty’ already.  I’m finding myself cleaning, cooking, organizing and doing more laundry than I’ve ever done in my life.  I’m enjoying settling into our new home in Brooklyn and my domestic goddess is emerging in full force.  I even bought myself some Indian spices the other day and experimented with a lovely silken chicken recipe from Madhur Jaffrey. It came out delish!

Now to fill you in on the last few months… I’ve worked on some fun projects and actually earned some money, which is quite exciting!  I did some head shots, worked at a commercial casting session and shot my very first spot as Director of Photography (with Adam directing) for a major brand (I’ll post it on the site and give more details once it’s officially wrapped up).  We also took a fantastic trip to the Canadian Rockies, Calgary and Port Townsend, WA for the Port Townsend Film Festival, where Hello Lonesome took home a Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature – HOORAY!  Here are some of my favorite photos from our trip to Banff and Jasper National Parks:

Crazy-looking flower

Another crazy-looking flower

Glacial Lake along Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper

View over Jasper after taking the gondola up and up and up

Adam daydreaming on top of the world

Adam and me on top of the world

What's up chipmunk?

Canoeing on Patricia Lake - Jasper

Dragonfly

Maligne Lake - near Banff

Lake Louise

View from the Teahouse above Lake Louise after hiking 3.5 km straight UP! The tea was gooood.

So friends… that’s all for now.  I am glad to be back and hope you are all doing well!  Feel free to say hello.

xoxo -

nell

Making a Movie is Hard

27 May

We are overjoyed this morning as we head into the opening night of Hello Lonesome in New York City.  In the last twenty-four hours, several positive reviews of the movie have been published – including a somewhat glowing review from our very own The New York Times.  It is everything we were hoping for.

But the ride has been a wild one to say the least – and now seems like the perfect time to tell you the whole story.

It began just about a year ago at our World Premier in Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles Film Festival.  Leading up to our premier we heard good things about how Hello Lonesome was being received.  There was a press screening earlier in the week and we were told the turnout was great and the film was generating a lot of buzz.  We were psyched (and really nervous).

Then the night of the premier arrived – our screening was sold out!  Friends, relatives, cast, crew – lots of Los Angelans (?) filled the theater as Adam conducted interviews with the press.  It was thrilling and overwhelming.  The movie played great that first night!  We sat in the theater squeezing each other’s hands as the audience laughed and cried at all the right moments.  It was really happening.

When the movie ended we all celebrated as we headed to the after party we had organized.  About twenty minutes into the party our friend Mark came up to me and told me quietly … “the Variety review came out – it’s terrible.  Adam read it on his phone.”  My heart sank.  Those ass holes.  I looked over at Adam, who was putting on a happy face but I knew he was crushed.  Our first review from a major publication and they hated it.  Among the nasty things Robert Kohler wrote in his review was this:

“A useful object lesson for student filmmakers on what not to do … otherwise a dud for fests and potential buyers.” – Robert Kohler – Variety

Ouch.

The next morning the Hollywood Reporter review came out.  Kirk Honeycutt hated it too:

“The film is the kind of downer only a festival programmer would love” … “Reid apparently didn’t trust his script — or his actors — to let things speak for themselves.”
- Kirk Honeycutt – Hollywood Reporter

Double ouch.

LA Weekly followed suit with some snarky and dismissive remarks by Karina Longworth:

“The fatally slight, student-quality triptych Hello Lonesome would seem to be the kind of vapid American indie that the foreign discoveries should have shoved out of contention.”
- Karina Longworth – LA Weekly

Getting nauseous now.

So there it was – where previously riding high, we were now pretty much knocked on our asses.  And that was only the beginning of a full week of screenings and interviews.  It was really hard.

But then things started to look up.  Because of highly sold shows, LAFF added an additional screening of the film.  Then, we got a text from one of the festival organizers telling us to make sure we came to the festival awards ceremony.  OMG… there were only two awards given out to narrative features at the festival.  One was “Best Narrative Feature”, which came with a whopping $50,000 prize.  The other was “Best Performance in a Narrative Feature” – which came with no monetary prize – but is hugely positive for the Director and for the Actor who receives it.  We spent that evening freaking out – wondering what our fate would bring the next day.

The next morning arrived (after a restless night’s sleep) and with it, came Hello Lonesome‘s very first Jury Prize – given to the entire cast of the film – “Best Ensemble Performance in a Narrative Feature”.  No $50,000 prize but just as sweet (almost)… validation.  The movie doesn’t suck.  People appreciate it.  Those reviewers are not everything.  Whew.  What a whirlwind.

After LA, it was mostly good vibes for Hello Lonesome as we traveled around to several festivals around the country picking up a bunch of awards!

  • Jury Award – Best Screenplay – Bend Film, OR
  • New Visions Award – Best Feature – Bahamas International Film Festival
  • Audience Award – Best Feature – Ashland Independent Film Festival – OR
  • Finalist – Best Cinematography – Ashland Independent Film Festival – OR
Adam was also shortlisted for an Independent Spirit Award in the category of “One to Watch”.   A month later, we found out he didn’t get the nomination.  Up, down, up, down.
It’s impossible to know for sure, but chances are those negative reviews in LA significantly hurt our potential for distribution.  Thus, we decided to invest (with some generous help) in a NYC opening – throwing ourselves at the mercy of the New York press.  It was risky.  If it payed off, Adam would get a lot of positive attention, which would be great for his future career as a filmmaker.  If New York hated the film as well – we’d probably just move to a cabin the woods and hide for a couple years.
So begins this week.  On Tuesday we were disappointed to see two negative reviews from Time Out NY and The Village Voice.  Uhoh… was it happening again?  However, I have to say our skin was much thicker this time.  Our LA experience already knocked us down as far as we could go.  We were stronger this time around.  Plus – at this point we’ve screened the movie to hundreds of regular people, who connected deeply with it and praised it and cheered us on and became true fans.  And that means so much.
On Wednesday we were cheered up with a mostly positive Huffington Post Review - which concluded with:

“Shot simply, acted without fuss, Hello Lonesome is alternately funny, wistful, tragic and suspenseful. Reid does a lot with a little – and has crafted a small beauty of a film with his first try.”
- Marshall Fine – Huffington Post

Then yesterday… the moment of truth.  At around four-thirty The New York Times Review was posted.  This is the one that mattered the most to us.   This is the one that would really make us or break us.  It’s the New York Times after all.  Here it is:
I breathed the deepest sigh of relief in my LIFE when I read the first sentence:
“‘Hello Lonesome,’ Adam Reid’s smart, poignant trilogy of interwoven vignettes, manages the considerable feat of creating six fully human characters who are quirky enough to transcend the stereotypes found in a typical indie film.”
- Stephen Holden – New York Times
Stephen Holden gave Hello Lonesome a rating of four stars – out of five.  AMAZING!!!  We both cried a little.
Then it got better!
The Daily News Review came out mostly positive with Elizabeth Weitzman saying:
“Adam Reid’s offbeat debut suggests a talent worth watching”… “Reid has an eye for human connections, deftly zeroing in on the way people communicate — or don’t. He ends this conversation a bit too abruptly, but we’ll be listening the next time he’s got something to share.”
- Elizabeth Weitzman – NY Daily News
The NY Post Review followed:
“The seeming randomness of the assorted human interactions in “Hello Lonesome” gradually becomes illuminating and just a little bit profound” … “First-time writer-director Adam Reid has a lightly endearing touch as he allows the actors plenty of space to be warm without being cute” … “Few films celebrate ordinary, nice people — or are as wise about why basic kindness matters.”
- Kyle Smith – NY Post
Then several others – mostly all positive!  Even the more negative ones were constructive and had quite a few positive things to say.
So here we are Friday morning … in a great frame of mind as we gear up for tonight.  This has been one of the most remarkable experiences of my life.  It has been filled with ups and downs, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  But through it all, we’ve been blessed with people who believed in Adam and his talent – people who supported us financially as well as emotionally.  People who have sat through the movie dozens of times – just to be there with us and to share in the experience.  Hello Lonesome would never be here if it wasn’t for the generosity of SO many people and that has been the greatest gift of all.
All of this has also occurred during our first year of marriage – and I’d say we’re all the stronger for it.  I have been so impressed with Adam as he has taken this all in stride.  Being beaten down, being celebrated – awards, public criticism.  Many people would lose it – would quit.  But he’s moved forward relentlessly – with humility and strength and an unwavering (most of the time) confidence and belief in himself that I find hugely inspiring.  I am so proud I could burst.   In year number one – I’m convinced, we make a pretty unstoppable team.
So thanks everyone – for coming along on the ride with us!  And stay tuned – as I think this is just the beginning.
~ xo

Ashland Independent Film Festival Ends and Photo 365 of 365 Baby!!

13 Apr

AIFF 2011 Banner

I left you yesterday with our busy Saturday of screenings at AIFF, which ended late Saturday night with our second screening of Hello Lonesome.  Just twelve hours later, we headed over to the Varsity Theater for our third Hello Lonesome screening early Sunday morning, which left us basking in the glow of Ashland love.  I’m telling you, Sunday morning was probably our favorite festival screening yet.  The theater was packed, the audience showed HUGE support for both the film and for Adam as a filmmaker and it just felt so freaking good!

I was never involved in the film business until I met Adam and shared with him the experience of making Hello Lonesome. And I gotta tell you… being an independent filmmaker is HARD!  It is a never-ending uphill battle.  One minute you get crushed, the next minute you get celebrated and every step along the way you have to generate support, ask for favors and work your butt off as your own greatest cheerleader.  That is why I found this festival to be so inspiring.  Now that I am familiar with the extreme hard work and dedication that goes along with making a film – not to mention a really GOOD film, I have so much respect for all the filmmakers and supporters I met in Ashland and I can’t wait to have a bigger role in the next movie we make! Having screenings like the ones we had in Ashland makes it all feel really worthwhile.

So for my photo #365 (which I thought was #364 at the time), I’ve chosen a photo of the Varsity Theater – because every time I look at it, I will feel all warm and fuzzy – and that’s a good note to end on right?

Photo 365 out of 365 – “The Varsity Theater”

"The Varsity Theater" - Settings: ISO 500, f/2.5, 1/50 sec, 50mm lens

After our Sunday screening we said our goodbyes to all the folks at the festival.  Unfortunately we had to get back to NYC for Monday so we were going to miss the awards ceremony that was happening Sunday night.  We went back to our B&B to pack and then we met up with Christopf and Anna from Hood to Coast for one last quickie meal in Ashland at Agave – a super yummy taco spot.  I had a carnitas taco and a duck confit taco.  Both were delicious but the carnitas won – carnitas always wins in my book.

Then boo hoo… we drove off to the airport to catch our redeye back to NYC (via a two-hour layover in San Francisco).  I stopped to take pictures along the way.  This looks just like the drive to JFK!

Drive to airport

And then – goodbye Oregon.  We will miss you greatly.

Goodbye Oregon

The awards ceremony started at seven-thirty and we landed at SFO for our two-hour layover at around quarter to ten.  The second the plane landed, we checked our phones to see if there were any texts or messages about which films won awards.  And… NOTHING.  Not a peep.  We searched online to see if anything had been announced and nothing.  We figured that meant we didn’t win anything because we were sure we would have heard something by that point – so we shlepped to our gate at SFO and plopped down to wait for our flight to NYC.  And then at around eleven o’clock a barrage of texts and Facebook messages came flooding in to let us know that:

Hello Lonesome won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature!!!

Yee haw!  We were thrilled!!  I think Adam might have shed a little tear.  The audience award was what we were secretly hoping for.  Out of fourteen narrative feature films (all with sold-out screenings), the audience chose Hello Lonesome as their favorite.  Man that felt good.  Thank you Ashlandians!!!  It was the perfect sendoff and the perfect end to our amazing week in Oregon.  And then… a redeye. Yuck!!  But we tossed and turned with smiles on our faces. :)

And finally yes, that is the 365th photo of my 365 day photo project.  I can’t believe it’s finished!  It sort of blows my mind.   Just to drag things out a bit, I’ll post my 366th photo tomorrow (the one I intended to be #365).  I think I’ll make it the cover of my 365 photo book, which is a new project I’ll be starting now that this one’s over.  For everyone that has joined in to follow me along on this crazy adventure… thanks.  Having an audience to write and take pictures for certainly gave me that kick in the butt I needed and pushed me to rise up to this challenge!  I couldn’t have done it without you.

See you tomorrow!

The Ashland Independent Film Festival – Part 2

12 Apr

So… where did I leave off?  Oh yes, Friday.  Friday and Saturday we saw lots of movies!  We started out with a beautiful narrative feature called Stranger Things, made by Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal.  Those two are NYC’ers also and we got to know them a bit at the Woodstock Film Festival back in October.  I thought the performances in their film were excellent – very restrained and honest.  I found it especially interesting to learn how the film was made.  Ron and Eleanor basically worked closely with the actors to develop the characters and their stories and then they only revealed the script to the actors piece by piece  as they were shooting, so the actors didn’t know what was going to happen.

After Stranger Things we shot over to another theater to catch the documentary film Hot Coffee, directed by a trial Lawyer from Ashland, OR named Susan Saladoff.  This movie really got me fired up and I think everyone should see it – just to become informed about our own rights in this country and how they’re being diminished.  It is an entertaining and rather disturbing film focused on the US justice system and how normal people like you and me rarely have the ability to get a fair trial in this country anymore.  Big corporations have pretty much taken over the justice system in the US (as well as everything else) – and some of the stories of how regular people have been affected were heartbreaking and infuriating.  I left the theater on a rampage (and needing a stiff drink).

After that film, we saw another documentary called The Big Uneasy, directed by Harry Shearer, which was about the flooding of New Orleans after Katrina, and how it wasn’t really a result of the force of the storm.  Instead, it was more about the faulty construction of the levies, politics and the ineptitude of the Army Corps of Engineers.   I wasn’t personally as crazy about this film. I was interested in the subject matter, but the way the story was told was not as compelling to me – especially after seeing Hot Coffee just before it, which had me completely engaged.

With all these movies – I didn’t have time to take many photos – but downtown Ashland is so beautiful, I was able to snatch a few in between screenings:

Photo 364 out of 365 – “Spring Has Sprung in Ashland”

"Spring Has Sprung in Ashland" - Settings: ISO 100, f/2.5, 1/6400 sec, 50mm lens

And here our view walking from the parking lot to the theater – not too shabby right?

Amazingly beautiful downtown Ashland, OR

We were supposed to see a fourth film that night but we were maxed out – so instead we just met up with the other filmmakers at the local hangout Black Sheep and had a couple drinks before turning in for the night.  Saturday was another day full of amazing screenings!

The Black Sheep - AIFF Hangout

On Saturday we we jumped right into screenings again after a most delicious breakfast (huevos rancheros!) at a local restaurant called Breadboard near our Bed & Breakfast.  Our first film of the day was another documentary called Hood to Coast.  This movie totally rocked!  And instead of a documentary that leaves me hating our country and feeling hopeless, this one was super inspiring and positive!  It’s about the largest relay race in the world called Hood to Coast, which takes place in Oregon.  Teams of twelve runners cover one hundred and ninety-seven miles from Mount Hood all the way to the Oregon Coast – overnight.  It’s insane and totally awesome!   We got quite friendly with the filmmakers (Christopf Baaden – Director and Anna Campbell – Producer) as well as one of the women featured in the film who completed the race – Rachel (she was completely hilarious).  In the film, she made one comment that totally stuck with me and made me love her.  The gist was… why not partake in a crazy event like that?  If it’s terrible, it’s only a weekend wasted… what really do you lose?  On the other hand – an experience like that has the potential to change your life – so why does it ever make sense to say no to experiences? I like that mode of thinking!

After Hood to Coast, we hit up ANOTHER documentary called Connected – An Autoblogography about Love, Death and Technology. Again, this movie really blew us away.  And again, this was an optimistic, inspiring film that left me feeling energized and uplifted instead of defeated and angry.  I like that type of documentary!  The movie is about shifting our thinking from looking at the world as full of independent things and people to looking at everything as interdependent.  Our environment, our resources, plants, animals, people – we are all connected in ways that we don’t realize – and we’ve been finding that out gradually as our actions turn out having negative effects that were initially unforeseen.  But the overall tone of this film was a faith in the human spirit and a belief that the technology, which now connects us all can be used to save our world and our species (yes, humans… scary stuff).

Whew… and now that I’ve written a book, I have to run out to a photography workshop!  So I’ll post this now and then return tomorrow with the outcome of the festival and…

drumroll please

the final photo of my 365 photo project!!

Actually, I sort of miscounted while I was away – so I have a photo 365 and then I have a photo 366 (for good luck), which I actually intended to be 365 until I realized my mistake!  Ha!

So come back tomorrow. :)

Photo of the Day and Update on “Hello Lonesome”

23 Mar

Photo 347 out of 365 – “Happy Little Girl in the Chase Bank Window”

"Happy Little Girl in the Chase Bank Window" - Settings: ISO 200, f/5, 1/250 sec, 50mm lens

I stopped at the ATM yesterday and as I walked out the door I saw these two kids crouched down on the floor looking out the window.  When I got outside, I crouched down and waved to the little girl through the glass.  She waved back and was definitely intrigued by me.  Then I picked up my camera and showed it to her and she just sat there posing, with that excited sweet smile on her face – eager to be photographed.  I love making little connections like that with children.  They are so curious and pure and unaffected.  I just wish the glass had been a little cleaner. :)

Meanwhile, I’ve gotten back into the habit of posting late at night again and it’s a baaaaaaad habit for me.  My brain is tired and sharing my thoughts doesn’t come as easily as it does when I’m fresh and it’s light outside. A new goal for April… early blogging.  Tomorrow I’m heading home to Massachusetts to catch up with friends and family and to celebrate my grandfather’s ninety-first birthday.  He is actually an award-winning photographer (I like to think some of his artistic eye got passed down to me) – nature and landscapes are his greatest inspiration.  For his birthday, we all went in on a new digital camera for him and I am excited to help him learn how to use it.  Maybe I can talk him into doing a 365 project of his own.

Then, the first week of April we are off to Oregon for a week!  I’m super psyched.  I have never been to Oregon, but in my head, Portland is my ideal place;  good food scene, environmentally clean, liberal, good city for bikers, idealistic, good arts scene, lots of natural beauty, friendly community, a little bit of hippie vibe without too much … you know what I mean?  That being said, I’ve never even been there – this is all speculation based on reading about it, so we’ll see how I feel when I’m there in person.  We are spending two nights in Portland, then driving down the coast to a town called Depoe Bay.  I just booked a room at what looks to be a lovely inn there – overlooking the ocean and oh yes… each room has a private little deck with an outdoor jacuzzi!  I mean… what’s better than that?

After Depoe Bay we’re heading down to Ashland in southern Oregon for the Ashland Independent Film Festival, where we have been invited to show Hello Lonesome as part of the narrative feature film competition!  I’m psyched.  I think the folks in Ashland are going to love the film and I think we’re going to love Ashland!  It seems like a beautiful charming artsy little city… my favorite kind. :)

Oh – and for any newcomers to nellsdish, Hello Lonesome is my husband’s first feature film (writer, director, cinematographer, producer, etc.) and I’m really crazy proud of it and him!  Go look it up and become a fan on Facebook… more screenings will be announced in the coming months!

Anyway – off to bed with me.  I have to wake up early to pack.  Night!

The Bahamas International Film Festival 2010

7 Dec

Hi All!  It’s now Tuesday afternoon and we’re back in cold NYC!  I attempted blogging from the Bahamas a few times, but was continuously distracted with festival activities.  It was pretty much go, go, go the entire time – though we did manage to fit in a couple hours at the water slide park in the Atlantis.  We had a truly invaluable experience at the 2010 BIFF.   In addition to seeing several really awesome films, we had the privilege of meeting and getting to know some super talented and thoroughly cool filmmakers and industry professionals.  Before I get deeper into the festival experience, here is my photo of the day from Tuesday before we left:

Photo 235 – Bertha – Warrior Princess

Bertha - Warrior Princess - Settings: ISO 3200, f/4, 1/125 sec, 28-105mm lens (53mm)

This is Bertha.  She is one of my regular art class buddies at the nursing home I visit every Tuesday.  We’ve actually worked together on several of the necklaces she’s wearing.   Here, she’s proudly displaying the Native American headdress she made in a previous class.  She was so excited for me to take her picture, she decided to take it to the next level with a little war paint she applied with her bright red lipstick.  Bertha constantly cracks me up and always makes my mornings at the nursing home highly entertaining!

Now for the festival…

We arrived on Wednesday morning at around eleven o’clock and immediately met up with some other filmmakers also attending the festival.  We were lucky to come in on the same flight as Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck who make up the co-writer/director team that created the wonderful movies Half Nelson, Sugar (this movie blew my mind… rent it on Netflix) and most recently It’s Kind of a Funny Story with Zach Galifianakis (which we haven’t seen yet, but plan to).  We had a chance to get to know them a little on the ride to the Atlantis and over lunch.  They are super talented and have been really successful making independent films – so this was an exciting start to the festival for us.

After lunch, we ran over to catch the afternoon boat to the filmmaker retreat at Dolphin Encounter.  Here, we met up with several other filmmakers and we all had the rare and somewhat disturbing opportunity to kiss (on the lips – if dolphins have lips), hug and dance with a dolphin.  Quite the dolphin encounter indeed.  We all felt a bit guilty – with the dolphin performing all those silly tricks for us… but our dolphin was adorable and it was a pretty entertaining bonding experience for the group.  (Pardon our slightly wide faces… I took a picture of a picture and it looks rather stretched – but you get the idea).

photo courtesy of Dolphin Encounters

Photo 236 out of 365 – “The Atlantis”

The Atlantis - Settings: ISO 100, f/13, 1/125 sec, 28-105mm lens (28mm)

This was our view from the balcony at the Atlantis.  We were generously put up by the festival for five nights in the Coral Towers (the original resort building).  Across the pools, lagoons and palm trees is the Royal Towers – the newer section of the resort (pictured here).  The Atlantis is truly a MEGA-resort.  It is like Disney on the sea complete with water slides and a huge casino.  Though the mega-resort thing is not typically my thing, we had a great time with the other filmmakers and it was fun spending our little free time playing around in the huge on-site water park!

After our dolphin encounter, we attended a welcome party at the Green Parrot Nassau on Wednesday night, then we headed back to the Atlantis for some snacks and drinks with a great group of filmmakers who ended up being our little crew for the rest of the festival.

Our filmmaker friends...

Thursday was our chill day.  We didn’t have anything planned until the opening film and party that evening, so after sleeping off the previous night’s festivities, we met up with Rass (lead actor, co-writer, producer and director of the AMAZING film The Athlete) – and we hit the water slides and the tubing river in the Atlantis water park.  It was awesome!

Photo 237 out of 365 – “Crazy Crustacean”

Crazy Crustacean - Settings: ISO 3200, f/4, 1/30 sec, 28-105mm lens (28mm)

I took this picture in the “Predator Cave” – which is a tunnel you walk through on your way from the Coral Towers to where the water slides are.  It’s really cool… you eventually walk through a glass tube within a larger tank and there are a variety of sharks, rays and other sea creatures swimming around you and over your head.

Thursday night we were invited to a screening of the opening night film Tamara Drewe, a hilariously funny British film directed by Stephen Frears.  I don’t know if/when it’s screening in the US – but it was a super fun movie and I highly recommend renting it if you don’t get a chance to see it in the theater!  We followed that up with the festival opening night party held in the beautiful Hall of Water in the Atlantis – then we crashed for the night.

Friday was a film marathon day!  We headed over to the theater with a bunch of people for the first shorts program at one o’clock, featuring our friend Kathleen’s amusing and quirky short film, Walk The Fish.  Hello Lonesome’s screening was next at three and it was a great success!  We had a healthy-sized audience (for BIFF standards… the average audience was pretty tiny), and most people stayed and participated in the Q&A with Adam after the film.  Then, we scooted over to a local restaurant for some Sky Juice and conch chowder before the next round of short films at seven, featuring Quarters, a film by our friends Drew & Ellie as well as Contact Zone – the shorts category winner created by Gustavius Smith.

Photo 238 out of 365 – “Kathleen”

"Kathleen" - Settings: ISO 6400, f/3.5, 1/30 sec, 100mm lens

This is the lovely Kathleen who made the short film Walk The Fish.  We hung out with Kathleen throughout the festival.  She was also my partner in crime at the black jack table!

Harry Potter & Hello Lonesome

We got a kick out of seeing Hello Lonesome in the theater next to Harry Potter – cool right?

On Saturday, we squeezed in an hour of sun at the pool, then we headed back to the theater to see our friend Rass’s film, The Athlete.  The Athlete is about the Ethiopian olympic marathon runner Abibe Bakila.  Bakila was the first African to win an olympic gold medal when he broke the world record for the fastest marathon time at the Rome olympics in 1960.  He also did it in BARE FEET!  This story of Bakila was touching, heartbreaking and totally inspirational – it was also gorgeously shot and brilliantly acted.  Adam and I both felt it was our favorite film we’ve seen at ANY festival in the last year.  Hopefully it will get distribution so the rest of the world can see it – as it is truly a remarkable and special film that deeply got to me.

Photo 239 out of 365 – “Retro Palm”

"Retro Palm" - Settings: ISO 100, f/10, 1/250 sec, 100mm lens

I took this Saturday morning before heading out to see The Athlete.  I was actually practicing shooting in full manual mode (I usually shoot in aperture priority mode) – so I took about ten pictures of this palm tree shifting the exposure each time.   I liked the framing of the shot – but it looked too boring with just the green palm and the blue sky – so I played around with the color.  I love it like this – I feel like it emanates warmth and it is much more visually interesting than before!

Saturday evening we were invited to a career achievement award presentation honoring Alan Arkin.  Abigal Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) was there to present the award and Jeffrey Lyons conducted an on-stage interview with Arkin.  It was interesting to learn that after Arkin won an Academy Award for his role in Little Miss Sunshine, he didn’t get another job offer for six months! This business is TOUGH.

After the ceremony, we hit the casino!  Kathleen and I stayed at the same table for about three hours (time flies when you’re winning in Blackjack) – then it was time for bed and I left the table up fifty dollars from my original $100 investment.  I gotta say… I sort of love gambling!  But only when I’m winning.

On Sunday morning we had our second screening of Hello Lonesome with an audience of around ten…  I think most of the island was still sleeping unfortunately, but it was a friendly audience and they seemed to really enjoy the film.  Then Sunday night was the awards presentation (always an exciting, stressful event).  Hello Lonesome was part of the New Visions Narrative Feature Competition.  There were five films in our competition – only one of which we had seen (Norman – which played at the Woodstock Film Festival with us), so we had no idea what to expect.  Then… to add to the suspense, the juror who was supposed to be there to announce the winner of our competition was MIA… so we had to wait until the end of the presentation to find out that…

WE WON!!!  Woo hoo!!!  Adam got a bit choked up when accepting his beautiful handmade wooden fish award.

Hello Lonesome WINS!!

And that’s not the end of the good news…  our man Rass won the Spirit of Freedom Narrative competition with The Athlete and also won the narrative audience award!  We couldn’t have been happier for him – he put his heart and soul into that film and every person in the audience could feel it.  Then our other friend Jessica won the Spirit of Freedom Documentary competition for her film (she was co-producer and assistant editor) – Budrus, which we did NOT get to see, but it is supposed to be amazing and I’m going to try to get my hands on a copy!  It was a happy happy night.

Following the awards, the festival closed with a screening of the film The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. The movie was awesome!  We all loved it.  And the cinematography was really interesting to me.  It was quite photographic – each scene was framed very intentionally in a unique style – a style that really appealed to me as a photographer.  I found myself paying close attention to each shot – noticing the framing and the depth of field – and thinking about how it was achieved (from what angle, the lighting, the movement, etc.).  I feel like I’ll never watch movies in the same way again.  But I’m really inspired.

Photo 240 out of 365 – “Junkanoo”

"Junkanoo" - Settings: ISO 6400, f/3.5, 1/50 sec, 28-105mm lens (28mm)

After the closing film, we were escorted out of the theater by a Junkanoo (island street parade) and then we celebrated with our new friends at the closing night party back at the Green Parrot Nassau.  It was amazing how much we packed into those five days – and we met some friends who we totally plan on staying connected with in the future.  In fact, a bunch of us are getting together this Sunday night in NYC for a little festival reunion!  That was the best part of this festival for us… the connections and friendships we made.  It was such an intimate and fun setting that it was easy to spend quality time with everyone at the festival – the other filmmakers, the festival director and staff and even the jurors!  It was a really awesome experience and we got a lot from it.  Thank you Bahamas!!

Which brings us to Monday… a sleepy trip back to NYC on Jet Blue and a freezing cold and gray city to welcome us home.  Brrrrrr.

Photo 241 out of 365 – “Cold Gray NYC”

"Cold Gray NYC" - Settings: ISO 800, f/5, 1/250 sec, 100mm lens

Oh – and finally… our other friend Rebecca is having a free screening of her award-winning documentary called War Don Don at the Tribeca Cinemas this Saturday night in NYC!  I did not get to see the film in the Bahamas, and we won’t be able to make it Saturday night – but if you are interested in film, go support her and go see it!  It’s free!  I can’t wait to see it myself.

One thing I’ve learned through this film festival process, is even if your film is awesome and even if you win multiple awards and play at dozens of festivals, it is REALLY hard to get distribution as an independent filmmaker.  Therefore, it is so important to support these films!  If you’re interested in film, you should look up the ones I mentioned in this post (I attached links to most of them) and find out how to see them or how to support them!

Ok… longest post ever.  I’m spent.  ’Til tomorrow!

A Wacky Wonderful Weekend in Woodstock…

6 Oct

So… it was an exciting, awesome and draining week up in the NY countryside.  Woodstock is such a chill and charming town – it was a pleasure being there and it was definitely a more low-key experience than the Los Angeles Film Festival.  We were able to relax a lot more. That being said – this festival experience is quite a ride of expectations, nerves and emotions.

We headed up to Woodstock on Wednesday night with our friends Brette & Ben. Brette was the casting director for Hello Lonesome and Ben is the glass blower extraordinaire I’ve written about in previous posts.  We found our country rental home in the dark, which was a little challenging, dropped off our stuff and headed out to a yummy (and SPICY) dinner at a place called New World Home Cooking, which is run by a guy named Ric Orlando – a former champion of the Food Network show “Chopped”.  Then, we came home and chilled… the calm before all the excitement began.

Thursday was a relaxing day.  It was still pretty sleepy in Woodstock and it was raining and raining and raining.  Earlier in the day, Adam sat on a filmmaker panel with filmmakers Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal, who were there with their movie Stranger Things, and with Larry Fessenden, who produced and acted in the awesome foodie horror film, Bitter Feast. Eleanor and Ron are a couple – he’s the director and she’s the cinematographer.  I have fantasies of being Adam’s cinematographer someday and doing a film together!  How amazing would that be?

Oh – and side note… in the filmmaker lounge before the panel started, I had my first and only celebrity spotting… Adrian Grenier.  He was there with a documentary he co-produced and was featured in called Don’t Quit Your Daydream.  I heard Ed Norton, Keanu Reeves and Ed Burns were also there but I didn’t see any of them.


After the panel, we went to see a highly entertaining documentary called Client 9 about the rise and fall of Elliot Spitzer.  I definitely recommend seeing it – it’s coming to theaters in early November.  It was an intriguing story… (I’m going to go on a tangent now)… I mean, in the end, Spitzer was an idiot for getting involved in a prostitution ring after busting prostitution rings himself a few years prior.  I mean, who knows what’s going on in his private life… I don’t like to judge – but that was just dumb – he was asking for it.  That being said, it seems like he’s a really smart guy – and that he’s not afraid to go after the hugely corrupt and powerful people that screw the rest of us.  So, I like him for that (of course, this is all based on what I learned from the two-hour film).

Thursday night the Chase family arrived – Harry Chase, the lead actor in Hello Lonesome, his lovely wife Becki and their daughter Em. We had two screenings during the festival – the first was on Friday at 11:30am.  When Friday arrived, were all a bit worried about how many people were going to show up because the screening was so early and because it was POURING outside.  It was a happy surprise when we got to the theater and they told us it was sold out!  YAY!!  This was probably my favorite screening yet of the film.  The audience just really connected with it – laughed loud and often, cried, stayed through the Q&A at the end and just pretty much gushed.  I got super emotional.  I was so proud of Adam and Harry and everyone involved in the film and the warmth and support from the audience was overwhelming.  It was a great way to start the festival and we all felt pretty high from it.

Upstate Films Woodstock... used to be a church... really cool theater

The audience... with Becki in the middle reading the festival guide

Adam and Harry worshipping each other's talent onstage during the Q&A

After the screening, we went to get burgers and beers at a local spot called Landau Grill, which is where I took Photo 175 – “Crazy-eyes Em”.  Here are a couple more from that kooky photo session:

Crazy-eyes Em with her crazy dad Harry. :)

Love this one...

On Friday night the rest of our entourage arrived, including my parents and their friend Barry, Rob, Amie, Brett, Alison and Jarrad.  We all stayed in two houses right next door to each other and Friday night we had an awesome evening at home. Harry and Becki brought a humungous pork loin, so Harry grilled that up and Becki made her out-of-this-world garlic mashed potatoes.  We also had a wonderful salad with fresh local tomatoes that were so yummy we didn’t even need dressing.  Of course, I made a cheese plate for everyone to hold them over before dinner.   A couple of us visited the local cheese shop in Woodstock earlier called C’est Cheese and picked up some yummy treats:

  • Hudson Red – a perfectly funky washed-rind raw cow’s milk cheese from the Hudson Valley – made by a guy named Doug at Twin Maple Farm
  • Beecher’s Flagship Cheddar – a deliciously sharp and nutty cheddar made in seattle from cow’s milk (pasteurized I believe).
  • Pierce Point - a seasonal fall/winter cheese from Cowgirl Creamery out in Cali, made from cow’s milk, washed in muscato wine and rolled in all kinds of herbs.  I wasn’t as crazy about this one… found it too mild for my taste, but the lady at the cheese shop swore by it.

Here’s a photo of the cheeses before they were devoured:

Beecher's Flagship, Pierce Point, Hudson Red (from left to right)

And here’s a photo of our delicious dinner for fifteen!!

YUM.

Saturday we had no screenings, so after a home-cooked breakfast (it was either Harry or Adam… the men took turns churning out our awesome breakfasts), we headed to Rhinebeck to see a film in the narrative competition called Norman.  We were all very mixed on Norman.  A few of us (including me) liked it… some of us HATED it.  Just goes to show that film/art is subjective!

After lunch, we raced home to do our “Patriots” photo shoot in the hot tub while there was still light.  So… before more pictures, let me explain.  First… if you’ve seen Hello Lonesome, you know that Harry Chase’s character “Bill” sports these babies a few times when he’s chilling at home in his hot tub.  Yes – they were Adam’s idea.  He’s a freak (yet a a brilliant and adorable one if I do say so myself).  So… Adam got a pair of them too while shooting the film two years ago.  When we were packing for Woodstock, I decided to throw them in our suitcase – you never know when an opportunity might arise for an embarrassing photo shoot!  Oddly enough – Harry brought his pair too – without being reminded – so a photo shoot was set! Here are some of my favorites:

Sexy

Sexier

Sexiest! Yes... that is my father in the corner.

So no… Adam has not decided to start a new career in male porn (thank god).  This was all in good fun… but man… the fact that Brette found Harry Chase to play “Bill” in this movie was just such fate.  I mean… he is so the man for this – it’s insane. Oh – and just to mention, this is Harry’s first ever on-screen role!  He rocked it big time.

On Sunday we had our final screening at 12:30pm in Rhinebeck, NY.  It was another excellent screening, this time also attended by Nate Smith, who plays “Gordon” in the film.

Nate & Adam during the Q&A

The crowd was once again really moved by the performances and Adam was as wonderful as ever on-stage during the Q&A.  He is so in his element talking about his work…  it’s really inspiring.

Then… we had an awesome lunch at Terrapin in downtown Rhinebeck. The Roasted Garlic Soup and Golden Nugget Squash Soup were both to die for!  And then it was time to head back home.  Though Hello Lonesome was not in competition for a narrative award – it was up for an audience award – audience members had to vote on a scale of one to five after each screening.  With all that enthusiasm, I was really hoping we were going to win.  I mean… I always think we’re going to win. Unfortunately, we found out Monday morning that another film called White Irish Drinkers won.   Oh well… can’t have it all!

So – that was the Woodstock experience.  I hope we have many excuses to go back to the Woodstock Film Festival in the years ahead.  Maybe we’ll go with an “Adam and Nell Reid Production”… a girl can dream right?  In the meantime, be sure to check out the Hello Lonesome website for more news and screening information.  Also – if you have a Netflix account… do a search for “Hello Lonesome” and save it to your Queue!

Monday Monday…

20 Sep

So, today I’m having one of those days.  It’s Monday of course, so I guess that happens.  It’s like this…  I have what seems like a million things on my to-do list, but can’t quite seem to get any of them crossed off.  Does that ever happen to you?  Everything just ends up being a bit more complicated than it should be.  For example, I went to pick up our cleaning this morning (what should have been a five minute task) and their computer was down, so I literally had to sit there, while the girl rotated the dry-cleaning rack piece by piece until we found my clothes.  Fun stuff.

Anyway, it was a busy and lovely weekend filled with lots of walking, lots of eating (of course) and even a Broadway show – so let’s start by catching up with the 365 project and look at photos 161, 162 and 163:

Photo 161 out of 365 – “Ramen Factory”

"Ramen Factory" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/4.5, 1/40 sec, 50mm lens

Adam and I are PSYCHED!  We discovered a heavenly little ramen spot just 3 blocks away from our apartment on Friday night and had the most delicious hot, spicy, noodly dinner.  The restaurant is called Minca Ramen Factory on 5th street between avenue A & B.  I got the pork & chicken mixed broth with pieces of sliced stewed pork and thin noodles.  Adam got spicy ramen with pork broth and thin noodles.  We are totally hooked now!  The slices of pork in the soup were melt-in-your mouth, fall apart tender and yummy – and the hot, comforting broth set us off just right for a quiet movie night at home.  It was a great start to the weekend.

Photo 162 out of 365 – “Papa Bubble”

"Papa Bubble" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, 50mm lens

On Saturday, Adam and I had a nice leisurely morning and then walked all over the Lower East Side, Little Italy, Chinatown and Soho.  The weather was incredible!  I love days like that in New York.  It makes me fall in love with the city all over again. When I wander around NY like that, I feel like I am on a trip – exploring the unknown.  There are so many cool little shops and restaurants and parades of people – it is so stimulating!  And the neighborhoods are all so distinct from each other.  It’s magic.

The photo above was taken in a little shop called Papa Bubble.  It is an artisanal candy shop on Broome between Mott & Mulberry, that makes the most gorgeous little hard candies!  In the store, they have people making the candy right there so you can watch (behind a glass shield).  It was amazing!  The guy above was rolling this huge fat log of candy back and forth while stretching it into long skinny tubes with his hands.  Then there was another girl, chopping those tubes into candy straws, which later would be cut into tiny little bite-size sucking candies.  It’s a really cool thing to watch!  Here’s a video – but you should check this place out in person – and the candies make great gifts!

Photo 163 out of 365 – “Disco Fever”

"Disco Fever" - Settings: ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/100 sec, 50mm lens

I took this photo yesterday on my way in to the matinee show of La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway. The theater was decked out with disco balls and hot pink feather boas and all things nightclub drag!  Kelsey Grammer played one of the lead roles and we ended up with fantastic seats – right up front – and at a 40% discount thanks to the TKTS booth!  Here I am with one of the fabulous eight-foot tall drag queens.

Is it wrong that I was kind of jealous of her toned-to-the-extreme bod?

Anyway, the month of October is quickly approaching and it’s going to be a month for the record books – Hello Lonesome is playing in seven film festivals including our first international premiere at the American Film Festival in Poland.  Unfortunately, we cannot go to all these festivals – but there is much work to be done getting everything ready.  Then there’s my photography debut at the Brooklyn cheese shop (details to follow), another awesome job for Food Network (details to follow) and our one-year anniversary, which will be celebrated while we’re at the Woodstock Film Festival next weekend! Sheesh!  Life is crazy. And awesome.  But I gotta admit… my head is starting to spin a bit. :)

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