Back from Sundance

 A snowy ride back from Park City, a little sliding but no accident.  Good news, Push won three awards and the last movie we saw 5 minutes of Heaven won best foreign drama.  It was a exploration of reconciliation between two waring "tribes" in this case the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Idaho.  The script was excellent and the acting was great.  Again another movie I feel I learned something about.  Won't talk about the ending but to say the least it was not very realistic.  Next year, more days, more films.   Met another film person who I hope to be supportive of each other. She is working on a film about leukemia, a friend of her's died. She says I can get my project on her public access channel, one outlet down.  Good news, today got a email from Obama's staff about talking to them by phone on our community meeting.    Maybe I can be of help, it's that cool.   Thanks for the comments on the blog. Take care

Busy day saw two documentaries and one drama.   

Yes Men Save The World  is two NY guys who go around the world as impostors exposing corrupt crimes like the chemical spill in India, housing shames in Katrina and weird inventions to say rich people during natural disasters. Check out their web site yesmen.org

William Kunstler was the second documentary, traditional style on a lawyer I knew who represented progressives and later criminals. His daughters were the film makers and they spoke after the film was shown about their dad.   With all is flaws he was a great man who fought against injustice.

The only drama was a award winning job.  "Push" is about a women who is a black overweight teenager in NYC who is abused and is able to rise above it without being unrealistic. In fact the scenes with the social worker made me think of my days in county welfare in NJ.  See this film if and when it comes out. It is life changing.  

Off tomorrow to more films. Will post pictures tomorrow.

Day One Thursday Jan 22

Warm day in Park City, light rain. Howard Zinn, historian did a reading of his work that has the speeches of famous events in people history of U.S. It was being filmed for a documentary. Mellisa Leo,  did Susan B. Anthony speaking at her trail after her arrest for voting illegally as a women. Mellisa was great, she was great in Homicide Life on the street and she lit up the stage, even though I saw it on a monitor outside of the performance space. 

"Boy Interrupted" a documentary on the loss of her 15 year old son to suicide. The most brave and best film I have ever seen on survivors of suicide.  I got to meet the director and thank her for the effort.  He maybe on HBO in the future, well worth the watch.  Bipolar disease is what he had and she admits we have little understanding of the illness. 

Last film of the day was "Big River", a 53 year old overweight man from Slovenia swims the Amazon, facing not only the waters but his own demons. He has swam the Yangtze and the Mississippi Rivers.  He and his son made the opening and it was great to see he survived after a year of what looked like a breakdown after the 60 plus day swim. 

Day One Thursday Jan 22

We are off to Sundance Film festival to see some great documentaries and some drama.  Excited to see  Big River, about a man that swims the Amazon to save the planet and William Kunstler the famous civil rights lawyer on his life by his grown kids.   

On my project have lined up four interviews in Eastern Idaho, see next month and looking on more interviews in Blackfoot area.   With that some loose ends and more editing.

Keep you posted on the festival and the project.