Bicoastal Machinations

Hot damn. I’m about to become a festival-screened director (I find it hard to count the Georgetown/Adams Morgan fest, as it basically had zero attendance — and certainly doesn’t qualify for IMDB inclusion). Okay, so I was a festival-screened executive producer already, but it’s not quite the same thing. And on top of that, we’ve also got a screening coming up next weekend right here in DC (well, Arlington anyway).

Okay, some details. First, “Machinations” has just been accepted into the Science Fiction Short Film Festival, taking place February 3 in Seattle, Washington. I’m pretty damned proud of this little accomplishment, and am really excited about the opportunity.

I had actually checked the notification date on the Without A Box website, and was saddened to see that it was past, and that accepted filmmakers had already been notified. Since I hadn’t gotten any such notification, I figured we were out. And then I opened my email — which I hadn’t checked since Friday afternoon — and sitting right there was the acceptance notification. I’ve pretty much been walking on air all day. Hell, I didn’t accomplish squat. I didn’t even shower. Be thankful the Internet doesn’t convey smell.

If anyone wants to fly out — or if any of you West Coasters want to give it a look-see (not to mention giving us the chance to catch up) — let me know and we can get tickets and coordinate schedules!

More locally (well, for our DC-based contingent anyway), the film will be screening at 4:00 p.m. on January 13 at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. This screening will be a showcase of locally-produced films for the National Film Challenge (I actually put together the little “title sequence” for the event), and I’m really happy to have this venue in which to host it (sure beats the hell out of my office’s common room). Tickets are only $5 apiece — and since it’s a restaurant to boot, there’ll be plenty of food and drink available as well. I really want a big turnout for this one — especially since theater revenue (well, once we recover the amount we paid to get the theater in the first place) will be divvied up by which film attendees are there to support (you’ll have a chance to express your preference upon entry). Frankly, it’d be nice to make back some of our expenses for a change... So while I’ll understand if you can’t make it all the way out to Seattle, this one there’s no excuse for missing...

Well, unless you’re a left-coaster, of course.

Machinations

No, this isn’t a politically themed post (well, not directly anyway). I just wanted to pass along the news that — along with the recent DC Shorts selection “Quite Contrary” — my short film “Machinations” will be screening at the Georgetown/Adams Morgan Film & Music Festival next week. Which I’m pretty jazzed about. No, the Georgetown fest isn’t quite on the scale of something like DC Shorts, but it’s still a pretty big vote of confidence (though no word as to whether it qualifies the film for inclusion in the Internet Movie Database — I’ll be checking).

For those of you who might be interested, the screenings are at the DC Arts Center Theater in Adams Morgan (2438 18th Street, NW), and tickets and passes are exclusively available at the Idle Time Bookstore (located right across the street). Tickets for a film block are $5 apiece, day passes are $50, and all-access passes are $100. Both films are being screened the afternoon of Friday, November 17th; “Quite Contrary” as part of the 1:30 block, and “Machinations” with the 3:30 block.

It’s funny — I find my feelings about this film swing wildly, and I’m coming to realize that a big part of that is audience reaction. I was really excited about the film once we finished it and showed a few people, all of whom really got into it. Then I showed it to some folks here at the office, and it didn’t get as overt a response; not that they didn’t like it, but they didn’t really show anything one way or another. I was kind of bummed about it after that. Then we had our cast and crew screening — definitely a positive response — and I was back on top again (which is when I submitted it to Georgetown). Another screening for the creative department at my office, and another lackluster reception — a Q&A with no “Q” doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Crap.

And now — after sending out the news to the Tohubohu mailing list, I find myself checking my inbox every few minutes to see if anyone’s responded.

You know, for an “artist” who’s supposedly self-driven, who isn’t supposed to care how the audience receives my work, I’m not doing a very good job of staying aloof.