Drifting by David Lowery: Proof

November 25, 2009

Proof

I got back to Texas to find two e-mails awaiting me. The first was a note from Bill Ross - 'proof your film was in Denver over the weekend,' he wrote, in reference to this attached photo.

The other was from another filmmaker friend, relaying exactly the sort of news one might hope to get around Thanksgiving time. Until December, intuit liberally.

We had a grand time in Thessaloniki. The culture of filmgoing at a festival like that is so different than what I'm used to. I detected no hints of buzz, no waves of hype (maybe it was because I didn't spek Greek, but I doubt it). In their place, there was curiosity, and courage, and a willingness to sit down - en masse! - and share in a new experience. The whole thing reminded me of that thing Jarmusch said once, about how blue collar workers in Italy discuss Dante on their lunch breaks.

A few other notes:

Both of our screenings were amazing, for different reasons. The first had the austere majesty of the palatial Olympian Theater, which may not have been the biggest screen the movie's ever been shown on but certainly felt like it. The second was a warmer, more intimate affair, and it was here that an audience member asked me about the steadfast wardrobe in the film - a question which I'd never expected to be asked and hence delighted me beyond measure because it meant that people were paying attention.

Of all the programs at the festival, the one that interested me most was the Phillipines Rising section. I saw three Brillante Mendoza movies, culminating with Kinatay. I wouldn't say I'm a fan so much as an interested party - and in regards to that particular work, the lengthy van ride is a tour de force, but the guignol display that follows seemed unsavory in all the wrong ways.

I unfortunately didn't get to see any of Raya Martinez' films, as they all screened prior to my arrival. I also wonder if I missed out in a big way by not going to see Lav Diaz' nine-hour Melancholia.
I didn't meet Herzog because I couldn't think of anything to say to him. He sat behind us at the closing night dinner, however, and Savanna went up to him and told him that she liked Aguirre. Actually, I think the only part she really liked were the monkeys at the end, but still - it was a beautiful little moment. He stood up like the gentleman he is and shook her hand and thanked her.

There's apparently no such thing as lactose intolerance in Greece.

That does it for St. Nick festivals for the rest of the year. Next up, I suppose, is distribution...

Posted by David Lowery at November 25, 2009 3:00 PM