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February 2, 2011

Sundance wrap-up

Above: James M. Johnston, myself and Toby Halbrooks at the Short Film Awards Ceremony, where, in spite of our expressions, the fact that we didn't win anything didn't effect our extremely high spirits. Photo by Mike Hedge.

So, that was pretty outstanding.

A week up in the snow with my best friends and collaborators, watching movies and showing off our own. As insurmountable and officious as Sundance seems to be from the outside, it's pretty warm and cuddly once you're through the doors. Everyone on the staff knows your name; everyone has seen your film. Everyone loves your film. It's all so nurturing and friendly and intense and thrilling, you just want to rush home and make a new film right away so you can reserve your spot for next year. Then you realize that after the price of your condo and buying tickets to see movies, you're not going to be able to afford to make a movie for a long, long time. Somewhere between those two dichotic extremes, inspiration and level-headedness triumphs.

As far as press goes, Filmmaker Magazine ran an interview with yours truly towards the end of the festival. And, as previously mentioned, I blogged about the festival for Rooftop Films. You can read my missives here, here, here and here. Forgive my typos, for I wrote most of my entries on my phone in between screenings. Speaking of which, I saw sixteen other films at the festival. These were Septien, The Woods, How To Die In Oregon, The Catechism Cataclysm, Take Shelter, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Oregonian, Attenberg, Here, Bellflower, Lord Byron, Uncle Kent, Circumstance, Terri, Another Earth and The Bengali Detective. Of these titles, there was only one I wanted to walk out of, and four that I absolutely loved. I'll let you guess which ones were which.

And although we approached Sundance without a blessed bit of business on our minds, it seems the rash of acquisitions that ran through the festival extended to us. I think we've sold Pioneer. More on that, and additional screenings, in the weeks to come.

We left Park City last Friday, and apparently took the winter with us. On Monday, Toby and I flew to Rhode Island to shoot a video for Okkervil River. We woke up there yesterday to a blizzard, and managed to fly back to a Texas encased in ice. The temperature here right now makes Park City seem relatively balmy. I'll count myself lucky and enjoy it while it lasts.

Posted by David Lowery at February 2, 2011 8:47 PM