Not long ago I had a conversation with a relative who asked me if I had a blog, which I replied to with an emphatic “no, I can’t imagine that many people being interested in anything I had to say.”
Not long after, I started a blog. I cannot say why, but perhaps after further reflection I realized that if I had been making films and writing for the better part of 15 years, for the sole purpose of communication, why not write online as well? It’s possibly part that, as well as a sense that the mere fact that I was writing down my thoughts on films and personal activism, the more I felt I was actually moving forward. So with that, I am hoping to make my presence felt here in this space more frequently, if for nothing else than to push myself along.
My short, “Useless Things” is playing in Toronto in a week. I’m going to be there, and I am fairly excited about the fact because after years of work and so many drops of sweat and tears, I get to enjoy one of the very few perks being a director: namely be the guest of a festival dedicated to filmmaking. I was recently reminded of the first film festival I ever got invited to, the New York Underground Film Festival, with a film I made with Paul Kell called Do Not Ruin Your Credit. I met a lot of filmmakers doing a lot of the same things I was, and got watch a lot of films that still influence me. It was one of the best memories of my life – my only wish is that these congregations of like minds happened more often. A teacher once told me about the syndrome of the “lonely artist” – it’s easy to get lost in your own head and burn out when your only major interactions regarding your work happen once every few years. I suppose the answer is to get more films into film festivals.
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