The Constant Process Wins Best Documentary prize at Smogdance 2009!
This weekend was the 11th annual Pomona Valley Film Festival, otherwise known as Smogdance '09.
Its a shorts film festival that includes a broad range of work from narrative, to experimental, to documentary. It was held at the newly restored Fox theater which opened 87 years ago and is everything you would hope for in a theater from that era.
I attended the festival on Friday night and was impressed. First, the Fox theater is wonderful. As a filmmaker, you want to have your work screened in a place like that. The projection was really impressive, they got a new projector and the results were excellent, my film really looked the way it is supposed to look, with great color and crisp clear blacks and whites. What's more impressive is that due to some trouble setting up, they could only project DVDs. I never thought a projected DVD could look that good. They only thing they need to work on for next year is the audio. The Fox is a BIG room with a lot of reverb, which made the films hard to hear.
The audience was was also very good. I suspect they had 300+ in attendance with over a thousand total attendance over three days. It was a diverse audience, I was impressed to see good numbers of people under 25 and over 50 at the same event. This really made it a "something for everyone" event for both the audience and the filmmakers. After screening events were held at the Da Center for the Arts and that too was a good venue. A cool place to hang out and talk with the audience and other filmmakers surrounded by an impressive collection of work by local artists.
Of course the best part of the festival was winning the best documentary award. I'd like to express my gratitude to the festival, the judges, and all the work that the cast and crew put into the film. Its wonderful to be acknowledged like that! This was the film's 5th festival and its second award. It also won a Director's Choice Silver Medal for Excellence, at the Park City Film Music Festival in January.
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our congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! That is awesome. What happens next with the film?
ReplyDeleteTOTALLY cool!
ReplyDeleteI saw your film on Friday night and loved it. I am an LDS woman that struggled with which way to vote on Prop 8, until finally voting NO. I read about The Constant Process months ago in the L.A. times and made sure I was able to see it at SmogDance. Thank you for your work. I was moved and touched by Susan Russell's story. I would love to hear more about your perspective,Mr Hunter. Thank you for being an example to other LDS people, to open up minds and hearts just a little.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments I am so glad that you were able to see the film. I wish we had met after the screening. It sounds like you were in a position that many LDS folks were in during prop 8. How do you feel about your vote after the fact?
You know, I feel good about my vote, because ultimately I followed my heart and voted the way that I felt most right to me. I say "most right" because I have deep beliefs in what our religion believes marriage to be and beliefs about homosexuality in general, but also feel a strong love and compassion for the gay community, and a belief that gay marriages and families are comprised of good hearted people that deserve to have a legal union and commitment. I felt very uneasy for a considerable time before the vote, going back and forth. Whether its a luxury or a disadvantage, I do not see this issue as black and white. I would love it if you did a film about your perspective as an LDS man. And please, if you are speaking anywhere locally please let me know.
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