Eclectic Views

    
A couple of weeks ago, I filled out applications for the Sundance
Producers Lab and the IFP Market, two events I'd like to attend in
August/September.  I can't count on either one.  Sundance is a long
shot for sure, but worth applying to.  If I'm accepted, it's a huge
credibility builder for me and the film.

The application process asks for details about me and my project. 
Although the requirements for each were similar, they made me sweat. 
For IFP, they wanted the following:

Logline: 25 words maximum.
Synopsis:  60 words.
Project Summary:  500 words.
Artistic Statement:  500 words.
Personal Biography:  100 words.

Sundance wanted:

Personal Biography:  100 words.
Project Synopsis:  200 words.
Production Details:  200 words.

Of course, these are similar.  But it takes work to fashion one
synopsis under 60 words and another under 200.  And in general, it's
difficult to tout yourself and your work.  That's why people have
publicists and agents.

Anyway, the applications are filed.  Now I wait.  IFP promises a
response by July 23 for the event September 17-21.  Sundance says I'll
know by mid-June for the conference which runs August 3-6.
  

    

Bravo!  Get it out there.
  

    
Good luck!
  

    
Fingers crossed.
  

    

wow, a 60-word synopsis is really hard to write. No room at all for nuances,
is there? Good luck, (kevinm)!
  

    
Well, so.  The Sundance folks replied quickly -- no go.  I am now
being a pain in the ass, which means asking why I (and my project) were
rejected.  I recognize that they can't give a detailed response to
that kind of question to everyone who asks, but meanwhile, I'm hoping
that the squeaky wheel will get a tiny bit of grease.

Meanwhile, a friend of mine, Katherine Leggett, did get into the
Sundance Producers Conference, for which I am very happy.  She's done
fabulous work, and her new project promises to be very fun.  It's all
about exorcism.  Yes, exorcism!  Still going on in the Eastern European
world, and she's been there with her husband Romi, another friend,
shooting the real deal.  Romi's from Transylvania, by the way, which I
find endlessly fascinating...
  

    
Dropping by to say hello -- hello! -- and offer an update on the wacky
world.

The car film finds itself in that hazy world between production
(mostly done) and post-production (continuing).  Meanwhile, I've just
completed a short film honoring the 40th anniversary of 'Beyond
Vietnam,' an address by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered at New
York's Riverside church on April 4, 1967.  As you no doubt know, in the
final year of his life, Dr. King called for strong antiwar activism. 
The address at Riverside stands among his greatest speeches.  It's
shocking to hear it today -- and discover how little things have
changed in 40 years.
 
If you're interested in seeing 'Beyond Vietnam: 40 Years Later' --
essentially a four-minute edited excerpt from Dr. King's speech -- you
can go to
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3zwcQlWsPU

And of course, if you like the film, encourage people to see it. 
That's the point, really -- to encourage a more vigorous dialog about
what we should be doing to achieve peace in our time.
  

    
What a cool reminder!  How'd you put the project together ?
  

    
Yes, many folks have found this to be a good reminder indeed.

The project spark came when I heard the speech a month or so ago on
Alternative Radio.  It was just so incredibly current -- so surreally
now -- that I felt compelled to put together something that would
inspire that same feeling in others.

As an artist of the filmic stripe, it was obvious what to do!
  

    
Are you distributing that exclusively on youtube?
  

    
Yes, for now.  I figure in a time when 45 million viewers can watch
'Evolution of Dance' on YouTube, maybe a few thousand can watch 'Beyond
Vietnam.'  And who knows?  Maybe it will make a positive difference...
  

    
I'm happy to report that YouTube reports more than 3600 viewings of
the film as of now.  Perhaps a few shy of 45 million, but give it time!

A programmer wrote to ask if it's possible to show at her/his film
festival.  That's nice!
  

    
Hooray!
  

    

3600 viewings is great, Kevin. Congrats!
  

    
Thanks, Gail and Cindy!

Good news -- an interview went up today at

http://www.popandpolitics.com/2007/04/12/beyond-vietnam-2007/

That may be a permalink,but in any case, it's an honor to be on their
front page today.  Pop+Politics is a non-partisan website committed to
debating and exchanging new ideas, as well as empowering younger
Americans to engage in civic life.  By way of full WELL disclosure,
Farai Chideya is the foundiing editor of P+P!
  

    
How cool!