BENDFILM - 1

Well Bret and I got in yesterday at noon, and much to my surprise Vincent, form the most entertaining documentary Vincent: A Life in Color was on our flight into Redmond along with a few other filmmakers. We get to town and we are staying at a very beautiful house that is straight out of an issue of Better Homes and Gardens. We are about three blocks from Downtown where all the "action" is. There are a about a million local restaurants here, this place feels unreal. I attempted to watch Road to Fallujah but was half asleep the for half the film. Overall from what I saw I liked, and the Q & A was heated so that was fun. Then after like 32hrs of being awake, we called it a night. Today we began with a Filmmaker Breakfast, and got meet some very nice people. Our screening partners from the excellent short "Royalty Free" hung out with us all day making the multiple treks back and forth from screening to screening much easier to procure.

We ate dinner at the Lahianna Gallery, which had several Pop Surrealist renderings of Bears interacting with things, odd and enjoyable. Overall I am just frustrated that I won't be seeing half of the films I want to. I am glad I printed out some new lobby Cards that Andrew made, which are larger and just nicer in general. I am definitely submitting here again, this is an excellent and laid back festival. And it is pretty, will post pictures soon!

VideoFest 22

So this year at the festival formerly known as the Dallas Video Festival, now just Videofest, Adrian Make Movie is taking over residency. With a total of three shorts playing, Gillface, Sleet/Snow, and Start a Band. Very exciting news, hopefully more news is to come! I also saw that the Beaches of Agnes is playing, which is by a very favorite filmmaker of mine, Agnes Varda. It is a film that has been at the top of my list to see since it premiered last year! Sleet/Snow will play in the Texas Show this year, which is a great honor. I've gone to this festival for a few years now and really am happy to finally have a film playing in it, and two films at that.

A few words on Start a Band, it was a film shot mainly to get me out of a 10 month rut of literally making nothing, during which time I produced a few films, but never really directed anything. I am very excited to see it play. That is really nice news since it was shot literally the week of the deadline!

Mark your calendars!

David's film will be playing on Saturday, November 7th, and Daniel's films will screen on the Sunday, November 8th. More screenings to come before the year is out.

BendFilm

It is sort of a tradition here at The Adrian Make Movie Official Blog, to discuss which films I am most excited about at each festival we are attending, and then sort of recap which ones I liked and didn't care to elaborate on. First I will mention that Children of Invention is playing (big surprise!) this film screened at AFI Dallas and I had the chance to meet Tze and I absolutely loved his film. I may even watch it again, but I've seen twice already and there are so many other films I will be trying to catch.

A big hole from South by was 45365. Which I got a chance to see via SnagFilms over the summer, but I knew then when I watched it, that it was an experience best reserved for a theatrical viewing. Thankfully I will get another chance to catch this one. I also really watch to see, while I'm on the subject of Documentaries, The Road to Fallujah, which played Slamdance earlier this year and I just can't pretend I am not curious about it. Vincent also looks like a random bit of fun, which is a film seemingly about a guy who wears colorful suits.

The opening night film, "A Film With Me In It" was particularly amazing at South by, but we did see it at a midnight screening, so I am ready to give it another chance seeing as there isn't really anything else going on other then that! We are screening before the films Fuel and Blue Bus, the latter of which looks very promising. Bomber was also one Adrian and I almost saw at in Austin but missed due mainly to scheduling. I am going to make a concerted attempt to see as many shorts as possible, and also re-watch Jon Bryant's hilarious Overbrook Brothers.

Mostly what excites me about BendFilm is not the cool festival programs (which I have no doubt will be great!) it is a part of the country I have never seen. I only wish I was driving there instead of flying! I hope we can convince our hosts to take us to see some of the beauty that is the northwest part of this country.

All sorts of stuff

Adrian Make Movie is in the

News! (as interviewed by our good friend Alfred, photographed by our moderate acquaintance, ie role model, Adam Donaghey)

and in the

PRESS! (featured with the great James M. Johnston and our buddy Andrew Disney!)

BendFilm Oct 9th, is where "sleet/snow" screens next, which also recently played The Modern in Fort Worth!

Also will be a part of the Texas Show at the Videofest 22 in Dallas in November which will be joined by Gillface and Hurtgenwald.

The Runner will be playing at the Mid Atlantic Black Film Festival in Virginia as well.

In other news Aaron Holloway's new short Big Hands is finishing up its long road of post production, and we just started submitting that out a few weeks ago. And the lastest Adrian Make Movie is "Start a Band" which was made in conjunction with the Backyard Movies collective nearing completion and is my latest film.

Also now this is online, which is arguably more of a backyard film then "Start a Band" on a thematic level alone. I wrote about it in detail here.

North Street Bummer from Daniel Laabs on Vimeo.