SYNOPSIS
Last night, Rhett Somers met the love of his life. Now all he has to do is convince her she's the one. Not an easy feat considering how they met...
Well, this time it's not only me who thinks that, but I got validation from the judges: 'True Beauty' won best short at this year's San Diego Film Festival! And this is pretty much the only Award Ceremony I didn't go to in the area.
See? I'm nowhere in that picture. Darnit! I could have been going up to the podium, nervous as hell, stammered some incoherent things, surprisingly thanked my high school principal, Herr Katzenwadel, and sat down with a red face but a hunking glass trophy. Well, I still got the trophy.
MORE INFO
Sometimes, I just don't know what festival programmers are thinking. In one festival 'True Beauty' is in the Suspense/Thriller category, and now in Falstaff, it's in the 'Comedy and Horror' section. Well, maybe it's just a way of saying it's horribly funny. Or humorously horrible? Either way, 'True Beauty' is an official selection of the Falstaff Film Festival, taking place November 14-20 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
MORE INFO
Man, am I behind in this blog. I know I don't really have this massive readership, holding their breath for any news regarding the latest exploits of the short, but I feel bad. Just for myself. I'm so behind I have to write about something that already happened, and it should have been a 'hey! look at this! an award!' kinda thing. Well, here it is: HEY! LOOK AT THIS! AN AWARD! 'True Beauty' won 'Best Independent Narrative' at the Canadian International Annual Film/Video Festival. Canada is a beautiful place indeed.
MORE INFO
Land of a thousand mysteries, 330 million deities and probably even more festivals. Plus one: The Kalpanirjhar International Film Festival has accepted... well, is screening 'True Beauty' right now. The festival takes place in Kolkata and will run until the 5th of November, which is tomorrow. Sorry for the late notice. Not that I expected anybody to jump on a plane and head on over there. But I never was quite sure if the film even made it over there. I was approached by a Nilanjan Hajra from the US Consulate General in Kolkata about the film, and I had to send it to a so-called 'pouch address' in Virgina that would route the film to India. Otherwise it would surely get stuck in Indian customs. Felt like a John LeCarre novel. Sending something through a dead-tree-drop. Only without all the danger. Or intrigue. Or anything sembling interest. I just sent something to an address in the US. Big deal. Man, this one sounded better in my head...
MORE INFO
The Lone Star International Film Festival is a bit more beautiful; they've accepted 'True Beauty' to their 3rd Annual event, running November 11 through 15.
Yeehaaw!
MORE INFO
I wasn't really upset for winning 'Best Suspense/Thriller' at the Indie Gathering (hell, I take any award I can get my grubby hands on), but I always thought the genre designation was a bit suspect. But with the LA Comedy Festival, running November 5 through 22, there's really no complaining. It is, after all, 'the place for all things funny'...
'True Beauty' plays this Thursday night at the ACME Theater in Hollywood.
MORE INFO
After Florida (the state clearly obsessed with 'True Beauty'), Texas scores second place in the competition of 'every man, woman and child needs to see True Beauty'. Rockport, Texas is holding an annual Film Festival November 5 through 8, and we're in.
MORE INFO
I'm trying to see how obscure I can get with the titles and people still understand what the hell I'm talking about. Two more hints: Song. And:
Exactly: 'True Beauty' was accepted into this year's Santa Monica International Film Festival, taking place November 4-10. You're so smart...
MORE INFO
I like Dallas, I lived in Dallas for over 15 years, but when it comes to the only really cool city in Texas, there's just one: Austin. It's a great place, and they've got a great film festival. Usually at festivals they give out awards to some half-dead celebrity from forty years ago, or Errol Flynn's stuntman's wardrobe assistant. Now in Austin, Michale Keaton is giving Ron Howard an award. That kind of festival. And 'True Beauty' is part of it. So I'm going out there, and if for nothing else then for the filmmaker happy hour Friday night.
The Austin Film Festival runs October 22-29.
MORE INFO
Maybe I should have translated the titel of this film festival earlier then today when I decided to write about it: 'True Beauty' was accepted into this years La Boca del Lobo International Short Film Festival, taking place in Madrid, Spain, October 21-30. The Lion's Den. From what I hear it's a slugfest with shorts being merciless booed off the screen. I mean, their logo's got two crossed sabres...
MORE INFO
After spending twenty minutes trying to figure out something interesting about Asheville, I gave up, and here's why: Asheville is too nice. Not only because they accepted 'True Beauty' in their festival this year, running November 12 through 15, but because it is one of the '50 Most Alive Places to Be' (Modern Maturity), one of 'America's Top 25 Arts Destinations' (AmericanSytle), the 'most vegetarian-friendly' small city in America (PETA), and even the 'Happiest City for Women (Self Magazine). Well, there goes my cynism, right out the window.
MORE INFO
Polish up them Umlauts: Turkish has got to be the language with the craziest spelling without completely going overboard and throwing the Latin alphabet out the window: 'gerçek güzellik bu gece' was accpeted into the Istanbul International Short Film Festival, running November 4 through 11. For the trivia nerds: Istanbul is the only city in the world situated on two continents, and depending on what side of the Bosphorus the screening is held, this could turn out to be an Asian premiere. But we might never know...
MORE INFO Tell you what; just out of curiosity, I did a google-translation-thing on 'True Beauty', and I stand corrected: the craziest spelling might be Icelandic: sannur fegurð þessa nótt. what the f&*%? Who comes up with these letters?
Oh sure, we've all heard about Sundance, Slamdance, maybe Raindance (booh!), or even Dances with Films, but those are just that: well known. Enter Lakedance. In Sandpoint, Idaho. And as of today, that's the only -dance festival I care about (until of course the others - except Raindance - booh! - call; then I do care greatly). 'True Beauty' will play November 5th @ 7:30 at the Panida Theater as part of The Lakedance International Film Festival.
MORE INFO
I had to dig this up myself while obsessivly googling my film: 'True Beauty' received an "Honorable Mention - Comedy" at the 7th iP Short Film Contest. Funny thing is that they didn't 'mention' that to me. iP stands for Independent Producer, and according to their website they are 'Hollywood's #1 Networking Source'. Great, now all I have to wait for is some bigshot in Hollywood to obsessively google my film and I should be set...
MORE INFO
This one's not just one lousy city in Europe but all over the map: Barcelona! Moscow! Athens! Stockholm! Budapest! ... and so on. You get the idea. It's a traveling Film Festival, the aptly named European Film Festival is, and 'True Beauty's along for the ride. It's Europe's biggest Indie Fest (so they say), and this here has nothing to do with it, it just looks cool:
MORE INFO
One thing European cities got that's very cool is them coats of arms. They all got lions and dragons and ornamental stuff that makes it look oh-so-European-aristocratic-snobbish. The stuff you find on a Marc Ecko shirt. Salford's got this one:
Pretty cool, right? Now here's the interesting part (and not that I'm projecting here), but guess what is the twin city of Salford since 1966? Clermont-Ferrand. Need I say more?
The Salford Film Festival takes place November 20th-24th.
MORE INFO
If you answered Kansas, you're wrong. It's Florida! And yet another city agreed to show our film. This time Miami, for the 8th Miami Short Film Festival, November 13-22nd. Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the women in bikinis or the old people playing golf, who knows, but Florida, how we love thee...
MORE INFO
Not talking about drugs here: 'True Beauty' was accepted into this year's Starz Denver Film Festival. This is big news people. They've been doing this for the last 32 years, and it's a major stop on the festival circuit. I mean, they had that guy on the red carpet a few years back:
Know what I mean?
MORE INFO
Am I the only one who thinks of 100% Vitamin C? Or a black dude with an ill-fitting glove? Probably not, but 'True Beauty' was accepted into the 10th Ojai Film Festival, taking place November 5-8 in Ojai, Ventura. Got nothing to do with health or crazy people, see?
MORE INFO
Filmstock 11 in Luton, England has accepted 'True Beauty' to their line-up. It's a festival run by these guys:
...and I really like their attitude about a lot of things. Right now especially of including our film. This looks to be a great little festival, running November 5-15. If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself:
MORE INFO
Now it's personal: we were told that for economic reason, they people at the Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue in Canada had to pull my film. Yes, we were in, but I don't have a copy with French subtitles, and because they don't have the money, they won't have the electronic-subtitling-thing-a-madooder. So 'True Beauty' is out. When are they going to fix that worldwide economy so I can screen my short with impunity at every festival that wants it? Huh? Any day now would be good...
I will not rest until every town, every city, every retirement home in Florida has screened 'True Beauty'. Back in the sunshine state, and this time at the Orlando Film Festival, running November 4-8. What's cool about this festival is that all screenings are free! Now that's the way to run a festival when the economy's in the shitter.
MORE INFO
The 10th annual Samhlaiocht Kerry Film Festival has accepted 'True Beauty' to the line-up, and if last year's anything to judge by, it's going to be cool: in 2008 they had Liam Neeson, Kirsten Sheridan (Oscar nominated writer for 'In America') and John Carney (director of 'Once') as judges. I wonder what they all have in common... The festival takes place October 31 through November 7 in Tralee, Ireland.
and to everybody who's reading this blog:
Sláinte go saol agat,
Bean ar do mhian agat.
Leanbh gach blian agat,
is solas na bhflaitheas tareis antsail seo agat.--
MORE INFO
Finally got an excuse to go there: 'True Beauty' not only was accepted into the Yosemite Film Festival, taking place at the Tenaya Lodge October 23 and 24, but we also won Best Short Film there. Yes, they give out the awards before the actual screenings, and in this case, I love it!
MORE INFO
That on the left pretty much says it all; where it is, when, who to call... yup, 'True Beauty' is part of that. If anybody's out there in Florida around the 24th of September, they're having a kick-off party where each guest 'receives a complementary drink served in a lighted FLIFF2009 souvenir glass'. I want that. A lighted glass. Drinking when the electricity's out. Sweet.
MORE INFO
This looks like to be a good festival, out there in the middle of nowhere we call Texas. They've accepted five films so far (guess who's on top of the list? Not sure if this means anything, but I'm shamelessly reading into this), and three of the other films I've seen play in festivals and pick up prizes! The whole schedule will be made up out of only twenty films, to be shown in a curated exhibition at the historic Paramount Theater in Abilene, November 6-7.
MORE INFO
One of my all-time favorite books growing up was John Irving's 'Hotel New Hampshire' with its labyrinthine plot (yes, we had that in Germany), and now 'True Beauty' is going where I've never been. The New Hampshire Film Festival takes place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, October 15-18. Now, come to think of it, Portsmouth featured prominently in another writer's work I devoured when I grew up: H.P. Lovecraft (yes, we had that in Germany too). Oh, the circle of life...
MORE INFO
Attention grabbing headline resolves into explanation that's still cool, but doesn't quite have the glitz and glamour the original conjures up: The Other Venice Film Festival accepted 'True Beauty'. Which other one? Well, that's what the festival's called. Other Venice Film Festival. Hence the headline, see? It's a double play, makes you think that... and then... never mind. The festival's in Venice Beach, October 15 through 18, and the theater looks really cool:
MORE INFO
Not a typo: 'True Beauty' was accepted into the Bendfilm Festival, taking place October 8-11 in (not a surprise) Bend, Oregon. I like their whole attitude. They believe that 'film festivals are best experienced in a relaxed atmosphere where the next venue is a block from the last and the words "velvet rope" apply to fashion choices; not exclusive access ordeals.' Amen to that.
MORE INFO
Seems there's not only 25 festivals worth the entry fee, there's also 25 of the 'coolest' film festivals according to MovieMaker Magazine, and we just happen to get into one: 'True Beauty' is an official selection at the Indie Memphis Film Festival. Smokin'...
MORE INFO
Posts
