MOVIES, MANSIONS AND MIDNIGHT STROLLS

What a gorgeous day to start the festival. The weather in Newport couldn’t have been nicer and I took advantage of it by walking everywhere. Imagine that… an Angelino WALKING! I walked down Rhode Island Avenue to Broadway and made my way to the festival Box Office/Filmmaker’s Lounge and checked in. Hospitality Director Carol Tucker greeted me and handed me a bag of goodies and was, well, extremely hospitable. After putting up some posters and placing stacks of postcards throughout the lounge, I headed out towards the Opera Theater where we’ll be showing tomorrow night and Saturday afternoon.

I met production co-ordinator Bryan Belmore outside the Jane Pickens Theater where tonight’s Opening Night presentation of MAN ON WIRE will screen. Like so many festival bigwigs, Bryan divides his time throughout the year working various festivals (Sarasota and Hamptons in his case) and his enthusiasm for independent film was evident.

I headed down Thames and plastered as many shop front windows with posters as possible, then continued down America’s Cup along the Warf before trekking up Bellevue to take in some sightseeing of the fabulous mansions. I took a tour of Marble House, then sat on the vast lawn overlooking the harbor and made calls to the coast. For an hour I talked business with folks in LA while relaxing in one of the most beautiful spots in America.

I got back just in time to head out to the theater to see the wonderfully engaging doc MAN ON WIRE. Tightwalker Phillipe Petit, who charmed the audience afterwards in a lively Q&A, made for a compelling, if not obvious, subject. I was amazed how quickly the 80 minutes passed. I recommend seeing the film when it hits theaters.

I stopped by the After Party at the Yachting Center for a bit and chatted with a few of the folks that make the festival run smoothly behind the scenes, but was mostly on my cell phone doing business with LA. At least I had a drink in my hand and a view of the yachts in the marina.

I stumbled two miles back to the mansion, getting completely lost in the dark. All those giant homes look alike in the midnight blackness. I was worried about waking my generous hosts as I finally made my way down the hall, but they were up, eager to chat about the film we'd all seen earlier. Just yesterday they were strangers. Now I've got two terrific new friends. I love film festivals.