NEW YORK -- I just got back from a terrific and much needed weekend away from the hustle and bustle of NYC to the beautiful and historic Newport, RI. The NIFF was a great experience, and I couldn’t believe the amazing collection of prize-winning films that played at the festival. I say prize-winning because…well, we won! But I’ll get back to that later (did I mention we won?). First, let’s start at the beginning.
I’ve always loved Newport. It’s a town that has so much to offer—the scenery, the history, the restaurants, and the beautiful inns. So we were thrilled to be invited to screen. Craig arrived on Monday to prep the town for the SHERMAN’S WAY marketing machine (by machine I mean us). And on Wednesday morning at 6:00am, I journeyed to Penn Station (also historic as it’s historically crowded), hopped on the train, hopped in a cab, and met Craig at the Klau residence. Now, this festival did accommodations a little bit differently -- they placed filmmakers with a family, and the Klaus were truly one of a kind as they were endlessly hospitable. When I rang the doorbell to their Tudor home, to my “surprise” (notice the quotes), it wasn’t the Klaus who answered but Craig (he had made himself at home).
After talking to the Klaus and passing up their 10th offer to feed us, Craig and I went to the hospitality lounge to distribute more posters (and truth be told for me to drink my 5th cup of coffee that morning). After meeting some filmmakers, we had about an hour to kill before dinner, so we visited the Elms mansion, one of the most enjoyable activities in Newport. It was amazing to see how the “old money” families of Newport lived, with their regal and opulent multi-million dollar homes in which they only spent 1 maybe 2 months out of the year! But the coolest aspect of the family history was how many of these families achieved such vast wealth by sheer hard work and innovation.
Craig and I had a great dinner at 22 Bowens, located right by the water, and then it was off to a press interview with Jim Gillis for the Newport Daily News. As the locals already know, Jim is a wonderful guy, very down to earth, friendly, and talkative (trust me, that’s a rare treat for the interviewee to get a reporter who actually engages in a dialogue!). Jim, Craig and I took some pictures, talked about Newport, the experience of filming SHERMAN’S WAY, creating Starry Night Entertainment, and what we hoped for out of this festival. And then, it was off to the first screening.
Louisa, the festival director, introduced the film (a big honor), and then it began. That’s when I close my eyes. Kidding! Well, sort of. But I’ve by now memorized every frame. The screening went well, and Craig and I really enjoyed the Q & A afterwards where we found the questions both interesting and unique—people truly wanted to hear the story behind the story, and that’s always fun to tell. After the screening, we went to an after party and then it was off to bed. At 3:50am, we headed back to the airport, Craig to Jackson Hole, and myself to New York for a meeting the next day.
On Friday afternoon, it was back up to Newport, this time by car and with my girlfriend Jessie and our new dog Stevie. It was Stevie’s first trip to Newport. He was very excited (ok, I made that part up). We had a nice scenic drive, and checked into the Le Farge Perry house where we were greeted by the innkeeper’s own dog, Jacks. After showing us to our room and innocently removing the $5,000.00 duvet comforter and pillows from Stevie’s sight, she left us to enjoy a beautiful inn. Stevie was in heaven. On Saturday, the three of us strolled around Newport, first to the ocean (it was Stevie’s first time) and state park. It was so nice to be in this huge state park with no one else in sight (remember, we live in New York City where grass is shared by 3 million other New Yorkers), and after that we visited a terrific pet store where we stocked up on treats, a great organic sandwich place, and then it was off to the screening (Stevie and Jessie stayed back at the inn).
I’ll be honest, I was really nervous! Usually Craig tests the film beforehand and does this great stand-up routine (yes, it really is a stand-up because it’s THAT funny) but this time it was just me, and believe it or not, I’m very shy. The festival staff sensed my nerves and were incredibly friendly and caring. They allowed me to test the film with the projectionist, who had everything set perfectly. That was very reassuring. And, what really helped was that my cousins Doreen, Rich, and Sloane had driven all the way from New Jersey to see the film, which I so greatly appreciated. We had the chance to talk before and catch up, and then I sat next to them during the screening. They laughed when I sat down with my popcorn, candy, and drink. Hey, it’s a movie!
The screening went well, and much to my surprise I really enjoyed the Q&A afterwards! So many people stayed, and it was nice to see the audience members smiling and genuinely interested in hearing more about how the movie was made and what will be its future. All in all, I thought, a wonderful experience, two great screenings, and two terrific audiences. Now, time to enjoy the rest of the trip and head home. Never did I imagine there would be more to come!
Jessie met us with Stevie afterwards and we all went to dinner (we had picked a really friendly local Italian restaurant named Sardella’s that allowed dogs!). I had such a nice time catching up with my cousins (whom I never get to see alone), sitting out in the sun, and eating some great food (and drinking wine!) at Sardella’s. After dinner, we took a long walk back and said goodbye--I still couldn’t believe they came all this way to see my film.
Sunday morning we woke up early, checked out (praising Stevie endlessly for not causing a lawsuit), walked along the cliffs, stocked up on Starbucks, and were about to hit the road when my phone rang…and rang…and rang. It was Ashley, the festival coordinator. “Hey…um…Mike are you staying for the Awards Ceremony?” “Well, I’m not sure Ashley, I appreciate the offer but I probably should head back. Hey, by the way, who won?” Ashley paused and replied “Mike, are YOU staying for the Awards Ceremony.” A beat. “Should I?” Ashley paused again. “See you at the Awards Ceremony.” “But Ashley-“ And she hung up. I stared at Jessie for a moment. “I think we should stay.”
They had the Awards Ceremony on a beautiful ferry, and I got to reconnect with Aaron, the other filmmaker staying at the Klaus. After Louisa’s and Eric’s opening remarks, they got underway with the Awards. And after a few minutes I heard “and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film goes to….SHERMAN’S WAY! Michael Shulman please stand up”
I couldn’t believe it! All eyes turned to me, and everyone started clapping. I froze. It was a true honor. I walked up, got handed their award, a “Clammy” (a beautiful blue glass Clam) a plaque, and the mic. Hmm…at which point I said a few things I can’t remember, and smiled.
At the end of the festivities, I walked down the dock, called Jessie to tell her to make room in the car for our Clammy, and called Craig, who was very excited. As I said to Louisa and Eric, we were both thrilled and honored to even be at the festival, let alone win. What a great weekend! We’ll be back, film or no film.
And now…it’s 100 degrees in New York and humid. Back to reality!
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