Boy do the folks at the
Sonoma Valley Film Festival know how to treat visiting film directors! I arrived in Oakland after the brief flight up from Los Angeles and was warmly greeted by the festival's newly installed Executive Director Louisa Percudani. Louisa, as you know, recently headed up the Newport International Film Festival so it was a delightful reunion and we gabbed like old friends on what felt like a ten minute drive up to Sonoma. I was thrilled to learn that Cevin Cathell, the exuberant senior Programmer from the Jackson Hole Film Festival was also a new Sonoma recruit and would be joining in the night's festivities. So right away I knew I was in for a special evening, one that was sure to include lots of wine with two of my favorite festival folks.
Louisa dropped me off at the lovely
MacArthur Place Inn and Spa and I checked in to the gorgeous Garden Cottage. I settled right in and was on the phone to Mike expressing how much I wished he was able to be at the screening with me. Aside from the fact that these events are always more fun with Mike, Tom and Joaquin along, I think Mike in particular would have enjoyed the wine country atmosphere. It reminded me so much of the preliminary trips he and I took up to the area when we first started tossing around story ideas. In fact, as Louisa and I approached the Inn, we passed a stone wall that Mike and I had stopped at to take "pre-production" publicity pictures on way back when. Notice the pensive look on "Sherman's" face as he poses in his Yale sweater complete with a rolled-up copy of the NYTimes. Can you say "on-the-nose?"
I ordered room service and gobbled up an amazing Kobe Beef burger while reading a screenplay, made some business calls then headed down to the Inn's Library where they were serving wine and cheeses. After a few glasses of both reds and whites, I went out front to meet Cevin, who was picking me up for the reception before the screening. It was great seeing her again. One of the best parts of working the festival circuit is meeting people like Louisa and Cevin. So many wonderful people that truly love independent cinema, working so hard to bring obscure little films to the public's attention. I can't tell you how much it means to filmmakers like myself to have their support. It's ironic that I had to leave Newport Rhode Island after just one screening so that I could make it to Jackson Hole in time for our screening there, only to have both of them now working together in Sonoma.
At the Sonoma Valley Community Center, I was treated to, you guessed it, more wine! I also got a chance to meet the head of the festival's board, Kevin McNeely and his wife Rose. Both were incredibly gracious hosts and I was particularly drawn to Kevin's passionate embrace of indie cinema and his commitment to the Festival's new Second Tuesday Screening Series, of which SHERMAN'S WAY inaugurated. I was truly honored to have had our film invited up for the occasion and was thrilled that so many locals turned out on a Tuesday night -- a night when we were competing with the Olympics.
When it was time to go in and introduce the film, I was delighted, surprised, then mortified to see none other than Chuck Lewis, the craggy-faced character actor who played the jeweler in the film -- a scene that was cut in the final version. I had never called him to let him know the scene ended up on the cutting room floor and was now face to face with him. It's always the most awkward part of a director's job to let an actor know, for whatever reason, that all his hard work was for naught. But thankfully Chuck took it well and was very gracious afterwards in his praise of the film. He was great to work with and hopefully his scene will make it into the DVD somewhere. He did agree to pose with Cevin Cathell for a picture.
After the screening was the obligatory Q&A, which was well attended. As I've said many times before in this blog, I particularly enjoy chatting with audiences. It never ceases to amaze me how intelligent and varied the questions are.
Once the hall cleared out a group of us headed down to the other end of the Plaza for a late dinner hosted by the McNeely's. Kevin lifted his glass of wine and toasted SHERMAN'S WAY and wished the film continued success and I likewise wished the festival the same. I let my roast duck melt in my mouth, enjoyed more terrific wine paired nicely with engaging conversation then stumbled back to my cottage around 1am. As I sat in my oversized room, I kept thinking "I can't wait for SW to be distributed, so we can make another film to take on the festival circuit next year!"
Louisa dropped me off at the lovely MacArthur Place Inn and Spa and I checked in to the gorgeous Garden Cottage. I settled right in and was on the phone to Mike expressing how much I wished he was able to be at the screening with me. Aside from the fact that these events are always more fun with Mike, Tom and Joaquin along, I think Mike in particular would have enjoyed the wine country atmosphere. It reminded me so much of the preliminary trips he and I took up to the area when we first started tossing around story ideas. In fact, as Louisa and I approached the Inn, we passed a stone wall that Mike and I had stopped at to take "pre-production" publicity pictures on way back when. Notice the pensive look on "Sherman's" face as he poses in his Yale sweater complete with a rolled-up copy of the NYTimes. Can you say "on-the-nose?"
I ordered room service and gobbled up an amazing Kobe Beef burger while reading a screenplay, made some business calls then headed down to the Inn's Library where they were serving wine and cheeses. After a few glasses of both reds and whites, I went out front to meet Cevin, who was picking me up for the reception before the screening. It was great seeing her again. One of the best parts of working the festival circuit is meeting people like Louisa and Cevin. So many wonderful people that truly love independent cinema, working so hard to bring obscure little films to the public's attention. I can't tell you how much it means to filmmakers like myself to have their support. It's ironic that I had to leave Newport Rhode Island after just one screening so that I could make it to Jackson Hole in time for our screening there, only to have both of them now working together in Sonoma.
At the Sonoma Valley Community Center, I was treated to, you guessed it, more wine! I also got a chance to meet the head of the festival's board, Kevin McNeely and his wife Rose. Both were incredibly gracious hosts and I was particularly drawn to Kevin's passionate embrace of indie cinema and his commitment to the Festival's new Second Tuesday Screening Series, of which SHERMAN'S WAY inaugurated. I was truly honored to have had our film invited up for the occasion and was thrilled that so many locals turned out on a Tuesday night -- a night when we were competing with the Olympics.
When it was time to go in and introduce the film, I was delighted, surprised, then mortified to see none other than Chuck Lewis, the craggy-faced character actor who played the jeweler in the film -- a scene that was cut in the final version. I had never called him to let him know the scene ended up on the cutting room floor and was now face to face with him. It's always the most awkward part of a director's job to let an actor know, for whatever reason, that all his hard work was for naught. But thankfully Chuck took it well and was very gracious afterwards in his praise of the film. He was great to work with and hopefully his scene will make it into the DVD somewhere. He did agree to pose with Cevin Cathell for a picture.
Newport International Film Festival director Louisa Percudani has moved across the country to head up the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, and subsequently invited SHERMAN'S WAY to screen August 12 as part of the festival's Second Tuesday Series. They've also generously invited me to be a part of the fun and I'm looking forward to showing the film in the very region where much of the story is set.
Tamara's show "IN with Tamara Henry" airs throughout the greater Los Angeles area, and she couldn't have been a more gracious hostess. Prior to taping, she gave me a quick crash course in all things spiritual and shed some light on the conscious movement that was highlighted at the Gaia Fest. 
The bulk of the half hour was devoted primarily to pre-taped interviews from the festival, as well as our trailer which Tamara plugged marvelously. It was fun, and as I'm sure many of you dear readers know, I'm not terribly shy on camera but as I told Michael on a call after the taping, I can't wait for the film's release when the publicity shifts its focus on to the actors and not the short, fat man behind the curtain. The segment is scheduled to air in September, but more info can be found at greenanchors.org.
I finally received from Mike a photo of him accepting the Audience Award for Best Feature from the Newport International Film Festival back in June. From what Mike told me, the photo doesn't do the glass sculpture justice, but I'm sure the "Clammy Award" looks stunning on his mantel.
Did everyone happen to catch our very own Enrico Colantoni's new series debut on CBS last night?
