Canted Angle Film Festival Update #3, Now With More Teasing!
When I launched the Canted Angel Film Festival, I had no idea CAM were to receive 881 respective films from across the globe. We had so many films, we had to channel those films into regional, North American, selections.
That number boiled down to 183 films. Those films were dispersed to the judges and became 94 films. Today, those 94 became 17 films chosen for screening at the festival. Of those films, 7 will receive recognition in 8 categories!
Congratulations goes out to the filmmakers who will be screened!
It was a banner day. I shall paint, with words, for you, the picture. With a looming festival and a film showcase at a national film chain (I swear, I feel like an asshole for saying that, but I can't actually say the name of the theater yet), my life's been a bit chaotic.
And, to be frank, I'm more artist than planner; let's just fly by the seat of our pants, until the next movie we make at CAM, then watch me plan how many times I chew a granola bar during a take. Dead serious, for the art, I will plan everything.
Now, personally, that entire vibe has been difficult recently. My day-to-day flow affects everyone in my life. This is not a PSA for how awesome being "in the now" can be. It can cripple you. I'm finding out, in many places in life, this does not work. There's your oddly transparent, shared-like-a-dad cautionary tale. Plan things.
With festivals, it's a lot of backline stuff. To be faiiiiiiiiiir, I'm not even sure how much more complicated this whole affair becomes after you add in entry fees.
God, I'm not to the point yet... that's okay. Anyway, I've planned as much as I could, until there was not much to plan. I just needed to boil this pot until the best bits were left. Like my boy Chase says, "buy the feet and boil your own stock". It's not quite the same as boiling feet, and this newsletter is everywhere but where it should be. Full stop.
The judges and myself ordered pizza. We drank some of those new orange-flavored light beers. We chatted, rewound, lamented, toiled, and anguished over who was included, how they were included, and if we'd even make the three-hour timeframe with so many movies to choose from. We stirred in a judge's notes, who'd had to work today, and blanketed our scope of understanding with their perspective.
My dog shivered due to the high-volume energy coursing through the air. It was a large time. And, we are done choosing. The choices we made fit the idea that the best films tell a story that's both accessible and absurd, housing maximum believability and technique. I love this list of movies. I can't wait to sit down tomorrow and program the event. Again, many festivals, as I'm aware, have several months of planning, with faceless entities running the scenes, with zero after-the-fact input.
At the risk of burying myself in "why didn't my film" emails, I'm always available to chat. To be completely honest, I'm likely not to answer immediately; after all, I've got to program a festival into a three-hour window, in less than two weeks. "Immediately" might mean an hour, or a week. It all depends on what's going on. My mother and teachers have always said I thrive under pressure. It's not that much pressure. That's the key. It's just part of the fun of doing something unprecedented for yourself, and involving the entire Continental United States. No pressure.
Canted Angle Film Festival will be held at the prestigious Lyric Theater in Harrison, Ar. on August 31, beginning at 6pm, CST.