Archive for May 2021
Of the World’s 10,000 Film Festivals, Why Poland?
Not all film festivals are created equal. There’s a very small handful of “majors” like Cannes, Berlin, or Sundance, where stratospheric deals are made, celebrities parade, lives of undiscovered talent change forever. There, the world gets a glimpse of what they’ll be watching in the coming year while some films sink into obscurity. At the…
Read MoreLooking for Audiences Who Are Looking for “Praying the Hours”
The release of any film is a long-term campaign. When I was a young filmmaker, I thought the finish line was just getting the film done—as if it would magically find an audience for itself just by existing. Now I know that it requires loads of research, knowledge about existing channels through which films are…
Read MoreThe Best Stories Are In the End Credits
The movie Praying the Hours, finished just a week or so ago, has hundreds of names listed in the end credits. Those names reflect the scores of people and resources it takes to make a film. Both in front of and behind the camera, it requires people who are willing to show up ready to…
Read MoreWhen You Finally Finish Something that Is Never Done
Last Saturday we pressed “print” on the final stage of the feature film Praying the Hours. Sound Designer Scott Weber, Composer Lauren Meares, Editor Patrick O’Neil Duff, and I spent 11 hours in the loveliest new studio at Smart Sound Post in Glendale, with the best treats. Sunday I was like a person after a…
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