Cucalorus

Cucalorus was really fantastic, I had the best time at this festival! This was the first time I got to experience anything like it, I went to a few shows last year but did not have a screening pass since I wasn’t in the major. I think I went to a total of fifteen shows and workshops over those six days. As a result I’m way behind in all four of my production classes and haven’t slept more than three hours a night for the last three days, but it was totally worth it. I couldn’t honestly pick a favorite film out of all of them, but Port City really stuck with me. The film was a sort of light hearted comedy, nothing too serious which was a nice break after seeing Mississippi Be Damned which was a terrific thought provoking film that left me in tears. What really stuck with me after seeing Port City was the general feeling of community at the center stage theatre. Nearly everybody I knew was at that screening, even people who generally don’t go to movies. It was great seeing something that was done right here at home, especially since it was good. Its just cool to recognize the locations throughout the movie, makes one appreciate living here even more than usual. The shots of the river really brought on sentimental feelings for me, which is odd, because I never thought I would come to call this place home until the festival this year. The show was sold out, the theatre was packed, and I just felt like I was at some large family reunion in which I didn’t know everyone but that didn’t matter all that much. I guess there was a communal energy in the room, which came forth when people laughed in unison. The Q and A was very short, I sort of wish it went on for longer but I understand how it can be a little awkward to stand on stage before hundreds of people. The director, producer, and actors all looked like they were ready to get out of the lime light, which is totally fine with me since I tend to think that a little humility couldn’t hurt anybody in this business. Like I said, the film itself was great, not too complicated, but sometimes that’s exactly what people need, something to entertain them, take them out of their world and make them happy. The story had a few interesting twists and the character development was amazing. The director said that he was trying to bring forth the story of the urban south, and I believe that he and his crew definitely accomplished this. One thing that amazed me was that he said they shot the film in some crazy short time, I think around 14 days. This is astounding to me, probably because I’ve never worked with a crew of more than five people, but the fact that they shot a feature length film in such a short period of time in incredible. They must have done a whole lot of detailed planning to pull this off. Anyways, this festival in general has inspired me to work as hard as I can on projects outside of school. The leader of the “Don’t quit your day job” workshop told us that as beggener film makers quantity should matter more than quality, meaning that we need to get out there and make as many films as we can, so that we can learn more and more and develop a personal style. I’m taking this message to heart, and hope to have a work play in the next festival, and if not that, at least get to the point where I’m submitting something.