Little Red Riding Hood

LITTLE RED IS STILL KICKING!

2007-09-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD has broken
the Midwest and East coast barrier!

(Trumpets sound)

The 8th Annual DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival
will be screening LRRH on
Friday, September 28, 2007 at 7pm

Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004

Please send all your DC friends, relatives and colleagues to see it!
(and your congresspersons too!) If you are in D.C. DON'T MISS IT!!!

ALSO

Little Red has been programed at the CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S
FILM FESTIVAL! This is the largest, most well know Children's fest in
the states and it looks like E. Ray (the actor that plays the wolf) and I will be attending! If
you know folks in Chicago, please let them know... and of course, if you are in Chicago you MUST make it!

"Little Red Riding Hood" is playing at the following times:

Saturday, October 20
1:00 p.m. Facets Cinema

Thursday, October 25
9:45 a.m. Facets Cinema

Thanks for all your wonderful support and good wishes! I'll have some
news about THIRD DAYS CHILD soon!

my space

2007-06-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

David Lee said...
A simpler address would be: http://www.myspace.com/violetfilms

Thanks David.

THIRD DAYS CHILD

2007-05-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

This image was taken on the set of Third Days Child by talented still photographer Bellen Drake. Laurie Utterback is MOTHER and Jeanette Maus is ELLIE. This is the same place in the script as the image below in rehearsal!

Meanwhile, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD was awarded BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY from the wonderful SAN FRANCISCO WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL!

Hooray!

ps - I've been spending a little more energy on My Space. Sorry about that! You can visit at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=151782382

THIRD DAYS CHILD Set build

2007-03-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

YES! We finally had our first day of shooting on Third Days Child (or 3DC for short) March 10. It was a very intense day preceeded by a very intense week. One of the most daunting tasks was the building of the set. Laurie Hicks and John Deshazo headed up this enormus effort with big help from Jasminka Vukcevic. Here the set is in progress with Laurie Utterback and Jeanette Maus in rehearsal. The giant window was found for free on Craig's list, but it was HEAVY!
More soon!

Cinema K - Top Honors!

2007-02-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to announce that the rigorous jury at Cinema K chose
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD as the best live action short film of the
festival! Congratulations to the cast and crew!

As a side note, this whole festival was the most engaging I've
participated in so far. LRRH was screened twice (three times if you
include the victory lap at the closing night ceremony), and was well
attended by interested and insightful audiences who asked wonderful,
thought provoking questions during the Q and As. The workshop I did
with the 8-12 year old crowd was not only successful, but enjoyable as
well (who knew?). The programming was astonishingly good, with
incredible films from around the world. Winning top honors was the
most delicious frosting on an already tasty cake! Thank you Cinema K!

Countdown to the big weekend!

2007-01-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

So, this coming weekend promises to be loads of fun!

It kicks off Saturday the 27th with the big PANCAKE BREAKFAST at the NW Film Forum to celebrate the opening of CINEMA K! Hurrah! From there I go directly into making "Hansel and Gretel" with the kids (12-3). At 4pm the LRRH screening at NWAAFF happens! And THEN, it's off to a formal dinner celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Washington Karate Association!

Sunday LRRH screens at Cinema K @ 5pm. It's good it's later in the day 'cause I'll need to sleep in!

CORRECTION!

2007-01-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

ATTENTION! The Hansel and Gretel workshop will be SATURDAY JANUARY 27th!! NOT Sunday the 28th as previously stated!

This is the correct info:

Hansel and Gretel: The Remake w/ SJ Chiro
Saturday, Jan. 27, 12-3pm
Tuition: $30
Max Attendance: 10

Festival screening of students work Sun. Feb. 4 at 5pm. Recommended
for children ages 8 and older. Break out the chicken bones, candy and
breadcrumbs for a fresh, live-action interpretation of the well-known
tale of Hansel and Gretel. Students will work with Seattle filmmaker
SJ Chiro, whose modern twist of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD is included in
this year's festival. Students are invited back to the festival's
closing night to see their fairy tale on the big screen!

It takes place at the NORTHWEST FILM FORUM 12th and Pike on Capitol Hill.

Sorry for any confusion!

CINEMA K (that's for KIDS!)

2007-01-09T01:11:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to 2007! It's going to be an excellent year, I can feel it!

There's lots of news to tell you about LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD!

First of all, LRRH was invited to be a part of Cinema K - an
outstanding children's film festival right here in Seattle headed up
by Liz Shepherd.
http://www.nwfilmforum.org/cinemas/kids_fest_2007.php (or just go to
nwfimforum.org and click on the Cinema K banner). There are many
wonderful films included in this spectacular grouping of films for
kids - DON'T LET ANY CHILD YOU LOVE MISS THIS FESTIVAL!
LRRH will play twice during the festival with a group of shorts called
"Point of Departure". Here's the official info.:

JAN 28 Sun at 5pm
AND
FEB 2 Fri at 5pm

- Please make a note of it! : )

CINEMA K: CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL SEATTLE 2007 - POINT OF DEPARTURE
Designed to challenge and inspire older kids, these animated and
live-action films are sometimes funny, sometimes spooky and always
intentionally provocative. Each film promises to spark discussion and
debate. Dive into a great jumping off point for a lifetime of
adventurous cinema going. The program is suitable for ages 9 and up,
depending on the sensitivities of the child. Total Running Time: 70
min.

SPACE TRAVEL (Steven Lall, England): A spaceman on a spiritual journey
seeks the answer to the ultimate question. VENT (Erik van Schaaik, The
Netherlands): A man struggles against a storm and wonders what is
causing so much wind. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD (SJ Chiro, USA): The
classic tale, kicked up a notch. THE LEGEND OF THE SCARECROW (Marco
Besas, Spain): A scarecrow's life changes when he decides to befriend
the birds. EL GRAN ZAMBINI (Igor Legarreta & Emilio Perez, Spain): A
retired circus performer goes to great lengths to prove his love for
his son. WOLVES IN THE WOODS (B.J. Schwartz, USA) During a game of
hide-and-seek, a child finds a new playmate. CRACKS (Aage
Rais-Nordentoft, Denmark): Where do kids who can't sleep go to spend
the night? FREE PARKING (Laura Jean Cronin, USA): The task of picking
blackberries turns into a power struggle between two sisters.
*********************************************************************************

To top it off, I've agreed to make a film for the festival with 10
kids aged 8 and older, so if you know any super cool kids who'd like
to make a film with me in a 3 hour workshop (Sunday Jan. 28th) let me
know, or just sign up at the NW Film Forum. Should be fun!

Hansel and Gretel: The Remake w/ SJ Chiro
Saturday, Jan. 27, 12-3pm
Tuition: $30
Max Attendance: 10

Festival screening of students work Sun. Feb. 4 at 5pm. Recommended
for children ages 8 and older. Break out the chicken bones, candy and
breadcrumbs for a fresh, live-action interpretation of the well-known
tale of Hansel and Gretel. Students will work with Seattle filmmaker
SJ Chiro, whose modern twist of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD is included in
this year's festival. Students are invited back to the festival's
closing night to see their fairy tale on the big screen!

****************************************************************

Whew! That's already a lot of information, so I'll save the other two
announcements for later (one includes some international news!)

HAVE A WONDERFUL YEAR! I'm looking forward to seeing you soon!

Brand Upon the Brain in NYC

2006-12-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

God, I've been bad at keeping up this blog. My friend K.D. just directed me to Lynn's blog to look at some of her (awesome) costume designs and I was BLOWN away by the intense blogging effort Lynn has going on! Jeez. Makes me wish I were more into taking snaps and putting them on line RIGHT AWAY - like the NYC screening of Brand. I'm sure my report would be more detailed if it'd been done right away with fun photos of the lovely folks who attended the bash...

Enough dreaming. Here's the facts. That experience was one in a million. I had tix for the 8 pm show but had to show up early to give Shami her 4 pm ticket - was having so much fun seeing the Seattle and ex-Seattle people - from Sarah Harlett to Kip Fagen - you name it everyone was there looking FINE! Anyway, Gregg came out several times and the last time he came out he saw me and said "You want to come in? Just sit in the first two rows" I thought about it for about 10 seconds (since I was planning to use that time to have lunch and maybe look for a puzzle for Jesa) and then graciously accepted! SO GLAD I DID!! Seeing it twice in a row was not too much! Infact, I could have seen it a third time, if it had been possible, but after that 8pm showing it was time to PARTY.

Sitting in the first 2 rows meant sitting right in front of Isabella Rossilini, the live narrator! The film was so great and the live foley was exciting, but I could barely drag my eyes from Isabella! She was absolutely captivating! He voice, so luscious. Thank goodness I got to have the experience twice so that I could pay attention to the images on the screen! It was so fun to see Munya mourning the seemingly dead Odetta - see that little Jesa and see Eben, looking so somber! Not to mention all the other amazing cast members. What an amazing whirlwind of a film. I was very impressed with the personal leap Guy Maddin has seemed to have made.

Then the after party. It was the NY Film Festival's closing night bash so LOTS of people were there including Helen Mirren! I was too shy to drop by and say hello, but Sarah and Michelle plucked up their respective courrages and came back glowing to report that she was so nice! Lots of fun!

All in all, it was a wonderful time in New York. It ended all too soon. I never really got to visit NYC! Never even ate a meal in the city either. But so what. I got to visit with my friend Cecily and her little daughter and her husband and coupled with Brand and finishing CCL that was quite enough.

What about NYC?

2006-11-13T01:52:00.000-08:00

I never updated about my trip, so long ago now, to New York! First and foremost, I got to spend time with my wonderful grandmother! In my whole life, it's never been just the two of us together. There have always been other family around, even if it was just my grandfather. She is 96 years old now. She is very dear to me and it was important to spend those days with her. By night I'd work until 4 am on Cherry Cherry Lemon with Keri via internet. We were working our asses off to make a deadline for a Sundance submission. Charles Mudede was kind enough to recommend me - I instantly thought of CCL. Keri was excited and the sudden deadline lit the fire under something that had taken a back seat for a while (lit a fire in the back seat? Mixing my metaphors!). We worked so hard, and, although it is a first draft, no doubt about it, I was very pleased with the outcome. I knew it wouldn't be a cake walk, but I think we got something good going. Tonight Keri, Bret and I met for the first time and had some fun. We had dinner, saw THE QUEEN, and then went for desert. 5 hours passed in a blink of an eye. I love hanging out with smart, funny people. It felt like all we did was laugh.

More about the second part of my trip soon!

We Go Way Back a BIG HIT in Poland!

2006-10-31T09:43:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I'm a big fan of Lynn Shelton's film WE GO WAY BACK, shot here in the beautiful Pacific North West. We Go Way Back swept the awards at SLAMDANCE film festival when it premiered there. And it just happened AGAIN in Poland at the Torun Film Festival! Best film, best director and best cinematography! ( http://www.toffi.filmforum.pl/ )
This is heartening to me. It's great to see a good film get the recognition it deserves. This is a story that came straight out of a woman's heart, and is still getting noticed in a pretty big way. So I must not despair.
Recently I watched the French film FAT GIRL. That film also got a lot of press when it came out. It is definitely a film that would never have been made by a man. And what about ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW? LOTS AND LOTS of great (and deserved!) press and awards! (Except the New Yorker review made me so angry I boycotted the magazine for a year after that!)

Keri and I worked VERY hard on the CHERRY CHERRY LEMON script earlier this month. It was very exciting to see the screenplay take shape. When this film gets made (not if) I hope people will embrace it for the work of beauty it is. It doesn't hold back. I know it won't be universally accepted (what work of art worth it's salt is, really) because it doesn't sugar coat at all. It can be quite up front. But I love it. I'm thrilled to have this project in the works!!

3rd day's child

2006-10-30T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm still working on 3rd Day's Child through all of this. It is coming together very well. It's amazing how many KEY people it takes to make a film... even a short one! I'm VERY pleased with my camera team and post team. I'm not too worried about casting anymore. The main issue is the SET. The set is so important to the film. It needs someone with strong talent both conceptually and physically. I'm hoping something that is in the works will pull through, but I don't want to say too much... don't want to jinx anything!
The other part of the puzzle that needs to be addressed is FUND RAISING. If you know of anyone or anything who could help in this arena, let me know!!

I'm excited for SCI-FI! Who knew?

Catch Up!

2006-10-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

Okay - how could I have missed the LOCAL SIGHTINGS report?

It was a fun time. There were several wonderful films included in the section LRRH was placed in ("Leaps and Bounds" - out there films, I guess). Brita's wonderful film "But Soft" - a great kind of animated film called "How to Draw Clouds" (you can't really - they're always moving). Sarah Jane Lapp's film was cool and interesting. It was fun to meet her. The drinks were delicious and E. Ray and Seanjohn and I laughed until the place closed down. The opening night party turned out to be fun too. Beth was there and Lynn and Ben and Michelle and Charles and Jonathan and Curtis (I'm so happy I got to see his opera film ((or is it film opera)) "A Hand of Bridge"!!). Tyson was there! So many people turned up that it turned out to be a fun party after all... I was feeling like a bit of a wall flower to begin with... thinking I might just slink home. But, as it turned out, I'm glad I stayed. Beth, once again, encouraged me to drink another beer and graciously took responsibility for everything I said or did after that beer. She's sweet. For photos of the party you'd better check out Lynn Shelton's My Space page - she is DEEP into My Space now and takes her camera EVERYWHERE!

The inside scoop: Little Red Riding Hood is going to be invited to be in the Cinema K festival (coming in January)! I'm VERY excited about this one! Plus, I was invited to teach a class there - that is- make a film in 3 hours with 10 kids! Ready, set, go!!

PISS.

2006-10-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

a.k.a. Portland International Short Shorts. Here's the report:

It was great fun to be in Portland. The people who ran the festival were great. Nice people who I'd like to spend more time with. Especially Tara and ... rats. Can't remember her name! That's bad. Shouldn't even be admitting that right here in front of the whole world! I'll look it up.
The hotel I stayed in was the Booty Call Motel. Well, that's what fellow filmmaker from BC, Karen, and I decided it should be called. The free condoms in the room, the discount for post-midnight check in, no closet, the slogan "get a room", well, it all spoke to the mission of the place. Fortunately they also had free wi/fi so those of us not there to... you know... wouldn't be lonely. The party took place at the hotel too. Great if you like free beer. I had a vodka tonic which was not free, but was quite tasty. I guess I wasn't in much of a party mood, but even if I had been, the kids at the party were way more into the performance artists than any sort of discussion about film. Fortunately I had a very interesting talk with one of the people who put the fest on (yes, the lady who's name is escaping me now). She is also a film maker and is in the process of making a documentary with her partner. I said it was almost shocking how easy it was to distinguish films that were made by men and those made by women. She concurred and added that there were 4 people on her selection committee - 2 men, 2 women and it was amazing how right down gender lines the selection process often went. This is a depressing wake up call. It's not that I didn't know it already, but most films are chosen by men. This gives not only LRRH a tougher row to hoe, but all films I will ever make in the future! What frightens and annoys me is that my films are not super main stream to begin with... then add the fact that I'm a woman and see things from a woman's perspective... It's an up hill battle for sure. But I'm not one to give up! I'll keep up the good fight. I just wish it could be easy! Yes, I wish every thing could be served to me on a silver platter. I don't mind admitting it! I know that it won't be, however, which just makes me fight all the harder. It's good to have you people on my side! Thanks for your support.

PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL SHORT SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

2006-10-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

I'm about to get in my car and drive down to PORTLAND! Yes! Tonight
is the night. Here's the info:

All films will be screened at the historic Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE
Sandy Blvd) in Portland, OR. Admission to any event is $6, or an
All-Pass can be purchased for $20. Tickets or All-Passes may be
purchased ahead of time through the Hollywood Theatre. Because some
screenings may sell out, we recommend you get to the theater 15
minutes before each screening.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19TH

7pm: Film Program One Â The Hollywood Theatre

Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot, 7:07 min
Rose City Rumble, 7:00 min
Little Red Riding Hood, 10:35 min
Infinite Moments, 5:00 min
81-Year-Old Sweethearts, 5:50 min
Moon in the Bucket, 10:00 min
CHI Enforcement Unit: Rat Traps, 4:00 min
Emerging, 4:40 min
Clown Shorts: Dingo the Stuff Fixer, 2:41 min
The Touch, 2:58 min
Alone Too Often, 8:08 min
Pretty Girls, 9:17 min
The Goldfish, 3:27 min
Chocolate, 5:30 min
First Date Meltdown, 6:00 min

website: zonkerfims.com

MAKE SURE TO REMIND YOUR FRIENDS IN PORTLAND! And tell them to come say HI!

I've been very lame in my blogging efforts. I promise I shall make amends soon! There's so much to tell about the NYC version of BRAND UPON THE BRAIN!

xo
SJ

Brand Upon the Brain Credit

2006-09-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

The premiere of The Brand Upon the Brain in Toronto sounded amazing! Unfortunately I couldn't make it to Canada, but the fabulous John DeShazo snapped this photo of my little credit at the end. I'll see it in New York in mid-October. It should be an extravaganza! Live orchestra! Live narrator (a famous one)! Live sound effects! Holy Smokes. Can't wait!

Bumbershoot and the Stranger

2006-09-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Check this out from The Stranger! E. Ray had to point it out to me, but I think it is very cool. LRRH is the only one previewed for "Animalistic". Thanks Annie Wagner!

Western Mashups and an Irish BlokeÂs Naked Mom
(FILM) Highlights from the 1 Reel Film Festival
BY ANNIE WAGNER

Despite being short, I have to admit a prejudice against short things. Most short stories are either gimmicky or experimental; I can occasionally be persuaded to endorse the latter, but I canÂt abide cheap tricks. Mainstream short films are even worse offenders. TheyÂre rife with smartass concepts, stupid twist endings, and all manner of postadolescent male naivetÃ©. So an all-shorts film festival, such as this round-the-clock marathon (noon to 10:00 p.m. every day) programmed by Seattle International Film Festival, should have me running for the exits. But in spite of the gimmicks (and there are plenty to be found here), something about the 1 Reel Film Festival pulls me in every time. Maybe itÂs the AC.

All programs screen at McCaw Lecture Hall.

(*) Animalistic, Sat noonÂ1 pm

Little Red Riding Hood, the only local film in this hour-long set about smart and otherwise unnerving animals, is a stylish adaptation of the fairy tale. Filmed in black and white with intertitles and the obligatory revisionist ending, the movieÂs got a cute Little Red, a grandmotherly wolf in local actor Eric Ray Anderson, and some wickedly delicious berries to one side of the wooded trail.

Bumbershoot/Stranger Link

BUMBERSHOOT!

2006-08-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

Bumbershoot is almost here! If you are going to Bumbershoot on
Saturday, September 2, make sure to check out the One Reel Short Film
Festival, located in McCaw Hall!

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD will be playing in the very first selection of
films, a group called "Animalistic" at NOON. So get there early and
make sure you get a seat! This promises to be a great group of short
films and the PERFECT way to begin your amazing journey through the
first day of Bumbershoot.

Animalistic
Saturday, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm @ McCaw Lecture Hall

The animal kingdom struts its stuff in these fantastical shorts that
highlight creatures with varying degrees of intelligence.

USELESS DOG, director: Ken Wardrop (Ireland, 7 minutes)

THE CAT, director: Fransizka-Maria Apprich (Ireland, 6 minutes)

TRAILER PARK UNICORN, director: Sid Zanforlin (Canada, 13 minutes)

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, director: SJ Chiro (USA, 10 minutes)

PROJECT HUXLEY, director: Simon Brown (United Kingdom, 12 minutes)

Saturday is an excellent day to come to Bumbershoot, by the way, not
only for LRRH, but check out these other incredible acts that are
happening that day:

"Awesome" 1pm @ Bagley Wright

Blondie (yes, Blondie) 2:15 @ Mainstage

Halou
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm @ Backyard

Seattle Public Theater with Roseta Productions presents an excerpt
from "(Just Like) Starting Over" - a World Premiere (starring Dave
Natale as John Lennon!)
4:00 pm - 4:45 pm @ Center House Theatre

Laura Veirs and The Tortured Souls (She did lots of the music on Lynn
Shelton's great film "We Go Way Back" - opening in theaters in
September, by the way! Let's all go!)
4:45 pm - 5:45 pm @ Mural

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings
7:30 pm - 8:45 pm @ Bumbrella

Lady Sovereign
9:30 pm - 10:30 pm @ Bumbrella

AND SO, SO, SO MUCH MORE!!!

Can't wait to see you all there!

This is why there are publicity people

2006-08-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the tag line the good folks at the One Reel (a.k.a. SIFF) offices came up with for LRRH;

"An expressionistic retelling of the Wolf’s tragic tale"

Seven words. Damn they're good!

LRRH One Reel Link

Boise. What a great time!

2006-08-17T09:49:00.001-07:00

ATTENTION ALL FILM MAKERS OF THE WEST: SUBMIT YOUR FILM TO TRUE WEST CINEMA FESTIVAL!
It is such a fantastic place to spend your weekend. The people make this festival outstanding. The festival is run by working artists. When you start there you're in a great place. Add to that their energy and enthusiasm for emerging film and new ideas and you've got a recipe for true love. Sadly I had the flu most of the time I was there, but even so I had a great time. The films they selected were all interesting and cutting edge. Cam Archer's new film "Wild Tigers I Have Known" was particularly arresting. He had just made a new cut of the film and was there to talk about it... just hanging out (there he is above with Jaqui and MaLinda).
The other photo shows me with MaLinda Gunderson. She was fantastic. She loved LRRH which made us best friends right away! Plus she has an intense love of thrift store shopping!
All in all, I'm so delighted and honored to have been invited to the True West Cinema Festival. I'm so glad I took the time to go to Boise! It was well worth it!

Gotta Love It

2006-07-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah! Here's the URL to the TRUE WEST site!

http://truewestcinema.fiberpipe.net/films/planetdust.php

That'll take you right to the 1st group of shorts (including LRRH), but there's a lot more to see on the site, so take a look around!

TRUE WEST CINEMA FESTIVAL

2006-07-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

WOW! Unexpectedly, Idaho usurped Seattle as the Premiere location for "Little Red"! Who knew! I'm excited about this festival. I love the "True West" ideal - the independent spirit of the can-do west. We build it ourselves from the ground up! We're the loners, the High Planes Drifters, if you will. I'm excited to see the other films and meet the other film makers of the independent west. I'll be going Thursday the 10-Sunday the 13th of August, but I'll miss IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS (another Seattle film maker!), which I've been dying to see.
I'll keep you posted!

By the way, I love to receive comments on this blog. If nobody answers back I'll feel too lonely to keep this diary current! Say hello, ask a question (can be totally unrelated to film, if you want) put a comment out there.
I promise to keep you informed, at least through the True West Fest, even if everyone is quiet.

After that, well, we'll see...

closing night at SIFF

2006-06-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight the hard working people of the film festival that shows more films than any other film festival closed the fest for 2oo6.

They looked happy. And I met Beth (the program director)'s father. What a wonderful man! He told me about how his wife of 40 years had suddenly died only two months ago... and brought me to tears talking about how she'd quickly become an organ doner... How hard it must be to give strangers the most beautiful gift they'd ever receive: healthy body parts from a woman who'd spent most of her life with you, but was now gone.

The other plus was that I got to hang with Christina(see earlier blog for photo) and see several friends and acquaintances I hadn't seen in quite a while. I met a film maker with the first name of Britta. (I think that's how she spells it). I hope to be getting to know her and her work much better. She felt like a kindred spirit.

The only down side of the night was that someone stole the $41 cash I'd had in my wallet. Shame on me for not carrying my bag, I guess, but it still feels terrible to be stolen from.

2006-06-15T00:21:00.000-07:00

I always felt the European mind would embrace my Little Red Riding Hood. I sincerely hope so. It is time to see... I've been sending the film out to just a few festivals so far. Soon it will be time to test the international waters.

The News: LRRH will debut at home! Seattle. The rainy place of this film's birth. Bumbershoot, in September (also the month in which I was born). Start at home and travel far and wide little girl. See the world! And let the world see you in all your strength and glory!

2006-05-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

WOW! Paul Taylor, you're the best. Look at these beautiful Tee Shirts! (They are available on the web site! Buy one quick before they're gone! www.violetfilms.com) Big shout out to Farayi for writing the code to make it happen too! Everything is finally coming together into one cohesive piece. It's such a good feeling. I hope this film reaches out and finds girls and parents and anyone who deals with children or is (or has been) a child and reinforces the idea that girls are strong and smart and loving and resourceful! GO, LITTLE RED, GO!!

Cherry Cherry Lemon 2

2006-05-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

The more I think about this project, the more excited I become. I can't wait to sit down and begin writing the 1st draft of the screenplay - figuring out what that's going to look like. The script as a play is so lush and full of opportunities. Every now and then a scene will just present itself! I love that! Just now I had an idea for the titular scene: it involves 4 locations. (One of them a casino - Keri will love that! ) I love the whole story telling aspect of this piece. I'm getting a rush up and down my arms just thinking about it!

Cherry Cherry Lemon

2006-05-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

Cherry Cherry Lemon was every bit as brilliant as I remembered it had been from 2001. Keira was WAY on top of her game and Kate was heartbreaking. Keri Healey. Keri Healey. Keri Healey.

Keri and I briefly discussed maybe making Cherry Cherry Lemon into a film. What a puzzle that is! Of course, I jumped on the idea at first, but seeing it again made me realize what makes it such an intense theater experience will not transfer directly to film. I'm sure it could be done somehow, but it is not clear to me how right now. I'll have to think about that.

You Wonderful Tilda Swinton

2006-05-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

My lovely friend, Carys Kresny, had the kindness and good sense to forward me the contents of a speech given by none other than one of my cinematic heros, Tida Swinton. Orlando made me fall in love with her. Upon reading this speech, I was given a little window into why. Love, like "Cinema", as she calls it, and like dreams, are somehow only deeply knowable. We can't always say exactly why we are so deeply affected by someone or a film or a dream, we only know that we are. Sometimes we're given clues though. This was a wonderful little clue. She wrote her speech on the plane to San Francisco where she was to address people at the San Francisco Film Festival. She was thinking only about her sleepy son and the question he had asked her before he dropped off. Here is an excerpt from her writings:

"My friend, the great Italian cultural critic, Enrico Ghezzi, has written about this very thing, he remembered the invitation to reverie that a visionary cinema can provide, the invitation to become unconscious. No joke. Personally, having been exposed recently to the slew of trailers before Spike Lee's new film, or even those before "Ice Age 2," I would have been grateful for a cosh on the back of the head for any temporary escape from the escapism of those previews of forthcoming attractions.
I think the last film in which I experienced this kind of ecstatic removal was at a screening in Cannes of the Thai film "Tropical Malady" (Sud pralad), in my opinion, a masterpiece, mysterious and shapeshiftingly magical. A love story that actually carries the power to tip one into love, a nightmare of nature that kicks a primal punch, that takes us into the wilderness of human nature and leaves us there. I actually remember rubbing my eyes with my fists in a comedy gesture during the screening, convinced, for one split second, that I fallen asleep, that only my unconscious could have come up with such a texture of sensation.
Can I be alone in my longing for inarticulacy, for a cinema that refuses to join all the dots? For an arrhythmia in gesture, for a dissonance in shape? For the context of cinematic frame, a frame that in the end only cinema can provide, for the full view, the long shot, the space between, the gaps, the pause, the lull, the grace of living."

Well, there is so much more, but this part I thought was particularly appropriate for this site and is maybe the prime reason Carys sent me the article. (To read the entire speech go to http://www.sf360.org/features/2006/05/the_2006_san_fr.html)
Thank you, Carys.

A meeting with Johnny K.

2006-05-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today I met with Johnny Kaufmann regarding the script of his play "3rd Days Child". It went just as I had hoped it would. I think I'm going to like working with him! He gave me his new business card. It says, "JOHN KUAFMANN It's dumb that you got along with out him". Funny. He said he's been working on his web site: johnkaufmann.org. I think that's it. I'm going to have to check it out!

This is Christina Mastin. She plays Little Red Riding Hood's mother. Looks pretty different, huh? I mercifully didn't have to go through an audition process for LRRH. I knew who I wanted and luckily I got them all! I love knowing really talented people. It gets me through the night.

Speaking of that, tonight I'm going to see "Cherry Cherry Lemon", one of Keri Healey's most beloved plays. I'm really excited to see it again. She is so fantastic.

2006-05-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 23rd, 2006. A big day for the cast and crew of Little Red Riding Hood! The big theater at NW Film Forum was packed as the fine cut of LRRH was unveiled! The response was incredible. People were impressed and moved. There were several small children in the audience and even they got really into it. When E. Ray came on the screen one three year old said to her mother, "Is that a good wolf or a bad wolf?" E. Ray plays it so beautifully, we can't tell right off the bat. He doesn't really look menacing, but he's BIG. And you know wolves...
The food was plentiful, the wine was flowing, the T shirts were flying off the table! (and I must say, they look GREAT, especially on women!) It was an intense and wonderful day. Hopefully we'll be seeing many more packed theaters around the world as our little girl sets off intrepidly into the woods!