CINEKINK DAY #3 – Friday , MAY 14, 2010

Top ON

• Up and At ‘Em: Our second morning in Vegas =  Starbucks + granola bars + Twitter.  Then we met Diva and Tess at the pool (possibly the topless one) to get a refresher on our sunburns.  There we learned more about Diva and Tess’s event planning business (Tied Up Events) as well as their involvement with the online Kink Academy. Kfink + Kink Academy? Sounds like a match made in heaven. We just hope our Girl Rods series gets us some transfer credits.

Rainbow's End...again

• Lunch Stop: We made a quick return trip to the heavenly Rainbow’s End.  The waitress started to suspect that we were stalking her.  One of us ordered the exact same thing as the day before. (We’ll never tell who, except her name probably rhymes with Messica). Then, we headed to the Onyx Theatre to finally see some kinky flicks.

Julie + Onyx Theatre

Early Dirty Birds

• The Onyx Theatre: Located in the back of a sexy leather and toy shop, the Onyx was a comfortable, if slightly chilly, spot to watch the kinky movies curated by Lisa Vandever (Cinekink director). The first day we huddled together for warmth; the second day, we brought sweaters.  And huddled together because it was fun.

Julie + Waxie Moon Director Wes Hurley

• Waxie Moon: Cinekink’s opening movie, Waxie Moon, was a huge hit.  The touching documentary about a central figure in the Seattle ‘boy’-lesque scene left the audience swooning, especially when they found out that Waxie himself (aka Marc Kennison) and director Wes Hurley were in attendance.  We fell for them both. Sadly, they snuck away before we had a chance to trick them into marrying us.

Lisa's Q&A with Waxie Moon's Marc + Wes

• Kfink Loves Love: Yes, we do have a habit of falling in love with people at festivals. (We’re lookin’ at you, Matt Shea and Adam Bronstein.) However, we DARE you to meet Marc and Wes or see their movie and NOT fall in love.  We’re pretty sure it’s impossible. To get your fix, find them at Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival in June.  LIBIDOLAND will be there, too. You know, just in case you’re in the neighborhood…

• Movie Wrap Up #1: The first day’s screenings also included:
  • “Bring It!”: This selection of Cinekink’s SUPER-adult films was, though not completely unenjoyable, a bit overwhelming. These excerpts + a theatre full of strangers = mildly traumatic, although we were reminded that in the “old days” most people saw much of their their erotica on the big screen. Our favorite film in this section was one with a sense of humor. (Shocker, right?) Madison Young‘s “Frisk Me” was frisky (see what we did there?), playful, and fun.
  • “My Sexuality:  A Sensory Experience”: This student documentary followed 5 women on their journey toward learn more about their personal, and feminine, sensuality and highlighted that anyone can become more in touch with their sexy selves no matter what their size or age.  Plus, this movie had a cameo by Carol Queen – can’t beat that.

• Pick a Little, Talk a Little: At the end of the day, we participated in a panel discussion about women and filmmaking with Carol, Lisa, and Lynn Comella, head of the women’s studies department of University of Nevada at Las Vegas.  CLEARLY we were on this panel by accident, but that didn’t keep us from talking way too much about why we started making movies, who the Girl Rods are, and our path to LIBIDOLAND.  We were very honored to be in such great company.

CineKink Ladies Club

• Intelligent Chicks + Tasty Martinis = Too Much Fun: A group of CineKinkers headed to the Downtown Cocktail Bar, including (above) Lynn Comella, Julie, Jessica, Lisa Vandever, Tess Danesi, Dee Dennis, and Carol Queen.  Our dapper Norwegian friends joined us later.  So how was that post-party? Some of us may or may not have run into a glass door on our way out.  We also may or may not have imbibed the last of the bar’s signature Bee Keeper martinis (just for you, Sean J. S. Jourdan!)  We also may have complained when the DJ pumped up the volume during a discussion about whether Sarah Palin is pre-feminist or post-feminist and what her involvement in U.S. politics says about the United States. May. Or may not.

Phew! Almost done. Are you ready for Cinekink Day #4?

Here’s what we did on Day #1. Ready for Day #2?

CINEKINK DAY #2 – THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010

• Woke up starving. Hit the buffet. Jessica ate a sensible breakfast of protein, fruit, and fiber.  Julie, on the other hand, might have eaten everything that should never exist at the breakfast buffet.  This may or may not have included: steak, nachos, an “everything on the sundae bar” sundae, a variety of seafood-ish products, and chicken strips with bbq sauce. May. Or may not.

Jess + Stratosphere Death Watch

• Bloated and buzzing on caffeine, we then did the most logical thing we could think of: headed to the pool.  There we encountered bikini waitresses, guys looking for the “European-style” (e.g. topless) pool, and a clear view of tourists who’d paid $100 for a simulated suicide jump off the tip-top of the Stratosphere tower.  Luckily, their screams were drowned out by club music hits of the ’00s that seemed to get pumped up every time we started to engage in meaningful conversation, a trend we noticed throughout Vegas.

Onyx Theatre

Making sure we're still on the list

• After getting properly sunburnt (a Kfink tradition), we explored Vegas on foot. We walked past the Onyx Theatre, where the CineKink screenings would be held later on.

Goin' to the chapel?

• We also saw a cute little quickie wedding chapel. Next door was a place where a lucky couple could rent a dress and a tux. Across the street was a spot that tattooed wedding rings on fingers.  Did we take the plunge?  No – that’s illegal, silly.  Would we if we could have?  Maybe.  As long an espresso maker was in it for us. (Hello, Williams and Sonoma.)

Rainbow's End

The Goddess

Goodbye, Goddess.

• In lieu of getting married, we decided to eat lunch at the Rainbow’s End.  This raw and organic food paradise might have saved our lives.  Yum, vegan sandwiches.  With cheese, of course.  We stocked up on water and granola bars (apparently we thought there was a chance we’d get kidnapped and dropped off in the middle of the desert), then headed back to the hotel to primp for the CineKink opening gala.

Jess doing work, sending Julie to the wolves

• We found out (via Twitter, of course) that CineKink Director Lisa Vandever was hanging out with event planners @DebauchedDiva (aka Diva) and @Urban_Gypsy (aka Tess).  Julie was slightly concerned that some spontaneous porn might erupt. So, naturally, Jessica sent her to the meet-up alone while she took care of some business.

• The first ever Kfink / Cinekink crew meet-up was brief but good. Tess and Diva’s hotel room had a great view of the kooks jumping from the top of the Stratosphere spire, so we were distracted every 10 minutes or so when a new jumper plunged past the window. Julie was instantly smitten by Lisa, Diva, and Tess.  She even got to meet Good Vibrations resident sexologist and founder of the Center for Sex and Culture Carol Queen.  Score!

• Our lack of sleep started to catch up with us, so we grabbed some coffee at the Starbucks in the hotel casino before heading to the party.  Calm, twangy Starbucks music collided with the crazy dance ditties pulsating on the casino floor, which made Julie’s brain explode a little.  She may or may not have cried.  Jessica may or may not have called Julie a poor little baby. The only thing we can say for sure…Jessica filmed it:

Click here to view the embedded video.

• After recovering from the sensory overload, we cabbed it to The Erotic Heritage Museum despite some not-so-subtle warnings from well-meaning gentlemen.  Check it out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Cinekink picked the perfect spot for the opening night gala. The Erotic Heritage Museum is a dirty diamond in the strip club dotted rough.  You’d never know from the outside what wonders lie inside.  The site has only been open for 2 years, but it’s skillfully filled to the brim with wonders you can’t even imagine.  If you’re interested in sex, sexy things, sexy art, sexy movies, or the history of sex, we highly recommend that you skip the strippers and head to the museum on your next Vegas trip. Okay, at least on one of your nights there…

The Wall of Shame makes Julie sad

Art, people. Art.

Human chandelier a la Jessica's favorite movie, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"

Bondage 101

• The gala was full of fun and flirty delights. Filmmakers and other attendees marveled at the amazing museum exhibits, mingled, and ate their way through approximately 15 lbs of chocolate. Past Cinekink winners showed at a small theater upstairs next to a Peep Show exhibit.  Waxie Moon attended in full regalia, accompanied by documentary director Wes Hurley. Performers belly danced, tied each other up, and sang kinky songs with ukelele accompaniment. Carol Queen brought the house down with a segment from her one-woman show.  A good time, no – a great time – was had by all.

• As we all know, Julie loves playing the prude, and the Erotic Heritage Museum was the perfect place for her favorite character to come out.

Julie learns from transgendered porn star Buck Angel that hormones work. For realz.

Jesse makes Julie nervous

• So what happened next? Did Kfink pole dance the night away? Did they actually watch any movies? Did either of them marry Waxie Moon? And will they ever be allowed back in the Stratosphere?  All of these questions (or none of these questions) will be answered in Cinekink Day #3 post.

CINEKINK DAY #1 – WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2010

Evidence that J loves J

• Left our apartment in Chicago at 5:30pm.  Our fuel for the evening: handmade spring rolls by Julie.  NOTE: if someone makes spring rolls for you from scratch, they really love you.

Travelling Jess

• Got to O’Hare at 6:30pm for 8:40pm flight. Yes, we are a little cuckoo.

• While at airport, recorded segments for our video of support for Danny Lacey‘s 24-hour fundraiser for Love Like Hers (5/20). Rode the pedway (Jessica calls it a “walk-a-lator”) back and forth in United Terminal for 45 minutes – we had the time.  Emergency: Julie fake-sprains her wrist while performing a risky carry-on/escalator move.  Live fast, die young – that’s her motto.

Plane Nibbles (mmm, Advil)

• Flight delayed by 10 minutes, then by 20, then 25, then 30, etc.  Once we boarded, we waited on the runway for another hour before take-off.  The flight was bumpy and stormy.  We sort of slept and definitely felt nauseous.  We consoled ourselves by pouring over the Cinekink Vegas schedule and dreaming of how awesome the festival would be.  Our native Las Vegan (? – she was from Las Vegas) airplane row neighbor commented on how well Julie took care of Jessica snack-wise.  Julie swears she saw her wink.

Jessica minding her own beeswax

• Arrived in Vegas at 12:30am. When we got to The Stratosphere, we were greeted by a swath of smoke (we’d forgotten that you could still smoke indoors in NV – oof!) and an ear-splitting rendition of “My Sharona.”  Julie went on the hunt for food, while Jessica tried not to make eye-contact with the woman crying behind her in the check-in line.

Vegas water + fake vitamins = what we needed to relax

• Once in our room, we both took emergency vitamins to ward off airplane cooties, cab cooties, and to mend Julie’s fake-sprained wrist.

Vegas at night = scary clowns + lots of drunk people

• Instead of sleeping, shot more segments for our Danny Lacey video. This started in the hotel room, then spilled into the streets of Vegas.  We may or may not have started a fight at the blackjack tables.  Julie may or may not have won an amateur stripping contest.  She then may or may not have used her winnings to bail Jessica out of jail after Jess punched out someone who looked at her funny at the club.  May have.  Or may not have.

Julie + Vegas wedding chapel

• So what happened next? Who did King is a Fink meet at Cinekink?  Which movies did they see?  Did they meet Waxie Moon in person?  Did they go to the topless pool or the regular pool?  Did they ever get to sleep?  And why did Jessica make Julie stand in front of this Vegas wedding chapel?  Find out in our Cinekink Day #2 post!

Here’s a peek into what we’re shoving into our carry-ons:

IN-FLIGHT SNACKS

IN-FLIGHT SNACKS: Jess is a bear when she’s hungry, and I often panic at the airport right before take-off and buy emergency bagels and M&Ms to ward off mile-high blood sugar emergencies. Expensive and carby. This time I’m coming prepared with Jessica’s favorite ginger snacks, freeze dried pineapple slices (should we feel bad that they’re made out of “baby” pineapples?), and trail mix. It’s a bummer that we can’t take our own water, but we wouldn’t want to cause a scene near the full-body scanners. Or WOULD we…

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT: For the plane ride, Jess will probably bring one book and her iPod.  Very practical. I, on the other hand, plan to bring 12 books. Okay, 12 is too many, but I’ll most likely bring 2 of these five:

• Oedipus Wrecked by Kevin Keck – Our next project (after TILT) will be the movie adaptation of Kevin Keck’s naughty memoirs. We’ve already read his books and written an outline, but now it’s time to get deeper into the story so that we can hammer out the treatment. Kevin’s style is similar to that of David Sedaris and Jonathan Ames.  Kevin’s been great to work with so far, and we respect him immensely. Additionally, his interests match ours perfectly. Lots of sex talk and awkward family interactions. Here we go!

• Are You There, God? It’s Me, Kevin by Kevin Keck – See above.

• The Men Who Stare At Goats by Jon Ronson – We haven’t seen the movie yet.  If we had, probably wouldn’t be reading the book.  Jess read most of this and got frustrated that money is spent on paranormal experiments when there are so many other concrete things for our country to spend their money on.  I saved the book from our last book weed-out and am about 25% of the way through it.  So far I’m really enjoying Ronson’s easy, breezy nonfiction(?) style.

• Ghost Town by Robert Coover – I’ve read this before, but I’m reading it again, because a) I enjoyed it the first time, b) I have a short memory for books, and c) I love reading maliciously funny, genre-bending, and fantastical books on vacation.  I often bring Murakami (or buy Murakami books while I’m at my vacation destination – Hello, Miami!), but this time I thought I’d switch it up a bit.

• The Other Side of Desire by Daniel Bergner – Again Jessica already read this (guess who usually buys the books in our house), but I want to check it out, too.  I think it would be especially fitting to read it while in Vegas for the kinky film fest.

POOL-SIDE ATTIRE

POOL-SIDE ATTIRE: The last thing we’re bringing won’t take up too much room.  We’re planning to lay by the pool…a lot.  So even though we can’t bring our big bottle of sun screen (Why do you want us to get skin cancer, TSA?), we’re definitely bringing strappy swimming suits.  Commence the cooking of Kfink!

Have any suggestions about WHAT ELSE we should stuff in our bags at the last minute?

Best ideas so far:

• Jessica’s new Flip camera (so we can do interviews with Cinekink fest attendees for our Peep Show column on Film Snobbery.
• $1 bills (for strippers)

We won a STIFFY. This makes us giggle.

• LIBIDOLAND won a STIFFY Award from Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival for “Most Romantic Auto-Asphyxiation.”  We’re very proud.  Our moms will be, too. LIBIDOLAND is scheduled to play at STIFF at an over-21 show at the Jewelbox Theater on Saturday, June 5th, at 10:15pm. Be there or be square.

LIBIDOLAND's Leilah with the Meat Guy. And the Fish Guy. Yes, she gets around.

• Before LIBIDOLAND hits Seattle, it’s screening on Saturday,May, 15th, in Las Vegas with the Cinekink 2010 “kinky film festival” tour. SO many great movies are showing, and we plan to see as many as possible.  We’re especially excited to see Waxie Moon, Anti-Samaritan Hotline, and S&M Judge.  Join us for the naughty movies, a little fun in the sun, or some bootylicious Vegas buffets!

LIBIDOLAND's Reed = a little tied up at the moment

• LIBIDOLAND will, hopefully, be playing in LA while we’re there in late July.  More details coming soon.

• Lastly, LIBIDOLAND will be joining SNOW BUNNY on IndieFlix soon.  For those who take the plunge and invest in the DVD, there’s an extra special “extra.” Let’s just say, NOT buying this DVD could cause you some…ANXIETY…

scary hitchhiker + barn = bad news in ANXIETY ACRES

DAY THREE, SUNDAY, 11/15

Brunch w/ Nina-Rose

Still high from our screening on Saturday night, Jessica and I skipped to a coffee shop in Jackson Heights for coffee, pumpkin scones, and good company. Jackson Heights, by the way, is supposedly the most diverse area in the country.  We might vouch for that. A neighborhood with people of many ages, social levels, and ethnic backgrounds. Kumbaya!

Catching up on the interwebs

Relaxing at The Verve

Found out from trusty Twitter friend Matt Shea (@MattOfAllMedia) that the QIFF awards ceremony was pushed back to 6:30pm (I’m guessing someone had to make another emergency run to Staples. Get it?  Because on Day #2…oh, nevermind…), so we decided to relax at the hotel before meeting a friend for dinner. One of us turned on a football game and fell asleep. Her name rhymes with Dessica.

Subway art

Pretty subway car (sans upholstry)

Refreshed and revitalized, we headed to Manhattan.

J & J on NYC train: "No upholstery!"

J & J on San Fran train: "Upholstery?"

Unlike the public transit in San Francisco, the NYC trains were completely upholstery-free…which we liked.

The stars of Snow Bunny

On the train, we got a message from Marci and Jeremy, the stars of Snow Bunny. Turns out their baby boy, Isaac Evan Price, arrived on the night of the Snow Bunny screening at QIFF. We don’t have a picture yet, so you’ll have to trust us that he’s beautiful.  And he definitely has star potential…Snow Bunny 2, anyone?

Justin & Julie

Julie & Jess in NYC

Met Julie’s old high school friend Justin for dinner at Little Frankie’s on the Lower East Side.  Great food.  Great conversation. Great way to spend our last night in NYC.  We flew back to Chicago the following morning.

And that brings us to the end.

• Did we enjoy our trip? Yes.

• Do we want to go to more film festivals? Absolutely.

• Anything we would have done differently? We were a bit shy at this fest, so next time we’ll try to meet more filmmakers and make more contacts.  We’ll also set aside more time to see other films.

• What was the best part about the fest? Showing Snow Bunny; meeting filmmaker Matt Shea, producer Maria Lokken & Eren Gulfidan from the Film Annex.

• What was the worst part? Showing Snow Bunny. (Just teasing…we were nervous but proud.)

• Any regrets? Just one: we never got to eat Pizza in the Cone.

Jessica + Pizza in the Cone

DAY TWO, SATURDAY, 11/14:

• We started the day with a surprisingly lovely complimentary breakfast + free espresso drinks at The Verve Hotel, then walked through Queens toward the main Queens Film Fest site. On our walk, Jessica stopped and made this face:

"What the what?" Jess on Day 2 of QIFF

Because she saw this:

Julie + PIzza in the Cone

Pizza in the Cone. Unfortunately we were still full from breakfast, so we moved along.

Frank Sinatra School of the Arts

Got to the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, where we met filmmaker Matt Shea.

Jess & filmmaker Matt Shea

• Matt directed Patriotic Danger, a 1-hour action short that screened at QIFF on Fri, 11/13. We were so relieved to find that Matt was as nice and kind as he’d seemed over Twitter. (Follow him: @MattOfAllMedia)  He was also just as hilarious as his astute Tweets about the festival.

• We tried for the second time to get our QIFF filmmakers passes. This time we were told the passes were ‘on their way’ (they must have had a hangover from the night before), so we waited.

Snow Bunny Swag

While we waited, another filmmaker came in and ranted & raved because QIFF staffers had failed to return his emails and calls for weeks. He threatened to pull his film. The poor QIFF staffer behind the desk did the best he could to calm the filmmaker down. We decided that we could wait a little longer for our passes, so we dropped off some Snow Bunny swag and left.

Brunch w/ the Greenberg-Segan's at Cafe Bar

Nina-Rose + Leontine

Sascha + Jessica

Brunch with Leontine Greenberg + Sascha Segan + their incredibly cute daughter Nina-Rose at Cafe Bar.  Brought Leontine back to QIFF with us.

Our QIFF Badges

• Finally got our QIFF passes but were told that they’d run out of lanyards. “Someone’s getting the lanyards at Staples right now.” Great.

• Met up again with Matt Shea and took in about 10 shorts of assorted genres, styles, and production values. Some of our favorites included Kwame by Edward Osei-Gyima and Visit China by Anthony Samangy. One that we really wish we’d seen: Jenny Got a Boob Job by Lon Diamond.

• Attended a panel on movie distribution. After much confusion about who was actually supposed to be running the panel, we listened to a couple of film distributors from Cavu Productions explain why none of us in the audience was ever going to get anywhere without them.  Okay, to be fair, that’s not exactly what they said.  But they did say that in order to make it in film, you have to have a great story (check), make features (someday), have hundreds of thousands to invest not only in the movie but in distribution costs (wait…), and you have to hire someone like them to get the movie into theatres (oh, I get it.)  It was nice that they shared, but the panel was 40% solid advice + 60% a commercial for Cavu Productions.  Can’t blame them. We’re wiser for having been there.

• In the back of the room was a group of young men who turned out to be the brains behind the movie Self Helpless, which also showed at the festival. They’d gotten their film into some theatres in the Vermont area and were also headed to Boston.  The folks on the panel told them that it was a HUGE mistake to open anywhere but NY or LA if you were serious.  We told them that we thought it was wonderful that they’d secured those venues and to keep on keepin’ on. Follow the journey of Self Helpless on Twitter at @selfhelplessmov.

• To kill time before our 8pm showing, we grabbed some pizza (not in cone form), got lanyards for our passes (yay!), then scarfed Thai food (burp) before attending our Snow Bunny screening.

Julie + Jess

A Good Sign: We're on the schedule

Before Snow Bunny Screening

8pm – Snow Bunny screening…it was wonderful. We were in a block with 3 other shorts, including the movie “Inside of Me,” whose cast and crew were the most exhuberant we saw the whole fest.  Jess and I held our breath the whole time. The packed room laughed and gasped at the perfect times.  We each noticed things we wished we had changed about the movie, but it was a good experience overall.

Julie & Jess after the screening

Julie & Jess w/ Maria Lokken

Jess, Matt, Julie & Eren Gulfidan of FilmAnnex

After the screening, we had the great fortune to meet a couple of people we’d connected with on Twitter: producer Maria Lokken (@Maria_56) and Eren Gulfidan of Film Annex (@gulfi). Both women were complimentary, supportive, and wonderful to talk with.  We hope to see them again next time we’re in NYC.

Jess & Leontine at Omonia Cafe

Matt & Julie @ Omonia Cafe

At the end of the night, we ended up at Omonia Cafe, a Greek bakery / bar with thumping music and a truly diverse crowd. A perfect way to unwind after the screening.

Ready to find out what happened on Day #3 of our NYC / QIFF adventure and why Jess and Julie were so happy on this subway ride?  Click here.

Best subway ride ever!

DAY ONE, FRIDAY 11/13

• Left our humble Chicago home while it was still dark. Our bags were packed with DVDs, posters, postcards, and business cards.  And a couple of pieces of clothing. Once at O’Hare, we found out our flight to LaGuardia had been cancelled due to high winds. Caught first available flight to Newark, NJ.

• In Newark we took an air tram to the train. The tram was so slow that we decided it was propelled on the backs of hundreds of crawling babies. Completely abomidable AND inefficient. (DISCLAIMER: We neither saw nor heard anything that confirmed out baby theory.)

You lookin' at Jess?

• Made our way to Manhattan, walked to Times Square, got sneered at, got over it, then took train to Queens. Also started getting hilarious updates about the film fest from friend Matt Shea (@MattOfAllMedia on Twitter).

The Verve Hotel, Queens

• Checked into The Verve Hotel on the recommendation of travel expert / cell phone afficianado / lifetime New Yorker Sascha Segan. Clean, quiet, pretty, healthy treats in the vending machines, free espresso drinks. Everything we wanted and more.

Julie @ QIFF

• Headed to the QIFF Film Fest headquarters (Cafe Bizarre) to get our QIFF Filmmakers All-Access passes: “They’re not here right now,” we were told with a smile. Weird. Maybe our passes were taking a walk around the block? Odd for the 2nd day of a festival in its 7th year, but anyhoo…

Jess & Leontine, probably making fun of Julie

• Met our friend (artist Leontine Greenberg) for dinner before heading to her art opening on the lower east side at MyPlasticHeart. She sold almost all of her paintings. We’re pretty sure we’re her good luck charm.  She might also be a beautiful and amazing painting genius.

Art Show @ My Plastic Heart

wine + gourds = fancy

The goods at the show

• Got a snack at the gigantic Whole Foods mothership across the park. Fell in love with it even before we found out that it’s where they film NY Top Chef shopping scenes.  Took turns breathing in the air that Padma Lakshmi might have once exhaled.

• Julie’s high school friend, NYC theatre director Justin Donham, dropped in for a moment, then we grabbed drinks & apps w/ Leontine. Headed back to the Verve way past our bedtime, but when in New York…

Ready for Day #2 of our QIFF / NYC Adventure? Click here to find out what we did and why Jessica made this face:

"What the what?" Jess on Day 2 of QIFF

We wrote and produced 4 short films (Snow Bunny, Sound Sleeper, Anxiety Acres & Libidoland). Snow Bunny was accepted into 2 film fests (Lakedance International Film Festival & Queens International Film Festival) and nominated for an award.  We’re on our way to finishing our 3rd feature-length screenplay.  We’re toying with the idea of finding funding to produce our first one (Baker’s Dozen), which showed well in this year’s Blue Cat, Outfest, and Great Lakes screenplay competitions.

We’re on the right track, but, despite our recent successes, it’s still easy to stumble into a puddle of self-doubt. Is this really a good idea?  Shouldn’t we get our heads out of the clouds? We should just put our noses to the 9 – 5 grindstone and focus on our 401k’s?

The doubts are normal.  We expected to have low points.  What we didn’t expect was to find such a supportive indie movie community to help us through them.

HERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE US AND KEEP OUR INDIE SPIRITS UP:

NIC BAISLEY

• ON TWITTER: @filmsnobbery

• WHAT HE DOES: runs movie site FilmSnobbery.com, hosts live show, provides honest reviews of indie movies (including shorts)

• WHY WE LOVE HIM: Nic’s friendly & accessible, the consummate host, promoting the work of new/unheard of indie filmmakers, sharing advice freely, and connecting new indie film folks with established people in the industry to create a community that benefits everyone.

GARY  KING

• ON TWITTER: @grking

• WHAT HE DOES: Gary directs feature-length movies via his production company Kitchen Table Films. Films include Dismal, Hubris, New York Lately, What’s Up Lovely? He also writes a kickass blog.

• WHY WE LOVE HIM: Gary shares his process freely, he’s friendly, promotes our work, is always on the go, and he’s even found a way to parlay his personal directing success into paying gigs from other people: he’s currently directing a movie in Ohio.  He’s also hinted at a (maybe) musical film in his future (or was this just us dreaming?)  We can’t wait to see what he does next.

PHIL HOLBROOK

• ON TWITTER: @philontilt

• WHAT HE DOES: Directs short films (Honest Work) with Creative Jinx in Minnesota; runs the EgoFest, a free fest for short films

• WHY WE LOVE HIM: He does what we do (makes shorts w/ his friends).  He’s extremely supportive of other people’s work in the Twitterverse, obviously talented, shares film/production tips, promotes other people’s work, gets our sense of humor…+ HELLO! Free film fest!

JAMIN WINANS & KIOWA WINANS

• ON TWITTER: @doubleedgefilms

• WHAT THEY DO: They produce feature films via their production company, Double Edge Films; this week their wildly popular movie INK was in the top 20 movies on IMDb despite not having a distributer.

• WHY WE LOVE THEM: They found a path to their audience and to distribution on their own terms. Rather than just relying on film fests, the Winans picked a unique route for INK – they premiered at the first sizable fest that accepted them, showed their film in independent theatres across the US, then distributed the movie themselves on Blu-Ray and DVD.  Soon it’ll be on Netflix & in Blockbuster stores around the country.  They used social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to the fullest extent and have been extremely generous in sharing their process; just listen to this 11/1 radio interview they did with Film Courage.

Of course, not everyone is encouraging and supportive. But that’s for another day…