PIFF - Day Three

Despite the late nights, I got up early on Friday morning in order to make it to my first (and ultimately only) "Breakfast with..." PIFF has this great series of breakfasts which feature different categories of filmmakers discussing their craft over a fine meal in a local restaurant. Friday morning's breakfast featured documentary filmmakers and a lovely breakfast as Bayside Betsy's. On the panel were Randy Barbato, director of THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE and INSIDE DEEP THROAT who was attending the festival with WHEN I KNEW; Lucia Small, director of MY FATHER, THE GENIUS, who was screening THE AXE IN THE ATTIC this year, and John Walter, director of HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY, this year attending with his film THEATER OF WAR. Moderating the panel was Boston Phoenix film critic Gerry Peary. The panelists talked about their very different documentary styles, the profitability of the documentary today, and how their careers evolved. (at right: Peary, Small, Barbato, Walker).

The Substitute (Denmark; 93 min.)
director: Ole Bornedal
cast: Paprika Steen; Ulrich Thomsen; Jonas Wandschneider; Nikolaj Falkenberg-Klok

This Danish science fiction/comedy/suspense film hits all the right notes, especially with the casting of the divine Paprika Steen in the title role. What's a willful and rowdy class of students to do when they discover that the substitute teacher is an alien from outer space? They try to do the right thing and go to their parents, but Ulla is no dummy and she's already spoken to them about their kids' overactive imaginations.

The success or failure of THE SUBSTITUTE relies completely on Steen's performance, and the actress/director's outstanding performance doesn't miss a note. She alternates between cruetly and kindness with her students, she is sweet then monstrous wihotut missing a beat. She is all kinds of fun, and this performance, added to her many others has catapulted her into the upper echelon of my favorite actresses. I wonder if I can get her to come to Chlotrudis next year? This one's tons of fun, and I hope you get a chance to see it. 4 cats.


Were the World Mine (USA; 95 min.)
director: Thomas Gustafson
cast: Tanner Cohen; Wendy Robie; Judy McLane; Nathaniel David Becker

Based on the short film FAIRIES (which was entered into the Chlotrudis Short Film Festival a few years ago) WERE THE WORLD MINE focuses on Timothy a young gay high school student who, after winning the role of Puck in the drama classes' production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," develops a potion to make people fall in love with the first person they see. It sure sounds fun and also like a dream come true for this put upon student in an all-boys' private school. Not only must he endure the taunts and jeers of his classmates and phys. ed. teacher, the conservative little town he lives in is pretty darn homophobic as well, as his single-mother knows and endures herself.

I'm getting tired of films where the protagonist continues to make bad choices that hurt others until they finally learn the lesson of the film. I'm also really tired of seeing films with endless beautiful people. Ironically I was chatting with a young film student at the festival, and he only likes films with beautiful people in it (we were talking about AMERICAN TEEN) so perhas it's a generational thing... and WERE THE WORLD MINE is about high school kids, so maybe that audience needs everyone to be beautiful. Wendy Robie (one-eyed Nadine from David Lynch's "Twin Peaks") is pretty awesome as the Titania-like drama teacher, Ms. Tebbt, and the young men are good singers for the most part... oh did I mention that it's a musical? I usually love a good musical, and the actors are certainly talented, but unfortunately this one just didn't work for me. 2 cats

After the day's films we headed over to the Schoolhouse for the Filmmaker reception. This is one of our favorite parties and I did have the honor of being rubbed against by Gael Garcia Bernal as he left with his fiancee while we arrived. Also saw the ubiquitous John Waters (and got to thank him for his help with the Q&A at last year's AMERICAN CRIME screening) Gregg Araki, Tom Kalin and Christine Vachon. We also hung out with WERE THE WORLD MINE director Tom Gustafson and co-screenwriter Cory James Krueckeberg. Very nice guys and fun to hang out with at a party. I'm sorry I didn't enjoy their movie more.

This week in indie film news

Paramount Vantage being pulled back in to Paramount Pictures proper - Variety
Film archive was a casualty in Universal lot fire, will cult and indie films be replaced? - New York Times

SPC decides to skip NY and LA for Austin premier of Baghead - New York Times

Sydney Pollack dies at 73 - Variety

Chlotrudis Looks at Films Focused on Geography

Recently a new Chlotrudis member, Philip, posed a question on the Chlotrudis discussion list for a friend who wanted to know if there were any films focusing on geography, either documentary or narrative. He is pursuing his graduate degree in Geography and Geographic Information Systems. Aside from the Stellar Cartography scenes in the Star Trek TNG films, Philip couldn't think of anything off-hand, but when posed with this challenge, Chlotrudis members came back with several suggestions. We thought it might be nice to provide the list for any curiosity seekers who might wonder the same thing. Here they are... films about geography!

• Berlin: Die Symphonie der Großstadt (Berlin: Symphony of a City) (doc; Walter Ruttmann)


• David Thompson: the Great Mapmaker (narrative short; Bernard Devlin)


• Encounters at the End of the World (doc; Werner Herzog)


• Fata Morgana (narrative; Werner Herzog)


• Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (The Gleaners & I) (doc; Agnes Varda)


• An Inconvenient Truth (doc; Davis Guggenheim)


• Keep the River on your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale (doc; David and Laurie Shapiro)


• La Soufriere (doc/short; Werner Herzog)


• Lektionen in Finsternis (Lessons in Darkness) (doc; Werner Herzog)


• Manhatta (doc/short; Charles Sheeler/Paul Strand)


• Chelovek s kino-apparatom (The Man with the Movie Camera) (doc; Dziga Vertov)


• Map of the Human Heart (narrative; Vincent Ward)


• The Mapmaker (narrative; Johnny Gogan)


• Manufactured Landscapes (doc; Jennifer Baichwal)


• My Winnipeg (doc/narrative; Guy Maddin)


• Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea (doc; Chris Metzler; Jeff Springer)


• À propos de Nice (doc/short; Jean Vigo)


• Regen (doc/short; Mannus Franken/Joris Ivens)


• Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (doc; Thomas Riedelsheimer)


• Tuvalu (narrative; Veit Helmer)


• Winged Migration (doc; Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats)

Can you think of anymore? Add to this list by posting in the comments.

Scot's Reluctant Top 10!

Chlotrudis Technology and Song-and-Dance Man weighs in with his Top 10.

Scot says, "Okay, okay. I'm not really a list maker, but here are my top ten films of 2007 ... as it stands today."

1. Protagonist


2. Lars and the Real Girl


3. Juno


4. There Will Be Blood


5. I Don´t Want to Sleep Alone


6. Margot at the Wedding


7. Brand Upon the Brain


8. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street


9. Linda, Linda, Linda


10. Once

Boston Society of Film Critics Pick Their 2007 Award Winners

Today the Boston Society of Film Critics announced their awards for 2007. Awards season has begun with a vengeance, with announcements for the Independent Spirit Awards, National Board of Review Awards, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association already released, and the Golden Globe nominees coming next Thursday. Here in Boston, our critics followed the lead of the NBR by selecting the Coen Brothers' NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN as their top film of the year. I guess the most surprising thing for me here is the hometown allegiance to GONE BABY GONE, and more particularly, Ben Affleck. I haven't seen the film, so I probably shouldn't comment, but I find it hard to believe (from what I've heard) that he's deserving of the Best New Filmmaker Award. Here's the complete list:

Best Picture

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Actor

Frank Langella for STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard for LA VIE EN ROSE

Best Supporting Actor

Javier Bardem for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Ryan for GONE BABY GONE

Best Director

Julian Schnabel for THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Best Screenplay

Brad Bird for RATATOUILLE

Best Cinematography

Janusz Kaminski for THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Best Documentary

CRAZY LOVE

Best Foreign-Language Film

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Best New Filmmaker

Ben Affleck for GONE BABY GONE

Best Ensemble Cast

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD

The Boston Society of Film Critics is a group of 18 film writers who publish in the Boston area, including several friends of Chlotrudis including Ty Burr, Peter Keough, Loren King, Wesley Morris, and Gerry Peary. I wonder if their meeting today was as fun and/or contentious as our upcoming Chlotrudis Awards Nominating Committee Meeting which will take place on Saturday, January 19.

FOUR-EYED MONSTERS, YouTube, and Spout

Posted on behalf of Gil...

Just wanted to pass along some interesting news that I came across on YouTube. As you probably know, the filmmakers of FOUR-EYED MONSTERS have been extremely resourceful in promoting their independent film on the web. Last year, they even worked with IFFB in screening their film at the Somerville Theatre for a few weeks.

Now, the filmmakers have decided to work with Spout.com to post their whole 70-minute film on YouTube for free for one week only. At the beginning of the film, they explain that they will receive $1 for every person that signs up with Spout.com which is a social networking site for film fans. Signing up doesn't cost anything and only takes a few seconds. At the moment, they have raised $3100.

When coming across this on YouTube, I got excited for two reasons. First, I had missed the film at the Somerville so I'm glad that I had a chance to see this film. After watching it, I can see why they've developed a following and I hope that the filmmakers make another film. Second, if the FOUR-EYED MONSTERS filmmakers prove to have success in bringing new subscribers to Spout, it could provide an ideal alternative for indie filmmakers to fund their films.

So check out spout.com/foureyedmonsters and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Michael adds...

After Gil sent me this piece, I checked out Spout.com. It's pretty cool, I signed up, and made the FOUR-EYED MONSTERS another $1! So easy. Support Independent Film, and make me your friend if you join!

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Petition to Change Thai Law

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Apicatpong "Joe" Weeasethakul's new film SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY. Apparently there's quite a story brewing around this film by the director of Buried Treasure nominee TROPICAL MALADY. After Thailand's Censorship Board demanded Joe cut four "sensitive scenes" from his film, he decided not to release the film in his home country unless the laws were changed to allow it to be screened in its intended form. Joe has started a petition of have those laws changed called the "Free Thai Cinema Movement" where he says, ""We're petitioning not only for a just decision for Syndromes and a Century, but also for a long-needed modernization of Thai legislation concerning movie censorship." GreenCine Daily reports that the movement is receiving some serious backing from political and cultural heavyweights. Chlotrudis members, especially those that voted for this year's Best Documentary winner THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED, should take a look at the petition and consider signing it. I did.

Incidentally, according to Limitless Cinema, the four "sensitive scenes" that the Thai Censorship Board demanded cut showed:

1. a young monk playing a guitar


2. a group of doctors drinking whisky in a hospital basement


3. a doctor kissing his girlfriend in a hospital locker room


4. two monks playing with a radio-controlled flying saucer

Now don't you really want to sign the petition?

SXSW Review/IFFBoston Preview

posted on behalf of Gil Cordova by Michael Colford at the O'Hare Airport in Chicago!

While some may associate the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin only with music, SXSW is actually a ten-day festival in mid-March that also includes an interactive media conference in addition to one of the top film festivals and film conferences in the country. As some of you know, Amanda and I lived in Austin before moving to Boston and we’ve been able to attend SXSW on and off for the last ten years. So this year, we were fortunate enough to travel south for a steady diet of good films interspersed with margaritas, barbecue, and warm weather.

With all that in mind, here’s a quick rundown of the films that we saw:

RUNNING WITH ARNOLD – Half-baked political doc about the action star turned California governor. Despite some great footage, the film only brushed the surface as to why California voters thought Arnold was their best option to govern the state. Due to scheduling, the film didn’t include his recent re-election which would have provided another interesting chapter of the Arnold saga. (2 ½ cats)

THE UNFORESEEN – In this documentary produced by Robert Redford and Terence Malick, Austin filmmaker Laura Dunn profiles the life of real estate developer Gary Bradley and his battles with local Austin environmentalists. The film, which includes some of the most gorgeous cinematography that you are likely to see, presents a thorough analysis of the types of sacrifices that come with economic progress. (4 ½ cats) Will be screened at IFFB.

STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME (www.stealapencil.com)–Director Michele Ohayon (Cowboy del Amor) profiles the life of Jack Polak, a young accountant who was sent to a concentration camp in 1943 with both his wife and girlfriend. Adapted from the novel by the same name, the film is both a tragedy and a love story and also noteworthy for condensing a large amount of history and personal narrative in an informative and engaging manner. (4 ½ cats)

SCRAMBLED BEER (MALTA CON HUEVO) – Odd-couple comedy from Chile about a slob who is trying to get along with his neat freak roommate. Formulaic at first, the film has some nice twists that prove original and entertaining. (3 ½ cats)

EAGLE VS. SHARK – Certain to appeal to fans of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE and MURIEL'S WEDDING. A funny little comedy from New Zealand about two relationship-challenged twentysomethings. (4 cats) Will be screened at IFFB.

KNOCKED UP – the latest comedy by one of my favorite writers/directors, Judd Apatow, who directed THE FORTY YEAR-OLD VIRGIN and the cult TV shows "Freaks and Greeks" and "Undeclared." In this film, Seth Rogan plays Ben, an aimless slacker who is forced to make some mature decisions when he “knocks up” Katherine Heigl after a drunken one-night stand. As with Virgin, Apatow brings some heart and depth to a one-note premise and it is certain to be one of the better studio films that will be released this summer. (4 ½ cats)

638 WAYS TO KILL CASTRO – British filmmaker Dollan Cannell looks into the countless attempts by the CIA and Cuban exiles to kill Fidel Castro. Without doubt, the film includes some unbelievable footage, yet I couldn’t help but think that the parts were better than the whole. Still worth checking out for those thought-provoking parts. (3 ½ cats)

RUN GRANNY RUN – Documentary about 90-year-old Doris “Granny D” Haddock who was the Democratic nominee for the New Hampshire US Senate seat. Underestimated by both her opponents and allies, Granny D struck a chord with voters as she campaigned against politicians who caved in to special interests. One of the better political docs that I’ve seen and another example of the difference that one person can make. (4 cats)

MONKEY WARFARE – In this Canadian feature starring Chlotrudis faves Don McKellar and Tracy Wright, the two actors play former revolutionaries who are keeping a low profile from the authorities. As a result they are forced to work low-income office jobs and sell garage sales purchases on the Internet. When the two encounter a young woman intent on taking on the establishment, an interesting conflict develops. While McKellar is great as usual, the film is a true showcase for Wright. (4 cats) Will be screened at IFFBoston AND CO-SPONSORED BY CHLOTRUDIS.

As is the case with festivals, we could not see everything that we wanted to see. Fortunately, the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFB) will be screening many of the most buzzed-about films that were shown at SXSW. IFFB starts next Wednesday, April 25 and continues through Monday, April 30th. Some of the films include:

FAY GRIM - the IFFB opening night film and a follow-up to Hal Hartley’s Henry Fool

AUDIENCE OF ONE – Special Jury Award Doc Winner at SXSW about a minister who believes that God told him to make the next blockbuster biblical film

BLACK SHEEP – Peter Jackson-produced horror/comedy about genetically-mutated killer sheep

HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS – the new film from “mumblecore” filmmaker Joe Swanberg (LOL) and starring fellow “mumblecore” filmmakers Andrew Bujalski (MUTUAL APPRECIATION), Mark Duplass (THE PUFFY CHAIR) and Todd Rohal (THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE)

THE KING OF KONG – Documentary about competitors looking to break the world record score on video game classic Donkey Kong

A LAWYER WALKS INTO A BAR – Documentary about the legal world and five law school graduates studying for the bar exam

Many festival films now have their own websites and MySpace pages where you can view trailers which is the best way to get an idea as to whether you might want to see the film. If you haven’t already checked out the IFFBoston lineup (www.iffboston.org), I encourage you to check it out so you’ll be all set for next week.

Andrea Arnold's RED ROAD Leads the Advance Party

Those Danes and their rules. Most film enthusiasts are familiar with the Dogme95 collective, which has spawned some remarkable films such as Thomas Vinterberg's THE CELEBRATION; Lars Von Trier's THE IDIOTS; Søren Kragh-Jacobsen's MIFUNE; Lone Scherfig's ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS; and Susanne Bier's OPEN HEARTS. Now after a conversation with Lars Von Trier, directors Lone Scherfig and Anders Thomas Jensen (whose film ADAM'S APPLES we are going to see Monday night) have come up with a new concept called The Advance Party. The Advance Party is the banner for films incorporating the characters originated by Scherfig and Jensen after Lars von Trier had set the challenge of putting the same actors playing the same characters into different films authored by different directors. It was originated in 2002 by the Glasgow Film Office who suggested to Scottish Production Company Sigma Films that they persuade theirs partners at Zentropa (the Danish Production Company responsible for many Dogme95 films) to collaborate on a series of films by emerging directors.

The rules are as follows:

• The scripts can take their starting point in one or more characters or they may be subjected to an external drama. The characters can also participate in a form that is governed primarily by neither characters nor plot.


• The films take place in Scotland but apart from that the writers are free to place them anywhere according to geography, social setting or ethnic background. Their back-stories can be expanded, family relations can be created between them, they can be given habits good or bad, and secondary characters can be added if it is proper for the individual film.


• The interpersonal relationships of the characters differ from film to film and they may be weighted differently as major or minor characters.


• The development of the characters in each story or genre does not affect the other scripts.


• All of the characters must appear in all of the films.


• The various parts will be cast with the same actors in the same parts in all of the films.

Less technical and more character-driven than Dogme95, but still a spur to creativity by its limitations, The Advance Party first brings to mind the self-imposed structure of Chlotrudis Award multiple winner THE TRILOGY by Belgian director Lucas Belvaux, where three films, in different genres, about the same characters were filmed and released at the same time. THE TRILOGY won four Chlotrudis Awards in 1995 including Best Cast, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Movie (for which it tied with SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING.)

The first of the Advance Party's films is Andrea Arnold's RED ROAD, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes last year. In RED ROAD, Jackie (Kate Dickie) works as a CCTV operator. Each day she watches over a small part of the world, protecting the people living their lives under her gaze. One day a man appears on her monitor, a man she thought she would never see again, a man she never wanted to see again. Now she has no choice, she is compelled to confront him. RED ROAD has already drawn comparisons to REAR WINDOW and Michael Haneke's Chlotrudis Awards winning CACHE.

In an interview with Filmmaker Magazine earlier this week, writer/director Arnold discusses The Advance Party, and the making of RED ROAD. Chlotrudis Board Member Bruce Kingsley caught RED ROAD earlier this year at the Miami International Film Festival, where it won Best Film. RED ROAD also features as one of its stars, Natalie Press, who was nominated for a Best Actress Chlotrudis Award for MY SUMMER OF LOVE. All of this is just to say that I'm very intrigued and getting excited about RED ROAD'S release, and it will be interesting to see where the other two participating directors (Morag Mckinnon and Mikkel Norsgaard) take these characters. It's the first time in several months that I have been intrigued and excited by an upcoming release that I'd never heard of before.

Independent Film Festival of Boston Announces Its Line-Up

With the kick-off just over a month away, the Independent Film Festival of Boston has announced the impressive line-up for its 5th Annual Festival. I'm truly looking forward to MONKEY WARFARE, Reg Harkema's look at aging hipsters in Toronto that stars recent Chlotrudis guests Don McKellar and Tracy Wright. In a similar Canadian vein, I can't wait to check out Sarah Polley's feature narrative directorial debut, AWAY FROM HER. Hal Hartley is back with FAY GRIM, a sequel of sorts to HENRY FOOL. As has been the case in the past, the IFFB offers an outstanding batch of documentaries as well, with PROTAGONIST leading the pack for me... that's Jessica Yu's follow up to Chlotrudis nominee IN THE REALM OF THE UNREAL. Go check out the list!

Twitch City and an Unofficial Awards Announcement!

A few weeks ago, Scot reported to the Chlotrudis membership that our beloved Canadian TV sitcom, "Twitch City," was finally being released in the U.S. (it was finally released in Canada last fall). Now it hasn't yet appeared in Netflix, but it is available for purchase over at Amazon. We were wondering if the commentary on the U.S. version would be the same as the Canadian, and judging from the description on Amazon, it does sound like it will be. This is actually an exciting bit of news for Chlotrudis. The commentary is done by Don McKellar, this year's Chlotrudis special guest, and lead actor from the show, who calls his co-stars on the phone for assistance. When he reaches Daniel McIvor, past Chlotrudis "Body-of-Work" Award winner, the two have a rather amusing conversation while watching the debut episode. When they get to the "job wheel" scene (one that Chlotrudis members should know well) Daniel actually starts talking about coming to Boston to receive an award for his body of work, and the fact that we showed this clip. It's pretty cool and pretty funny, even though he doesn't mention us by name.

In related news, we have now confirmed our second guest for the 13th Annual Chlotrudis Awards coming up soon. This is an unofficial announcement, as a press release will follow, but I'm just so excited I couldn't contain myself any longer. She's got "cat-i-tude!" Tracy Wright will be honored at the Awards Ceremony for her "career-so-far!" Tracy is best known in the U.S. for being part of the Chlotrudis Awards-winning Ensemble Cast of ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW. She has done extensive work in Canadian film and tv, including the wacky Dizelle in the afore-mentioned "Twitch City," a major part in Don McKellar's ensemble piece, LAST NIGHT, and a lead role in the upcoming MONKEY WARFARE, co-starring McKellar and Nadia Litz. She most recently appeared off-Broadway in "A Beautiful View" at the Public Theatre, a play written and directed by Daniel McIvor (see how synchronistic this post is?) Tracy Wright makes every movie she is in better, and I can't wait to meet her. Look for the official word on the front page of this website very soon.

Chlotrudis Chats with Jeff Stanzler

by Beth Curran

His hello is a litte rough around the edges, his voice deeper than I remember. Even though he gave a direct number earlier in the week so that I could call him for the interview, and despite our subsequent emails setting up the time for the chat, I confusedly ask to speak with Jeff Stanzler, and formally introduce myself. His laugh is friendly and relaxed, and he explains the previous night’s celebrations, no doubt in honor of his film SORRY HATERS garnering two Spirit Award nominations. After a few moments I realize that he is not in New York, his home base, but in Los Angeles, and that he had amiably agreed to what is for him a 9:30 am weekend phone interview. I’m disarmed by his accommodation - out of all the things he could do during the last weekend before the craziness of award ceremonies kicks in, and he’s getting up early to talk with Chlotrudis? I guess an independent film director’s work truly is never done!

SORRY HATERS is up for three Chlotrudis Awards (Film, Actress, Original Screenplay), and after an engaging Q&A session with him at our screening of the film at the Brattle Theatre last fall, the chance to catch up with Jeff once again, post-nominations, is a welcome one. I congratulate him on both sets of nominations, and he is gracious and deprecating. My sense is that, more than anything, he is happiest that his film has given its lead, Robin Wright Penn, greater acclaim and attention. Towards that end, he is presently working to put together his next film, which would reunite him with Penn - if all goes well, Jeff hopes to begin shooting some time this year.

It’s tough for him to say more about the status of the project - as he mentions when I ask, “there’s a saying that independent films either take a very long time or a very short time to make.” SORRY HATERS was in the latter category, taking only two years from screenplay idea to completed film. The actual moviemaking process, Jeff says, was remarkably quick. “Funny enough,” he notes, “the one time where things felt stalled was afterwards - we just couldn’t find a festival where it could play.” The film eventually went on to play Toronto in fall 2005 (and later was picked by IFC Films for distribution).

Jeff’s first feature film, JUMPIN’ AT THE BONEYARD, was made in the early 90’s, the heyday of the Sundance/Miramax indie scene, and I ask him how much was different for an independent filmmaker since those times. “Something’s really changed,” he responds with muted disappointment, “in the last few years, it seems as if no one’s interested in funding a million dollar film in order to make three million. They all want the Little Miss Sunshines, ten million budgets,” in the hopes of scoring really big return. He continues, “and if you want to make something really personal, that might be potentially offensive to some, then no way - well, it’s just going to be a rough road for you.”

I follow up, asking if he had any surprises by who took offense to SORRY HATERS as well as by those who reacted positively to it. “I’ve been constantly surprised by who got it and who didn’t, there’s no set demographics of haters or lovers of this film.” He goes on to talk about examples, like the audiences of mostly blue-collar types, or folks who aren’t art-house film lovers, where “the film almost played better there than anywhere else,” or the man at an industry screening for Spirit nominees the other week who got up and walked out immediately after the film and screamed “thank you for wasting my time” over his shoulder on his way towards the lobby. “I thought I’d be able to say ‘smart people will get my film’, and yet people I know to be smart, some really didn’t like it, at all,” he says. “And I can’t be flip and say ‘the ones who hate it are rightwing Republicans’, either - it’s just not a movie where people can say ‘oh it’s one of those kinds of films’,” he continues. From his tone, it’s obvious that he has been fascinated and enlivened by his audience’s feedback, whether positive or negative.

Was this something deliberate, I ask, that you thought about when you wrote it, to have something political or ‘bigger picture’ themed that people would respond to? He talks a little bit about his writing process. “I try to concentrate only on the people in the story, because all that other stuff will cloud your mind - I mean, you know it’s kind of there, but you have to trick your mind to do it,” to see but not write any themes directly into the work. I ask him if he thinks of himself as a filmmaker who always writes and directs, or if he has thought of pursuing just one or the other craft.

“My stock answer is, I’m very much open to it, but it doesn’t ever seem to happen, so I guess I should wonder, ‘is it me’, that maybe I get so attached to a writing project that I subconsciously won’t let anybody but me direct,” he answers slowly, as if thinking aloud. “But, on a conscious level, I definitely would like the chance to direct someone else’s work, and to have someone else direct something I’ve written.” He’s also interested in exploring other mediums, particularly television. “I tend to write things that are very current. I’m a bit of a news junkie, a political junkie, and the immediacy of TV is really attractive to me. To be able to make something in response to things going on now and to see it right away, instead of, you know, six years later.” He’s already written a pilot and is trying to bring the project further along, another reason for him to be in Los Angeles now, in addition to his project with Robin Wright Penn and the upcoming Spirit Awards.

The new film he’s written, in which Penn would once again star, will this time involve no politics. A psychological thriller, Jeff describes it as “more of a modern-era story of exploitation”. His television pilot, on the other hand, is more familiar territory, set in South Dakota and exploring the dynamic between both ends of the spectrum when a radical leftist moves in among evangelical Midwesterners. Given the intriguing and surprising interactions Jeff scripted between his characters in SORRY HATERS, no doubt his take on ‘redstate meets bluestate’ will provoke unexpected and engaging reaction and conversation.

“We had a screening in San Francisco, and there was this one woman, and I think she said it best,” about some people’s reactions to the film, Jeff comments near the end of our talk. “At a certain point in the movie, she said ‘between these two people you feel like (they’ve) been in a battle, and it seems like they’re getting beyond, and then you pull the rug out from under us all the sudden, and that pisses people off, that you did that.” Jeff is looking forward to the chance to see if overseas audiences have similarly strong reactions. Already the film has Italian distribution, and he hopes that he gets the chance to catch up with Robin’s costar Abdel Kechiche at screenings in France, where Kechiche is a director (his next film will show at Cannes this spring).

A half-hour has passed quickly while we’ve talked, and I remind myself that I probably woke Jeff up - whether it’s back to bed or a shower and coffee, it’s time I let him get back to his morning. I wish him luck at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, as well as at our own awards in March - although, I joke, I’m guessing the Spirits are probably a bigger deal. “Well, I don’t know about that,” he counters, serious. “Your support has meant a lot, to us all - what your group has done, it’s great to know we’ve got a place where we were appreciated.” When his new project with Robin gets finished, “definitely we want to bring it to Boston, back to you guys.” After thanking him for those words and his time, I let him go. Here’s hoping Jeff’s next film ‘takes a very short time’ and meets with much success!

McDonald and Page Score in Berlin

Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald's latest film THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS scored a distribution deal at the Berlin Film Festival this week. This experimental film stars busy Chlotrudis-winner Ellen Page, who is nominated this year for her compelling performance in HARD CANDY. To tell his story of a girl struggling with puberty, McDonald takes the film title literally by using fragments of images, often many at a time, to visually represent what Tracey is experiencing. McDonald film work has been little seen in America (HIGHWAY 61, DANCE ME OUTSIDE, HARD CORE LOGO, PICTURE CLAIRE), but Chlotrudis members will definitely know him for some of his television work ("Twitch City," "DeGrassi: the Next Generation," "Queer as Folk").

THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS has been picked up by Canada's Odeon Films for distribution in Canada and Germany. Here's hoping it makes an appearance south of the border. With Page getting some attention with HARD CANDY, and the recent Sundance premiere of AN AMERICAN CRIME, in which she co-stars with Catherine Keener, perhaps THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS has a chance of getting U.S. distribution. THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS is based on a novel by Maureen Medved who also wrote the screenplay.