Sundance 2007 - Day 2

Yesterday I mentioned that anyone who is somebody has a festival pass, a big bright orange pass hanging around their neck, and they wear it proudly. Well, now I have one too.

Yesterday, we left Coalville and went to breakfast at the Yarrow wherre we overheard the director of My Kid Could Paint That being interviewed. Then up to Main Street and said hello to Jeff Gold, a composer friend of mine who lives in SLC and is running a small festival on Main Street at The New Frontier Building called the Music and Film Festival, devoted to music in films. Went to a free cafe sponsored by The Wall Street Journal Week-end edition and heard John Sloss and Brett Morgan (Chicago 10) talk about their film.

Then we went back to the Holiday Cinema to get wait list tickets for the 5:30 premiere of Phantom Love. Across the parking lot for a sandwich and ran into John Diggles, fellow Chicago filmmaker and producer of the 2002 Sundance film, Design, by Davidson Cole.

Got into the screening of Phantom Love ($10 tickets!!!) and saw Nina, the director and others from the film and was thoroughly mesmorized by it. It's a personal story, a search for meaning and self. Not for everyone, as evidenced by those who walked out, but I thought it was beautiful, full of haunting images, and shot in beautiful Black and White. Then I came on screen, preaching, in two shots, close ups, powerful, and it was a real kick to see my self up there.

After the screening we had a drink and at dinner we talked to our neighbors and met some cool people. We decided to head back early, sit in the spa and get some sleep.

Here is the fun capper to the day. We park at the motel in Coalville, and up pulls a Jeep to the front door. As we walk in I see the Indiana license plates and comment that they have come a long way. Then we enter the lobby and the guy who got out of the Jeep was Rusty Nails, a guy I went to Columbia College with and a Chicago filmmaker. He was just stopping to ask directions. They were just driving here from Chicago. I gave them directions and I'm sure we'll see them on Main street. Good thing I didn't owe him any money. That would have been uncomfortable. What are the chances? If it were in a movie, I don't think I'd believe it. Life and movies, sometimes it's hard to tell them apart. As my friend Al Rose wrote; "Shit like this you can't make up."

Day two was a blast, and met a lot of people.