I feel a little funny today because Iâ€m in Los Angeles and not Park City. This is the first January since 2001 that I will not ascend the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains to attend the Sundance Film Festival. Last year on this eve before the festival began I was having dinner with my friend Harriette and discussing the herbal remedies and organic snacks we had brought to defend our bodies from the 10 day boot camp we were about the embark on. Now Iâ€m at my home computer drinking tea and checking the weather in Park City to see what Iâ€m missing.

The Sundance 08 program boasts many docs by people we know like Morgan Spurlock, Alex Gibney and Nanette Burstein and some newcomers too. I havenâ€t investigated what has distribution or not, Iâ€ll wait for indieWIREâ€s report on that and save myself a couple of hours of research. I caught a press screening this week of Trouble the Water, but Iâ€ll respect the press holdback and wait to talk about it during the festival.

The Sundance Institute is making some announcements like their new DocSource program.

I’m also interested in the announcement of the nominees of the Inaugural Awards for Nonfiction Film.

Starting January 18th and running all 10 days of the Festival you can view one short
film each day of the Festival for free for 24 hours at www.sundance.org/watch.

Itâ€s quiet here and while Iâ€ll miss seeing friends and movies and maybe catching the premiere of something important I wonâ€t miss the hub bub of Main Street that I have often complained about in the past, the snowy cold weather and regular meal times. Sundance Channel will be airing their Festival Updates and looks like you can watch it online too. Of course the myriad of bloggers and press and everyone else will be talking about whatâ€s new and hot in the world of independent (dare I say) cinema. And me, Iâ€ll be in Independent Spirit Awards screenings just 5 minutes from my house catching up on 2007s movies.

Admittedly, I still saved all my party invitations in a folder labeled “Sundance 08” in my email box just in case I decide to hop a Delta flight to Salt Lake City.

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Yesterday I saw two films, Resolved and Join Us. It was a good combo as both films made me happy as to where I am in my life (not in high school or a cult! yay me!).

Today is the World Premiere of JUMP! I am super-excited to meet the jumpers Iâ€ve been watching do tricks on screen. As a consultant, I was not on shoots or around when filmmaker Helen Hood Scheer was meeting these kids. So today is the day. Jumpers are coming out from all over the place to be at the festival. And if you come to the screening today at 4:30, come early! From 2:00 – 4:00 at the Festival Promenade (Westwood Blvd at Broxton Ave) the jumpers will be doing their thing. The outdoor event is free and gets you to the screening early so you have plenty of time to buy your ticket for JUMP! See you there!

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Iâ€m in LA surviving the noise of helicopters hovering over Paris Hiltonâ€s house (okay, that was last week, but Iâ€m still complaining about it) and getting ready for the Los Angeles Film Festival. It looks like a goody. The programming is well-rounded with plenty of activities, guest artist and outdoor screenings. Plus their special Family Day programming. Two At Risk Films snuck their way into the fest, The Fighting Cholitas and JUMP!, the brand spanking new doc about competitive jumprope will have its World Premiere in competition at the fest. The filmmaker, Helen Hood Scheer is an LA native and a whole slew of the jumping kids are coming out. Itâ€s sure to be a good time.

Iâ€m going to build a schedule and Iâ€m hoping I have time to see some stuff. How to Cook Your Life is a biodoc about Edward Espe Brown, a Zen master and best selling cookbook author. Julien Templeâ€s new music doc Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten is playing outdoors at the Ford Amphitheatre. Most of the competition docs are World Premieres, so thereâ€s a lot to see and do.

Festival tickets went on sale last Friday. Get yours while they last. LA Film Festival runs Jule 21 – July 1.

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Slinger is a must eat in STL.

The festival kicks off Thursday, but doesnâ€t really heat up until Friday. Overall I thought the programming this year was pretty great. Movies Iâ€d missed on the circuit, new stuff and what are becoming their famous non-premieres. I canâ€t talk about those. And I canâ€t really remember what I can talk about or not.

Give me a T! Give me an F!

This space man walks on concrete.

The March March concludes with fire in front of the Missouri Theatre.

Brother’s Keeper doesn’t make it home to a dorm room.

Highlights for me include the short claymated doc about Swedish graffiti girls, Blue Karma Tiger, David Wilson watching Night Mail with live music from Gutbucket, daily breakfast at the Main Squeeze, a spirited panel “The Shock of the New” (see Docs That Inspire – Joel transcribed some of it!), and the best (only) parade Iâ€ve seen at a film festival.

Gutbucket answers questions about their new score for classic Night Mail.

Paul & David rile up the crowd.

And now a moment to talk about audiences in Columbia… They rock my socks! Standing ovations (The Devil Came on Horseback played to a packed house and everyone rose to their feet to salute Annie Sundberg), great question and answers (I thought David Kohn might upset the audience with his loose cursing, but they didnâ€t care), town pride (best place to see a film shot in Columbia!), love them! When Paul Sturtz calls it paradise this might be part of what heâ€s talking about. 2006 was my first T/F and the audiences came out for the big movies. We were thrilled that Homemade Hillbilly Jam was sold out in the 1200 seat Missouri Theatre. But this year, everything was sold out. 10:00 am screenings were full and industry is so incredibly outnumbered itâ€s like going to a real movie. I really get swept up in it and I think itâ€s so important to both the festival and just plain ole movie going experience.

I had a great time and despite the fact that I didnâ€t realize that Boocheâ€s was world famous until Sunday (weâ€re closed, see you in church) when you canâ€t get a burger because like many Columbia businesses theyâ€re not open, this festival will be a permanent date on my schedule for years to come. They treat filmmakers great, itâ€s got that right camp vibe and the festival co-conspirators David Wilson and Paul Sturtz give better intros for films than I have ever heard. Iâ€m already looking forward to 2008 and itâ€s not just so I can finally get that Boocheâ€s burger (the malt is supposed to be pretty good too).

My blogging buddies have talked up movies etc, etc, etc. See AJ Schnack, Agnes Varnum, Joel Heller and our Columbia Tribune man on the scene Pete Bland.

I feel like Iâ€ve been away from home more than Iâ€ve been home lately. Iâ€ll be hitting the BBQ in Austin starting Sunday. Me and everyone else will be blogging from SXSW. Good movies abound!

Can you tell the day I had my camera?

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Outsite the Wilma the marquee brings in the locals.

I got back from Big Sky Documentary Film Festival on Tuesday. I think a good time was had by all. The locals are thrilled to have guests. And the guests are thrilled to be visiting the 60,000 person town. I stayed at the Red Lion Inn. Sounds fancy, I know. Theyâ€re all about your comfort. In the middle of the night I was dreaming about trains and woke up to find this.

Note the Railroad Crossing!

I had a lot of shorts to watch over the course of 4 days as a member of the documentary shorts jury and I dove right in on Friday as the festival kicked into full swing. The festival played a whole program of films from the International Documentary Challenge. Itâ€s very cool. Teams sign up, get a genre and then have 5 days to make a short doc. Itâ€s pretty amazing that anything works out at all. The 2007 edition of the Challenge is just around the corner and runs March 1-5.

Missoula Court House looks like a movie set

I spent the evening doing a movie and dinner. And really I think itâ€s a great thing for the festival to market as an activity. I went to see The War Tapes and then joined some fellow jurors and friends for dinner at 515. We ate in the wine bar, which has a different menu than the upstairs la-de-da restaurant. But we managed to eat everything (maybe a few too many things) and gorge on two orders of wild boar short ribs from the upstairs menu as well. Ooooh…what a waitstaff will do to keep a group of 7 from up and leaving.

Now this is a classy place!

Festival Director Damon Ristau with docmaker and jury member Steve James.

Producer Adam Singer gets his highest ever bowling score.

The rest of the fest included more films, panels, parties and even a late night of bowling at Liberty Lanes (Steve James is a pretty good bowler!). My last night in Missoula I spent two hours deliberating with the shorts jury while Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? screened in the 1,100 seat Wilma Theatre. By the time my co-jurors and I emerged with our Big Sky winners freshly picked I watched Mr. Smith producer Mike Kime answer questions about the film and from what I could tell from the Q&A and major audience response Mr. Smith picked up some new fans.

Mike Kime takes on the HUGE Wilma Theatre.

The feature jury – Doug Whyte, Sky Sitney & Mike Steinberg

Here are the 2007 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Award Winners:

Best Feature
The Cats of Mirikitani

Director: Linda Hattendorf

Best Short
A Revolving Door

Director: Marilyn Braverman

Best Mini Doc
Ha Ha Ha America

Director: JD Ligon

Big Sky Award

Salvation Mountain

Director: Travis Peterson

Artistic Vision Award
 Feature
The Colour of Olives

Director: Carolina Rivas

Artistic Vision Award
 Short
Seeds

Director: Wojciech Kasperski

A view from one of the daily hikes in Missoula.

The festival staff and volunteers were incredibly accommodating. It was great to watch docs with friends and make new ones in the friendly town.

Wednesday night I attended the International Documentary Associationâ€s annual celebration of Academy Award nominated docs. It was a nice evening. And quick too!

Davis Guggenheim talks about his father.

Some of the Oscar noms pose up.

On Saturday the IDA will be showing all the nominated films at the Writerâ€s Guild Theatre. It usually sells out. Iâ€m planning on seeing Iraq in Fragments. Itâ€s my only missing film from the category. See you there.

A week from today Iâ€ll be at True/False in Columbia, MO. Theyâ€re showing The Fighting Cholitas along with a whole slew of great docs. Iâ€m looking forward to another great time there! Theyâ€ve also started some cool interactive stuff on their website (the T/F Experience). Oooooooooh…

SXSW is fast approaching. Have fun! I wonâ€t be there this year. So Iâ€ll be looking to my fellow bloggers for news and inspiration.

Oh – AND – be sure to set your Tivo, program your VCR or just plain plop yourself down on the couch with a snack and watch Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? on Independent Lens. It premieres February 27th. Check local listings.

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I got in last night and hoofed it the Wilma Theatre. Itâ€s the real home of the fest. Itâ€s got about 1100 seats and I think almost all of them were full for the World Premiere of a new HBO doc, Montana Meth. The film is disturbing. Montana apparently has the 2nd highest meth problem in the United States. Just what I wanted to know before I walked the 10-minute walk back to my hotel alone.

Iâ€m on the jury here – looking at short docs and mini docs (whatâ€s a mini doc?!). Iâ€ll post some pics of the theatre later.

Also Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? is showing here on Monday night. There’s a great review in the alternative weekly paper the Missoula Independent.

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Got in, ate dinner at the Vietnamese place off Main Street (tasty but a little overpriced – 10$ for rice noodles!?), went to Albertsonâ€s for essentials (a first day Park City must!) worked and went to bed with the intent of being ready and rested for Thursday.

One incredible toxic soup selection at Albertson’s.

Iâ€ve got a pretty solid schedule of movies to see and parties to hit and today was the just the beginning. Late start was a good thing because I ran into the entire Fighting Cholitas crew at the hospitality suite at the Marriott Headquarters. We hooked up and went to opening reception of New Frontier on Main. Itâ€s in the basement of the Main Street Mall in the old location of the Digital Center and showcases new technologies.

Met the whole crew of a new doc called Official Rejection at a shuttle stop. Canâ€t miss them. Theyâ€re all sporting hats with their logo, the title of the film in festival laurels. The film is about the craziness that goes on as filmmakers try to get their films into festivals.

The Official Rejection team was in high spirits and it wasn’t just the altitude!

And for the first time (drum roll please) I made it to the opening night movie! Hooray! I was surprised the Press & Industry screening wasnâ€t full. But I was glad I got there early to get an unobstructed view for Brett Morgenâ€s new doc Chicago 10.

Tomorrow morning is an early one. 8:30 screening of the doc shorts.

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From the press release:

The 2007 Sundance Film Festival runs January 18-28, 2007, in Park City, Sundance, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org.

For the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, 122 feature films were selected including 82 world premieres, 24 North American premieres and 10 U.S. premieres representing 25 countries with nearly 60 first or second-time feature filmmakers. These films were selected from 3,287 feature submissions composed of 1,852 U.S. feature films and 1,435 international feature films. These numbers represent an increase from 2006 when 1,764 U.S. feature films and 1,384 international films were considered.

“We are witnessing a broadening of the traditional independent arena. In this yearâ€s Festival there is a breadth of subject matter, vision and innovative storytelling that is transforming the old idea of the American indie film,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Director, Sundance Film Festival. “This yearâ€s American Competition reflects a newfound awareness and self-expression that results in an engagement by the work that is both political and personal, a collective voice fueled by a steadfast optimism and hope for the future.”

The dramatic and documentary sections of the Independent Film and World Cinema Competitions each present 16 films, for a total of 64 films that screen in competition. The Independent Film Competition is the heart of the Sundance Film Festival program and has introduced audiences to many of the best American independent films and filmmakers of the past two decades. Launched in 2005, the World Cinema Competition reflects the shared commitment of the Festival and Sundance Institute to support international artists, to provide audiences with an opportunity to discover the most compelling work by international filmmakers.

“In this yearâ€s program, filmmakers are exploring different narrative techniques and devices, pushing the documentary form to new limits, and embracing a global perspective in filmmaking,” said John Cooper, Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival. “The films in the World Cinema competition embrace complex stories and are exploring topics that transcend the confines of personal, geographic, and artistic borders.”

INDEPENDENT FILM COMPETITION: DOCUMENTARY
Since the inaugural Independent Film Competition in 1985, documentary films have been given the same profile at the Festival as fiction films, with the Documentary Competition becoming a focal point of the Festival. These films represent a broad section of the best new documentary films by American independent filmmakers. This yearâ€s eclectic program features a range of films with personal, political, and global stories including current and historical examination about the effects of war, global warming, racism in America, a 50 year love story, and the personal and public role of religion in America.

This yearâ€s 16 films were selected from 856 submissions by American filmmakers. Each film is a world premiere.

The films screening in Documentary Competition are:

BANISHED (Director: Marco Williams)—This story of three U.S. towns which, in the early 20th century, forced their entire African American populations to leave, explores what—if anything—can be done to repair past racial injustice. World Premiere.

CHASING GHOSTS (Director: Lincoln Ruchti)—Twin Galaxies Arcade, Iowa, 1982: the birthplace of mankind’s obsession with video games. The fate of this world lies in the hands (literally) of a few unlikely heroes: They are the Original Video Game World Champions and the arcade is their battleground.
World Premiere.

CRAZY LOVE (Director: Dan Klores)—An unsettling true story about an obsessive relationship between a married man and a beautiful, single 20-year-old woman, which began in 1957 and continues today.
World Premiere.

EVERYTHINGâ€S COOL (Directors: Judith Helfand, Daniel B. Gold)—A group of self-appointed global warming messengers are on a high stakes quest to find the iconic image, proper language, and points of leverage to help the public go from embracing the urgency of the problem to creating the political will necessary to move to an alternative energy economy. World Premiere.

FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO (Director: Daniel Karslake)—Grounded by the stories of five conservative Christian families, the film explores how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to support its agenda of stigmatizing the gay community and eroding the separation between church and state. World Premiere.

GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB (Director: Rory Kennedy)—This inside look at the abuses that occurred at the infamous Iraqi prison in the fall of 2003 uses direct, personal narratives of perpetrators, witnesses, and victims to probe the effects of the abuses on all involved. World Premiere.

GIRL 27 (Director: David Stenn)—When underage dancer Patricia Douglas is raped at a wild MGM stag party in 1937, she makes headlines and legal history, and then disappears. GIRL 27 follows author-screenwriter David Stenn as he investigates one of Hollywood’s most notorious scandals. World Premiere.

HEAR AND NOW (Director: Irene Taylor Brodsky)—Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky tells a deeply personal story about her deaf parents, and their radical decision—after 65 years of silence—to undergo cochlear implant surgery, a complex procedure that could give them the ability to hear. World Premiere.

MANDA BALA (SEND A BULLET) (Director: Jason Kohn)—In Brazil, known as one of the world’s most corrupt and violent countries, MANDA BALA follows a politician who uses a frog farm to steal billions of dollars, a wealthy businessman who spends a small fortune bulletproofing his cars, and a plastic surgeon who reconstructs the ears of mutilated kidnapping victims. World Premiere.

MY KID COULD PAINT THAT (Director: Amir Bar-Lev)—A 4-year-old girl whose paintings are compared to Kandinsky, Pollock and even Picasso, has sold $300,000 dollars worth of paintings. Is she a genius of abstract expressionism, a tiny charlatan, or an exploited child whose parents have sold her out for the glare of the media and the lure of the almighty dollar? World Premiere.

NANKING (Director: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman)—A powerful and haunting depiction of the atrocities suffered by the Chinese at the hands of the invading Japanese army during “The Rape of Nanking”, one of the most tragic events of WWII. While more than 200,000 Chinese were murdered and ten of thousands raped, a handful of Westerners performed extraordinary acts of heroism, saving over 250,000 lives in the midst of the horror. World Premiere.

NO END IN SIGHT (Director: Charles Ferguson)—A comprehensive examination of the Bush Administrationâ€s conduct of the Iraq war and occupation. Featuring first-time interviews with key participants, the film creates a startlingly clear reconstruction of key decisions that led to the current state of affairs in this war-torn country. World Premiere.

PROTAGONIST (Director: Jessica Yu)—PROTAGONIST explores the organic relationship between human life and Euripidean dramatic structure by weaving together the stories of four men—a German terrorist, a bank robber, an “ex-gay” evangelist, and a martial arts student. World Premiere.

CHASING GHOSTS (Director: Lincoln Ruchti)—Twin Galaxies Arcade, Iowa, 1982: the birthplace of mankind’s obsession with video games. The fate of this world lies in the hands (literally) of a few unlikely heroes: They are the Original Video Game World Champions and the arcade is their battleground.
World Premiere.

WAR DANCE (Director: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine)—Devastated by the long civil war in Uganda, three young girls and their school in the Patongo refugee camp find hope as they make a historic journey to compete in their countryâ€s national music and dance festival. World Premiere.

WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN: THE DESTRUCTION OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI
(Director: Steven Okazaki)—WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN offers a visceral, topical and moving portrait of the human cost of atomic warfare. World Premiere.

ZOO (Director: Robinson Devor)—A humanizing look at the life and bizarre death of a seemingly normal Seattle family man who met his untimely end after an unusual encounter with a horse. World Premiere.

WORLD CINEMA COMPETITION: DOCUMENTARY
The last decade has seen an explosion of interest in American documentaries, yet American audiences enjoy few opportunities to view documentaries from beyond their own borders. The 16 films represent 13 countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom. The films in this yearâ€s competition are an eclectic mix exploring topics in ways that transcend geographic, political and cultural boundaries. The subjects include explorations of lifeâ€s struggles and tragedies, human space exploration, the impact of the war on drugs, womenâ€s role in the government of Afghanistan, the life of a U.S. defector during the Cold War, the effects of Israelâ€s incarceration of Palestinians, a British gangsterâ€s trials and tribulations, and the creative and uniting power of cinema. With their thematic and aesthetic range, these films invite us to glimpse the astounding breadth and complexity of the human experience.

The 16 films were selected from 506 submissions. The films screening in World Cinema Documentary Competition are:

ACIDENTE / Brazil (Director: Cao Guimarães and Pablo Lobato)—Experimental in form, this lush cinematic poem weaves together stories and images from twenty different cities in the state of Menas Gerais, Brazil, to reveal the fundamental role the accidental and the unpredictable play in everyday human life. North American Premiere.

BAJO JUAREZ, THE CITY DEVOURING ITS DAUGHTERS / Mexico (Director: Alejandra Sanchez)—In an industrial town in Mexico near the US border, hundreds of women have been sexually abused and murdered. As the body count continues to rise, a web of corruption unfolds that reaches the highest levels of Mexican society. U.S. Premiere.

COCALERO / Bolivia (Director: Alejandro Landes)—Set against the backdrop of the Bolivian governmentâ€s attempted eradication of the coca crop and oppression of the indigenous groups that cultivate it and the American war on drugs, an Aymara Indian named Evo Morales travels through the Andes and the Amazon in jeans and sneakers, leading a historic campaign to become the first indigenous president of Bolivia. World Premiere.

COMRADES IN DREAMS / Germany (Director: Uli Gaulke)—From the far ends of the globe, four lives that could not be more different are united by a single passion—their unconditional love of cinema and their quest to bring the magic of the silver screen to everyday lives to those who need it most.
North American Premiere.

CROSSING THE LINE / UK (Director: Daniel Gordon)—CROSSING THE LINE reveals the clandestine life of Joseph Dresnok who, at the height of the Cold War was one of the few Americans who defected to North Korea, one of the least understood countries in the world.
North American Premiere.

ENEMIES OF HAPPINESS (VORES LYKKES FJENDER) / Denmark (Director: Eva Mulvad and Anja Al Erhayem )—Malalai Joya, a 28-year-old Afghani woman, redefines the role of women and elected officials in her county with her historic 2005 victory in Afghanistanâ€s first democratic parliamentary election in over 30 years. North American Premiere.

THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN / Ireland/UK ( Director: Julien Temple)—An invitation from Joe Strummer, the Punk Rock Warlord himself, to journey beyond the myth to the heart and voice of a generation. His life, our times, his music. World Premiere.

HOT HOUSE / Israel (Director: Shimon Dotan)—At once chilling and humanizing, HOT HOUSE provides an unprecedented look at how Israeli prisons have become the breeding ground for the next generation of Palestinian leaders as well as the birth place of future terrorist threats.
North American Premiere.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON / UK (Director: David Sington)—One of the defining passages of American history, the Apollo Space Program literally brought the aspirations of a nation to another world. Awe-inspiring footage and candid interviews with the astronauts who visited the moon provide an unparalleled perspective on the precious state of our planet. World Premiere.

MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES / Canada (Director: Jennifer Baichwal)—This stunningly visual work provides the unique perspective of photographer Edward Burtynsky, who chronicles the transforming landscape of the world due to industrial work and manufacturing. U.S. Premiere.

THE MONASTERY: MR. VIG AND THE NUN / Denmark ( Director: Pernille Rose Grønkjær)— Worlds collide, tempers flare and dreams are realized when Mr. Vig, an 82-year-old virgin from Denmark and Sister Ambrosija, a headstrong Russian nun, join forces to transform Mr. Vigâ€s run-down castle into an Orthodox Russian monastery. North American Premiere.

ON A TIGHTROPE / Norway, Canada (Director: Petr Lom)—The daily lives of four children living in an orphanage who are learning the ancient art of tightrope walking becomes a metaphor for the struggle of the Uighurâ€s, Chinaâ€s largest Muslim minority, who are torn between religion and the teachings of communism. North American Premiere.

THREE COMRADES (DRIE KAMERADEN) / Netherlands (Director: Masha Novikova)—In this intimate film we witness the lives of three lifelong friends whoâ€s worlds are torn apart by war in Chechnyaâ€s bloody struggle for independence. North American Premiere.

A VERY BRITISH GANGSTER / UK (Director: Donal MacIntyre)—Given his many contradictions, Dominic Noonan, head of one of Britainâ€s biggest crime families, is a man who defies stereotypes. This close up look at his life, from gun trials to the murder of his brother on the streets of Manchester, reveals a community struggling with poverty, violence and drugs. World Premiere.

VHS—KAHLOUCHA / Tunisia (Director: Nejib Belkadhi)—In a poor district of Tunisia, self-made auteur, Moncef Kahloucha, a guerilla filmmaker in the purest sense, demonstrates that it takes a village to make fun movies as he brings the power of cinema to the people.
North American Premiere.

WELCOME EUROPA / France (Director: Bruno Ulmer)—Kurdish, Moroccan and Romanian young men migrate to Europe for a better life only to face the harsh realities and the laws of survival on the streets of a foreign land. North American Premiere.

Festival films screen in nine sections: Documentary Competition, Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, Spectrum, New Frontier, Park City at Midnight, From the Sundance Collection and Premieres. Feature films selected for the Premieres, Spectrum, Park City at Midnight, New Frontier and From The Sundance Collection categories will be announced tomorrow, Thursday, November 30. The Short Film program will be announced on Wednesday, December 6.

American films selected to screen in Dramatic and Documentary Competition are eligible for a number of jury awards including Grand Jury Prizes, Cinematography Awards and Directing Awards. Other jury awards include the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award sponsored by Utah Film Commission and presented to a film in Dramatic Competition, and the Documentary Editing Award which is presented to the editor of a film in Documentary Competition. The Alfred P. Sloan Prize is presented to an outstanding dramatic feature film for the quality of its presentation of science or technology themes. Films in the Independent Film Competition are also eligible for the Dramatic and Documentary Audience Awards. Films screening in the World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competition are eligible for the World Cinema Jury Prizes and World Cinema Audience Awards.

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To balance out my funtime with John Waters I went to see The Prisoner Or: How I Planned To Kill Tony Blair by Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein. It showed with James Longleyâ€s (Iraq in Fragments) short doc Sariâ€s Mother. Both are difficult films to process and I donâ€t know how effective a pairing it was, although I think itâ€s always hard to put a longish short in front of a shortish feature. Itâ€s a programming issue because if people are paying to see a movie they want at least 80 minutes of programming. The Prisoner is a good film, but itâ€s 54 minutes, what can you do? Anyway, the film is Tucker and Epperleinâ€s follow up to Gunner Palace. It follows the story of an Iraqi journalist who is wrongly accused of being an insurgent in a plan to kill Tony Blair. The film uses comic book style animation to brighten up an otherwise bleak and disturbing story.

I wanted to see more movies, but I couldnâ€t stay awake. I went to this party for European Film thingee at the Versace store. It was weird and it brought out all the Eurotrash wearing their crazy costume jewelery. Did I mention the party was in a clothing store?! Luckily I met some really cool people there and hooked up with some other festival compadres for the Sarasota Film Festival bash at Sassafrass.

Jason Leaf of Avatar and Harriette Yahr.

What a great party. I was only going to stay for a short time and then go back to seeing movies, but the next time I looked at my watch it was time to go back to the hotel for my last night in Toronto. (Goodbye Comfort Hotel!)

David Wilson of True/False and Kim Morgan of the Lone Star Film Society at the Sarasota party.

I really had a great time in Toronto. Itâ€s a great city, itâ€s alive with people, tasty restaurants and overall it is a very convenient and accommodating festival (even though the program book costs over 30$!!).

A helpful volunteer explains the ticket situation.

The volunteers I encountered were always extraordinarily helpful and really into the festival. I think some of them knew more about the movies than the buyers! Sometimes I go to a film festival and I spend so much time seeing movies and being focused that I forget how much I really love movies. I spent a little more time seeing things that peeked my interest than being super serious and obsessing about documentaries. Donâ€t worry, though, docs are still tops, but whatâ€s wrong with seeing a zombie sheep film once in a while, or Ken Loachâ€s Palme dâ€Or winning The Wind that Shakes the Barley? In the end, if you pick it right, itâ€s all just plain old good storytelling whether itâ€s fact or fiction. And with a program as varied as the Toronto International Film Festival, how could I resist the candyfloss that is Black Sheep?

Other docs of note, that I canâ€t help overhearing people talk about and that I really wanted to see are Blindsight, Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing (opens in October in limited release by the Weinstein Co), Ghosts of Cité Soleil, Lake of Fire and The U.S. Vs John Lennon (opens September in NY and LA release by Lions Gate).

Docs that screened at TIFF â€06 Iâ€ve seen somewhere else American Hardcore (Sundance), Deliver Us From Evil (DocuWeek), Summercamp! (True/False), Tales of the Rat Fink (SXSW), These Girls and When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (HBO).

Writing this Iâ€m sitting in the airport awaiting my delayed flight to New York. Iâ€ll be in NY for the IFP Market. I havenâ€t been there since 2001 and am really looking forward to it. There are a ton of doc works in progress to check out, plus an entire conference. Itâ€s all part of the ifpâ€s Independent Film Week in New York. If youâ€re around, come by and check it out.

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