We're the producers?

I came across this footage the other day and I couldn't help myself. I thought it'd be fun to share. Such foolishness. It's Lisa Vampa and myself after finding out we had secured some funding to make "Finding Marilyn". We were so excited and so happy and so... silly. Haha. Neither one of us had any idea what we were doing or what we were getting ourselves into... but we were certainly going to give it our bestest and try to have fun with it ;)

Enjoy.

Wingman

Every girl needs a wingman. You know, for those special occasions, like, when she has a film festival to go to and she needs someone to sit through 28 short films over the period of 6 hours with her. 

Derrald is the best wingman. 

As previously mentioned, my short film "Finding Marilyn" screened at the Carrboro Film Festival this past Sunday and it was so much fun. The festival itself was a huge success. There were some great films made by local artists and it was such a pleasure to get to meet some of these folks as well as watch their work.

We had a full house.

 We had Q&A with the filmmakers. That's me. Far right.

And then possibly the best part of the evening, awards time!! "Finding Marilyn" did exceptionally well for it's first festival, taking home the awards for excellence in cinematography and for best film by a professional/emerging artist. I wish that other members of our cast and crew could have been there to enjoy the day and the validation that comes with being recognized.

Making a film, even if it is only 15 minutes long, takes a lot more work than you might think. It didn't help that I decided to create a production that involved artists from all over the world... where they were still located all over the world... but from conception to finish it took two years. Many people, friends really, gave their time willingly and FREEly. It would have been impossible without them.  You know who you are, THANK YOU.

Veterans Day

Georgio O'Keeffe "Oriental Poppies" 1928

Typically, when I hear the words "Veterans Day",  my mind wanders to images of poppies (paper or real), bayonets, and a bunch of old fellas dressed in their old uniforms sitting around chatting about hard times past... but this year, I am updating the image. I always felt a sense of respect concerning this day but now I feel connected. Veterans are not just "old fellas". They are also "young fellas". War is current. It's tentacles are long and far reaching, across seas and across time. We remember those that made it and those that didn't.

In New Zealand, we commemorate Anzac Day. It's pretty much the same thing as Veterans Day, or as they call it in the Commonwealth, "Remembrance Day"- just on a different day of the year. And we make cookies called "Anzac Biscuits". My heritage being what it is, I feel like Anzac Biscuits are appropriate on a day like today.  Unfortunately, with my husband flying to Utah for the BYU conference this weekend and the rest of my family scattered across 3 separate continents, I'm not sure who I'd be making them for.

Anzac Biscuits are said to have been made by soldier's wives during World War I. They were sent to the young men overseas as the ingredients didn't spoil easily and they travelled well. These days we send my brother boxes of Toffee Pops and Pineapple Lumps.

As I drink my delicious Starbucks Spiced Apple drink (oh so good), in the comfort of the bookstore, and reflect on how many times I've complained this week about my feet being sore and my back being sore and not having enough time to write and think and work on my projects because I work, wait for it.... a whole 4 days this week! ... I wonder if I even have a tenth of what it would take to be a woman in the early 1900's. When waitressing seems like "hard labor" I know I'm taking my life for granted.

 Here's to remembering all the men and women, young and old, who have fought for their lives, and for our rights, and because it was required of them. We remember you. We remember your families. We remember each other and our own imperfect humanity. We remember and we will remember. On Veterans Day. With poppies. Or cookies. Or maybe a story or two. I wish we would remember with lessons learned. With kinder hearts. Wiser hearts. Wiser minds. But we are human, and even that we fail to remember at times.

Finding Marilyn at the Carrboro Film Festival

Last week I got an email confirming that my short film "Finding Marilyn" will be making it's US debut here at the Carrboro Film Festival in North Carolina. I am so excited to be sharing this film with all our friends here and am keeping my fingers crossed that,with a little more effort on my part, it will not be the last screening here in the US.

Anyone close to me knows that I have been frustrated with myself for quite some time about not being proactive enough about my projects. I don't know why it takes me so long to get things done. Derrald says I am a "dreamer not a doer" and I'm inclined to believe him, based on my recent progress, however, there is a part of me that thinks "No! I AM a doer. I do things. I made a short film didn't I? Wrote it. Produced it. Filmed it. So I've been "out" of the doing phase for a little while... so what? Where is that girl that dreams things and then does them (even if she takes longer to do it than everyone else)?"

You see, I absolutely have the capacity to be a doer. It's just not really my natural state. It takes me longer to get there. Still, that girl, the one that dreams of doing and then sometimes actually does, she's here. I wrote in my journal today that the key is not to give up. That alone is a triumph in itself. Some of my projects have been going on so long it's embarrassing. But I am a Jannesen. No, a Stice. No, a Jannesen-Stice-Stice-Jannesen. Okay fine. It doesn't really matter what I am. The point I am trying to make is that I WILL get them done (eventually) because I have decided it.

I won't go all Oprah on you right now (sorry Mum). I will just leave you with an image of my poster, designed by my good friend and fellow filmmaker, Salvatore Castellana.

The Carrboro Film Festival is on November 21st. I'll let you know how it goes.