It's an anxious period, the long wait before the first festival says "you're in!" We've already heard a couple of rejections, and they're tough, but the bigger picture is still very exciting.
Last week, I felt a strange kinship with a new batch of filmmakers. I had submitted films to festivals before, but this was the first time I had ever put a full-length film in the mail. Putting the addresses on the envelopes, I couldn't help but smile at what even this menial task represented. I've finally joined the ranks of feature-film directors.
I think this sense will be complete once the film is accepted somewhere, or screened for an audience of people who don't know me. But I feel as though I'm almost there. After all, the movie's ready!
We're hosting a private screening of the film next week to an audience of community and business leaders. The folks in the crowd, by and large, are movers-and-shakers in Baltimore. It's a bit of an intimidating demographic for a sneak preview, but an important one, nonetheless. I'm eager to see how they all respond when the end credits start to roll.
Either way, the film is out there, now. We submitted to a couple of fests in England, one in Germany, several in California, New York, Massachusetts, and even Oklahoma. I've never been to Oklahoma...
-Arnon Shorr
Director, "A Modest Suggestion"
