A GAY OL' TIME AT THE INDY FRINGE FESTIVAL

Went down to the Phoenix Theatre last night to see Shawn Whistler's play A Midsummer Night of Fairies and Asses. It's "a gay comedy...and not the way Shakespeare intended" that's part of the 1st annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival. I'm not much of a live theatre-goer (as I prefer movies), but Shawn (pictured with me below) is a friend of mine and I had a good time. Laughed myself to tears really.



Irreverant, raunchy and fun, the play still delivers the strong and, in my opinion, important, message that the government should not be in the business of regulating love between two consenting adults, no matter what their gender. The play also contains a tribute to Bette Midler's Beaches, called "Biotches" that is not to be missed. And you don't have to, the play is still running two more times this week. More at www.indyfringe.org.

MY MICROCINEMAFEST EXPERIENCE

Had a good time in Chicago this past weekend at Microcinemafest. Saw some great flicks and met some great people. It's inspiring to see the amazing work that people are creating with limited budgets and resources. I highly recommend Memories of Tomorrow and Streets of Wonderland .



The Coming To My Senses screening and Q&A went well, although due to my "technological retardation" I was unable to answer some of the tech-related questions. Something about staying in a hotel always inspires me to write. While I was gone I got a chance to work a little bit on two scripts I've been writing: PDA (a short) and anyone but who i am (a feature). But more on those much later. I've got a documentary to finish!

HAIRKUTT AT KEY CINEMAS

Went down to Key Cinemas this past Tuesday for the return of the free Indy-Indies screening (formerly known as Filmmaker's Showcase). Watched Hairkutt, a graphic documentary about four friends from St. Louis who travel to a remote mountain cabin in the Smoky Mountains with the plans of breaking Bryant "HairKutt" Johnson of his fifteen year addiction to heroin. Directed by Curtis Elliott (pictured with me above), it was a wonderful film; moving, at times funny and at times uncomfortable to watch. I've been viewing a lot of docs lately (as I'm production on one) and this one gave me some great "hints" on story structure and pacing for Persistence of Vision. For more on Hairkutt, go to the film's official website at www.itstoughtogetoffdrugs.com.

SENSES TO SCREEN AT MICROCINEMAFEST

My short film Coming To My Senses has been accepted into the 5th annual Microcinema Fest in Chicago and will screen on Saturday, August 13th. The lineup looks fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing some great flicks and meeting the other directors. Plus, I'll have just wrapped shooting on Persistence of Vision so I'll be more than ready for a vacation and a few drinks. I'll post pictures from the trip when I return.

You can now also listen to and download a podcast of Austin Burbridge's Cinema Minima story about Persistence of Vision. A link has also been added to the sidebar of this site under Press/Interviews/Reviews.