For almost 20 years now, fall has been marked for me by the beginning of the IFP Market. I love almost everything about the market, but mainly the spectacle - it's where the hopes and dreams of filmmakers intersect with the grim reality of THE BUSINESS, and it's always fascinating to behold. Heck, I even made my first film about just that very subject.
In fact, almost all the films I've directed or helped produce have played the IFP Market, either as works-in-progress or finished films. And years where I don't have a film showing, like this one, I somehow manage to wind up on a panel that earns me a pass for the week.
For some reason I was recently moved from moderating the Doc Programmers panel, about navigating the festival circuit, something I have a loads of recent experience in, to moderating a panel on Filmmakers and Journalism, which I have almost zero expertise in. But, hey, whatever gets me in the front door of the Angelika. I'm particularly looking forward to screenings of friends like Liz Canner, Andrew Berends and Andy Shocken, as well as others I won't even know about until I read the catalogue. And tonight there's another fun-filled opening night party where, no doubt, I'll lose my voice within minutes trying to be heard above the blasting music.
Leave it to me to wait until Toronto has ended to mention a couple of powerful docs I saw there. With only 3 days to do my panel and squeeze in a boatload of meetings, I didn't have nearly enough time for films, but I wanted very much to see AJ Schnack's Kurt Cobain About A Son and Macky Alston's The Killer Within, and I'm glad I did. Both will do quite well commercially, I'm sure, and a big reason is their ravishing cinematography and lyrical soundtracks. With the advent of digital camcorders lowering the bar on production values, it's great to see docs of such high professional caliber.
And then there's the hilarious Al Franken: God Spoke, which I saw for the second time at the IFC Center the other night on my return to NY. It was a highlight of Full Frame for me, and I knew my wife would love it, which she did. Afterwards, Franken appeared in person for a way too short Q&A, where he astonished with his wit and comic timing. Whatever your politics, if you're from Minnesota, vote for Franken for Senator, if only for the greatest press conferences you'll ever see.
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