Big Bear Lake Int'l Film Festival

To Rest in Peace will be screening at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival! The festival runs September 15-17. We are nominated for Best Student Short.

Congrats also to my USC classmate Nate Ruegger for his film, Another Life. We screened our films together at Paramount Studios, and we'll be screening together again in Big Bear Lake. Anecdotally, Nate was also the first person I had lunch with when I arrived at USC.

The festival is organized by Monika Skerbelis, who ran the American Pavilion screening in Cannes. She has a good eye for short films, so I look forward to seeing the selection here.

The location of this festival brings back fond memories. One of my favourite production experiences was filming up in Big Bear Lake for Into the Unknown. I co-edited the project with To Rest in Peace editor Ryan Frost, but the first weekend of production I doubled as the script supervisor. The entire crew stayed in one big cabin, which housed a singing moose head. We filmed during day light hours, and barbecued at night. Definitely one of the highlights of my time at USC. Even the first night up, when we couldn't find the cabin in the dark, and had to sleep in the car...

Report from Cannes

Pictured above are the international pavilions at the Festival de Cannes. Our screening at the American Pavilion on Tuesday went very well. To Rest in Peace was one of five narrative student shorts selected for the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase. We were also in the Short Film Corner, where we had another screening on Friday morning.

This trip has been a whirlwind, and a great learning experience. Our festival accreditation meant we could enter the film market, where features were being pitched and sold. It was astounding to see the number of different projects, poster after poster of films that will either gain worldwide distribution or fade into obscurity. As a lover of historical dramas, there were a few that were particularly interesting, including a project in development about the Duke of Wellington. That's one I hope to see in theatres one day.

The American Pavilion have been generous hosts, providing opportunities to watch great films, meet filmmakers, attend industry panels, eat good food, and party on the beach. Monika Skerbelis and Walter Harris did a wonderful job making us feel at home.

One of the best highlights was the presentation of the Palm Dog award at the UK pavilion. This coveted collar is given for best performance by a canine at the festival. This year's winner was Uggy the terrier for his role in The Artist.

Host Toby Rose kept the audience roaring with the highest (or lowest) standards of british comedy. There was some talk of expanding the award categories to cats and other animals. If birds are ever recognized, I think Joey the parrot would be a strong contender.

Sadly, the trip is coming to an end. But it has generated a good amount of momentum for To Rest in Peace, and for some projects we have in development. It was an honor to take part in this year's festival, and we hope to be back with a feature film in the future.

First Day in Cannes

This is a photo of Michael Benyaer (Malek), Fawaz, and myself our first night in Cannes. We look forward to the screening tomorrow morning at the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase.

The weather has been gorgeous here, and the food is amazing. The color of the water is incredible. I have never seen anything like it. It is my first time in France, and what a great introduction!

More updates to come. Possibly including pictures of me and Fawaz in tuxes.

P.S. Can anyone loan me a bow tie? : )

Going to Cannes!

I am thrilled to announce that To Rest in Peace will be screening at the Cannes Film Festival in May, as part of the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmakers Showcase!

There is more festival news to come in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, we are busy preparing for Cannes and developing some feature film projects.

Today is also important on a more personal level. It would have been the 41st birthday of my friend and mentor, David Stein. Every April 29th, and December 12th, I watch his Chasenjah music video, as a way of placing a virtual stone in remembrance. If you have a moment, click on the link to see it. His spirit is very much alive in his art.

There was a time in high school when the enormity of my dream seemed too daunting. I wanted to write and direct historical epics, like Gladiator and Les Misérables, but thought it was impossible. David assured me that no dream is too big. There are people out there making those films, so why not you? Just take it one step at a time. I had to recall his advice many times along the way. With To Rest in Peace, that dream now seems a tangible reality. It is one of the many reasons I am thankful to have known David Stein.