Sundance 2007 -- Day 3

Finally saw David Gordon Green's movie this morning. Snow Angels is a really touching film about a separated couple (Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell) and the son (Michael Angarano) of another separated couple who face tragedy on top of their already-existing struggles. Interestingly, the movie starts with gunshots then takes us back three weeks. Green just has a real knack for finding high drama in very realistic situations. A good place to be on Sunday morning, since I'd done church Saturday night.

I met several interesting people today, a National Geographic digital media producer, and a Cal Berkeley professor who runs undergroundfilm.org, and a development researcher, who helps projects already in pre-production to use public response to the script and other aspects of the film.

Also finally made it over to the New Frontier on Main (formerly the Digital Center) for one of the free noon panels: a very challenging look at the possibilities for filmmakers on the web. Old fogie that I am, I didn't realize everything that's going on -- more about his after I chew over it some more. Ultimately, a good panel devolved into a commercial by the reps from You Tube and My Space. I realized they should probably have sophisticated users and not company people on these panels.

Then to the Filmmaker's Lodge for the free panel about how movies aren't free. Some pretty good insights into how to make a film on a low budget. I appreciated producer Andrew Feuerberg's contrarian spirit, putting the desire for name actors in perspective (it doesn't necessarily bring financing) and encouraging us to make our movies instead of waiting forever for everything to line up just right. The others on the panel often myopically talked as if we were up in the mid-range of indie budgets like them.

I saw my Brooks students again before my next movie. One was even wearing my IChooseRed.org armband and said lots of folks asked him about it. They're driving back to California tomorrow (or was it late tonight?) and say they might actually come back next weekend (and maybe see my film).

My last event of the day was Hot House, a documentary about how Palestinian prisoners in Israel become more educated and committed to their cause while in prison. Some come to embrace diplomacy, while others are drawn more deeply into violent resistance. On woman who planned a "successful" suicide bombing and has four young children at home, is serving 16 life sentences. She could only smile when told that she killed eight children.