MCF Wrap-Up

I helped judge at Microcinema Fest, but these are my personal awards:

BEST FOOD AT FEST: (Tie) The Meat Skillet at Billy's Pancake House or the BBQ meatloaf at Durty Nellie's. I bet Canadian filmmaker Jay Lupish a U.S. dollar that he could not finish the skillet, and he couldn't.

BEST DRINK AT FEST:Raspberry Iced Tea at Durty Nellie's.

BEST AFTER THE AFTERPARTY PLACE: Spunky Dunkers. A donut shop, not a strip club.

BEST MOTEL MOMENT (Tie): Jeremy Neander taking a picture of someone who may have been only sleeping but possibly dead; a woman two doors down standing in the doorway in bra and panties while an entrepreneurial friend invited an unnamed filmmaker in for "a party."

BEST REVIEW OVERHEARD AT FEST: "What happened? I fell asleep."

BEST OUT OF CONTEXT LINE AT FEST: "Just what the fest needs--a thousand troubled teens coming to Palatine."

FAVORITE LATE, LATE NIGHT CONVERSATION:
REwindvideo.com's Wally Fong (talking about his integrity): I never lie.
Me: Okay, then. Wally, did I look fat in that striped shirt?
Wally: Yes.

MOST SURREAL MOMENT (Tie): Seeing the "CSI: Palatine" truck; filmmaker Jon Solita pointing out his shower looked like the "Quantum Leap" machine.

BEST EDITING: What Wally Fong tells his wife about how much he drank when he goes back to Canada.

LEAST AMOUNT OF SLEEP: Fest coordinator Mike Noens.

My thanks also to...PETER O'KEEFE: for being what I always wanted to be--taller and more talented. WALLY FONG: for his uncompromising values and loyalty to the scene--the cool older brother of microcinema. MICHAEL NOENS: the true iron man of the fest, literally behind the scenes the whole time. Did everything right down to stapling the freakin' programs. JEFF GREENE: for running a great movie venue, and a flawless house on lights and audio. STEVE COULTER: whose insights and viewpoints really helped the other punch-drunk judges get it together at 2:30 in the morning. MICHELLE HIGGINS: for reminding everyone why there should be more women behind the scenes in microcinema. JON SOLITA, JAY NEANDER, TYLER WILSON: return of the Five Deadly Venoms! Unofficial party openers and party closers, and then showed their skillz on screen. JAY WOELFEL AND JOHNNIE YOUNG: for hanging out, sharing stories, and giving people a glimpse of the possibilities. PATRICK READ JOHNSON: for taking me back to the old Super-8 days of the late 70s and getting it right, then kicking it with everyone after. CAREY AND JAY (and the other Canadians): Closed every joint in Palatine, then brought down the house Saturday night with "Streets of Wonderland." Oh Canada, indeed. MY BROTHER ERIC: for preventing me from being killed falling asleep behind the wheel on the way home; on the way up to the fest he didn't know what the hell I was talking about with this microcinema thing and on the way home he was a fan. JEREMY NEANDER, JAY BAUMANN, WARREN BLYTHE, JONASON HO: for keepin' on keepin' on for another year of the fest. EVERY EATING ESTABLISHMENT IN PALATINE where I could not clean my plate. ALL THE PEOPLE who attended our workshops and provided good questions and feedback. ALL THE PEOPLE I met and got to talk to, including but not limited to MARC MUSZYNSKI, MARK IVERSON, NICK MACULA, ANGELA WASHLER, CHAD RICHARDS, MATT MEINDL, JESSE COWELL, RJ and CJ, and especially my old friend who I finally met IRL GARY LUMPP as well as many, many others.

That's all I have to write about Microcinema Fest 2005. Until next time, give me a shout at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.