WorldFest Houston: A Real Bang-up

WorldFest Houston (or alternatively The Houston International Film and Video Festival) was exactly as its poster might have you think it was.  It was rather surreal.  It was also a lot of fun and a very generous festival.  And it went out with a real bang.

Alex and I flew down to Houston from Atlanta to attend the screening of The Death of Alice Blue and the closing night awards ceremony at WorldFest Houston.   The festival was generous in providing for our accommodation, inviting us (no strings attached) to the closing night gala, and reimbursing us for a good chunk of the price of airfare.  

The screening went well.  Things began to seem a little surreal as I descended the hotel escalator to the gala and was greeted by the festival's Executive Director, Hunter Todd.  For some reason Mr. Todd was dressed in full regalia as a boat Captain.  Mr. Todd is a very friendly and personable man.   

Mr. Todd and another man were co-MCs of the evening.  Here I might add we were provided with a wonderful dinner which consisted of many courses and different wines for each course. The festival participants were different from the participants at other festivals I had attended.  They weren't scruffy like the indie filmmakers in Atlanta, nor as chic and polished as participants of the Toronto or Berlin film festivals.  I had the fleeting impression of being on the Love Boat. 

The guests sat in tension as they ate through their many courses, waiting for the awards to be announced.  Alex and I were delighted to receive two gold awards for The Death of Alice Blue, one for Best Fantasy Feature and one for Best Special Effects.

One person at our table was a Texan who suggested it might be fun to show the Canadians what a "real" Texas bar was like.  The suggestion was taken up by all and off we went into the night.

One thing a "real" Texas bar apparently is not, is a faux British pub like so many we have in Toronto.  Instead it must go in the other direction, it must have a lot of rough hewn wood about - wood benches, wood picnic tables and wood planks on the wall.   In this environment I asked the Texan (a fireman by trade) if it was true that a lot of people in Texas had concealed guns.  I was assured that quite a lot of people had them, but I wasn't to worry, there was a law prohibiting guns in government buildings and in bars.   Furthermore, I was told, this was a good thing, for example if someone had a gun and was threatening your girlfriend you could...   

On the way back to the hotel we were nearly killed.  All of us.  A young man was driving his car at a terrific speed.  I have a clear memory of his suddenly awoken face as we crossed the street.  He was heading right for us.  Fortunately he had the good sense to swerve into a pole.  He missed us by about five feet.  There was considerable confusion.  He was pulled from his car unconscious.  He started muttering and appeared intoxicated.  The fireman assured us he would be alright.

Exotics Down South - The Atlanta Fim Festival

In April of 2009 The Death of Alice Blue travelled down south to participate in the 32nd  Atlanta Film Festival.  Right off the top it was put forward that The Death of Alice Blue and its filmmakers were exotics from the far far North.  This is what the Atlanta Film Festival guide had in part to say about The Death of Alice Blue: "There is something about The Death of Alice Blue that has a quintessential Canadian feel to it... filled with dark dry humor and a pleasant quirkiness that is evident from the acting to the costumes to the set design.." 

For our part, Alex and I found Atlanta to be exactly as you might a Southern city to be.  It was very laid back, warm (though the locals didn't think so), fragrant, and manifest of the legendary Southern Hospitality.  One example of this last point was the festival's main representative, Executive Director Gabriel "Gabe" Wardell.  Gabe was young, approachable, and extremely helpful.  He was concerned with how everything was going for everyone, ensured we had rides everywhere we needed, and even offered festival and post-festival advice.  

The hub of The Atlanta Film Festival seemed to be "Filmmaker's Lounge", really a popular artsy bar.   Here between film screenings scruffy filmmakers would sip free beer and exchange war stories and advice about the DIY world of indie filmmaking.

The Atlanta Film Festival held nightly events.  One such was themed on a game called "Beer Pong", the subject of a participating documentary.  This game was a variation on Ping Pong which included plastic cups of beer and much drinking of said beer.  Referees kept order.

We really knew we were in the south after the screening of a documentary about the conviction Edgar Killin, a preacher and reputed KKK member, for involvement in the murders of several civil rights workers in the sixties.  As the Q and A started, the filmmaker called upon an audience member who stood up and said to the effect "while we may not be in Tennessee, Georgia has five hundred outstanding lynchings to this day".

The screenings for The Death of Alice Blue went well.  The film got good houses, particularly considering these were matinees.  Alex and I were more prepared and calm so our Q and A was more open, honest, and funny.  Once again a comparison to Terry Gilliam was brought up.  This happened also outside.  Since then I've refreshed my memory as to what is distinct about Gilliam's work, and I can now see why these comparisons come up.  I think it is a good thing.

Unfortunately we could not attend our second Q and A as we had a plane to catch to the next festival.

Of the many great people we met there two stand out, Miracole and Chris Burns.   Miracole is a Comic Book model and a model for genre conventions.  Chris is an actor and filmmaker. Miracole's car is a sedan which has had all logos removed and its window's tinted.  It resembles some FBI/CIA/secret agency vehicle.  Alex and I quite enjoyed the spirit of this couple.  They were another example that Southern Hospitality is alive and well in Atlanta, Georgia.

So it was in the American South that The Death of Alice Blue with its "pleasant quirkiness" represented the exotic world of the far far north.