In Closing

The Lodger Awards

All in all, my first real film festival experience was awesome. It ran the full scale of emotions: joyous, defeated, angry, bitter, elated, happy, sad, sleepy, exhausted, energetic, awesome, ethereal, unique, wondrous, pointless...

I can't wait for the next... and the next... and the next...

I wanted to see it all and do it all. But, of course, I couldn't see everything. I'm not superhuman and the festival's odd scheduling surely rules against it. Still, I saw a lot. Of 16 competition films, I saw 9. More than half. I saw the new Lynch, the new Almodovar and much much more. I saw heroes like Buck Henry and Robert Altman in the flesh. I met new and interesting directors like Mark David and Stacy Title and Liam O Mochain and saw real actors like Ron Livingston. I even spoke with Elvis of IFC. I discovered such a rich diversity of local filmmakers and actors like Dalmon, and Kelly Green, and Mark David. I met local filmmakers I've been wanting to speak with like Bob Ray and Jerry Don Clark. I saw Guillermo del Toro twice. It's almost like a dream... David Bowie's haunting dialogue from "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" echoes through my consciousness... "We live in a dream..."

But enough of the esoterically unbelievable. Without any further ado, here are my awards for my favorite moments from the festival. 

Lodger Awards

Best Competition Film: The Book that Wrote Itself

Best Non-Competition Film: All About my Mother

Best Competition Actor: Channing Rowe ("Junked")

Best Non-Competition Actor: Richard Farnsworth ("The Straight Story")

Best Competition Actress: Sarah Adler ("Afraid of Everything")

Best Non-Competition Actress: Cecilia Roth ("All About My Mother")

Best Overall Short: Johnny Bagpipes

Best Documentary: Get Bruce (okay, it's the only one I saw but it was damn good!)

Worst Overall Film: Wednesday's Child

Worst Overall Short: Strange Parallel

Worst Festival Experience: The staff of the Dobie

Most Ethereal Moment: Being near a rather relaxed Buck Henry

Good Stuff
Afraid of Everything
The Book that Wrote Itself
Let the Devil Wear Black
Robert Altman 60's TV episodes
All About My Mother
The Straight Story
Get Bruce
Attack of the Bat Monsters
Johnny Bagpipes (short)
George Lucas in Love (short)
Le New Yorker

Inbetweenies:
Charades
Junked
Body Shots
The Boys
To Build a Better Mousetrap (short)
Blue Ridge Fall
Sweet Thing

You're No Good
Wednesday's Child
Lord of the Road (short)
War of the Angels (short)
Peep Show (short)
Strange Parallel (short)

Sorry I Missed You
Nashville
Most of the Shorts programs
Joe the King
Natural Selection
I Created Lancelot Link
Slappy the Clown (short)
Edna McCoy's Festival (short)
Bubblepac (short)
That's the Way I Like It
East is East
Rockford
Post Concussion
Tiara Tango
McCabe and Mrs. Miller