Jay Craven tours with Southern Circuit from October 30 - November 8

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Lake Worth and beyond.

I owe you a few blogs. My tour is completed in Lake Worth. This tour has given me lots to think about, personal and for the film. Here’s the brief personal side trip. I‘m a Florida native. Squeezing 20 minutes at Hunting Island in SC was paying homage to a coastal environment that shaped me. The island’s thicket of pine and palm so closely resembled a Florida hammock I could have been in Sebring or Coral Gables. And the wild beach there is beautiful. When I got to West Palm I again stole a few minutes at the Atlantic. This time it was my Atlantic. The taste and feel and look of the water and beach were as familiar as the voice of an old friend. These are Gulf Stream warmed waters. That day the water was clear, the salt light. There were fat lizards, mangrove seeds, and sea grape leaves. I know I am not unique in the way I experience memory and indulge nostalgia. It is palpable, a gut punch and a caress. I know the capacity I exercise to indulge memory is the same one I use in my work--telling stories.


Okay back to the film. I met great people in Mobile, Montgomery, Baton Rouge, and Lake Worth. Sounds glib, but the fact is, people coming to see the film came knowing something about it and chose to be there. It was not the crap shoot of a festival film goer (Maybe this movie will turn out to be better than the one I couldn’t get into...) or of the filmmaker at a festival (Will anyone come? Will they be glad to be there?). I met former Third Ward residents, artists, designers, activists, politicians and city planners. I have begun e-mail correspondence with a few and expect to be contact with others. I can’t name everyone in this blog, but a few by example. Those of you with whom I talked but I don’t mention later, it is only for brevity.

My question is this: “How do I reach the people who will want to see and use this film?”
My partners and I want this film to reach a significant African-American audience and we think it can. We want it to reach artists interested in how their work can be more than an exhibit in a designated, central culture-temple. We want it to reach architects, designers, and planners who understand their work as a collaboration that makes city life (even rural town life) more livable. We want it to reach residents in other communities that may be facing some of what Third Ward residents face or have faced. We want it to reach people who will see this and ask how their own communities could be more satisfying, more stimulating, more of a neighborhood.

If you, reading this, have ideas of groups, listservs, organizations who should know about Third Ward TX, please write back and let me know.

Thanks,
Andy

"...That Flies to Montgomery"

Garrison here. Thanks to the way airlines are being run today, and compounded by weather, my 1 p.m. flight was delayed over five times. So I arrived in Montgomery 20 minutes after everyone had left the Capri theater. But six people stuck around to talk including theater director Martin McCaffery, community development activist Donald Jenkins, new city council member Tracy Larkin, an activist lawyer, a young architect named Mark and another young architect (I think) whose name I did not get, or it slipped out of my head. We went next door for a drink and to talk about Montgomery.

For me, Montgomery is legendary. Both good and bad. It is a southern cradle of the Civil Rights Movement and former bastion of demagogue politics of racism and very real violence. But these are only images. Flat ones at that. I wish had gotten in early enough to just see Montgomery; to experience it, a little at least, as a city--a place with mixed and contradictory history but a living place with a lot going on.

Raining and gray. I’m about to leave for Mobile.

Hollywood Here I Am

10/18 - Hollywood, Florida that is - a quick drive from the Fort Lauderdale Airport. It's the last night of the tour. I'll be glad to get home, but I will also miss the "rock-star" pace of it all. I had dinner on my own at a Thai restaurant and then walked to the screening at the Art & Culture Center of Hollywood. A small, but receptive and inquisitive audience was on hand and we had a really good Q&A session (a lot of migrant workers pass through Florida). The center also has a gallery and I took some time to check it out.

On my way back to the hotel after the screening, I walked past the plaza where some musicians were playing. It was a nice way to end the night. I crawled into bed early so that I would be ready for the flight home in the morning. It's been an incredible experience screening to so many audiences in a compressed amount of time. It was nice to reconnect with some old friends, and of course, to make some new ones. Thanks to everyone who made this tour possible and all the folks that made me feel welcome.

Atlanta airport limbo

Garrison. First, let me say that watching a movie in a planetarium is wonderful. I love tilting back and watching the dome. I only wish we had the full sound system at the South Carolina State University planetarium, part of the I. P Stanback Art Museum--but the little amp and speaker sounded pretty darn good.

THIRD WARD TX got good marks. Ellen Zisholtz of the I.P. Stanback Museum had a survey for the audience members and I got 5 out 5 on 99% of them. The movie works. What is so incredible, of course, is Project Row Houses, but the movie gets that across.

And liked what little I saw of Orangeburg. Nice neighborhoods, great arboretum, and two of the best tacos I have had, including from my favorite Austin restaurants. Married to a former caterer and restaurateur, I can't not talk about food, when it is good. I recommend El Jarrocho to you. I had a pollo and a lengua taco. Lengua is beef tongue, too weird for some folks but actually delicious. All vegetarian readers are now keeling over and hitting their Delete Key. And at the screening, Nita (I'm sorry, I did not get your last name) made great chicken fingers fried lightly and perfectly in seasoned flour and bread crumbs.

Now my flight out to Montgomery has been canceled and I am waiting in the Atlanta airport..hoping to get a standby flight out earlier than 7 p.m. The screening at the Capri Theater in Montgomery is 7:30. I'd like to get there before the movie starts...or ends.

Beaufort

Garrison here. Last night I screened THIRD WARD TX in Beaufort. I drove from Columbia to Beaufort in the aftermath of a light rain, windows open, on Rt 21 and I-95. Memories spring to mind like a muscle stimulated by an electric current. The humidity, the soft quality of the air instantly passed the thinking part of my brain, triggering images and sudden emotions. What is it about sense memories that are so direct, so intense? A scent, the feel of the air, a sound or certain song, can contract time and space. I was driving on the road in South Carolina and acutely conscious of afternoons driving around Alligator Alley in then-rural western Broward County, Florida. Those cow pastures and orange groves paved over for more tract houses long ago and my driving companion died three years ago. Strange thoughts swirling around when I arrived at my first stop.

Bluffton High School. This has go to be the toughest audience for a the “visiting artist.” First of all , the main reason they are there is because they can get out of class. They haven’t selected to be there and have no reason to show a visitor any special respect. Second, teenage years are such a difficult time. Make the wrong move, laugh at the wrong thing, show enthusiasm for something everyone else might think is weird and suddenly you are an outcast. Better to not show any response and see what the others do.

Plus, I really liked most of the people I filmed and it shows. The film wants you to like them, too. Even the lady with the Rhinestone glasses holding her little dog in her arms—she cuts a slightly absurd picture but we still like her. Is it okay to laugh?

They didn’t laugh much, but they watched carefully, a good sign with high school students. Had their attention. The discussion after was pretty good. They wanted to show me their films and I wish they had them there. I was sorry not to see them. It would have been a good talk.

Beaufort is beautiful and felt very well cared for by my hosts. I managed to get a 15-minute beach visit on Hunting Island. Outstanding. The evening felt like something that might have happened if we were having a house party showing of the film. Many of the people in the audience knew each other and there were even technical issues. Charles, the technician working the theater that night, made a work around and we got to watch the movie. No problem tonight with people worried about showing their enthusiasm. One particularly gratifying response was from a Mr. Scott, a former Third Ward resident. He thought it got the picture of Third Ward right.

I love Louisville!

10/17 - All I can say is that Louisville is a very funky, progressive and hip town. I love it! It seems to have a little hot bed of production companies, independent filmmakers and all kinds of creative folks. Hart-Lunsford Pictures sponsored my screening at The Kentucky Center. It went really well and it drew an eclectic crowd - the Department of Labor and the Catholic Church were some of the folks in attendence. Gil Holland conducted the Q&A session and it lasted as long as the screening did!

Tom, Dan, Gil & I hit Proof on Main for dinner. they served excellent 'Tuscan influenced' American food. The restaurant was inside a really impressive museum hotel called 21c. I loved the concept. Gil took me on a tour of the city and in particular, the Gallery NuLu which was exhibiting the works of Vadis Turner - a pretty provocative artist. I also met Gil's family, which was really nice.

I'm in the Orlando Airport right now, catching a flight into Fort Lauderdale where I will then drive to Hollywood for my final screening of this tour. The flight in was a little uncomfortable since the cabin was filled with a group of children on their way to Disney World. Well, no surprise, but I'm pressed for time, so I'm off to catch my next flight.

Leaving Athens, GA

Had a good screening last night in Athens. I wish had more opporutnity to look around. Mayor Heidi Davison and her husband Al Davison came to the screening and we had a good discussion about efforts being made in Athens to promote public art and low-income housing.

One of the attendees last night was a geography graduate student, who did some research in Third Ward and really liked the film. She had some interesting observations on the difference between The South and The West. My feeling is that there are some particulars to each region, but they overlap and intermingle and become less separable depending upon the sub-culture you are talking about and with. If you are reading this e-mail, would you please get in touch with me at info@ThirdWardTx.com?

Is this what filmmakers are supposed to be blogging about? You got me. It is a narrow slice as far as I am concerned. Better hit the road or I'll be late.

Natchez, Jackson and Louisville

10/14 - The drive into Natchez was beautiful. I passed quite a few plantations along the way and they were gorgeous to see. However, I ran into a traffic jam. The Angola Prison Rodeo was going on and there were hundreds trying to get there. I wanted to go, but they were sold out. That really would have been something to write home about!! Regardless, my stay in Natchez was wonderful. My B&B sat along the river and it was really relaxing. I had a great catfish dinner, probably caught that morning!

10/15 - I was on the road again to Jackson. I passed a few cotton farms and plantations on my way into Millsaps College. The screeming went well and I was amused to find out that it was mandatory for the Intro to Sociology class to attend the screening. Needless to say, they were a very attentive audience.

I stayed at the Cabot Inn and although the folks there were very nice, my view was of the HVAC unit. Unfortunatley I did not have any time to tour around before I had to get on my way to Louisville.

10/16 - Driving into Louisville I noticed how much renovation was going on. Beautiful buildings and amazing architecture; new shops and restaurants. It reminded me of Durham....only Louisville has the incredible Ohio River! I had a view of it from my hotel and I'm planning a walk along it this morning.

I'm excited about tonight's screening - I'm being introduced by Gil Holland, the Executive Producer of Loggerheads!! Until tomorrow....

Pre-Tour - It is almost tomorrow.

Monday night and still a ton of things to have in place before I fly out on Wednesday. A grad student filmmaker, Jaime Cano, has been trying to help me get closed captioning files into the DVD master. Lots of conversations back and forth with Ed Premetz and T Tran at Captions, Inc. Finally, I think, we've got it. I'll know for sure tomorrow when I can try it on a real t.v.

I'm excited about seeing the audience response to THIRD WARD TX across the Southern Circuit. While not only a "southern" film--still, people in the South will recognize the houses and some of the flavor of the neighborhood and the city in a way that will be different from northeast venues or strictly western venues.

I wish my co-producers Noland Walker or Nancy Bless could join me on some stops. But Noland is shooting a dramatically recreated history of Haiti on location (!) and Nancy has fires to tend in Austin for Texas Folklife, the organization she directs.

A few more hours of work tonight before bed, then a long day tomorrow. I'll get to nap a little on the plane to Atlanta.

Andrew Garrison tours with Southern Circuit from Oct. 17 - 25

Listen to an audio interview with Andrew Garrison
Learn more about THIRD WARD TX and Andrew's tour

Later gator

10/13 - Well I made it to Lake Charles! I flew to Baton Rouge via Atlanta and then drove Hwy 10 into Lake Charles. Not a whole lot to see en route except swamp land and I was happy to pull into the Super 8 where the folks were waiting for me. Apparently Irene with the Arts Council was a little worried about me and had called a few times to see if I had made it in! Very sweet - thanks! We grabbed dinner at a down-to-earth seafood place that was all about the food and not so much about the ambiance...which is just fine with me. I got a kick out of the 12-foot long stuffed alligator that lounged beside us.

The screening went well. We had some competition since the Titantic Exhibit had opened and there was a Keltic celebration going on too. Turnout was a little small, but the audience was very attentive. There were some folks with farming backgrounds who had had many interactions with migrant workers, so it was great hearing their viewpoints and perspectives. And really, it's been nice to hear from the various "southern" audiences.

My next destination is Jackson and I don't have to be there 'til Monday. So I get a day to take a breath, get off the road, relax and actually get to do a little touring myself. I'll be staying in a little bed-and-breakfast in Natchez for the night.

Beautiful

10/12 -That's the first word that comes to mind about Charleston and I can't believe it's my first time in the city; unfortunately for less than 24 hours. I'm definitely coming back a'la 'road trip' with some friends. Despite the fact that it is fall break here there was a good turnout for the film, including some students and faculty. I'm pressed for time and I need to catch my flight to Atlanta, so I'll update when I can. Please check out the great article that the Charleston City Paper ran about the screening. Go to charleston.gyrosite.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A34483

10/13 - I've had a little time to catch my breath and wanted to add a few words. I wanted to thank Margaret "Tog" Newman for attending my screening and even more so for sponsoring the tour. She is the chairwoman of the Southern Arts Federation which made my screening road trip possible. I also had a great time talking with Mark Sloan of the Halsey Institute. It turns out we have a photographer friend in common - Roger Manley. Oh and thanks for the book!

What a Day!

10/11 - What a mixed up day! I was late getting on my way to Clemson and ended up missing my exit by about 20 miles. At least the scenery was beautiful and a bit amusing as well - lots of "Jesus is Lord" and "Jesus Saved Me" signs. The screening did not go well either. Although there was a nice turnout of students and faculty, my disk kept skipping. My primary backup disk did not work at all and then my last backup disk wasn't working too well either. I was pretty disappointed. On the other hand, there were some very pointed questions after the screening and I had wonderful conversations with Amy (my hostess for the day) and her husband Jonathan. Amy and I talked about the Full Frame Festival which takes place in my backyard of Durham. We even had a few friends/filmmakers in common. Overall it was a rushed day full of mishaps! Let's hope things go more smoothly in Charleston!

Asheville Rocks!

10/10 - As most folks know, Asheville is an incredible town full of creative, excited and motivated people. I was fortunate to meet two of them who are putting the arts in the forefront and who exemplify the supportive and collaborative nature of the community. Alison Watson is the Executive Director of the Media Arts Project (a non-profit organization that cultivates innovative arts and technology in western North Carolina) and Neal who is the Manager of the Fine Arts Theatre (a very hip venue for independent film makers) which is where we screened my film in the Upstairs Auditorium. Sorry that I can't remember your last name Neal, but thanks for the great turnout at the screening! And thanks for the sneak peek at Moon Europa, a feature length sci-fi flick by another local, independent filmmaker.

I was surprised to see Daniel from the Memphis work-in-progress screening of the film. Daniel is a former activist who brought students to see The Guestworker and hopes to use the film for outreach. It was great to have him there. I've promised to send him the DVD.

Don't laugh, but I forgot my DVD at the theatre and had to wait for it to open today (10/11) which puts me late on the road to Clemson! With that - I'm off.

Highlights from High Point

10/9 - It was a short drive from my home town of Durham up to High Point. The High Point Theatre is a beautiful facility that looks relatively new. Its main screening area can accomodate approximately 1,000 people. We screened in an adjacent room which allowed for a more intimate screening; almost a lounge-type scene with plush sofas. I think this setting is one of the reasons we had such a lively Q&A session. I was impressed by the audience's focused attention to the film.

Louisa, the Executive Director of the High Point Theatre, was a terrific hostess who provided a nice 'wine and cheese' reception. She also took us to dinner at Southern Roots where we chowed down on typically southern fare of pork, collards, okra and sweet potatoes. As part of the High Point charm, I was allowed to arrive in rock star style. A local policewoman (Catherine) allowed me to park in the "No Parking Zone" in front of the theatre for the screening.

It was a nice surprise to run into an old acquaintence, Tom Terrell - a High Point attorney, who brought his family to the screening. Louisa and I have promised to stay in touch, so it was nice to make a new High Point friend as well! And of course, I'm running late and I need to get on the road to Ashville. I'll post again after today's screening.

Documentary filmmaker Cynthia Hill tours with Southern Circuit from Oct. 9 - 18

Listen to an audio interview with Cynthia Hill.
Get more information on Cynthia Hill and The Guestworker.
Get Cynthia Hill's Southern Circuit tour schedule.