GA, SC, GA, FLA

I apologize for the time off. I usually blog at night and the last couple of stops have been at a B&B and a private home. Both fabulous night stays but I wasn't "doing the net." I have four visits to report!

Since my last writing we screened in Watkinsville, GA (next to Athens) at North Oconee High School. For those who haven't seen North Oconee, it's the Taj Mahal of high schools. It looks like a college campus...just an incredible facility. The screening went well and I stayed in a charming Victorian B&B. The next morning I walked the campus at the University of Georgia. As much as it pains this University of Tennessee alum to write, I have to give it to our rival SEC East school - Georgia. They have a beautiful campus and Athens is everything you'd want in a college town.

Speaking of college towns with pretty campuses, it was up I-85 to Clemson. I enjoyed my time with the school's film professor Aga Skrodzka-Bates. Aga is a native of Poland, as is our film's editor Greg Grzeszczak. We all call Greg "GG" because no one in North Carolina feels comfortable saying, Grzeszczak. Aga and GG spoke in Polish about their mutual love of films and the epistemology of GG's last name. Aga claims Grzeszczak means "little pea." GG was hoping it was something more grandiose, perhaps, giant grapefruit. I'm betting on Aga. Anyway, we screened in front of a large crowd, including lots of students and had a great showing.

Then I travelled across the Palmetto State from Clemson to Orangeburg, home of South Carolina State. I met Ellen Zisholtz. Ellen is originally from New York. In true Gotham City style, we immediately had coffee and talked. There are lots of exciting things going on at South Carolina State and it seems Ellen is leading many of them. She's an energetic ambassador of goodwill, and an excellent painter! I got to tour the latest exhibit at the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium: The James Brown Collection. It is an impressive collection that is very well done! I was particularly taken by the original sheet music. Our film played in a planetarium. I've never had that experience before. It was interesting, watching a crowd that reclined (usually a bad sign like they're asleep) but they weren't. The film was warmly received.

Today, I drove from South Carolina down to Brunswick, GA. Truth be told, I got there a little early so I could hang out at the beach for a few hours. I walked and biked around Jekyll Island before making my way to Brunswick. We played at the Ritz Theater - a great venue that dates back to the 19th century. Heather Heath runs the place and, as I'm noticing with most of my hosts, she too is an artist. Heather is an accomplished actress. She's also married to the Mayor of Brunswick but that's a whole other story. I also enjoyed meeting and talking with playwright/director Rob Nixon. As the film played at the Ritz, I strolled down the street and had a glass of wine at a local bar. I sat in one of those big comfy couches, the kind you want to lounge in but don't want to have in your house. I asked the visiting musician to play some Van Morrison. He obliged. As I sipped wine and sailed into "The Mystic" I realized I have only one more gig. It's up in Kentucky, tomorrow.

It has been quite a trip! I hope to report on the Paramount Arts Center tomorrow night. Until then...

A Sunset Over Georgia Ends My Tour...

FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2009

I drive a few hours southeast from Orangeburg, SC to Brunswick, Georgia, for the final Southern Circuit Tour screening of All About Us.  As I enter downtown Brunswick I notice a very happening and fun vibe here.  I later learn that today is "First Friday" when the quaint shops, art galleries, local bookstores, restaurants and other businesses come together and have a festive block party/open house every first Friday of each month.  Downtown Brunswick reminds me of another quaint area near Los Angeles' Hancock Park called Larchmont and its downtown.  

I head to the Ritz Theater and they too participate in First Friday by exhibiting beautiful art work from local elementary school children.  The lobby is full of students, parents and art admirers enjoying the art and a table full of refreshments equally.  

It is now showtime...the big tour finale.  I introduce All About Us to a wonderful audience, the film begins and then I immediately head outside to enjoy the festivities.  Art gallery stop, bookstore stop...I eventually make my way to the lovely docks where the Liberty Ship Memorial is housed a few blocks away from downtown.  I stand on the waterfront over looking the calm waters, inhale the fresh air and enjoy a beautiful, golden sunset while a variety of birds play in the distance.  This is such a poignant end to what has been 12 days that will never be forgotten.  I have not watched a sunset dip below the waters in about a year and I remind myself that it can never be that long again.  

Tomorrow, when the sun reappears here in the southeast, I will be in Jacksonville, Florida, preparing to board my flight home to Charlotte.  The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is officially a wrap for All About Us.  -Michael Swanson

Brunswick, GA: Gifts and Goodbyes

"the greatest reward is when individual people say that the film was meaningful to them...”

Day 10: November 21st BRUNSWICK, GA: Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association


On the final destination of our tour, we arrived at The Ritz Theatre in the Historic District of Brunswick, GA. The Ritz was opened in 1898 to house the Grand Opera House, which according to our host Heather Heath, mostly showed vaudeville. In the 1930s it became a movie palace and its name was changed to The Ritz Theatre. The screening was well-attended, with 60 people in the audience. At the question and answer session, one man asked, “What sorts of awards or acclaim have you received for this film?” Scott’s answer was, “For me personally, the greatest reward is when individual people say that it was meaningful to them.” Next a woman asked, “What is bubble tea?” Scott explained that the bubbles are made of tapioca. The tea is either green or black iced tea, sometimes containing condensed or powdered milk. Often, a flavor such as peach or almond is also added. Bubble tea is especially popular among young people.

Another audience member brought up the following question: “You said that tea is a lifestyle… What is your hope for that lifestyle?” Scott responded, “It is my hope that tea can provide an alternative to fast-paced modern life. By spending quality time with another person or spending time alone, it can allow you to connect with your path in life. Tea is unique in that it can both stimulate and soothe you.” Following this question, Scott revealed the meaning of the Chinese characters at the end of the film. The first character at the top means TEA, and the character directly underneath it means TAO. So this can translate to “the way of tea” or “the spirit of tea”. For further reading, he recommended The Book of Tea.

As the audience poured out of the theater, we had stimulating discussion with a charming character who had his own “tea studio” in Savannah but no advertising, website, etc. He said that people who come to have tea with him always learn about his space through word of mouth. He even gave the director a gift of an extraordinary Pu’er. We mingled with the audience for another half hour before finally packing up our remaining DVDs and soundtrack CDs for the last time, saying goodbye to Heather, and heading out to St. Simons Island for a look at the ocean before heading home to New York.

Scott and I want to extend our deepest gratitude to Allen Bell and everyone who worked with him on the Southern Circuit tour, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts. This has been an invaluable experience for us, and I hope that over the years more artists will be able to have similar experiences with interacting directly with their audiences, the people we seek to simultaneously entertain and inform.