Over the last two weeks, as I zipped around to ten cities in
the South as part of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, a
question formed in my mind that became more and more urgent with each new city
that I visited and with each new screening filled with curious, intelligent,
arts-craving audiences. That question was why - why doesn't this exist
anywhere else? Why doesn't every region in the United States have a
circuit tour?
From the grand, ornate Lucas Theatre in Savannah, to the
Baptist-church-turned-black-box-theater in Tupelo, to the college auditoriums
of Clemson and Johnson City, our thoroughly unconventional abstract narrative
dance film was received with excitement, enthusiasm and gratitude. The Q
and A sessions raised questions that were insightful, challenging, and unique
to the cultural viewpoint of the South. The outreach efforts of the local
venues were fun, creative and effective.
(In Savannah, a sneaker design
contest inspired by the colorful sneakers of the film resulted in a free pair
of Converse for one lucky ticket holder - and a lot of great designs that
Converse should really consider.)
Thanks to those efforts, the screenings
brought together groups of people that might not normally cross paths:
cinephiles and jazz aficionados; retirees, college kids and pre-teen
dance students; ex-pat New Yorkers and lifelong Southerners. Some were
longtime fans of New York City Ballet while others had barely heard of it.
Regardless of their background, most audience members seemed to relish
the instant gratification of getting to share their thoughts and questions with
the filmmaker, person to person, with the film fresh in their minds.
As a filmmaker, I've walked to the post office countless
times to ship our film to the 65 cities and 6 continents where it has screened
theatrically, always wondering how the audience members received our unusual
project in places as diverse as Johannesburg, Lisbon, St. Petersburg, and
Albuquerque. The Southern Circuit was my first and only opportunity to
travel with the film and see those reactions for myself. After the
lengthy, difficult and often discouraging process of making a film, these
opportunities to connect with the audience and see the film's impact have given
me the much-needed inspiration to continue on to new projects.
I hope other organizations and regions will be
inspired by what South Arts is accomplishing with their Southern Circuit.
Not only are they enriching the artistic life of the communities on the
circuit, but they are contributing to the tourist industry that is now at the
forefront of most Southern economies. On my few free hours during the
tour, I took in local sights and ate at local restaurants, all the while
plotting how and when I could find a way to come back to these charming places
and really get to know them. When a tour guide in Charleston thanked me
for my business, I told him that he should thank South Arts, not me.
South Arts has created the model and proven its value; I hope that other
regions will be inspired to follow suit, for the benefit of filmmakers like me,
and for the benefit of communities across the country.
