#for more comedy i think we could get a short period of amanda TRYING to lie about it or avoid it

[shesmore-shoebill]

When i say amangela pining rpf au, and SPECIFICALLY, amanda pining rpf au, know that this is what im thinking about.

Like, with Angela as A and Amanda as B. The opposite is ALSO very good and i have no objection to it but i think theres something so delicious about. Amanda as a straightforward communicator and Angela as someone who pays very close attention to her friends and Would prioritize their feelings over hers, in this scenario.

Angela in a sort of "well this wouldn't happen anyways" state who is so in love but has learned how to manage vs Amanda absolutely getting slammed with her emotions and going "oh fuck". and like. As a big believer in being open and honest with people she cares about she is Not Going To Lie About It, holy shit!! She HAS to talk to Angela about it wtf. But she is going to lose her mind for a bit first.

anyway thats my vision. 👌

[spnfanficpond]

June 2020 Angel Fish Awards

(New Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. While the Pond was founded to support the Guppies, everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that by opening this up as a Pond wide system, we’ll be able to share the love as far as it can go.

NOTE: WE’VE BEEN HAVING OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS WITH ASKS GOING MISSING. Please use the Submit button when submitting your nominations and make sure you’re signed into Tumblr or your URL won’t show. (If the form asks for your name and email address, then you’re not signed in.) If you like, you can also send a message to Michelle @mrswhozeewhatsis or Mana @manawhaat to check and make sure we got your submission.

Be sure to read through this whole post as people who were nominated more than once only had one tag activated for tumblr tagging purposes!

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE JUNE’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nonimated by @thegirlwhorunswithwinchesters

I Thought You Were Going To Die (oneshot) by @fun-and-fandoms

My nominations for the month wouldn’t be complete without a little bit of angst. Though this one isn’t just that. If you’re easily triggered by mentions of depression and its symptoms, this one’s not for you. But it’s an important topic and I will always encourage any creator who uses their art to remind people it’s okay to talk about it. (Note from Kale, this was actually submitted in May but I missed it.) 

More to Me (oneshot) by @becs-bunker

No spoilers, but I’m so glad this ended the way it did. So sweet <3

Help  (oneshot) by @blushingjared

I came across this fic and was immediately intrigued. Then I started reading and I was captivated from the first sentence until the very last. The author did such a good job with setting the scene and painting the right picture.

Talking Bodies (oneshot) by @ne-gans

This AU-Sam is such a huge weakness of mine. That, in combination with this dangerously filthy masterpiece, is nothing short of perfection.

Nominated by @focusonspn

Into The Woods (series) by @amanda-teaches

So well written, interesting plot and great development. The chemistry between Y/N and Dean is also amazing, and I loved how this mini-series could be so easily part of the show. Totally worth reading.

Nominated by @thoughtslikeamindfield 

Stranger Than FanFiction (series) by @cherry3point14

The premise is similar to the film Stranger Than Fiction – a story about a story being written about you – and it’s just as hilarious. Also, Cherry Pie is still one of the funniest writers in this corner of SPN fandom.

“You’re not supposed to move your head if there’s someone trying to murder you, probably…”

No, I wouldn’t think so, but lollllll

“You’re being insane, out loud.”

Omgggg

“It tried, oh, how the door tried to divert her attention from the unknown men who could be terrible, rule-breaking influences on her. However the door was only wood and she was a stubborn woman made of free will and limbs—a woman who refused to be deceived.”

“Your hand is on the doorknob before the mention of your limbs has finished rattling around your head.  Realistically you don’t want to encourage the voice by doing what it says. After all, the voice’s ultimate goal seems to be killing you.”

BAHAHAHAH omfg you guys

I need to stop quoting from this bc I probably seem insane to those of you who haven’t read this, so stop being judgy buttheads and go read!

Nominated by @flamencodiva

The Choice (series) by @superfanficnatural

A couple of things. 1) this is an amazing fic that highlights Dean unwillingness to let himself go until it’s almost too late. and 2) the smut in this is hot hot hot hot! not for anyone under 18 years of age.

Mert has a way with words and can literally pluck you into one and make you see it as it comes to life in your head.

Mine (series) by @holylulusworld

Lulu has an abundance of different stories she tells and this one is my favorite of her ABO’s at the moment. (although I love all of them) I think this one deserved a mention. I am glad she joined to Pond so I could help nominate and spread her amazing work!

One Night at a Time (series) by @crashdevlin

Another great fic by Cassie! This one shot full of Angst, Smut, and if you squint just the right amount of Dean fluff. She has a way of capturing your attention and putting you in the world as you read.

What He Lost (oneshot) by @jensengirl83

This short story by Brandy is sure to rip your heart out. she leaves just a bit of hope where you think there is a chance only to crush it completely with the ending. This one is sure to bring you to tears if you are looking for the most delicious angsty story to read.

Nominated by @risingpheonix761

Down The Rabbit Hole (oneshot) by @dontshootmespence

So, this was hysterical. XD I love crack fics, and bad smut in particular, and this one hits the spot. (I’ve also learned several new horrible euphemisms lol). The ending, though? Golden!

Nominated by @myinconnelly1

The Affair (oneshot) by @holylulusworld

I love how well all the characters are portrayed I truly hate everyone except the reader! Well done!!  

Red Riding Hood - or how you ran into a wolf... (oneshot) by @holylulusworld

I have nothing to say about this. I will simply allow the puddle I have become to speak for me. 

Last Omega On Earth (oneshot) by @holylulusworld 

This was a great entry in the ABO world. and we need more of this and more like !!!!! Great work!

My Beta (oneshot) by @holylulusworld

I am a greedy little bitch with this fic.  I think I've read it 3-4 since i first read it this month!!!!!! READ THIS FIC!  

Third Period (oneshot) by @fictionalabyss

Some truly inspiring smut.  Inspiring to change my panties. 

Gods of Twilight (series) by @thecleverdame​

I think i posted this fic in my rec before, but it is so amazing and intricate that i can't stop gushing about it.  Fucking awesome. 

Apple Pie (oneshot) by @bad268​ 

The amazingness of this is great, check this guppy out!

Deal (oneshot) by @bad268 

Comedy at some of its's finest!!! 

Confession (oneshot) by @idreamofplaid

THE FLUFFFFFFF!!!! I don't read straight fluff.  So get the tissues ready.

Fallen (series) by idreamofplaid

My therapist has told me i'm not longer allowed to talk about this fic during our sessions.  So instead i shall now talk about it here... *pulls out soapbox* ahem... *gets pulled away with hook*

Memory (oneshot) by @idreamofplaid

This fic is older, but i love it so much.  I recently went back and reread it, and the angst and reconciliation in this fic are heartwrenching.

Home (oneshot) by @emilyshurley

My dentist bill the month was higher than normal, due to the new cavities caused by this fic.

Imperfectly Yours (oneshot) by @emilyshurley

Cuteness overload as you get Dean's perspective of Home ^^

Second Hand News (oneshot) by @emilyshurley

Alright listen. I am a glutton for punishment.  And this fic, I asked for.  Also i had it set within one of the universes we now own.  That all being said, reading this was like a dose of my own medicine and it fucking hurt.

Honesty And Lies (oneshot) by @crashdevlin

This was super dirty, and great.  Totally recommend. 

Nominated by @deanwinchesterswitch

The Classifieds (oneshot) by @talesmaniac89

This is rip your heart out and stomp on it angst right here. So well written, but so, so heartbreaking.

So Much More Than Perfect (oneshot) by @imagineteamfreewill

This fic is one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read. It made me tear up a bit, but who doesn’t love Dean being the most protective, most adorable dad ever?!

Nominated by @mariekoukie6661

Dear Dean (series) by @smol-and-grumpy

It’s one of those series that makes you wants more after every chapter. It’s a brilliant story.

Left Behind (series) by @kittenofdoomage

It’s the only John Fic I can read over and over and over again. Its hot, the plot is awesome! And it makes me wants more each and every time I read it.

Not Much Left (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer

I think Beka tries to kill her readers every time she writes smut… or she just tap into our mind what we want or what we fantasize about. Every single time I’m speechless by her talents!

Yes Professor (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer

It’s a Misha fic, there’s no one who write Misha the way Beka does!!!

Owe You One (series) by @supernatural-jackles

It’s such a great series! The friends with Benefit and Mechanic!Dean… I just love this so much and I don’t have words to describe how good this one is!!

Flirty In French (oneshot) by @fictionalabyss

This is brilliant, and I know its an old one, but from someone who finally decided to read more and from someone who is from Quebec, this is absolutely brilliant! The flirty french pick up line are so hilarious!

Nominated by @moosekateer13

Watching for Comets (series) by @holylulusworld

This fic beautifully captures the song that it was inspired by.

It also showcases things that when things are meant to be.

I’ll will all fall into place.

Please Trust Me (oneshot) by @holylulusworld

This fic beautifully emotionally captures what it’s like to have trust issues.

Nominated by @fictionalabyss

Last Call (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer 

It was everything we needed and wanted.

Culinary Exploits (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer  

Too utterly ridiculous not to get a mention.

His Omega (oneshot) by @iflostreturntosteverogers 

A sweet little comfort fic of Dean being utterly perfect caring for his Omega. Carrie also pulled off keeping this gender neutral, which isn’t something I see a lot of, and probably something I’d struggle with, so hats off to you, babe.

Poison (oneshot) by @supernatural-jackles 

YES omg i feel this on such a level. I’ve gone through that shit myself. A friend who lets you down so profoundly but then acts as if you’re the most toxic person in the world.  Nothing feels as good as letting go of that shit and moving on to better things. This was beautiful, and perfect, and TRUTH.

Amara (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer  

This one hurt. It really hurt, but it hurt so good that I’m left wanting more.

Take Me Now (oneshot) by @sorenmarie87  

If Dawn doesn’t continue this, I’ll riot.

Stuck On You (oneshot) by @kittenofdoomage  

I rarely read a fic this long (I just don’t usually have the time) but it looked too interesting for me to scroll past, and it had me completely captivated. I needed to know what would happen as if I needed air, even though I could guess how it ended, I needed to read the words. Phenomenal.

Thank you all for the awesome work and great feedback!

These are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

[cannongregory]

How To Get Back At Your Ex Wife Top Ideas

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How To Win Your Ex Back After 2 Years

[viralhottopics]

Roadkill and lawnmower exhibitions: The weird ways museums are finding funding – BBC News

Image copyright Oskar Proctor/ G.W.Smith/ Black Country Living Mus

Image caption Museums are searching for unusual ways to raise money

Fancy learning how to practise taxidermy on roadkill? Or visiting the lawnmowers of the rich and famous? As our arts centres and museums suffer funding cuts, several are seeking innovative ways to increase income and footfall. But can quirky fundraisers keep our tourist attractions afloat?

Years ago, a day out at a museum may have meant trawling round glass cases full of dusty but worthy exhibits, before stopping in the teashop for a stale scone and a lukewarm drink.

But pitch up at some of England’s museums nowadays and you could find yourself wandering into a film set or a cocktail bar.

Image copyright PA

Image caption The former head of Arts Council England, Sir Peter Bazalgette, suggests arts venues need to be imaginative about raising funds

Funding cuts have meant England’s 1,300 accredited museums have had to find imaginative ways to raise money.

Indeed, the former head of Arts Council England, Sir Peter Bazalgette, suggested museums go even further if they want to survive.

He said theatres should open charity shops, art galleries should run bed and breakfasts and museums should become film sets to make more money.

Sir Peter pointed to examples such as the Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury, which runs a charity shop and Islington Mill, an arts centre in Salford, which runs a B&B.

Image copyright UCL Grant Museum of Zoology/Matt Clayton

Image caption Some museums say they might have limited appeal as a B&B

Alistair Brown, policy officer for the Museums Association, the sector’s membership organisation, said: “Lots of museums are looking at new ways to generate income and are being quite creative about it.

“But it’s probably a mistake to think that is the best way of saving them. The levels of income they are losing through cuts are greater than the amount they are able, in the short term, to raise through entrepreneurial activities.”

So what are the quirkiest ways museums have found of raising funds? And is opening a guesthouse or running as a film set feasible for all of them?

Laughs in the library

Image copyright UCL Grant Museum of Zoology/Matt Clayton

Image caption The Grant Museum is not, at first glance, an obvious stand-up comedy venue

An Edwardian library jam-packed with animal skeletons and jars of pickled frogs might not seem, on the face of it, a barrel of laughs.

But the Grant Museum of Zoology, in London, decided its quirky setting was the perfect location to stage stand-up comedy gigs.

“It’s a cabaret-style comedy night. We hold three of them a year and they are hugely popular,” said Jack Ashby, the museum manager.

“The events are compred by a professional comedian who introduces different members of staff to the audience. We have people working here who get particularly nerdy about animals nobody has ever heard of – and audiences find that pretty entertaining.”

Image copyright UCL Grant Museum of Zoology

Image caption Comedy nights have proved successful

The museum holds other events, such as improvised opera nights and animal adoption schemes, to raise funds and make its displays of everything from elephant skulls to jars of tapeworms slightly more accessible.

But Mr Ashby has a word of caution as museums try to diversify.

“Museums have to think very carefully about what they can do to make money,” he said.

“Some museums take a significant amount from weddings or corporate hire but you really have to invest in the staff to support those events. And realistically, you can only offer your venue as a film set if there is a film industry in your town or city.”

Films and flat caps

Image copyright Black Country Living Museum

Image caption Outdoor museums make ideal film sets, as the Black Country Living Museum has found

Several museums have sought extra funds by offering up their locations as film sets.

“We’ve always had filming at the museum,” said Laura Wakelin, deputy chief executive of the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley. “But previously it was much more sporadic.

“When I arrived in 2013, we decided we needed to start actively promoting the museum as a unique venue for filming.”

Since then, the museum has famously been the backdrop for BBC drama Peaky Blinders and the ITV period adaptation Arthur and George, as well as reality shows and a Bollywood movie.

In 2015 alone, filming raised about 50,000 for the museum, which has also capitalised on its raised profile in other ways.

Image copyright Black Country Living Museum

Image caption The museum is capitalising on its appeal by holding themed weekends for visitors

“As Peaky Blinders took off, we started to see flat caps in our gift shop and we run Peaky Blinders nights,” said Miss Wakelin. “They usually sell out and bring in a slightly younger demographic.

“It’s about finding what works for your venue. Yes, we have wonderful assets here but we are in the middle of quite an economically disadvantaged area so we do have to pitch these things right.”

The taxidermy workshops

Image copyright G.W.Smith

Image caption The Pathology Museum, in London, is hosting taxidermy workshops

The idea of setting up as a bed and breakfast or a film set might be tempting if your attraction is charmingly photogenic.

But such ventures would not work for every location, explains Carla Valentine, technical curator of the Pathology Museum, in London.

“This isn’t the kind of museum that has space to be a B&B and we couldn’t do that anyway as it contains human remains,” she said.

However, the museum, which showcases medical specimens owned by Queen Mary University London, does put on macabre fundraising events.

Image copyright G.W.Smith

Image caption The classes have a wide appeal, according to the museum

Among the most successful have been its Stuff and Nonsense beginners’ taxidermy classes.

Amanda Sutton, who runs them, said: “They are very popular and tend to sell out. I think it’s the experience of doing something so unusual that appeals to people.

“We are running a special class for Valentine’s Day. People come as couples and work together on their animals, which is quite sweet in a weird kind of way.

“When we set these classes up, some other London museums didn’t seem to think it was very appropriate but they have now started running their own weird events. I don’t think museums can just run stuffy events for academics – they need to appeal to the general public.”

Cocktails and crowdfunding

Image copyright Oskar Proctor

Image caption The Museum of Curiosities venue includes a cocktail bar that it hires out

Of course, online communities bring added scope for museums to reach out to like-minded enthusiasts and nowhere is this better demonstrated than in a Hackney basement, which plays home to London’s Museum of Curiosities.

The museum, which revels in the incoherence of its collections – ranging from dodo bones to fast food collectables – was initially funded by 500 people on Kickstarter and it has also used crowdfunding to add to its displays, most notably with a mummy.

Its premises include a small cocktail bar, which it hires out to raise funds. Mr Wynd also meets running costs via sponsorship.

Image copyright Oskar Proctor

Image caption Viktor Wynd says it is important museums are self-reliant

Founder Viktor Wynd is passionate about such enterprises being relatively self-reliant.

“The government’s involvement in the arts is often disastrous,” he said. “It creates vast bureaucracies and the money would be better spent on the police or NHS.

“Museum culture in the UK has centred around the misguided idea that funding should only come from the government, meaning that most cultural bodies put huge amounts of resource into getting grants – resources that if applied successfully to raising money from the private sector would probably do just as well.

“I believe the government ought to support a handful of major national collections – but even those should be encouraged to generate as much of their revenue as possible.”

Celebrity lawnmowers

Image copyright British Lawnmower Association

Image caption Celebrity donations, such as comedian Lee Mack’s dibber, helped the museum broaden its appeal

Diversifying some museums would be a push too far, according to Brian Radam, the curator of the British Lawnmower Museum in Southport.

“I can’t see the British Lawnmower Museum becoming the latest blockbuster set – especially as most of our exhibits were destined for the scrapyard,” he said.

“As for the idea of a B&B – well, they would be extremely uncomfortable to sleep on.”

Finding funding to keep the museum going is exhausting work, Mr Radam says.

“Over the last 25 years we have become experts on saving money, running the museum on a shoestring,” he said.

Image copyright British Lawnmower Museum

Image caption Brian Radam says keeping the museum going is exhausting work

The venue does not receive public funding so relies on its visitors and innovative ideas to secure its future.

As well as ticket sales, the museum also makes money through restoring beloved family grass-cutting heirlooms.

“One of our ideas was to create an exhibition of lawnmowers of the rich and famous,” said Mr Radam.

“We had Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s mower, Brian May’s and Albert Pierrepont’s on display,” he said.

“Lawnmowers are not the sexiest of subjects but the exhibition created a lot of interest and revenue.”

But as museums and public arts venues face significant financial pressures, is it realistic to say that all can find ways to raise funds independently?

The Museums Association believes there are more than 2,500 museums across the UK but says more than 60 have closed in the past 10 years.

“The bulk of closures are happening in areas that are less well-off, where there has been a severe decline in public spending,” said Mr Brown.

“We have also seen several museums opening over that time – these tend to be small, independent museums that are volunteer-run.

Image copyright Museums Association

Image caption Dozens of museums have closed in England over the past decade

“A lot of our museums date from the 19th Century at a time of great national and civic pride.

“I don’t think the number of museums is unsustainable but clearly there is a trend for some types of museums – particularly those run by local authorities – to close at the moment.

“It feels as if museums are being asked to make an extremely quick transformation into business organisations, but that can’t take place overnight.

“There’s also a philosophical question about what the role of museums is and the extent to which they should be focusing their energies on generating income or on their public role of inspiring and educating people.”

Related Topics

Film

Theatre

Lancashire County Council

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from Roadkill and lawnmower exhibitions: The weird ways museums are finding funding – BBC News

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/sundance-day-8-wounds-queer-perspective-plus-throughbred-sidney-hall/

Sundance Day 8 'Wound's' queer perspective plus 'Throughbred,' 'Sidney Hall'

The 2017 Sundance Film Festival is nearly over, and as we’re basking in the glow of fresh air and theater lighting, it’s exciting knowing that some amazing treasures found here will be resonating with today’s world. Some of our favorites picks of today are John Trengrove’s fascinating The Wound which really gives an eye-opening look at a South African secretive rite of passage for boys entering into manhood.

Thoroughbred is another very interesting one that many people can relate to about two friends trying to rekindle their connection. It reminded me of when you home five years or more after high school and run into some of those same people who never left your town. You realize how much you’ve changed in that time and trying to connect again is nearly impossible, especially for those that haven’t changed at all in that same timeframe.

‘THE WOUND’ PRESENTS A QUEER PERSPECTIVE ON A SOUTH AFRICAN RITUAL OF MANHOOD

For his enthralling debut feature, South African filmmaker John Trengove lifts the veil on the secretive rite of passage from boyhood to manhood in a remote area of South Africa. The Wound follows Xolani (Nakhane Touré), a forlorn factory worker, as he travels to an obscure mountain camp where teen boys go through the traditional Xhola initiation. Xolani has been assigned to mentor a friend’s son, Kwanda (Niza Jay Ncoyini), who notices the attraction between Xolani and another caregiver, Vija (Bongile Mantsai), who is not only secretive about his sexuality but also prone to bursts of explosive behavior.

Following the screening, Trengove, who is white and self-identifies as queer, said he made the movie because there’s a complete lack of queer imagery in the African film canon. “It came out of a sense of urgency,” he told the audience. “For myself as an outsider, it’s something I could speak about more freely than someone who is inside the culture. I’m speaking about same-sex desire. As a queer filmmaker I was able to introduce the subject into this very intricate world and practice.”

Describing the project as the result of profound collaborations, Trengove revealed that to achieve authenticity he spoke with a South African novelist who had been through the initiation himself, and the two men began to create the story together. The three principal actors in the film each in his own way made a formidable contribution to the film, not just in terms of what an actor does but in making the characters their own and contributing something quintessential and unique to their own experiences.

Trengove noted that the film’s subject matter is very controversial in South Africa, despite being the subject of various documentaries and news articles and even being mentioned by Nelson Mandela in his autobiography. “I think our film comes at a moment when there’s a growing conversation about a sensitive subject,” he stated. “The ritual has come under fire for reasons of relevance and safety. I think equally it’s still regarded as a meaningful process that boys go through that shows them their place in the world of men.”

The director praised the courage of his three lead actors for taking on the roles. “I was very fortunate to have the bravery of these three actors to collaborate on what you saw tonight,” he said. “They did it for their own very personal reasons, primarily out of a conviction that these are stories we need to begin to speak out.”

THOROUGHBRED: OLIVIA COOKE AND ANYA TAYLOR-JOY CONSPIRE TO MURDER

With his debut film, Thoroughbred, Cory Finley finessed his way through two major challenges that could confound another first-time filmmaker. The first, as he told the audience during a post-screening discussion on Thursday at the Yarrow Theatre, was a transition from theater to moviemaking. And the second was pulling off a nuanced tone that at once straddles comedy, drama, and thriller.

The film stars Sundance Film Festival veterans Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) as Amanda and Lily, two old school friends who uneasily try to rekindle some kind of connection. Though Amanda is emotionally blocked, incapable of showing or perhaps even having feelings, chilly Lily slowly reveals herself to be in greater crisis, as she bristles against a stepfather whose strictness is driving her to entertain wicked thoughts.

Finley talked about how Thoroughbred started out as a play but became a film. “When it was a play it really was a kind of philosophical, moral discussion between these two characters on one couch. It started with asking questions about myself, and attacking some of my own fears and anxieties about my own mind and moral compass, through writing,” he said. “As I started getting towards the later drafts of the play, I realized that there was something about it that was very film noir. And even though it was contained in one household, I started becoming aware of all the things I could do cinematically.”

Producer Alex Saks talked about her first conversation with Finley, after coming across what was still a play. “Within five minutes I knew that even if he didn’t know it yet, he was going to direct the movie — and that he was a filmmaker,” she said. Finley described trying to make up for his inexperience by reading books, watching movies, and visiting film sets in the months before his first shoot. “I tried to cram in as much preparation as possible so that I could communicate effectively with the whole crew,” he said. “But I was certainly learning a lot on the job.”

And as for that fine-tuned tone, Finley said it was something they consciously refined from rehearsals through the shoot and then in editing. “We talked about [the tone] as being a narrow tightrope,” he said. “I was lucky to get a couple of days of rehearsal before we started, with the two leads, and we came to a clear understanding of the tone that we were all aiming for. And then in the editing process we had another chance to really look carefully at these scenes and play very specifically with timing and pauses and different takes. There’s a fun balance to be had in trying to provoke an audience to laugh and also to be slightly afraid. The two emotions, if you can balance them, go well together.”

Though he said he still plans on producing more theater, Finley’s first foray into filmmaking has him hooked. “I’ve fallen in love with the tools to which a director has access,” he said. “So I’m definitely looking forward to playing around in this world more.”

WINNIE: A DOC ABOUT WOMEN, POLITICS, AND MISOGYNY

With WINNIE, the new documentary about Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Pascale Lamche offers an illuminating portrait of the complex story of the woman, who is often cast in the shadow of legendary human rights activist Nelson Mandela, her husband of 38 years, even though she fought on the frontlines to end apartheid during the 27 years he was imprisoned.

While Winnie’s story has been capably told by other filmmakers and documentarians and through countless books and articles, Lamche manages to create a fresh, thorough, and likely definitive study by using revealing new interviews, as well as a veritable treasure trove of newly uncovered archival materials.

“I interviewed Nelson twice for previous films, and each time it was a great honor to meet him and speak to him and spend time with him, but I was always very intrigued by Winnie,” Lamche told the audience at the post-screening Q&A. The director noted that, while Winnie is mostly venerated in her home of Soweto, South Africa, Lamche learned that her subject was also widely demonized in many European capitals for her crusade against racism, and a smear campaign was launched against her. “That seemed like a space to explore,” the director offered.

Through a meeting and conversation with Mandela’s daughter Zindzi, who also speaks on camera in the doc, Lamche was eventually introduced to Winnie. She ended up interviewing her subject four times over a period of two years, including once just after the death of her former husband, when she was still dressed in her black mourning clothes.

“On each occasion, I tried to pull back another layer of the story,” Lamche shared. “Each time I met her I uncovered more in the story because I’d been digging away and making progress with the people who’d been her enemies. I never went to her with specifics and said I interviewed this guy who waged this warfare campaign against you. As our relationship progressed over time, it deepened. I hope that’s apparent in the film.” As her film skillfully explores the intersection of women, politics, and misogyny, it’s not a challenge for audiences to draw a strong parallel between Mandela’s story and the current political climate in the U.S.

PERSON TO PERSON: A SUBTLE, OPTIMISTIC COLLAGE OF EVERYDAY NEW YORKERS

“I made [this movie] with a lot of friends. And it’s about tenderness, it’s about friendship, it’s about wanting to have a friend, and what it’s like to be a friend, and what it’s like to lose a friend,” explained director Dustin Guy Defa as he introduced his latest project, Person to Person. Defa makes his return to the Festival after his 2014 short film of the same name.

The feature, shot in retro 16mm, follows various characters throughout one day in New York City, including a moody teenager putting up with her best friend’s antics, an endearingly simple man trying to buy a rare vinyl record (Bene Coopersmith, who also starred in the short film version of the story), a depressed guy attempting to reconcile with his girlfriend after hurting her, and an anxiety-ridden rookie reporter who feels completely out of place her first day on the job. But unlike other films that depict a large ensemble of characters with different story lines, this one doesn’t aim to connect them in any obvious way other than the fact that they’re in the same city.

Defa said that when he first thought of the idea for this project, “I got very excited … to make such a variety of people and to not necessarily connect them. So I got very excited [about how to] pull it off. I developed all the characters separately. … But once I started actually working on the outline and the writing, I was interconnecting it in other ways that aren’t visible. … Even though they all had such different things and different tones and things like that, I was still connecting them thematically in many ways. And so I needed the flow to really work even though all these people had such different things going on.”

When asked which characters he relates to the most, Defa revealed, “They’re all me in many ways. I’ve done stupid things in my life, I’ve treated people weirdly, and then friendship is very important to me [like it is with Bene]. And Wendy the teenager is definitely me as a teenager in many ways. … But I don’t have a favorite.”

The characters don’t necessarily go through anything captivatingly dramatic, but Defa’s purpose wasn’t to have audiences on the edge of their seats. He explained that, amid many abrasive, visceral depictions that often appear on the screen, he simply wanted to create “a nice place to go for an hour and a half” — to which the audience applauded in agreement.

  SIDNEY HALL: A PRECOCIOUS WRITING TALENT DRIFTS INTO OBSCURITY

Sidney Hall, which premiered on Wednesday night at the Eccles Theatre, spans 12 years in the life of the eponymous character, from the moment that the precocious high school kid becomes a celebrated author to his apex of fame and emotional nadir, and to his time disowning all that he’d become and drifting into obscurity. Remarkably, those 12 years mirror the 12 years it took writer-director Shawn Christensen and writer Jason Dolan to see the project to completion.

“Shawn was in a great band called stellastarr*, and when he was on tour I sent him the first couple of pages of the script, and we went from there. It was the summer of 2004,” Dolan said during the post-screening Q&A. “We wanted to tell a story about perspective — what it’s like to think about how you were at 18, 24, and 30. We chose those ages because those were the ages we were at when we were writing the script.”

The breadth of time covered presented challenges for both the crew and the performers, including Logan Lerman as Sidney and Elle Fanning as his neighbor and later wife, Melody. “The transitions between ages — sometimes we had only hours in which to do it,” Lerman recalled.

“We shot 10 days of [age] 18 first, then we shot the [age] 24 segment, and then we shot the 30, with the intention of having a weekend in between each era,” Christensen said. “But actually for Elle and for Logan I had to break the news to them that we were going to have to switch from 18 to 24 over the lunch break.”

Though it seems like such a quick shift in age would be challenging, Fanning explained, “You can’t really think about playing older or playing a certain age, because what does that really mean?” She continued, “I was more interested in where Melody was in her life.”

The script doesn’t take a straightforward chronological approach to those eras, and instead interweaves them throughout, such that it’s only at the end that you know how the characters resolved each of those dramatic moments. Dolan explained that he hoped audiences would connect to that structure because “your life is sometimes a mess in your own mind.” He said, “What we wanted was to give people a puzzle to put together, to reflect on this character and also themselves.”

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