We're All in This Together?

Hey everyone!

           I was really excited to get to meet you all these past few weeks. I think we have a really exciting, diverse group of people on the team and I could not be more pleased. I don't have one of those fascinating stories where I watched all the films of this famous director who had an intimate relationship with my beloved grandfather and was thus inspired to be the first female Scorsese. I got my start in film by stumbling blindly into it. I took a film class in high school because I thought it would be easy, hated it, and then somehow found myself in another film class the following semester. It was really through the coaxing of a passionate, determined teacher that I found my niche in film.
         Here's where it does get a bit sappy though. I can honestly say that film is what allowed me to discover myself. I have always had a passion for storytelling, it just took having a camera and an editing lab to realize it. I love stories because through them we can uncover the truths about life, and in a way that isn't some old set-in-his-ways man telling us how it is. People never learn that way. You can't just slap a person upside the head with "truth", it's something that comes with time and experience and mistakes. It's a very personal experience and it most definitely cannot be forced. I'd say 90% of people learn that a stove is hot by touching it, and the other 10% heard a story from a ninety-percenter.
         What I appreciate most about stories is how they are for everyone. It doesn't matter if you are wealthy, poor, first-world, third-world, male, female, what have you.. Everyone can enjoy and relate to a good story. They allow for the crossing of a lot of borders not easily crossed in normal interaction.
        In the old days there were storytellers. They would travel from town to town and everyone would gather around to hear what they had to say. It was a community event, people gathering around campfires or perhaps in the court of some great king. In our day and age we have films. I believe that a good film functions in the same way. It is a story, and people everywhere gather around to see what it has to say.
        Before last semester I barely gave any thought to the idea of a film festival or conference. Once I discovered them, however, I knew I had to get involved. The readings this week confirmed that. What I love most about film is the sense of community created around it. I think it has been exploited and perhaps we have lost sight of the main purpose of film, but there are a lot of people going in the right direction. I like the idea of film festivals because they draw attention to this very important art, and reward those who do it well. I like the idea of micro cinemas because it draws us back to the campfire days, where it was intimate and there was room for discussion and learning together.
       To me, that is what film is all about. Bringing people together so that we can learn from one another and grow as a community.

If it sounds sappy, happy, and unrealistic it's because it's meant to. However, I believe it can happen.

I'm excited to get started, I hope you are as well. :)

Audra