9DCU0201HD_Directors_Cut_Studio_Transcript

 
 My face is so fat, I can't stand it.  Richard named me Chuckie Fat Face when I was in graduate school.  And that's what everybody called me for a long time.  Chuckie Fat Face? Yeah.  About a half-stop.  On the count of three.  One, two, three.  ( loud beep ) Okay.  I'd like to get more of the shadow.  So, just power down? But I'd like to blast out of the side and get that shape, too.  Can I have a mirror? My eyebrow got matted down.  Sticky eyebrows.  Okay.  Hi, and welcome to Director's Cut.  I'm your host, Charles Monroe-Kane.  Here at Director's Cut, we're dedicated to bringing you the best in independent films and filmmakers.  Today, we have a treat for you, an hour-long special edition of Director's Cut, featuring the Wisconsin Film Festival.  But for many of us, the film festival is it.  It's the motion picture moment to end all moments, the celluloid crème de la crme, the light at the end of the movie tunnel.  It's the big screen bomb.  And we've got the director right here, Meg Hamel. 

 Meg, thank you for coming today.  Absolutely, Charles.  It's exciting, isn't it? It is.  Tell me about the Wisconsin Film Festival.  Well, this is the 11th year of the festival.  It's a big event put on by the University of Wisconsin.  And the goal is simply to bring as many films as we can from around the world.  How many? There are 198 in this year's lineup.  Wow.  That includes full-length films, films that are three hours long, down to films that are maybe only a minute long.  That's cool.  Yeah.  How do you guys decide which films to choose? You get a lot more than 198 sent to you.  Some of the films are sent to us.  All the Wisconsin films, for example, get submitted to the festival as part of the Wisconsin's Own competition.  But also, I go out and seek out films all over the world that I think are going to be a good fit for this audience.  So this is my ninth year being partf the festival.  I was a volunteer for five years.  This is my fourth year as the director.  So what I try to do is pull together films that I think represent the widest variety of filmmaking that's happening in the world today.  So we get experimental films, documentary films, narrative films, everything that I can think of to bring together. 

 This is a full-time job.  Yeah.  How many films do you watch in a year? Like, how many did you watch in the last 12 months? It's easily a thousand.  What a great job! I can't keep track of it.  It's too many.  You should keep track for me next year when you're on.  You should wear a clicker on your belt.  A thousand films? So when relax from work, you don't go home and rent a movie, right? Well, no.  What happens is I do a full day at the office, and then go home and watch six or eight hours of movies most nights.  It's a lot.  That's intense.  This show is an hour-long special.  And it's about movies, so let's see some clips.  What we're going to see first, is one of the people who work for Director's Cut, Bob Trondson, who you also know as well, went out last year and made some clips about kind of the day in the life of the film festival.  So our very own Bob Trondson is going to show us how to survive the morass of the Wisconsin Film Festival.  Let's roll that clip.  Welcome to the Wisconsin Film Festival.  * I'm Bob Trondson.  I'm from the Director's Cut.  I had a twitch there, sorry.  And I'm going to be your tour guide today, as we do a day in the life of the Wisconsin Film Festival. 

 Held every spring in Madison, Wisconsin, the festival brings over 175 films from all across the world.  Thought provoking documentaries, hip indie films, and Wisconsin-bred shorts and features.  So I'm going to give you some tips and guides to help you get through the festival.  You have to know how to do it right to make the most out of your experience.  Now, granted, there's no wrong way to do it.  But I disagree, I think there is a wrong way to do it.  That's why I'm here.  Can I have a cup of coffee? The number one rule to do it right, coffee.  Coffee will get you through the day.  You have a lot of films to go to.  You are going to be spending hours and hours watching in a darkened room.  You have to keep awake.  You have to make that sixth film of the day as fun as the first film.  So, number one rule, drink your coffee.  Can I get a small cup of coffee? Luckily, there's more than one coffee shop in Madison.  Okay, so you have your cup of coffee.  That's rule number one taken care of.  The second thing you need is the guide.  This is your bible.  This is going to get you through the day.  There's a lot of information, a lot of films. 

 There's so many things to do.  You have to know how to do it right.  The guide is just that.  It gives you all the descriptions of all the movies and all the events.  I almost laminated it one time.  In addition, the guide gives you the layout of the day.  When you walk out of a theater and you're like juiced up, excited about seeing another film, you look down and you're like, wait a second, across the street, another film is playing, when does it start.  When does it start.  Sometimes you're running down the street to get to the place.  Very important, you need your guide to get you through the day.  So, we've got our coffee.  We've got our guide.  Let's go to the movies.  That's Bob Trondson, from Director's Cut, on surviving the Wisconsin Film Festival.  You know, film festivals are really, they've become very, very popular.  Why do you think they're so popular around the country? Well, they can vary, too.  Remember that there are a lot of different kinds of film festals.  There are very small film festivals put on by small communities that are really community events.  Then there are larger film festivals that are really industry events that are designed to help filmmakers sell their films.  Wisconsin fits in the middle.  And I think one of the reasons they're so popular is simply that I think a lot of the audience trusts that the films that are going to play in the festival have been selected just for them. 

 And that there is a very special combination of movies available to them.  Also, they're going to get a chance to see films that they'd never otherwise get a chance to see.  It's very appealing for a lot of people.  It's interesting, because I love film festivals.  There's energy to them.  Also, the films, I don't want to use the word good or bad, but the films are always better.  It's like I was talking earlier about watching a Kate Hudson romantic comedy.  You're not going to see that.  You're going to see a much better quality film.  Why don't movie theaters, since they're so popular and people love these types of films, why don't movie theaters just have film festivals every month, or something? I don't know.  I think that's a really good question.  And I'm surprised that there aren't more film festivals around, actually, even though they've been springing up left, right and center.  I think that there is so much good material out there.  We talked before about how many films I've watched to look at the festival.  Easily, this festival could be a lot bigger than the 198 films, because there are so many good films out there.  There really should be more opportunity for filmmakers to show them, including at commercial movie theaters.  I find it really weird.  Plus, the venues are so nice, it's interesting.  Again, let's see another clip.  We have a clip called "Vincent. " It's a documentary. 

 It's amazing.  Can you tell us a little bit about the film, and then we'll roll that clip.  Yeah, "Vincent: A Life In Color," is about a Chicago man who is well known to people who walk the streets of Chicago on their way to work, because he entertains people, especially on the bridges, as people are taking tours of Chicago.  This was a film that was submitted to the festival as part of the Wisconsin's Own competition.  So, Jennifer Burns is the filmmaker.  She submitted this to the festival.  And it was selected by the three-member jury that looks at Wisconsin films.  And now, audiences here are going to be able to see it.  And my understanding is that Vincent himself is also going to be coming to the festival.  Yay! It was interesting, a short little thing about myself, not that anybody would really care, but I was a tour guide in Chicago, on the boats, an architecture tour guide, on the boats and buses for a living before I got this wonderful job.  We would build Vincent up.  You would go under a bridge and he's there like clockwork.  He is part of Chicago.  Now that they've made the film, anyone in the world can see he's part of that.  That's great.  Let's roll the clip.  And let's see that clip from "Vincent. " When I leave work, I usually go right to the LaSalle Street Bridge, when the Wilmette is coming down on its 4:00 architecture tour.  The reason I go to the LaSalle Street Bridge is because of the timing that the boats run.  I certainly would miss the boat if I came directly to this bridge.  And some days, there are times I would even miss the boat if I went to the Wells Street Bridge. 

 As soon as I get done with the Wilmette, I just get over here to this bridge for the rest of the boats.  I'm expecting the Shoreline Sightseeing.  The boats I expect usually are Shoreline Sightseeing makes a run, Seadog makes a run.  And before Dearborn, that's where I end the session.  And here comes a River Bus.  ( boat blows horn ) Oh my, isn't he horny today? ( boat blows horn ) Whoo! Oh, what the heck.  He wants it, he'll get it! I think bought my first suit from Alberto's back around 1999 or 1998.  Today, unless I see something that really knocks me out, I'm not going to buy a suit.  I may buy a couple shirts, but I'm not going to buy a suit, unless he shows me something that's really, really wild.  I've already got this color.  I just kind of take a look here, but mostly these are either colors I have or colors that don't particularly do it.  This one? Yes, maybe not this specific one, but I do have a suit that's almost exactly like that in mint green color.  What's this other suit you had laid out? Let's see it, just take a peek at it.  Hmm, this one? Eh, doesn't do anything for me.  Not doing anything? No.  Compared to the suits I have, this one's rather blah.  Hmm, I don't have this one, but then again, I've got a couple royal. . .  Put it on.  I'll put it on, but then again, I've got a couple royal blue ones. 

 A nice suit.  Yeah, a nice suit, but then again, I have two other suits that are royal bluish, a shiny one and a not so shiny one.  A clip from a documentary "Vincent," from the Wisconsin Film Festival.  You show, like you said, 198 films.  So here I go, I get the guide in the paper, what, on Thursday.  I open up the Isthmus.  I have a guide here.  I pull it out.  Can you give advice? Like, how do you help people choose films? It's huge.  My advice is to not over-worry about trying to figure out the best film, or the right film for you.  The idea of the festival is that you can pick and choose and sample from this huge variety that we've collected.  And so, I often liken it to going to the restaurant that has the buffet.  The whole point of that is to take a little bit of everything.  It's not to focus on one particular dish.  And so, the festival. . .  Don't just eat the chicken! That's right! Try a little bit of everything.  Go get some tickets for documentaries, for experimental films, for locally made films.  And to try to explore and push the boundaries of your own taste a little bit, too.  It's often the case that people who get tickets for films that they didn't think that they were going to like very much, often come out of those movies saying, "That really blew me away. 

" Do you run into that? Like, when you go to the Toronto Film Festival, or you have a film sent to you, and you're like, wow, man, I'm not going to like it, but I've got to watch this film, and you're like, wow.  It happens all the time.  It's really common for people to kind of set for themselves the definition of what they like and what they don't like.  There are times where even I'll start to look at a film and think, oh, I know how this is going to turn out.  This is going to be pretty predictable.  And just by trusting the filmmaker, you can often allow yourself to be incredibly surprised, and discover some really amazing films, just by recognizing that your own biases may not actually be that valid.  There you go, it's a good answer.  It helps me understand what to do.  I'm curious, because on this show, we use this word, independent.  It's a show about independent films, independent filmmakers.  As we've been doing this show, that definition is pretty interesting.  A $5 million film is independent, a $200 film is as well.  Are your films all independent? Is that the point of film festivals, that they're independent films? Well, I think the label independent doesn't mean much anymore.  Right.  It certainly doesn't mean a specific kind of film.  Back decades ago, when Hollywood had a studio system, where certain actors, for example, were under contract to studios, then it made sense that you could actually define pictures that were totally made outside that system.  But years have past.  So, it's very difficult to try to figure out how to define an independent film.  What we do have a lot at the festival, are films that are made by filmmakers that have created the films from the beginning themselves, meaning directors weren't hired-in midway through to complete a project that was already underway.  That's somewhat more common with Hollywood filmmaking.  We're showing films that have been a labor of love for everybody involved in the film. 

 And that the final film that got made is the only kind of story that could've ever been made by this team, because this was the story that they wanted to make.  But at the festival, there will be large budget films from other countries, films that have been nominated for Oscars, films that have won prizes at other international film festivals that were certainly made with a lot of resources behind them, but aren't going to be seen in the U. S. , if it weren't for film festivals.  So it doesn't really matter about the label, the point is that here in Madison, here in Wisconsin, you can't get a chance to see this film.  You're giving them a chance to see this film.  And also I think specifically here at the Wisconsin Film Festival, we try very hard to stay away from labels.  Each film stands on its own.  I don't like clustering films together too much, and trying to define what they are.  I like being able to just let the audience discover what that film is on screen.  Okay, no labels, and don't only eat the chicken on the buffet.  I'm learning here.  Let's see a trailer here from a film.  This is from an African pop star.  Why don't you tell us a little bit about this film.  Youssou Ndour? This is a film that I think, when I saw it, I knew it was going to be a good fit for the audience here, especially directly here in Madison.  There are a lot of people that come in from all different places around Wisconsin and other states to see the festival.  But here in Madison, there is a very strong, and a lot of support for World Music.  And Youssou Ndour is one of the most impressive musicians on the international scene.  He's from Senegal.  This is a film that I thought would be particularly appealing to our audience here. 

 Well, let's see the trailer for that film.  * Let's go! Are you ready tonight?! ( cheering ) Everybody clap your hands! * It's going to be all right tonight! The -- in West Africa is the one that has to say the important things, that has to carry the message that needs to get out to people.  We are the modern Gilead.  People, Youssou Ndour! * * * The man. . .  * * Every time. . .  * * Makes me survive * It is * Crazy world * The album is big.  I'm telling you.  ( cheers and applause ) * Talk about our music, our religion, our faith.  And positively.  * I think people coming with a sort of negative sense of Islam, this is something that can help overcome that.  * That is a great clip.  There's a Wisconsin connection even though that's set in Senegal, right? Yeah, two of the producers on that film, including Sarah Price, two of the producers are from Milwaukee.  Some of your viewers may be familiar with Sarah Price's work.  She did American Movie, which is one of her best known works.  And also, with the film festival, we pull together films that fit certain series, that are co-presented with some of my colleagues here on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.  So there's a huge initiative going on this year called "Inside Islam," to look at different aspects of the Muslim world.  So, at the film festival, we have a whole series of films, in a series called "Inside Islam," that explores different aspects of Muslim culture. 

 So this film, "Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love," is part of that series.  So you could, for example, if you were interested, say if you were a graduate student or just a person interested in Islam, you could go and say, I'm going to watch these.  All of my films are going to be from the "Inside Islam" series.  Yeah, yeah.  And do your dissertation.  That's exactly right.  There's several different series.  We also have one called the "Cream and the Crop," which is all about farming and dairy.  The "Cream and the Crop"? And agriculture, yeah.  So there's a bunch of films.  There's a lot of milk, and a lot of cows, and a lot of chickens in the festival this year.  That's fantastic.  I do actually like the series inside of your festival.  I think that's attractive.  I can't remember, it was some years ago, there was an Iranian, it was all Iranian films.  And I just watched the Iranian films.  I'd never seen an Iranian film before.  Oh, man, they were fantastic.  They were alive, it was really great.  These series are all co-presented, as I said, by different programs here on the UW-Madison campus.  So, we work collaboratively to select the films. 

 So there's people for that "Inside Islam" series, we all looked a large pool of films and eventually decided on what we thought were the best representative examples, both to show different aspects of Islam, and also films that I felt met my standards for cinematic achievement.  It's interesting to me.  I think about a film experience.  I go to the film.  I don't normally go to big movie theaters very much.  I've got two little kids, and I'd rather just rent movies.  But I went to see "The Wrestler," I really wanted to see it.  I like Mickey Rourke.  I went to the movie theater.  It's such an impersonal experience.  I went by myself, which is odd.  Then, it's totally dark in there.  You've got your popcorn.  There's a big screen.  There's a bunch of other people in there, but it's very impersonal.  But when I go to the film festival, I still may go to the film by myself, but it's not impersonal.  Same thing.  It may even be the same theater.  How do you pull that off? How does a film festival make this very impersonal experience personal? Well, I think about when I grew up here in Madison.  And when I would go to the movie theater, theaters that are no longer around, like the Esquire and the Strand, here in downtown Madison, I always felt that there was this community around me.  So, at the film festival, and indeed at most film festivals, this is something that we organizers try to achieve. 

 And how the magic happens, I don't know.  It's even a mystery to me.  But what's clear is that the people who attend the festival love coming together and being a part of this, and remember what a strong community we are.  And people often say that they love waiting in line for films, because they get to talk with neighbors.  They get to see people that they haven't seen in a while, and they get to meet new people.  And so, there's a lot of conversation that goes on.  What have you seen? What did you see? You know, what movie are you seeing next? And so, for a lot of people, the four day festival experience becomes a very personal one where you get to talk with a lot of people, both old friends and new people, too.  Well, let's see another clip.  This time, we're going to see another one from Bob Trondson, showing a day in the life of the festival.  So let's roll that clip.  One of the great things about the Wisconsin Film Festival is it brings filmmakers, actors, directors, producers to Wisconsin to show their films.  How long have you been working on this project? Fourteen years and a month or two.  We spent some time. . .  Paying off the credit cards! ( both laugh ) That's going to be another theme of the day.  How many producers have credit cards still yet to pay off.  We do.  By bringing the filmmakers here, it allows the Wisconsin audiences to see behind the screen, meet the directors, meet the actors and ask them questions, tell them that they loved it, tell them that they didn't like it.  What I love about showing at film festivals is, it's one thing to show it to people who know the story.  It's one thing to show it to your friends and family who have heard about it for years. 

 But to show it in front of people who are just coming because it sounds like an interesting movie, and then watching their reaction.  It's very exciting.  And this great audience experience is an all-age event.  A perfect example of that is the documentary, "Girls Rock," about I'm guessing 8 to 18-year-old girls who go to a girls' rock school to become rock stars, probably.  So, Shane, thanks for coming.  Yeah, absolutely.  I see some young girls in the audience here, some 12 and 13-year-olds.  Have you had any response from them? That's been, I think, the most gratifying part of rolling the movie out.  This whole Q&A, the first like five or six questions is all girls under 12 asking questions.  So just knowing that we made a movie that made them feel like that room was theirs, and it was you know, they were the one whose voices needed to be heard.  Another thing the Wisconsin Film Festival does is it's part of the university.  It brings, if you will, breeds its own filmmakers.  It's very supportive of the young filmmakers.  The great thing about this, everyone's family and friends show up.  It's a great big party.  It's a great time.  So I have a couple filmmakers with me today.  These are the folks from "Spin Cycle," Andrew, Michael and Deborah.  You're at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Where do you go from here? Are you looking at leaving town and making films elsewhere? Is this your calling card? That's the big question right now.  I really like making films. 

 It's certainly a competitive field.  Right now, I want to try to make some films on my own.  I think Wisconsin's a great place to stay.  What's the scene like for actresses in Madison? It's pretty good for someone starting out, because I've done about four or five now, and I just started this last year.  What was working with these gentlemen like? Awesome.  They're great.  Yeah? Talented couple of guys.  I thought the script was fantastic when I read it.  Well, I think it's worth the money that they paid you, I'm sure.  Topper's Pizza! I work for food.  I think that's the rate here in town.  Thank you guys so much.  Thank you very much.  Bob Trondson with a day in the life of the Wisconsin Film Festival. " It's interesting about the Wisconsin Film Festival, I've been to a number of other film festivals, and there's red carpets.  There's very serious VIP treatment.  I used to live in the Czech Republic, and there was an active film festival there.  They got big names and red carpets, and champagne, and all that stuff.  You don't do that stuff.  We don't do that stuff, and part of it, I think, comes from the festival's roots, which is at the University of Wisconsin.  But I also think that the philosophy that has been established since day one at the film festival is really not about presenting films as something that is exclusive, something that is VIP, something that has that Hollywood glamour. 

 We're recognizing the diverse range of films that are being made in the world today, and doing what we can to help the audience discover that.  And I think the more that a festival tries to present the films as being something that's exclusive or hard to get into, or that you need VIP access to get to, means that the audience itself is actually losing out.  So what we try to do here at the Wisconsin Film Festival is that every ticket is as available to anybody as the next one.  And what I really want to do is get away from this idea that the act of seeing a film is the act of also rating it, or judging it, or grading it.  So we do have an audience choice award, which is a lot of fun.  The audience can vote on their favorite film.  But beyond that, we don't do a lot of big prizes, which is something that's very typical for festivals, to give out lots and lots of awards.  Doesn't that hurt you as a festival? Isn't it kind of a marketing scene to that, you won the Grand Jury, the prize at the film festival? I think if my goal was to try to focus the Wisconsin Film Festival as becoming a prominent international festival, then there are certain things that I could do differently.  Yes, I could definitely hype films more in a certain way.  I could do more awards and prizes, which are things that can get your festival attention outside your audience.  But my goal is directed toward the filmmakers themselves, and toward the audience, and putting on the best show we can for both filmmaker and audience.  And really, I think the success of the festival over the first ten years, it's grown from a very small event, just here on campus where about 3,000 people attended the very first festival in 1999, to something where over 30,000 tickets were used at last year's festival.  And I think that the success of that is really due to the fact that we're positioning films as something that we encourage a broader range of films for the audience to choose each year, rather than focusing on picking, like what's the best one, and sort of aiming just for the single best film.  Interesting philosophy.  It's atypical for festivals.  There you go, atypical.  Good for Madison, Wisconsin.  Well, let's see another.  I think this one speaks for itself.  This is a great documentary called, "Fishin' For Tradition. " Let's show that clip. 

 Top ten eating contests on the Travel Channel.  It's going to be very interesting in the guppy division.  We have three brothers who have never tried lutefisk before.  ( laughter and applause ) It's going to be good.  It'll be the highlight of the night, right there.  The sharks, that's the big guys, there's Jerry.  And for those of you who are you new to the community, Jerry can eat up to 8-1/4 pounds at one sitting.  He's done it before.  He could do it again.  I believe we have five entered, we just got another one.  So four challengers for Jerry tonight.  Food of champions.  The world's, and perhaps the universe's lutefisk eating champion, Jerry Osteraas, from Madison, Minnesota.  ( cheers and applause ) One pound at a time for the sharks.  When we say "go," they've got five minutes to eat and three minutes to rest.  That's how it goes.  Throughout the course of the night, we'll close the curtain, so you don't have to watch them all the time.  We have a talent show going on out here during that event.  Get set, start eating! * ( laughter ) We'll be quiet here, and just kind of savor it.  * * ( girl singing indistinctly ) Wasn't this fun? ( laughter and applause ) * ( applause ) A one-man band! What can we say? Any comments? The lutefisk was great.  I found out that eating with a spoon was faster. 

 ( laughter ) Okay, there you go, Jerry.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Our lutefisk champion.  ( applause ) A clip from "Fishin' for Tradition," from the Wisconsin Film Festival.  So, this film is part of the Wisconsin's Own, right? Tell me a little about the Wisconsin's Own.  This is a film made by Eric Nelson, who lives in Madison.  He's worked on a number of films that have been in the festival before.  And what we try to do with the Wisconsin's Own series is give local filmmakers an opportunity to get their films in front of an audience.  So filmmakers can submit their films to the festival.  They're looked at by a three member jury, who then chooses the films that they want to have in the festival.  And the jury also gives out some prizes for films, too.  I said before that the festival doesn't really do a whole lot in terms of awards and prizes, but I do think it's important to recognize those local filmmakers that have really distinguished themselves in a particular way.  So there are Wisconsin's Own prizes every year given by that jury.  But really, this is one of those areas where, as a festival director, it can be very difficult, because we see, there are so many films, you know, I think over 200 Wisconsin-made films are submitted to the festival each year.  And it's a very difficult process knowing that not every single one of them can be shown here at the festival.  There's just not time in a four-day festival.  But it's one of the reasons why I am encouraging so many people around the state to try to do other festivals, because there aren't that many opportunities for people like Eric to show his film.  Right.  And I really want to try to create more opportunities.  It's tough, because every year after the selections get made by the jury, it's me that is the one that tells filmmakers whether their film is in the festival or not. 

 And there are a lot of people who are always really disappointed.  But I just hope that in time, we can find more ways to build up other festivals in the state, and give more local filmmakers a chance to get their really quite lovely and marvelous films out in front of an audience.  You also feature student films, as well.  I went to a student short last year.  That room was just electric.  Those film students loved it.  Tell me about those student films, how you do that.  A lot of the student films are made as part of classes.  UW-Madison here has a wonderful film production program.  UW-Milwaukee actually has probably the most accomplished one in the entire state.  Also, of course, there could be other students that are attending schools at other colleges outside Wisconsin.  But if they're Wisconsin residents, then we include them as part of the Wisconsin's Own pool.  And again, I think it's absolutely imperative that a festival support these up and coming filmmakers, who are just getting to learn their craft.  Some of the Wisconsin student films show some exceptional, you know, promise.  And it's one of the most satisfying parts of the festival, to be able to be that link for these young filmmakers, and I hope that I can continue to support them with their second film, third film, fourth film, as they're really coming into their own with their career.  The film festival is filled with so many different kinds of films, from the student experimental shorts, to a documentary, to a full-length film.  I want to change gears here.  I want to show a clip from another film, a film that I got to watch recently called "Tulpan. " Could you tell me a little bit about that film? Let's talk about that one.  "Tulpan" is a film that I saw when I went to the Toronto International Film Festival in September.  I traveled up to Toronto, which is North America's largest film festival. 

 That's in Canada.  In Canada, across the border.  And I saw "Tulpan," and it's an absolutely beautiful film.  Oh it is, physically.  And it's one of those films where the landscape plays as much of a role in the film as the characters do.  It's from Kazakhstan.  And again, one of the nice things that I think the audience likes so much about the film festival is that people often refer to it as it's like a mini-vacation.  You can transport yourself to a very faraway place.  A place that in some cases, you may have a hard time finding on a map.  But for two hours, you can absorb yourself in the culture of another place.  So "Tulpan," I think is one of the absolutely most gorgeously filmed movies that we have in the festival.  Let's transport ourselves to Kazakhstan for a moment.  This is a clip from "Tulpan. " That is a clip from a film, "Tulpan," from the Wisconsin Film Festival.  You know, that film won the 2008 Cannes Film Festival award, which just happened.  Does that bother you at all, that it just won a big award at the Cannes Film Festival? Do you want all your films to be first shown at your festival? Oh, no, I guess that's another way that the Wisconsin Film Festival is different.  Because I'm just looking out for the audience and trying to bring the most interesting cross section of films I can find, one thing that's not that important for me, is whether a film is premiering here.  It can be something that many festivals are competitive about.  They want to be the first place to show a film.  And certainly it's true, that at the Wisconsin Film Festival, we are the first place to show certain films, whether it's the world premiere or a North American premiere, or what have you, but that's not a criteria that I use to find films.  I just want the best stories that I can find. 

 So it doesn't matter to you.  In a sense, I keep coming back to this.  But the real criteria for you is, I'm coming to the film festival, and you're trying to get what I want to see, and something that I can't see.  I'm not going to be able to rent "Tulpan," nor am I going to get to see it at a movie theater.  Say "Tulpan" was coming to a local movie theater, would you not show it then, if you knew it was coming? That's right.  I try to avoid films that are definitely going to be playing, at least in the Madison market, which is where we are, simply because if the audience will already get a chance to see it theatrically, then I'd rather use that slot for another film that would not be found.  That's fair.  I have to say, though, that there is an exception that I made this year.  I broke my own rule.  There's a Jean-Claude Van Damme film that I also saw at Toronto, at the midnight screening there.  It was the most extraordinary experience.  And the Sundance Theater here in Madison did show this film in late January or early February.  Normally, that would mean not something I'm going to choose for the festival.  Jean-Claude Van Damme gets an exception.  But I loved this film so much, and I know it's going to be a midnight movie for us on Friday night, and I know we're going to have a fantastic audience for it.  So it's nice being the festival director, because then you can break your own rules.  What I want to show next is you all made a commercial, a television commercial recently for the film festival.  I want to show it.  And I want to talk to you about it, because it was a collaborative effort with some of the Wisconsin filmmakers.  Let's see this TV spot from the Wisconsin Film Festival.  ( rooster crows ) * That was a TV spot for the Wisconsin Film Festival. 

 That was a collaborative effort.  Why don't you tell me about that clip.  Everything with the film festival, we always get as much mileage out of it as we can.  So this is a clip that we have running on cable stations, through Charter Media.  But the piece itself, you're right, it's a collaboration between three key people, actually four, because I want to include the music as well.  Erik Gunneson teaches film production here at the university.  We've had him on the show.  Yes, and he worked with Nate Theis, who is the head of the motion department at Planet Propaganda, which is an advertising agency in Madison that worked with the festival for the first couple years, creating the graphic design, the logo for the festival, doing our posters and web site, and so forth.  But it's been a few years since we've been able to work with Planet.  So Nate and Erik worked together with Cassie Wentlandt, who is a student here in the Department of Communication Arts on campus.  Then, Wendy Schneider is a local musician.  She created the music with Erik for the piece.  What we were aiming for is a real world opportunity for a student here on campus who is studying 2-D and 3-D animation in the Department of Communication Arts, to actually work with a professional in the field, to collaborate together to create that piece.  And I just had this idea in my head that chickens were going to be the way that we were going to talk about the festival this year.  It has nothing to do with movies, but our posters, our TV spot.  Chickens are the way.  Everything is sort of chicken based in the festival this year, just 'cause I felt like it.  Yeah, 'cause you felt like it, chickens.  You were talking about 2-D animation.  I want to show a clip from another film that I just watched last night.  I don't want to be too value judging here, but that movie blew me away. 

 My wife and I were like, just our jaws dropped.  It starts, it's a 2-D animated film called "Sita Sings the Blues. " And I just was blown away by it.  Why don't you tell us a little bit about the film, and let's watch this amazing clip.  About a year and a half ago, a friend of mine had sent me a link to a web site that was for this film that was still in production, still being worked on.  Nina Paley is this filmmaker who had been in the middle of creating this animated film.  The film itself is actually the story of Sita, who is a goddess in the Indian Epic, the Ramayana.  So I contacted Nina and said when's your film going to be done.  This looks great.  The clips that you have on your web site are very interesting.  I'd love to see the whole thing in consideration for the festival.  So this was for the 2008 festival.  She said it's still being worked on.  You know, a few months later I contacted her and she said it's going to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, which is a very prestigious festival.  And we're not exactly sure what that's going to mean for the film.  So I wasn't able to bring it last year for 2008, simply because of the timing of when she finished it.  But then I was very pleased to be able to bring it for 2009.  This is a film that was written, illustrated, produced, everything, by this one woman, with some of her colleagues chipping in to provide some voices, and so forth.  Let's see a great clip from "Sita Sings the Blues. " Today, I wish to crown you king, but my evil, scheming wife just reminded me of an ancient vow I made.  To honor this vow, instead of crowning you king, I must banish you to the forest for 14 years. 

 ( cry of anguish ) Good-bye, dear boy.  You are noble and good.  The embodiment of righteousness, a brave warrior prince, joy of heaven and earth, the ideal man.  May the gods be with you.  Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.  That's what she asked for, and he was heartbroken.  But given that all Indian men are true to their word, he had to.  He had to do that.  And then he died? Then he died? No, I don't think he died.  He died eventually.  Yeah, but all those-- I don't think he died.  That scene when I was a kid-- He died.  There's a big scene, very dramatic.  He's having a heart attack when his son is going away.  I assume he's dying.  I do think he's unwell.  I think something happens where he had a stroke.  He has a huge issue, right? He's ravished by guilt, because of his son.  He was told to go away.  He said he would, like he didn't create any problems.  Why? He just kind of said, "If that is your wish, father, I shall go. 

" And he went.  And she said, "If you go, I go. " That is a great clip from "Sita Sings the Blues. " Not very Disney-esque, is it? It's one of my favorite films at the festival.  We were talking earlier, off-camera, a bit about this thing you call a thumbs up and thumbs down culture.  Tell me about the culture.  Well, I mean, I think the viewer is really familiar with how movies get pitched in popular culture, which everybody talks about box office draw, you know, what gets stars what gets awards and so forth.  And I think what that leaves out is a whole lot of filmmakers who do really incredible work, but don't have these marketing machines behind them in order to get their films out.  So a lot of the films that we see here at the film festival, again, are ones that are incredibly accomplished, wonderfully made, things that might do very well in their home country and get a great audience, for example, for the art international films.  But because of the way film culture has developed here, at least in America, they just don't get an opportunity to be seen by an audience.  We're going to show another clip from a French documentary called "Lads and Jockeys. " Can you set that up for us? We're going to see the trailer, actually.  "Lads and Jockeys" is a film that is a great example of one that I don't think is being shown much here in the states, but is absolutely gorgeous.  It is the story of young boys and girls in France, who go off to this equestrian training school to learn how to be jockeys.  Let's roll the clip, "Lads and Jockeys. " ( trailer all in French ) I now want to watch that film, "Lads and Jockeys. " I just want to add that there's no subtitles in it there, but in the film, it has subtitles.  It's interesting, that's still very powerful, even without the subtitles.  You know, I see a film like that, and I think to myself, the U. S. , in our country, we have so niched filmmaking. 

 We know when this Kate Hudson film, they know how much money it's going to make before it's made, who's going to be in it, who stars in it, what theaters, how it's done.  It's become such a machine.  And for years, I think, because of Sundance and others, that the film festivals were kind of the antidote for that.  But then it seems those have become part of the machine as well.  Is there a next wave of something coming to then relieve us of the machine that the film festivals have become? That wave is already here in the sense that, as I said, there are thousands of brilliant films being made.  And film festivals are one of the ways that the audience gets to see those.  One of thing things that's fun for me is that tickets go on sale for the festival a month before the festival itself.  And so, for months and months leading up to that moment, I've been watching these movies and choosing them, and working with the filmmakers to bring them to the festival, and so forth.  But when tickets go on sale, then it becomes an entirely different thing, where it's no longer just me and my own relationship with all these films.  But then the audience gets introduced to them for the first time.  I never know which films in each year's festival are going to turn out to be the ones that the audience says, this is what I really love.  Films that either win the audience award, or just the films that in the first couple days of ticket sales end up being the big hit.  And every year, there's a couple that have just stood out, because the audience says this is what we really love.  I never know how to predict which one it's going to be.  So it's always fun for me when the general public ends up getting to express their own vote on these films.  I want to show another trailer from another film.  I haven't seen this film, and I'm intrigued by this trailer.  It's called "Lightbulb. " Tell me a little bit about the film and then we'll see the trailer.  "Lightbulb" is a film that I'm very happy to have in the festival, because it was submitted to the festival as part of this process.  It doesn't have a Wisconsin connection. 

 There's another category of films that people can use to submit films to the festival.  And it is an exceptionally made film for the kinds of things that we generally see through the submissions pool.  "Lightbulb" is, I think, a good example of a contemporary American independent film, if we're going to use that label, where it's a story made by Mike Cram, who is in real life an inventor and a guy who develops novelty gadgets.  And he wrote a story, and got it made.  He didn't direct the film.  He had somebody else direct it.  It's about his experience, sort of looking for the next great thing, the next great novelty gadget.  And the result is a film that has three very strong actors in the lead.  And it is a beautifully made film.  It's shot in Tucson, Arizona.  And you really get the sense of Tucson coming through, which is what all good independent films can do, is really give you a great sense of place.  So I'm very pleased that we're going to be able to show this film.  And it has gotten great screenings at the festivals it's played at so far.  We're one of the first festivals to play it.  And I know it's going to do very well after, when it gets released.  Wow, that's a build up.  Let's see the trailer from "Lightbulb. " This is a product that cannot miss! We have a storeroom full of products that can't miss.  How many failed products have you had lately? That stupid jogger TV hat I tried to talk you out of? Watch TV while you jog? Come on, Matt.  The ten-second toothbrush for people in a hurry? Okay, but this is completely different.  It's night and day. 

 This can work.  I know this can work.  We, together, have run our business into the ground.  My wife left me.  We're completely broke, and we're approaching middle age.  It's a reason to be depressed, wouldn't you think? Do I look depressed? Do I look depressed? Pacific Productions presents a serious comedy about a little guy with a big idea.  Whoa! This is it! This is the one! This is a chain store product.  This little thing right here? This is going to get you Gina back.  I'm going to get the money for this.  We just spent the rent money on this prototype.  I'll get it.  * You win.  You got it! * Aw, man.  What the f---! This is how we're going to get Gina's money back.  J. J. , he's been going out to the desert, and he's been making an absolute fortune, swiping saguaros.  Lightbulb.  Overcoming hard times with hope.  I think this is the one you've guys have been waiting on.  * Oh, yeah! Time for a beer! * Yeah! Yeah, time for a beer and a movie! That was from "Lightbulb. 

" Before we go, do you have any parting advice? You know, people are out there with the guide.  They love films.  They're coming to Madison.  What's your parting advice for them as they attend the Wisconsin Film Festival? Don't get overwhelmed by the number of films.  Just choose a bunch that sound appealing to you, but don't sweat it.  Just go see a bunch of movies.  Tickets are cheap.  They're $7 a piece, or $4 if you're a student.  That's less than the cost of going to a movie at the regular theater.  Just try to soak up the biggest variety of films you can while you're at the festival and have a good time.  Okay, boom, I've got it! So, we're going to see another clip from Bob Trondson who did a day in the life for Director's Cut.  Thank you very much for coming today.  This was fun.  I'm totally excited about the Wisconsin Film Festival.  Let's see another clip from Bob Trondson, a day in the life.  * The film festival is wonderful because you get this feeling that this city's alive.  All the energy.  All the noise and people, all congregating together.  I'm not sure I could put together any coherent sentences about it, other than to say it's incredibly exciting.  Every year, it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and the word gets out.  Seven dollars for a regular ticket and $4 for students is a fairly affordable price for a lot of these people to pay. 

 And it gives them an opportunity to do things that they may not normally do.  We get out.  We get out of our homes and, you know, the weather's changing.  We stop hibernating.  Bring people into Madison to, you know, survey all the cultural things that we have in this town.  And I think film is one of the big things.  To be here and see the big crowd, sold-out, and just hear those people laughing.  You're walking down to the next theater, and the stage door, and you can hear the people laughing through the wall.  You know, it's just that energy.  It's so different.  * Meg Hamel, the director of the Wisconsin Film Festival is basically the one paid person running this entire ship.  There's a lot of volunteers.  This ship would sink without volunteers.  You are a volunteer, correct? I am.  Kathy, you have been doing this? Since the very beginning.  The Wisconsin Film Festival happens with the volunteers, the people who spend their weekend giving suggestions what movies people should see.  It's trying to sneak an extra person in, so that every seat is taken.  These people do this all volunteer, just for the love of the film, and for the love of the festival.  The Union Theater, if you walk straight down.  Very helpful.  * We are meeting, right now, the crème de la crme of volunteers, Erik Gunneson. 

 * There's a whole bunch of different things that I do to try to make the festival happen.  We have films coming from all over the world.  Each film, as you can see, comes in two cans like this.  Every single film is inspected before it's projected.  All those films get spliced together onto these big aluminum reels.  We put them on a table like this and wind them onto the platter.  They run them, and they break them back down to the original cans.  Is all that work a labor of love for you? Absolutely.  It's just exciting to see people respond the way they do.  It's what makes me do it each year.  So, it's getting later in the evening.  And we are very lucky to be joined by the executive director of the Wisconsin Film Festival, Meg Hamel.  Meg.  Oh, shucks, I'm just doing my job.  You must be exhausted.  Actually, the festival itself is the easy part.  The hard part is all the planning.  It's a year-round job.  The question of what you are going to wear during the week.  I think those decisions are going to be the toughest.  I actually have a full selection of special tennis shoes that I wear, so that I can run from festival to festival. 

 Today, I have my patent leather Fly Kicks.  Give us a good highlight of the week, something that warmed the cockles of your heart.  For me, especially because I have so few resources to work with, I want to keep it focused on the movies.  Although, it would be great to have the time to plan, and I hope in the future, I'll be able to plan more panels and workshops, and bring in more guests, and have more context for the films.  Nothing will ever be more important at the Wisconsin Film Festival than the films.  So, what has really warmed the cockles of my heart is the fact that we've had such wonderful shows.  Meg, fantastic.  Fantastic festival.  We've had a great day today.  Thank you.  We'll see you next year.  Absolutely, thanks! A day in the life of the Wisconsin Film Festival.  Thank you very much for coming today.  Break a leg at the festival.  Thank you so much.  And thank you all of you for watching Director's Cut.  For more information on the Wisconsin Film Festival please go to: wpt. org/directorscut While you're there, send us an email.  We love to hear from you.  I'm your host, Charles Monroe-Kane.  For everyone here at Director's Cut, thank you for joining us today. 

 Check the gate. ECHO is on.