I feel so settled now I can't believe it's my last day. The altitude here is so high it really does take a few days to acclimatise properly and it's difficult to keep remembering to drink water ( as I was warned on my flight on the way in to Missoula).

I start the day off with a couple of films - the devastating The Portraitist which is the emotional and moving story of a photographer who only survived the nazi concentration camps because he was documenting it all for the Nazis, including Dr Mengele's abuse and experiments on young women. When Auschwitz was liberated by the Russians all documents were ordered to be destroyed but he saved the archive so no one would ever forget what had gone on there. It really was moving and brought something new to a story that I have seen in various guises over the years.

Next up was When fried eggs fly about a US high school teacher engaging his class and their parents in a progressive programme of group composition. It was cute and nice but there was no real umph to the story. Etre et Avoir has a lot to answer for and is a difficult film to follow.

I snuck out early to attend the programming masterclass with programmers from Big Sky, Full Frame, Silverdocs, True False, AFI and the producer of Iraq in Fragments, moderated by Mike Steinberg. It was a useful session and something I wished there had a been a bit more of at Big Sky. They discussed the issue of a film's premiere - how important it was to get it right, not to give it away too soon. and what to expect of your festival experience. Length was seen as a bit of an issue. 60 mins was a fine length to programme but only if there was something else easy to put it with. Sales agents were seen as a 'sometimes useful tool' to getting a film accepted into a festival but Doug Hawes davis alsos described the pleasure and surprise in opening a package and having no idea about the film or maker but looking forward to being surprised. Sky from Silverdocs also added that it didn't hurt to fire off a friendly email to the programmer to see if they had got your film - which I will be doing shortly!

It was a good session and Doug Whyte gave me some other good advice afterwards - Always ask a festival if they would be prepared to waive the fee after sending them a link to a trailer and synopsis. He utilises this approach and says it's a god way of guaging response to your project. He also talked about the pros and cons of hooking up with a distributor - you don't have to pay to submit your film to festivals - the distributor may not push the film as hard as you would yourself. I think I may take the Bataville approach and see if we can arrange a short dvd run which we sell via the website. It's exactly what Les Blank does....

Another successful meal - sushi grade ahi BLT sandwich with sweet potato fries, just over the bridge on the hip strip. I know I keep going on about food but I can't stress how bad I feel if I eat too much crap/whaet/caffiene/sugar/salt/not enough fruit & veg & water/ on top of jetlag and general tiredness. I think it's easy to underestimate how much food can affect your general well being when away from home and burning the candle at both ends at a festival. I am continually dosing myself with Berocca because it's an awful long way to travel to get ill.

Straight into another session with a full belly! This time legendary, veteran filmmaker Les Blank who was presenting 2 works in progress - 'Being There' and ' Butch Anthony' about an outsider artist in the smaller Wilma 2. After the films he talked candidly for a good half an hour about his approach to work, his relationship with Werner Herzog, how he just shoots, cuts and distributes his own work now. the questions just kept coming from the in awe audience and he duely responded in his laid back southern drawl. True to his word his back catalogue was for sale in the foyer.

bigsky01 - 11.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

I am now the proud owner of 'gap toothed women' and Burden of dreams (about the making of Fitzcorraldo, including a short where werner herzog eats his shoe in a bet he lost to Errol Morris) by Les Blank. When I got my copies signed he told me I should embrace my gapped teeth - 'all power to the gap toothed women, I rate them'. Made me feel good about oh so not perfect UK teeth in a landscape of perfect, braces trained USA gnashers.

Labels: big sky, les blank, missoula

posted by Jeanie Tuesday, February 20, 2007 | 1 comments

bigsky01 - 07.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

bigsky01 - 06.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

bigsky01 - 08.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

waiting for my food in the norma jean diner. I have had so much sleep it's untrue.

bigsky01 - 09.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Well, it's early Sunday morning and I can't believe it's my last day in Missoula. I just started the day with THE most enormous diner breakfast - pancakes, bacon, eggs - medium over easy - maple syrup and oj, coffee. I left half of it but it was so nice to have found somewhere good to eat. I, as a rule, don't add salt to anything, when I'm cooking or when I'm eating food. I've found the amount of salt in everything so difficult - the other day I had breakfast in the motel, mmmm porridge I thought until I tasted the salt, then OJ mmmm healthy, it was so laden with sugar it was unbearably sweet. It was like a scene from Goldilocks and the three bears. Talking to Stuart from Tennessee he told me that when his friends visited the UK all the food was SOO bland, they couldn't bear it.

I have a full day of films ahead of me so I'm glad to be here early, bright eyed and bushy tailed. All my travelling caught up with me yesterday and instead of being at the Saturday party I went to bed at 4pm and slept till 8am this morning. I was sorry to miss the all the festivities and the big film 'Jesuscamp' but my body said NO and I feel so much better today.

I spent quite a bit of time zapping through the 60 tv channels on offer at my motel - the Anna Nicole Smith story just won't go away. It is guarenteed to be on one of the channels at any time of the day Britney's shaved barnet is also huge news.

So in 5 minutes I'm going to see the portraitist about a photographer in the concentration camps who only survived because he was documenting for the nazis. Difficult but necessary stuff.

Labels: big sky, diner, food, les blank, missoula

posted by Jeanie Monday, February 19, 2007 | 0 comments

Library - 4659.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

missoula montana, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Labels: big sky, missoula, motel

posted by Jeanie Saturday, February 17, 2007 | 0 comments

Library - 4657.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Labels: big sky, missoula

posted by Jeanie Saturday, February 17, 2007 | 0 comments

I guess this is why they call it Big Sky, this place really is stunning and is very Twin Peaksy. the view from the bridge is the river with an ice crust ad buildings straight from a picture postcard.

bigsky01 - 03.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Library - 4655.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Labels: big sky, missoula

posted by Jeanie Saturday, February 17, 2007 | 0 comments

An example of how nice they are here... I mentioned that I'd really like to buy some cowboy boots for my daughter to the woman who runs the Motel. She immediately called the local children's store (which didn't have any) but then gave me directions to an out of town ranch store. When I got to the Wilma I enquired whether I'd be able to get a lift there in the next 3 days, a phone call was made and there was a lifet ready for me there and then. Amazing!

Library - 4652.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Corral West is the souvenir shopping place to die for. I managed to get tiny, red, leather cowboy boots for Betsy, a white stetson for Sheil, a cowgirl shirt for me and 3 cowgirl necklaces in their own mini cowboy hat boxes. Just brilliant.

Library - 4651.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Library - 4650.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Library - 4645.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Labels: big sky, cowboy, missoula, souvenirs

posted by Jeanie Saturday, February 17, 2007 | 0 comments

Art deco lamp - The Wilma Theatre, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Missoula's most famous son is David Lynch. The Wilma Theatre is allegedly the inspiration behind scenes in Eraserhead and the thetre in Blue Velvet. I can see it, I really can. In fact the whole town is a little Twin Peaksy. Apparently David Lynch does a weather report from his home each day - I must look into this, sounds almost too good to be true.

Library - 4648.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

I caught half of Distorted Propoganda (67 mins) (part of the Asia Docs series) and felt that although the images were stunning and the interviews interesting that after 30mins I had really seen enough.

The afternoon screenings were the films made as part of the International Documentary Challenge which is run by Doug Whyte. The premise is - can you make a documentary in 5 days from start to finish. Participating teams from all over the world sign up, pay their admission fee and on the first day are sent a genre and subject. They are then given 5 days to shoot, edit and complete their film. All the films go in to competition and the top eight films are shown at Hotdocs and at Big Sky.

The films shown were refreshing and entertaining. My favourite - Relatively Free - took a tour from east to west Berlin in a clapped out old Lada with a charismatic driver who stopped every now and again to manually work his windscreen wipers. It was one of my films of the festival and shows that there's a lot to be said for a simple story and a good character.

I'd really like to give teh challenge a go this year - it was described "as the most fun you probably wouldn't want to do again" but I'm afraid the timing is all wrong for me this year.

At lunch (really getting the hang of this Missoula Dining thing now) I gave a copy of Teenland to Sky Sitner, programmer of Silverdocs. I really hope that Big Sky will be the first of a few screenings. With my next project taking place in the States it would really good for my work to be seen more widely here.

How it is with Phooie was a sneak preview by Mike Steinberg about his Father Phooie and daughter Ella. I was very interested to see how he would tell the story of his family as I've been filming my Mother and am not quite sure about telling her story publicly. His film became as much about his relationship with his daughter that with his Dad and I warmed to it very much. I think when you become a parent it's inevitable that you re-examine your parental relationship. Phooie's life starts to fall to pieces on screen and Mike was there trying to make sense of it all with a camera in his hand. The most revealing part for me was when his wife asked hoim if he thought that the camera would reveal something that he wouldn't normally be visible. When I've been filming my Mother I keep imagining that the camera is a magic filter that reveal hidden stories. Maybe it doesn't at all and can just reflect what's there.

the big evening film was The War Tapes produced by Steve James. I was keen to see this as it won best international film at Britdoc last year and I missed it. the film follows 3 national guard soldiers on a year in Iraq. The Iraq footage is solely shot by soldiers and the action - car bombs, explosions, missiles and bombs are terrifying close to the protagonists. It's a devastating film and was especially interesting to view it in a sold out crowd of 1100 Americans. There's a scene in teh film where teh soldiers make it back for the big Homecoming. I was crying and then realised that everyone around me was sobbing. the men onscreen could be anyone's son, brother or father. It's a film that politicians should be made to watch.

The evening was rounded off with drinks in the film-makers lounge and the dual entertainment of a blue grass band and the local wino hitting on (unsuccessfully might I add) ALL the women in the room. Apparently my red hair was 'dashing'.

Labels: big sky, david lynch, international documentary challenge, missoula

posted by Jeanie Saturday, February 17, 2007 | 0 comments

Library - 4642.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

If I had more time I'd be hiking up that hill. On the hill next to it there's a large L, made me ask whether there is a whole alphabet written out across the landscape, but apparently no it's just those 2. L for the high school and M for Missoula.

Labels: big sky, missoula

posted by Jeanie Saturday, February 17, 2007 | 0 comments

the wilma, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

I love the Wilma! It's one of the oldest buildings in town, the largest screen in Montana (1100 seats) and is fabulously shabby chic from the faded red leather seats, the flock wallpaper, the chandeliers and the cherubs on the wall.

Barely 2 hours from getting off the plane it was time for the world premiere of Teenland. It didn't all go smoothly - the projector auto reset so it screened in 4:3 instead of 16:9 and a last minute discussion with the programmer Dru meant that I made the decision to show the un-subtitled version of the film instead of the subtitled one. I'm still not sue whether it was the right decision but to be honest I was so tired I took Dru's advice on it. He was mortified about the 4:3 thing but it really didn't look that bad.

The film went down really well - the Q and A was great - intelligent questions and a very engaged audience. After the screening I had a lot of positive feedback and talked to a distributor about it's potential for USA sales.

Dru gave me an interesting insight into the programming of the festival telling me that when he unpacked the film he saw BBC and 60 minutes and though - oh here we go, made for TV doc but said that it really was the opposite of that and that the opening shot (tracking up to a bedroom door) set it up really well and told him 'hang on, there's something good here'. It's so good to get such direct feedback. As the film has been seen by relatively few people it's hard to gauge audience reaction.

I then stayed for drinks, the big event opening night film - an audience of 1100 for the startling HBO doc Montana meth about the meth problem in the state and dougs film - 'silver spur'. Silver spur is a great film, following the residents of a country and western residential care home for the mentally ill in Missouri. The relationships between the characters unfold beautifully and the surreal setting - all (same family) staff dressed up as cowboys fades into the background with the strength of the stories. I think the festival is going to offer another kind of education into America. As Gareth said it really is like 51 different countries.

I headed out after the screening in search of real food - I'd had hor d'ourves coming out of ears but couldn't find anywhere open apart from a garage store. This town does sleep!

Labels: big sky, missoula, teenland

posted by Jeanie Friday, February 16, 2007 | 0 comments

DSC00278, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

jeff waiting at the airport, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

The best thing to see when come off a plane is someone holding your name up. It always makes me feel so relieved.

elk country, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

So after all the drama I made it here in one piece only 14 hours late and only 2 hours to spare before my screening! I sat next to a Missoulian on the plane who was obsessed (randomly) with soccer and was very excited about the imminent arrival of one D Beckham. He was so friendly and told me expect folks out here to very nice and accommodating ("not like new york" although that wasn't my experience), I don't doubt him.

I was reunited with my luggage which was last seen in New York and Jeff was there waiting for me. He then took me along with Doug and Mike, 2 other film-makers to our accommodation and on a whistlestop tour of Missoula. First impressions are that it's very Americana. It sounds so stupid but it looks just what I imagined a small town to look like and it just about as far away from New York as it gets. This is truly a trip of opposites and extremes.

A lot of the men look like Bonnie Prince Billie and beards are very big here and so it seems is hunting and taxidermy! The backdrop landscape of the snow dusted mountains is breathtaking and pretty overpowering - they are just so big.

I quickly checked into my accommodation - psychesque motel style room, brilliant size and completely fine but far from glamour choice! Then I headed over the 2 blocks to the Wilma for my screening.

Labels: airport, big sky, elk, missoula

posted by Jeanie Friday, February 16, 2007 | 0 comments

DSC00160, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

My name's Jeanie and I'm a USA virgin, but not for much longer!

Teenland is premiering at the Big Sky Documentary festival, Missoula, Montana on Thursday 15 Feb at 3.40pm so I'm making the long trip out to the home town of David Lynch for 5 days, stopping off in New York for a couple of days.

An 11th hour funding confirmation from EMMedia has made the trip even better as being broke I was starting to regret my rash tax rebate spend on flights.

In preperation for my trip, I spent a fraught Friday playing out a new master of Teenland. What should have been a simple job took all day as at first I had the leads connected wrongly and made a silent master, then the edit had a 'bad frame' and kept spontaniously switching itself off 40 minutes into playout. So illogical - led to much "final cut logic' discussion by Sheil and Bushy as to how to second guess the edit suite. VERY frustrating.

The reason for the new master was to subtitle Scott's thick Clifton accent into English for North American ears, after my brother's Canadian fiance and her friend told me that she found Scott very difficult to understand. This is a point that we orginally fought with the BBC ( as they had wanted it subtitled for British viewers) and at the time I was pleased but as I read through the transcript I realised that (British) Barney had misunderstood much of Scott's speech, so it may have been advisable all along. No matter, I now have a subtitled master in beautiful émigré Adderville.

On Sunday I met my dad half way up north for the Betsy handover - she's staying with gran and grandad for a week while I'm away. We met in a gloomy travel lodge car park for the decidedly dodgy looking child exchange - all witnessed by an onlooking car passenger tucking into her tupperwared sandwiches. Betsy, dressed up for the journey in crown and jewellery, ah she is my daughter like a stick of Brighton rock.

In my haste to get back - I hate driving when I have things on my mind - I completely missed my turning and ended up stuck on the A1 and ended up in Grantham. My 45 min journey turned into a 2 hour diversion. Childfree I started packing and then realised that my hasty train booking 6 weeks ago had only left me around 60 minutes to get across London to Heathrow before bag check in closed I hastilly rescheduled a place on the 10.30 train and will have an over cautious 2-3 hours to kill in delightful terminal 3. I hope that this is not an omen of things to come. I should just relax but I much more fear of catching flights than premiering my film.

Anyway, I am on said train and am hoping to find a wireless spot at Heathrow where I will blog diligently.

Labels: airport, big sky, edit, new york, travel

posted by Jeanie Monday, February 12, 2007 | 1 comments

home