Leonardo showing at BAICFF again JAN23 and 24

Once again Leonardo will be shown at the Bay Area International Children's Film Festival, this time finished. Last year Leonardo got a very warm welcome from a packed theater on the old Alameda Navel Airbase. Once again the old man will play along with my new short done through Aerial Contrivance and Super Machine Studios called Revisiting Apollo #1: Apollo 15.

Being one of the founders of the festival and kind of the scout looking for films I can tell you we have some amazing films to show. Some new some old. Which is the way we like to structure the festival. It is not about what is the hip current film to see in the festivals but about films that expand a child's interest and understanding of cultures, the arts, the world. Some highlights are Philip Hunt's Lost and Found. The Man Who Planted Trees. The Danish Poet. New Boy. Monk and the Fish. Mutt. And some charming, smart children's programing from Aardman - Shaun the Sheep and the as yet to be seen in the US Timmy Time. Also animation from the amazingly inventive Misseri Studios in Florence Italy. They actually animate with water folks.

In addition to the films the festival is offering an awesome opportunity for kids to animate with clay. We are offering an animation workshop taught by Valerie LePointe and Matt Luhn of Pixar. In which kids get to animate with an actual professional clay puppet made by Valerie's sister, a Gumby modeler and get to keep their character. I am telling you if you have kids 7 and up and you live in the Bay Area don't miss this workshop.

the festival is January 23rd and 24th. More info and tickets at BAICFF.com

Thoughts after making a film

So, I have been thinking of the past year, and man what a year it has been. I have met so many interesting, wonderful filmmakers and artists. Been to several cities I didn't expect to go to and had some experiences I never thought finishing a film would lead to. Much like the conclusion of 'Leonardo' (if you've seen the film you know what I mean) you never know how one thing will lead to another. Over the next couple of days I plan to post some thoughts and lessons I learned from finishing my film. A sort of coda to last years posts about making Leonardo. These posts will be more about the immediate after shock. The busy never ending PR of filmmaking. The boring, none creative, necessary, in the end rewarding stuff, of getting your film out there where it can do some good, growing into adulthood, leaving the nest. I don't really think there are ten in this list, maybe half that, but let's see.

flying over the alps on my way to I Castelli Animati film festival in Genzano near Rome, Italy