NOVEMBER
14, 2004 --
The
day began with LPR photographing a Veterans Day ceremony at the
Riverdale Bell Tower in The Bronx. That evening, LPR went to Columbus
Circle for an anti-war protest and then attended the opening of
the New York Internationa Independent Film and Video, Music and
Art Festival that continues at the Cinema East movie
theater on Second Avenue and 12th Street.
LPR attended screenings, thus far, of "Customer 152," a commentary
on credit card bankruptcy -- blamed on the GOP? -- among other things from
director Jonathan Holbrook made in the state of Washington, and "Almelund," a
film shot
in Minnesota, dealing with the Sasquatch legend, by director Jeff Green. LPR
also viewed Deborah Rowe's documentary on striptease dancers,"Portraints
of a
Naked Lady Dancer," and several shorts, including "What are the Odds,"(which
seems to have a happy ending), directed by Bev Land, and "When Life Gives
You
Lemons," directed by William Cicchino," about an out of work salesman
who decides to compete with neighborhood children and opens a lemonade stand.
LPR also attended the screening of Corey Smith's four minute short,"Making
the Grade," about a high school student whose crush on her teacher --
played by Hugh Jackman -- yes, Broadway megastar High Jackman, prompts her
to make surfe she fails her final so she can
repeat the class.
LPR also attended a screening of "Two Days Til Iraq," a documentary
from Shahin Afran, based on family conversations of a British soldier about
to leave for Iraq. The soldier, a fireman, is shown in slow motion and the
conversations are heard on the soundtrack, augmented by English subtitles.
A certain rivalry with U.S. forces is suggested, along with some cynicism;
the Brit refers to the Iraq war as "Operation Cheap Petrol."
The festival's opening evening included an art exhibit and LPR plans to post
some of the artwork next week -- this edition of LPR is necessarily rushed
to get back to the festival's screenings.
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Jon
Abrahams, "Mike" in "What are the Odds," a
short "dramemdy" directed by Bev Land.
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