Passing Through
In this column, I often pay tribute to those brave DIY filmmakers who create their own tours and make their way to Seattle, among other cities. These artists tend to be young and driven to share their vision with the world.
About 10 years ago I met Sarah Jacobson when she blew through town like a dervish after her feature Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore didn't get picked up for distribution, and she was on a quest to distribute it herself. Like so many others, I was charmed by her passion, energy, and networking skills. She made everyone she met feel like her friend, and she created a template for self-made tours that should be followed for decades to come. It is with great sadness, then, that I must announce that she recently died after a battle with cancer. Barely in her mid-30s, her presence will be missed on the road and elsewhere.
When I met Sarah, she was touring with San Francisco filmmaker Sam Green. At the time, he was talking about making a documentary about a group of radical protesters called the Weather Underground, and his finished project, The Weather Underground, is playing on Friday at 911 Media Arts. Sam, however, won't be here this time; he'll be in L.A. getting ready for the Academy Awards.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST ALERT: Many of you know that I program the film series at Consolidated Works. The reason I don't feel so bad about promoting it in my column is because I get paid the same amount if it sells out or if nobody shows up--hell, it's practically a volunteer position. Fortunately, I believe in the programming, and think everybody should come see the delightfully moody video feature Tiny Plastic Rainbow (Fri-Sun at 8 pm), which is the first in ConWorks' "Suspension" series. We're lucky because we were able to bring out director Jennifer Reeder to introduce the Friday and Saturday shows and answer questions afterwards. Tiny Plastic Rainbow is her first feature-length work, but she's got a long history of making and distributing short films, and we feel particularly blessed that we were able to talk her into doing two lecture/presentations about short-film distribution. The first one will take place on Friday, February 27, at 6:00 p.m. in room 105 of Smith Hall (University of Washington). For those who can't make that, or who want more, we'll be doing it again on Saturday, February 28, at 3:00 p.m. at Consolidated Works. I've said it once, and I'll say it many more times: Support visiting filmmakers.
Of course, we shouldn't forget filmmakers of the homegrown variety. On Saturday, February 28, at 7:00 p.m., Central Cinema is presenting Up Thornton Creek in an event called "Pie and Politics." It's a documentary about the movement to save a protected stream just north of here, and director Pete Vogt will be present to take questions. It should also go without saying: Support local filmmakers.
