On the road again (late Feb. 2015)

I'm in Paris now, on my way to Jerez (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain).  The main purpose of this trip is to film material that "we" have agreed is needed in order to make our trailer for the flamenco documentary a knock-your-socks-off trailer that will bring in grants, funding, and, well, money.

It's winter in Paris.  No surprise there.  The skies are grey and heavy with water.  It hasn't really rained since I arrived day before yesterday, but the air gets thicker at times and delicate droplets of water permeate the air.  Sometimes they even fall out of the sky.

A grey winter's day on Blvd. du Montparnasse, Paris.

It's cold, but not frozen cold with ice and snow.  Cold enough, however, that I'm very glad I brought a winter coat and a sweater.

I have now walked around the Jardin du Luxembourg two times.  It's an immense park, formerly the "back yard" for one of the palaces of the French kings, right in the center of Paris.  It's at least a mile long, and one of my favorite places on earth.  In the mornings, it's more a land of joggers than anything else.  Serious joggers.  Muscular joggers.  If I were here longer, I'd join in but I don't have the clothes, I'm not going to get the clothes, and I will just walk.

The lone jogger...but many more in front and behind.

The joggers - of all ages, both sexes, mostly white but some Moroccans and I even saw one black person.  About half are plugged into their music with earphones tightly ensconced in their ears and the other half are open to the world, as it were.

Most of the joggers are also solitary, but there is one large group at a certain point in the morning:  men from a nearby fire station with their fire station jogging suits, keeping very, very fit.

Children playing in a section of the park.

There are also some other people:  people out walking their dogs (dogs are permitted in certain sections of the park), a few people out with children in strollers, a few people like me, simply walking.

The palace.  It used to be a residence of France's kings;  now, it's the Senate building.

One of the park's fountains, dry now because it's winter.

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The American premiere

The American premiere of Domino:  Caught in the Crisis (Dominó:  agarrado por la crisis) - first, special THANKS to the non-profit Media Art Works (MAW) for their generous donation to support the event.

And do we plan to hold more screenings?  Of course.  We're in conversations with organizations in Berkeley and San Francisco, to name only a few...but it won't be until this summer or fall, because I'll be leaving soon for another trip to Spain.

And now, some photos from the premiere, followed by quotes from comments written by the audience:

MC Hershell West with filmmaker Eve A. Ma

Ruth Cazden, chair of the El Cerrito Arts & Cultural Commission, spoke briefly before the film started, as did Hershell West, chair of Media Art Works (MAW), the event's major supporter.

Inside the theater.

We had a good audience.  I want to thank our sponsors again, without whom the event truly would not have been possible:  City of El Cerrito (through its Arts & Culture Commission);  Rialto Cinemas Cerrito, City of Richmond (through its Arts & Culture Commission);  and our fiscal sponsor, From the Heart Productions.

Mixing & mingling after the premiere.

After the film was over, we had a little social time in a special room in the theater.  We also held a raffle there, which was a great success thanks to the donations of our supporters:  César's Restaurant of Berkeley, Pam Fingado Art of El Cerrito, Pearl Lounge Jewelry Design of San Francisco, Lucy Armentrout of Piedmont, The Spanish Table of Berkeley, Pyramid Brewery of Berkeley, and La Fonda Restaurant of Berkeley.

I should also thank our publicists, Social Lighthouse.

Now, here are some of the comments from the film's viewers:

"...very compelling...."            Natasha Ravnik, Oakland

"Really enjoyed the movie.  Loved the music...."             Luinda Dayak, Bay Point

"Well done and thought provoking.  Brings focus to an issue that needs much more attention."
                    David Rosenberg, Berkeley

"...different from any film I've ever seen."              Lucy Sterba (residence unknown)

"...I gained an appreciation for how hard it must be to edit a film..."              anonymous