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Judge's Statement
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I was looking for work that was provocative,
arresting and, last but very much not least, entertaining. A lot of first
and second time filmmakers are overwhelmingly fascinated with the intimate
details of their own experiences. I was expecting to slog through an awful
lot of navel-gazing. Thus I was extremely impressed with Untitled,
Crowdog and Burn—all works that are intensely personal but
manage through clarity and economy of image (and brevity!) to be evocative
rather than indulgent.
I was delighted that so many of the works
I saw had the ability to surprise. Attic Secrets deals with what
by now is almost a standard film festival topic—the insidiousness of incest—and
through an astonishing command of narrative and image, took me somewhere
I'd never been. I also loved Johnny Bagpipes, God's Clowns
and Young Turkeys, films that play knowingly with their genres,
but they're not cynical; they're hilarious.
I am always fascinated by how filmmakers
work within their limitations: are they making their lack of resources
work for them or against them? Dirt and Just Like a Man exhibit
a visual panache that's a lot of fun to watch. Their budget was their aesthetic!
All in all, a pretty impressive bunch of
movies.
Christine Vachon
Judge's Bio
Christine Vachon, and her production company
Killer Films, has emerged over the last ten years as one of the key leaders
of the New York independent film movement. Hailed by The New York Times
as the "godmother of politically committed film," she has made her name
with such bold, contoversial films as Poison, Swoon, Kids,
Safe, and I Shot Andy Warhol; and has become the autuer producer
behind some of the most original independent filmmakers—from Todd Haynes
and Todd Solondz to Tom Kalin and Rose Troche. This fall will see the release
of her two newest projects—Happiness and Velvet Goldmine,
as well her new book on independent film production: Shooting to Kill.
