Rejection Letters
Our short films were announced yesterday, and with that the entirety of our 2008 film slate is confirmed and official. Mostly this gives me a tremendous sense of relief, like all of my kids came home for a visit and stayed in for the night to drink in the basement and peruse old yearbooks and crack inside jokes and sleep on all available beds, couches and air mattresses - but all of them together, at home, where I can look at them all with fondness and pride.
However, knowing that you've made the filmmakers and casts and crews (and parents) of 98 different films excited and encouraged by extending an offer to join the Slamdance Family is tempered a bit when you realize that means over 3,000 letters went out last week saying, "I'm sorry, but..."
I think of those filmmakers who got those letters; we all do. We've been on the receiving end of those letters ourselves. Thinking of the collective heartbreak or anger or annoyance that is emitted into the world when those messages are read makes me glad Slamdance doesn't have an accessible roof and/or tree-filled lawn.*
So if you are pissed or confused or truly shocked at how Some Anonymous Ass Didn't Understand Your Genius, know that we feel your pain. More than that, we've made mistakes before... it's true! Ours is a subjective process, a selecting style based on consensus. Since our programming team changes every year, so do the eyes that might see your film.
Back in the 90's we passed on FOLLOWING (that was Christopher Nolan's film - the guy who went on to direct MEMENTO and BATMAN BEGINS). Fortunately for us (and him, I guess) Chris resubmitted FOLLOWING the next year and we got a chance to redeem ourselves - at least on that one.
Which means: stay hardy and true. Keep making films, keep wanting more, keep pushing to tell the stories you want to tell the way you want to tell them. We'll be here, excitedly waiting to see what you come up with, hoping we can offer some of you a bean bag in the basement.
* In addition to not wanting to be toilet papered because of an aversion to suburban-teenage-revenge crimes AND a general thought that it would be unproductive due to our architecture and street placement, I'd also like to remind flustered filmmakers that we are working hard at being green and friendly to the environment and so they should keep their toilet paper use restricted to more socially acceptable activities. Thanks!
