Traveling to La Jolla for the San Diego Film Festival, I unpacked my bags and met my old friend Laurie Greer who met me at the US Grant Hotel and toured me around town. While the main purpose of this trip was to answer moviegoer questions onsite as “Return to Dak To” played live at the Reading Cinemas, I gladly took it as an opportunity for a working vacation as well.
In between sunny side up breakfasts and sunsets by the beach, I arrived in the historic Gaslamp district where “Return to Dak To” played for more than fifty people. Once the lights flashed back on, I was met with thought-provoking questions and positive feedback from the audience. What I’m most relieved about is that the receptions to my intimate Vietnam war documentary seem to be consistent across the board, and all this positivity continues pushing me forward towards my goal of getting picked up by a TV distributor.
After San Diego, I traveled to Reno, NV where “Return to Dak To” was originally born at the 299th Engineers reunion. It was even hotter in Reno than San Diego but nevertheless it was great seeing Newman Howard, Duffy Dubendorf and John Marcoulier, three of my army mates whose personal experiences were shared in the film. We took a group photo of everyone at the reunion; you can see me in the below photo in the back row, seventh from the right:
My work is getting busier with all the momentum building from different film festivals. While I continue pushing towards more exposure at film festivals and ultimately on TV, "Return to Dak To" will be having an even larger showing at Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach on 10/29/15. If you weren't able to make the San Diego screening, I strongly urge you to watch it on the big screen at Seven Degrees, especially since the location is absolutely stunning.
Outside of film, you can catch me at Litquake this Wednesday 10/13/15 in San Francisco with Brett Hall Jones and ten other acclaimed writers at "Go Tell It on the Mountain: Litquake's Barbary Coast Award Tribute to the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley". Established in 1969 by novelists Blair Fuller and Oakley Hall, the Community of Writers is where faculty and alumni such as Maya Angelou, Amy Tan and Robert Hass and Brenda Hillman (who will be reading), Anne Rice and many more have found inspiration, honed their skills, and experienced community.
It's been a busy month as you can see and I don't anticipate it slowing down any time soon, so come catch me if you can!
Chris.