San Francisco International Film Festival Update

Opening night at the Castro Theatre

The hot seat

I had a great time presenting Topi at SFIFF. It screened three times as a part of the 'Get with the Program' block of animated shorts, and was featured in various publicity materials. I was able to make it to all three screenings, and stuck around to answer questions afterwards. The audiences were fantastic and were interested in many different aspects of the film including the personal connection, the historical context, and the animation process.

One film student asked, "Would you change anything?" To be honest, I'd change everything if I could because I've learned so much since the film was completed and reflected even more on each plot point, character, and cut since I completed it. At every viewing, I want to change something different about the film to see if that would make it better. And yet, despite its flaws, I'd change nothing because making the film was such a terrific learning experience. I had many other prolonged conversations with audience members about the film, and it was wonderful to see 'Topi' received so well.

A few mentions:

• "Harrowing true story"
• "A child's innocence, an adversary's kindness, a sense of panicked fear in everyone, and the chaos of the turbulent times were vividly portrayed"
• "Touching"
• "Has a clarity"

Nice program

The festival is really well run and very filmmaker-centric, with a particularly awesome hospitality lounge for folks representing films. I got to meet quite a few directors as well, and it's exciting to reconnect with such a vibrant local film scene.