Occasionally, an individual stands out on the red carpet.
Call it the "it" factor, if you like.
For an actor, it is that indefinable "something" that sets them apart from any other performer.
And, Drew Waters - who is co-starring in a Dallas-shot feature (The Other Side of Paradise) - definitely has it in spades!
When I spied him strutting down the gauntlet last night, it was obvious to me - a former Theatrical Agent - that Mr. Waters was going to be catapulted into the stratosphere if only he got that lucky break.
"I nearly didn't get this part," he laughed.
"They thought I couldn't handle the role which is so unlike the characters I usually play."
Yes, he's clean cut and all American-looking - a dude who might conceivably play the hero, the Harvard Graduate, the All-Star Quarterback - or a myriad of other roles in that vein.
Since I don't intend to catch "The Other Side of Paradise" for a couple of reasons, I thought I'd copy-cat Robert Wright (the rock photographer from "Rock Prophecies" who took "Sick Puppies" under his wing and elevated them from relative obscurity to new levels of success in the music industry) and give this kid a mention with the hope that it will cast a spotlight on his career and stir up some interest.
I'll be watching from the sidelines and trust that my instinct is right on again!
Last night I also got to meet Alan Govenar who directed "Poetry of Exactitude".
It's a short film about Lucien Moucher, who has been crafting small-scale productions of carousels and fairground scenes, since 1946.
"It takes him one year to create one piece which is rendered with painstaking minute detail."
At a time when filmmakers are focusing on convoluted love stories, drug deals gone awry, glory films about the War in Iraq - you name it - it is darn refreshing to encounter an auteur who is documenting the work of gifted artists to ensure there is a chronicle of their efforts left behind.
There were some surprises over the weekend, too.
"Ella & the Astronaut", featured in Shorts Program I, blew me away.
It's a film about one girl's journey to her secret hiding spot where she and Astronaut Henry can travel to the stars. (Directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck & Robert Machoian)
For me, it was delightful filmmaking, which hit the spot.
There were some go-getters hawking their wares on the carpet past week, too.
One that struck me as genuine and deserving of accollades was Benjamin Kegan who directed "Team Taliban".
Although I haven't seen this short, the buzz for it has been exceptional.
In fact, my peers this week, noted how impressed they were with the young man currently attending school in Washington State.
"Team Taliban" provides a provocative glimpse into the world of Adeel Adam, a devout Muslim-American wrestler, who struggles to find a balance between his faith and his wrestling career.
According to Kegan, his project explores the impact of the war on terror in American culture through the unique lens of professional wrestling.
http://www.teamtalibanfilm.com/
At some point, I hope to take in "Kassim: the Dream".
Director/Screenwriter Kief Davidson won me right-off-the-bat when he noted I reminded him of his Uncle!
Smart guy!
The intriguing tale is about a Junior Middleweight Champion of the world who was abducted when he was a child and inducted into a rebel army at the tender age of 6.
AFI Fest describes The Dream this way:
"Director Kief Davidson and Executive Producer Forest Whitaker gives us an intimate portrait of a captivating and charismatic young athlete who feels compelled to transform a legacy of sorrow into hope and inspiration."
Later in the week, "Hunger" - a film I was greatly impacted by at AFI LA last fall, will be screening locally.
I highly recommend the poignant story about a 1981 Hunger strike initiated by the Irish Republican Army leader Bobby Sands.
Post: 11/04/2008
http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2008/11/afi-festhunger-knock-out-drama-about.html
George Wawa, an AFI photographer, has been on the ball with a his team - too - capturing all the events on film so that various media outlets will have professional stills to match-up with their news coverage.
I ended up down at the Festival Lounge later at Victory Park once my assignments for the day were covered, kicked up my heels, and mingled with the tony Dallas elite for a couple of hours.
A couture Swimwear fashion show by Shawari - featuring a bevy of buffed studs and sexy scantilly-clad female models, revved up the crowd, by the way.
Tonight, I plan to attend the Red Carpet event for "The Burning Plain" which is being touted as a must-see film, starring Charlize Theron and Kim Bassinger.
Sorry folks, word from my inside sources have informed me the tickets are sold out.
I'll attend the gala afterwards and report in tomorrow with all the juicy tidbits!
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