…Happily Ever After?

(I thought it was an appropriate title on the day that Enchanted 2 is reported….)

Well, my 3 film analyses have been turned in, my 2 books are shelved, my 1 trip reflection is completed, and I’ve finished a couple interviews — one with a local paper, one with the campus newspaper. (It’s tough, being so popular….) So, I guess it’s time to call the Sundance experience “over.”

But the memories of the trip aren’t going anywhere — I still have a pile of ticket stubs in my backpack. And my fellow team members are all still around. (I can’t escape from some of them!) And the impressions I have from a number of excellent films won’t soon leave me. So I suppose the only thing left to do is thank you for joining me on this “Sundance journey.” I’ll still be “around” here, maintaining the blog as needed, and likely updating on life in general, but this is probably the last of the daily posts.

If you want to continue following me as I finish out my senior year at Taylor, you can find my “normal” blog here. Or, you can learn more about my major (which took me on the trip) here.

If you haven’t already, look me up on Facebook. And my e-mail address is firstname_lastname@taylor.edu, so feel free to get in touch anytime — whether you’re a high-schooler, alumni, or my mom! It’s been fun sharing my experiences with you. And if you ever find yourself watching some nut chasing toads with 3D glasses, do a double take. You just might know him…

Thinking About Waste Land

(Sorry today’s post is so long — I just had more to say than usual!)

In one of my first posts, I mentioned that I really enjoyed Waste Land. Well, apparently I’m not the only one who was touched by the movie — because Waste Land won the Audience Award in the international documentary competition.

As part of the “class” aspect of the Sundance trip, we all wrote theological reflections on some of the films we saw. Let me share with you a version of what I wrote about Waste Land.

For me, the highlight of the festival competition films was Waste Land, a documentary in which artist Vik Muniz collaborated with Brazilian “recyclable collectors” who daily climb over piles of garbage in the world’s largest landfill. The director of the film, Lucy Walker, introduced it with the statement, “Ninety-nine is not one hundred.” It soon became clear why.

Using photographs that Muniz took of the workers as a guide, the collectors arranged materials dug out of the landfill to create gigantic portraits that, from the ground, appeared to be merely piles of junk. But from the vantage point of a multi-story scaffold, the portraits were revealed to be beautifully-nuanced works. The change in the “point of view” played a large role in the documentary and the perception of the landfill workers.

I’ll admit to having prejudices about what sort of person works as a “glorified garbage collector.” But I was astounded by the beauty of human life in this forgotten place. The cast included a gorgeous young lady who was proud to be a collector in a legitimate, if unglamorous, profession — rather than turning to prostitution. Then there was the young man who rescued books from the landfill, and had read Machiavelli’s The Prince! And the leader of the local union had charisma and strong pride in the environmental impact that the workers were having. It was a really “green” operation!

As these “untouchables” were revealed for the people they are, and my own assumptions were removed, life’s sanctity was brought to the forefront. Though there was no specifically-religious emphasis to Waste Land, the people in the film were exalted as far more than the product of random evolution or as “cogs” in some great machine.

Their value speaks to their status as people created in the image of God. I was thankful that this doc forced me to humbly look at how I view people — whether through the eyes of the God who came to redeem the entire human race, or as a middle-class student who won’t venture outside the comfortable realm of “home.”

Before seeing the film, I thought it was “about an artist and some junk.” But by the end of the movie, my heart was broken for the formerly-nameless collectors in the landfill. From God’s “point of view,” they were each unique — like their portraits. Thanks to the doc, they stood out as individuals, rather than just members of a class — each a valuable member of my world. Every one counts… “ninety-nine is not one hundred.”

Kavi

A quick update: I just got word that one of the short films that was screened at the Windrider Forum at Sundance, Kavi, has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short! The director, Gregg Helvey, has already won a student Academy Award for the piece — but this is “the real thing!”

It’s kind of exciting to know that someone who we were spending time with just a couple of days ago has been nominated! Kavi was a great twenty-minute film about a modern-day slave, created as Gregg’s thesis film at USC. I especially appreciated Gregg’s ability to direct a fantastic film in another language, and his strong use of visual elements — especially color — to tell his story.

No More Status Quo!

The Taylor team strikes a familiar pose...

The photo above was taken on the way to the airport, when my phenomenal team indulged me and agreed to have their picture taken at a Salt Lake City high school. Not just any high school, though.

Sharp-eyed viewers will note that this is the most famous high school in America. That’s right, the fabled “East High” from High School Musical. (Click here to see it in the movie.) And, as a student hoping to work in children’s entertainment*, I was so excited.

I guess after a week of intellectual, heavy independent films, it was comforting to find something that reminded me of a fun n’ light studio film. It wasn’t just an “Everyday” occurence when we found “What I’ve Been Looking For,” but a “Fabulous” “Night to Remember,” to remind me that “We’re All in This Together!”

*Consider this a desperate plea: If you know anyone “in the business,” from the Sesame Workshop to Nick Jr. to the Disney Channel, I’m ready to work!  It could be (ahem) “The Start of Something New.”