JH Film Fest...YOU are amazing!

The Jackson Hole Film Festival has been the happening thing this past weekend. We were lucky to be blessed with absolutely perfect movie weather...that's kind of a buddha-like way to embrace cold, sleet, and snow in June. The Center for the Arts was filled with people who must never, ever sleep because they are bursting with ideas and passion for what they do 24 hours a day. And then they are actually doing it...they are creating their movies and documentaries and they are making change through art. They are getting people to laugh, cry, get angry, get happy, get involved and open their eyes. Some in the crowd were the kind of people who make other's dreams come true...whether by financing a film project or perhaps making someone a star. The accomplishments that I was surrounded by just blew me away, and I only saw a few of the movies and met a very small portion of the people involved there. Here are some of my fav's...

I first met Brian Liu in the gallery Friday night as his alter ego DJ Yellow Fever, a Washington DC dj who kept the gallery rocking (I mean that literally, ask Trace who lives upstairs...sorry Trace!) 'til midnight. I was especially excited when I heard that he was a part of the Thievery Corporation tour, played in the Buddha Bar (Bosnia), all over Playa del Carmen Mexico, and "your house when you weren't home!" But I later discovered that as amazing as his music accomplishments are, what Brian has done in his young life as a designer, photojournalist and documentary film-maker are even more impressive. Go to www.disarmfilm.com to find out about his documentary about the global landmine problem. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iraq, and Thailand are just a few of the places where he was right in there, filming the search for and disarming of landmines. You can find out all sorts of other things about Brian by going to www.toolboxdc.com and www.gypsyeyesrecords.com

The movie Made In America, directed by Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z Boys, Riding Giants). Go see it...everyone...please. I did not expect to be so affected by a movie about the Bloods and Crips in LA. I mean really, what do I know about gang warfare and it certainly doesn't effect me here in Jackson. But that's the point here...I don't know about it. We don't know about it. But we should. It's a 100-year history that should be taught and discussed in our schools. What began as trying to establish an identity has evolved literally into a warfield right here in the US, right next to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Children growing up in south central LA were tested for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Do you know that their rate was HIGHER then children living in Baghdad, Iraq? Do you know that over the last 30 years, gang warfare has caused the death of over 15,000 people in Los Angeles? I could go on and on, but really, just find it and see it.

Validation, by Kurt Kuenne is a short film that was very fun, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. It's about a parking attendant (TJ Thyne) who gives out free parking and free compliments...REAL validation. For example, "You are AWESOME! That necktie looks GREAT with your eyes! YOU are an amazing addition to this world!" Maybe we should all dispense free validation to others on a daily basis. Here is your validation for the day.
"You are amazing. You make a difference. You are a ray of sunshine on this rainy day. You are a creatively inspiring person. Your smile is radiant. You are very special in this world."