Opening Night of the Berlin Porn Film Festival

Oh wow! I was a little nervous before it all started, but with a glass of champagne in hand, I was whisked off to be interviewed by a queer german TV show. They put me in front of a great piece of art which was lots of different photos of colored vaginas! I have to admit though I was quite distracted as there was also a squirting video/ performance art piece playing on the wall and I kept on catching glimpses of it as they interviewed me.

It was a great night, all three cinemas were packed to the rafters and they also added in more seats! Madness. I had so much positive feedback at the end and people kept coming up to me all night, it was such a high! Yet, again I didn't sit in the theatre and watch it with an audience, but my spies told me that everyone was having a good laugh, which is what I was hoping...that people thought it was funny and sexy!

I meet some amazing women film makers, Petra Joy, Shine Lousie Huston and Candida Royalle, who I had interviewed earlier that day. Meeting Candida was thrilling. I have admired her for a very long time. I remember being about 15 or so and reading an article about her films and thought, "Wow, this woman is amazing'! And she is. I could have stayed there for hours but I had to get back and get ready for the night. Such an intelligent and sexy woman! She is so open and so willing to help other women who want to make erotic films.

This afternoon I went to get some tickets for other screenings and I meet Oli and Tat from Madrid, Spain who run an independent adult film festival in Madrid. They were so much fun and it was great to practice my spanish, I haven't laughed like that for a long time. To make it even better they have invited The Band to screen at the festival in Madrid next year!! I love Madrid and everytime I have been there it feels like home, so this blew my mind! They also asked me to recommend other Australian film makers who are making erotica or film about sex, so any of you out there reading this check out the link and send them your work! They Rock!

I'm on the jury for the short film competition here so I have to head back and sit in the dark womb of the cinema, will keep you posted with what else is happening here!

I've been trying to upload pictures but for some reason my internet connection keeps crashing!

Berlin Porn Film Festival

Well tonight is the night that The Band will open the Berlin Porn Film Festival! I would say I'm nervous but have so much to do before then, it probably won't hit me until I'm standing up in front of the audience before the film starts!

Sanne Kurz who was the brilliant DOP for the film has arrived in Berlin and we have been having a great time catching up..its like we haven't been apart but when you have such a strong creative bond with someone it is hard to lose all connection!

I went past the cinema yesterday to pick up my pass and the well organised team were putting the finishing touches on hanging artwork and putting up posters. One volunteer has travelled all the way from Ireland to come and be a part of it!

Today, I'm off to meet the German distributor, Wolfgang of Cult Movies. He is coming to do an interview with me but I'm not sure what for yet...but I guess I will find out this afternoon.

After that I have a meeting with the other jury members who will be voting on the best short films, then I'm off to interview Candida Royalle. She has been such a support for me over the years so it will be great to finally meet her in person.

Keep tuned for tomorrows post as I will have photos and stories from Opening night!

The road to Berlin!

Only 3 days to go and I will be heading off the Berlin Porn Film Festival!  I'm very excited and can't wait to see The Band on the big screen.  I was just musing the other day how conservative Australia is and the fact that if The Band was screened in public here we would be committing a crime, yet in Berlin its all fine!  Mmmmm maybe I should move to Germany.....

Also, Sanne Kurz who is a wonderful and talented DOP (director of photography) who shot The Band wasn't going to be able to make the screening as she will be off shooting in Prague. Boo hoo!  However, she contacted me yesterday to say she will be there!  YAH!  I've also got some close friend's coming from London too, so I'm guessing we will be in for some good times.

However, I will have to limit my late nights as I'm a mad woman who can't sit still, and have decided to shoot a documentary while I'm there!!  Well I figured all these amazing female film makers who are breaking boundaries and reinventing the adult genre, its too good an opportunity to miss.  I'll be interview pioneering erotic film maker Candida Royalle, Art-Core creator and award winning film maker Petra Joy, photographer and artist Emilie Jouvet from France, Fetish film maker Julie Simone; and erotic star/ cross over mainstream actress and film maker Ovidie.  Its going to be a kick arse group of women!

Can't wait.  Keep you eyes peeled here for the daily updates I'll be posting while in Berlin!

THE Band being dubbed in German!

It has been an eventful week.  I learnt that the German release of THE BAND isn't going to be subtitled but is being dubbed!  I look forward to seeing how they translate some of the Australianisms!  Lucky no one says "cracking the shits" in the film!  I always thought that was a very funny Australian turn of phrase.

Unfortunately, for the wonderful sound designer of The Band, Lachlan Mooney, had to recreate all the sounds made but the actors on set through the time consuming art of Foley.  To make matters worse they emailed me on Friday, but as I like to get away from my computer on the weekends I didn't get the email til monday and went into a state of panic because they needed it by Tuesday!  I managed to get some extra time and Lachlan did a sterling job putting it all together in such a short period ( this man is brilliant, please employ him!) ...we both have learnt lots.  At the same time being such a low budget production there was no chance in hell that we were going to be able to afford to ADR the whole film, hence I found it strange that they choose to dub the film for its German release.  I'm meeting with the German distributor, Wolfgang from Cult Movies, while I'm in Berlin, so I will ask him.

The film is the film that keeps on demanding my time.  Just when I think there is nothing else I need to do for it, something else pops up! 

I'm counting down the days to Berlin and trying to work out when I'll get time to do washing before I go,  wondering if I should get sleeping pills for the long flight, realizing its going to be stupidly cold and I need a coat I can close ( thanks Sprinkle for sorting out that one, go check out her clothes, beautiful, well made here in Australia and no sweat shop labour) and learning how to burn Blu ray DVDs for the screening at the Berlin Porn Film Festival!  Never a dull moment.

Exciting News for THE BAND!

The US DVD cover
The German DVD cover 

Sorry its been so long between entries, but I have been off gallivanting around the world; celebrating a friend's wedding in Spain, meeting my partner's family in Italy and battling through Ramadan in Morocco - but many exciting things have been happening while I've been away!

Firstly, THE BAND will be the opening night film at the Berlin Porn Film Festival. a great honour and I still can't believe it.  It makes the slaving my guts out to get the money together to go there extremely worthwhile!  So I'll be heading to Berlin at the end of October...so if you are in Berlin on the 22nd October please come and be in the audience.  I promise I will be blogging each day that I'm there to keep up to date with all the naughtiness and great erotic delights I will be experiencing!

Until then I am keeping busy subtitling the film in ....english! Yes I know that's strange but I'm guessing that due to the German's being inundated with american accents that the Australian one is quite hard to understand!

Its a rather time consuming and boring task, but I'm extremely grateful that I spent over a week creating a continuity script because all I have to do is cut and paste.  However, it is one of those tasks that you wished there was money left in the budget to pay someone else to do!  ah the joys of independent film making  you need to be multi-skilled and wear all sorts of hats!

Other exciting news is that its official Cult Movies in Germany are distributing "The Band."  From what I can gather, it looks like it is being released on 22nd October 2009, but I need to confirm this.

Also, a new company in the US called Breaking Pictures has picked up the US and Canadian rights and will be releasing it on 17th November 2009 - so keep an eye out for it!  They are backed by an Aussie, so finger's crossed they might pick up the Australia rights too!  It would be a shame never to see the film distributed here - but as I have said before we live in conservative times!