And since we don’t just forget things because they don’t matter but also forget things because they matter too much – because each of us remembers and forgets in a pattern whose labyrinthine windings are an identification mark no less distinctive than a fingerprint…

Whenever I read a book I always have a pen close by so that I can underline or highlight passages/sentences that resonate with me. When I’m done, I transcribe the various phrases from the book onto a word document and keep a file of everything that made an impression on me. I do this for every book that I read. Doesn’t matter if it’s pulp fiction, non fiction, poetry, comics or magazine articles.

I find this kind of archiving to be extremely helpful when I’m looking for reference material. When I’m trying to write and looking for something to inspire or trigger an idea, emotion, reaction or motive.

I think the Roth passage is brilliant and will no doubt help me on a psychological level somewhere down the line. I also have reference folders for music, photography and movie stills. The latter two I use more for directing.

Listening to Incundus Homo (Bolivian Baroque), a piece I’d like to use for the feature I’m writing.

I just found out that Birthday Girl has been accepted to this year’s 27th International Fajr Film Festival in Tehran, Iran. I’ve been eager to travel to the Middle East for a long time and I can’t see a better opportunity than this. (Would also be a nice break from Germany’s unwelcoming winter.) The festival runs from Feb. 1st to Feb. 11th 2009.

The CBC’s Canadian Reflections will be broadcasting Birthday Girl nationally this coming Sunday, November 9th at midnight! This will be the film’s English network premiere.

Canadian Reflections has a long standing tradition of showing critically acclaimed short films by Canadian filmmakers for over twenty years now. (Always Sunday’s at midnight, if you were curious about the late broadcasting hour.)

Hope you’ll stay up to watch!

The BBC in partnership with the British Arts Council has launched the 11th International Radio Playwriting competition. The play should be approximately 60 minutes in length, and submitted in English. The competition is open to anyone who is not a resident of the UK. The deadline is not until March 31st 2009, so there’s plenty of time to get writing.

Thanks Rebecca for the tip!

I’m really interested in radio plays these days. It’s such a wonderful medium for storytelling. I think, unfortunately, the BBC might be the only major network that’s still regularly producing radio dramas.

The CBC was well known for their production of radio plays back in the forties and fifties. The run was called The Stage Series and it brought critical acclaim to the network for decades. I’m trying to get my hands on a few. Definitely new fodder for me to sink my teeth into (research and writing wise).

It’s a bit of a tongue twister…

Next stop for Birthday Girl is the 34th International Filmets Film Festival in Barcelona! The festival takes place from the 14th to the 22nd of November. No word yet when the film will be screening.

I was in Barcelona back in May of this year. I love the city. It’s definitely up there as one of favorite cities in the world.

Some photos I took of Barcelona up on Flickr.

I love Sven Nykvist’s cinematography in Bergman’s Autumn Sonata. The play of light with the use of natural, earth tone colours is incredible.

The film is about a relationship between an estranged mother and daughter. There are many themes in this film that resonate with the film I’m currently writing so I often turn to it for inspiration.

This is one of my favorite shots (as it is for many people). It’s hard to convey why a frame works out of context. Just from looking at it though you get a sense of the daughter’s longing (for her mother) and the mother’s lack of regard (for her daughter) as she focuses on her piano playing.

It’s an essential read for anyone pursuing a career in the arts. It’s not only insightful but quite inspiring.

I think a lot of us, in creative fields, tend to get discouraged at the thought of failing (or not being extremely successful) our first time out. No one wants to think about plugging away at something for twenty years (with potentially little rewards along the way) with no certainty you’ll ever really make it.

There’s this expectation (and misleading notion) that we only get one shot at success, and that if it’s going to happen, it should happen early on in life. As the article points out, so many great artists (writers, painters, poets) really hit their prime in their mid forties, early fifties after years and years of trial and error. Gladwell makes a very clear point that a large part of these late bloomer’s success was dependent on a support network of people who truly believed in them.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

On the road to great achievement, the late bloomer will resemble a failure: while the late bloomer is revising and despairing and changing course and slashing canvases to ribbons after months or years, what he or she produces will look like the kind of thing produced by the artist who will never bloom at all. Prodigies are easy. They advertise their genius from the get-go. Late bloomers are hard. They require forbearance and blind faith.

There’s also a ten minute podcast interview with Gladwell on the subject.

Great news continues. I’m thrilled to announce that Birthday Girl was selected (by a Quebec jury) to be shown at this year’s 12th edition of Cinéma du Québec à Paris!

The festival takes place from November 26th to December 2nd on the Champs-Elysées. I’m going to try and make it to Paris for the screening.

You can check out some photos from my trip to Paris and Strasbourg a few weeks ago.

Just because the song is now stuck in my head.

Listening to:

NPR’s new podcast: Planet Money. You can also check out the blog.

This American Life: Enforcers, Act II “Now You SEC Me, Now You Don’t.” Alex Blumberg explains naked short selling.

Best part is that the film will be screening at the stunning Imperial theatre on Bleury!

I won’t be back in town for the screening but if you’re in Montreal now’s your chance to see the film on a gorgeous screen.

Date: Wednesday October 15th
Time: 17:30
Location: 1432 Rue de Bleury

If you’re in Edmonton (or have family in Edmonton), Birthday Girl will be playing on the following dates at the Edmonton Intl Film Festival:

Saturday Sept. 27th at 21:30 at Empire City Center 9.
Friday Oct. 3rd at 18:00 at Metro Cinema