Chris Weatherhead's Blog from WorldFest Houston

APRIL 20TH -26TH, 2009: I thought my mission at the 42nd Worldfest Houston Film Festival was to receive an award and watch as many digital features as possible to learn from other directors' styles and see how they solved digital challenges similar to what I had faced.

But, as you can see from this photo, there was a much more important activity for me - that of getting to know, share war stories and constantly celebrate with other directors, actors, writers and moviemakers from all over the world. In this photo taken at the awards ceremony, I am with directors and actors from Poland, Toronto and Los Angeles. I also had received a Special Jury Award for All For Liberty, but couldn't hold all three at once!
Every person winning an award had many people shouting for them because through the week we had developed such great respect for each other.

I was very, very thrilled to accept a Platinum Remi Award for our fabulous Producer/Editor, Ron Mangravite [who could not attend] in the highly competitive Feature Trailer Competition. No one deserved it more!

Here I was back at our table after receiving a Gold Remi Award for AFL Art Direction. I accept this award on behalf of my whole exquisite AFL Production Design team for which included, Richard Heffner [The 1780's Proud Puffin Tavern set], David Gobel [the British High Command tent, etc.] Craig Hadley [many authentic props, period documents, weapons, etc.] Barry Grant and Mark Hall of The Boar's Head Traders in Rock Hill, SC and the brilliant Peggy Earp from 96 Storehouse, Aiken, SC, who even suggested the right buttons! Congrats and ever thanks to all of ya'll [as we say in the South] !

I share the Special Jury Award on behalf of Clarence Felder, star, executive producer and writer of "Captain Felder's Cannon", the play which began this journey.
And on behalf of Ron Mangravite, our producer who helped so amazingly in so many ways to complete the journey, along with our director of photography, Nick Smith and cinematographer Richard Almes, assistant director, Trevor Erickson, all of our associate producers, crew, and cast, location donors and re-enactors, and every person who supported this project, even with one important flicker of the eyes over the campfire or=2 0contribution of handsewn waistcoat...we all cared enough about freedom to tell this heroic story.

So, at the end of the week in Houston at this astounding and unique film festival I had learned far more than all the digital movie lessons and new ideas and great learning from seminars and panels. I was also taking away much more than the beautiful awards. I had discovered a very surprising reason for coming which Director, Hunter Todd, and his extraordinary staff had created and so wisely planned for all of us; the atmosphere of recognition and encouragement of kindred spirits, of sharing the suffering and joys of the human heart through each others films, and inspiring each other to greater adventures which made up for in many cases years of struggling to finish our films. And this deep, human mystical exchange is, I believe, why we are driven to keep creating movies... Thank you Worldfest Houston.

Chris Weatherhead