Film Festival Winners is up at www.festivalwinners.com

Well, after putting aside my final efforts of BLOOD TIES (the special features) for a few days and putting in some time on understanding how this web thing works, I finally have festivalwinners.com up and running.

Actually, its little more than a splash page with links to a suggestion page and some explanation about what it is. What is it? At this stage, I am compiling a book - we'll start with a hundred different film makers who have won various festivals around the world. Most of them probably have never really had a voice before, even though looking at their work, they obviously have a lot of skills and advice they can pass on.

I know that we can always read about the big guys, the Ridleys and Stevens of the film world, but it seems to me that many of the lessons and advice they talk about have little to do with my situation right now.

For now, it's paying the rent (actually in the same month it's due), keeping gas in the car, and the computer up and running while trying figure out how to make the next movies.

So it's back to how do I make the little movies that I can seem like big movies, make them powerful enough to move people, and then what?

So far, I've managed to finish BLOOD TIES -still working on what we hope are the kick-ass extras (http://www.bloodtiesmovie.com/) - the action movie we made on a shoe-string budget in 3 countries and 6 major cities.

Then for the price of a nice meal out for four - my four man crew - producer/friend, best friend, girl friend, and MacGyver film buddy, knocked out the short film AM SESSION (http://www.amsessionwebsite.com/)

BLOOD TIES has done pretty good on the film festival circuit so far - though money has been so tight we've only entered seven. Still, LA's been especially good to us - in four fests there, we've won Action Film of the Year, a Best Director award, a Best Visual Effects award, and Best of the Festival.

AM SESSION was in the very pretigious American Black Film Festival and nominated for the HBO Short Film Award. Didn't win, but they bought us and it plays on HBO Zone later this month and then I guess off on on for the next 2 years.

Seems like most of the friends I've made at these fests have the same issues. They've staked a big chunk of their lives on their films, done really well on the circuit, and no one really knows they or their films exist.

Maybe between us, we'll figure it out. I know we're way ahead of a lot of people, and hopefully we can help others as we move forward.

I know the book (http://www.festivalwinners.com/)is a good idea because like the movies and stories I want to make just so I can watch them, I can't wait to read the book!



Kely McClung