:)Through various connections that I've established across my marble coffee counter, I received every ticket I requested with a couple bonus ones! I had so many tickets I couldn't even use them all and was able to share the wealth with other poor actors! Wonderful! I even got a birthday bonus invite to an exclusive screening & party!
The 10th Annual TriBeCa Film Festival began two days after my birthday! Let this be a lesson to all those shy, passive folks out there... let people know its your birthday!!! Even if you don't want to say how old you are (which you shouldn't care unless you're an actor/model/any profession where that DOES matter), its the one day that you are allowed- nay, expected- to be the center of attention AND people love to tell you happy birthday! So let them! Now, luckily I was able to work on my birthday, which meant my day was full of love! Plus, I got an amazing invite to a screening and after-party during the festival!
Fast-forward to the screening, the film was ok. It was called "The High Cost of Living" starring Zach Braff and Isabelle Blais. An interesting storyline that might have been more believable with a more sympathetic c
haracter. Isabelle Blais was lovely and tender in the film, but Zach Braff seemed distant. Anyway, after the screening we headed to the after-party at the Mondrian Hotel Penthouse in SoHo. An incredible view of Manhattan, with a huge terrace (that was too windy to stand on for too long) and a room full of film folks! Love it! I attended this screening/party with a co-worker from the hotel, which meant we knew no one in the room! Great! At first, the sheer excitement of just being in the room and people watching felt sufficiently entertaining, however what kind of struggling actress would I be if I didn't realize the networking opportunity I found myself in!Across the room I spotted a familiar face, is that... yes, it is! Shawn Hunter from Boy Meets World!!! Well, just for my own wonderful memories I have to go say hi to this fella! So I muster up the courage and just don't care, walk over and politely ask, "Can I just be a teenage fan for one second?" Rider Strong is his real name! And such a gem. He was so gracious and lovely. He then introduced me to his producer, and girlfriend, Alex and then his co-writer and director and brother, Shiloh. They were all so fun and great conversation that we just hung out with them the rest of the party! I found out they had a short film in the festival, which I screened a couple days later!
All in all, this was far and away the best festival I've personally experienced! The films I viewed are listed below with a quick review. Some of them are already released in select theaters in NY. Oh, and I did walk a couple more red carpets this time around, but with close-toed shoes!
"The Bang Bang Club"
~slightly unfocused as they tried to cover apartheid and the group of photographers, so neither were solid
"Higher Ground"
~directorial debut of Vera Farmiga, beautifully told journey of a woman's evolving faith, very tender and relevant
"Last Night"
~will they/won't they? its an interesting look at infidelity and its many layers-- super fun viewing experience, which probably enhanced my feelings toward the film
"Romantics Anonymous"
~quirky French romantic comedy including chocolate- really delightful and charming
Series of Shorts-- all good with varied subject matter, but of course I'm partial to the film by the Strong brothers called "The Dungeon Master". They're very talented and charming, plus Rider is a walking piece of nostalgia for many folks my age, so I think they might do well! I hope so anyway!
Next year I'll be attending the festival as someone involved in one of the films! Won't that be nice!
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