Several of the best things about film festivals came together for me in Freedom's Fury, which I watched at the Waterfront Film Festival last weekend.
1. I saw a film I probably wouldn't have been able to view on a big screen in my small town
2. I saw a film I most likely wouldn't have picked up at the rental
store (even if it looked interesting and I thought "someday I want to
get this")
3. I witnessed the result of supreme filmmaking talent—the film is
proof that it is possible to take two seemingly disparate topics and
successfully weave them together in a way that appeals to even
unconnected people (in this case, I learned it's possible to bring
together water polo and a political revolution—go figure)
4. I got even more excited about the film when I heard the filmmakers,
Colin Gray and Megan Raney ("The Sibs") talk after the screening about
their process and experiences
5. I later had the opportunity to meet and talk to Colin and Megan, and
found them as genuine and kind and smart and engaged as two people
could be
6. I'm now only two degrees of separation from the likes of Lucy Lui
and Quentin Tarantino, both executive producers on the project (this
kind of "near brush with fame" really doesn't get me going, but I
couldn't resist)
So anyway, it's obvious that this film experience did it for me at Waterfront. But I think Freedom's Fury
will do something for you in your local theater or your living room,
too. It has everything: good storytelling, good character development,
captivating visuals, unexpected moments, suspense and action,
heartbreak, and a sense of closure mixed with possibility and hope for
the future.
(If you want to read more about this film and the filmmakers, check out SpoutBlog and The Sibs.)
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