So today was the world premiere of Blue Gold. I decided to see some films during the day leading up to the 7pm screening. I saw Mark Achbar's second film at the festival, Fierce Light: Where Spirit Meets Action, which is a fantastic film every activist or person interested in the spirit of making change should see. It is a motivational celebration of the power of human spirit to take action and change the world. The film was in the same theatre Blue Gold would be screening at so I was able to get used to the layout of the place. I then saw The Betrayal, which is an incredibly poetic and stunning journey with a family from Toas, also in the same theatre.
Tony Clarke, co-author of the book Blue Gold, arrived for the premiere late Wednesday night so we were able to have breakfast and arrange to meet at the theatre for the 7:15pm screening.
I knew the advanced tickets had sold out for the premiere, but I was not expecting two lines going around the block corner for the film, one for ticket-holders, and one for rush seats from people hoping to get tickets. I took photos and the experience was very surreal to see my film's name on a theatre line (first time). I must admit that was rewarding.
One young guy stood out, his eyes genuinely shaken and enlightened, telling me he had no idea about the situation and thanking me for making the film. If there is one person like that in every screening, the film is a success to me.
After Alan Franey introduced the world premiere of the film to the full house, Mark Achbar introduced my to the crowd with a wonderfully complimentary story of how we met for the first time this week after our ten months, ten cuts, thousand email working relationship on the film. He complimented that I did a wonderful job with 1/20 of the budget any of his other produced filmmakers had. I introduced the film telling my story of finding the book through research for the sequel to Man Who Fell to Earth, using the camera I won from Kevin Spacey, taking three credit cards in hand, and moving forward to help inform the world of the urgency of controlling the water crisis (geological and political) now at the beginning while we can.
Mark Achbar and I then left and had sushi and saki while the film played across the street. He told me of his history in documentary filmmaking, how he was an activist-turned-filmmaker and wonderful stories of making Manufacturing Consent. I'm starting to feel bad he keeps paying the bill because he knows how financially stressed I am from the shoot.
We returned for the last ten minutes of the film, happy to still find a full house and abundant applause throughout the end of the film. I introduced Tony Clarke to the front as a true hero on the front line of the water wards. Q&A was fairly painless and interestingly a few activists came to use the screening to further call the crowd to action against bottled water, draining aquifers, and the water sustainability of our species.
There were many compliments, sincere and warm, but one young guy stood out, his eyes genuinely shaken and enlightened, telling me he had no idea about the situation and thanking me for making the film. If there is one person like that in every screening, the film is a success to me, as I made it very simple and clear, not poetically, to try and inform as many new people to the problem, not just activists and environmentalists that are already aware.
Mark took us out for drinks at a wonderful Greek bar with music and red wine for hours. Conversations ranged from Malcolm McDowell's Kubrick stories he told me after the narration session to science fiction to politics and I must say, a better night I could not have had.
Sam Bozzo
www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com
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