“Germans in the Woods” @ ASIFA-East
I’m happy to report that “Germans in the Woods” will have its festival premiere at the 39th Annual ASIFA-East Animation Festival. Mike and I will, of course, be there. This is our first film in it’s first festival and we’re excited to see how it is received.
concept art from “Germans in the Woods”
The responses we’ve been getting so far have been amazing. I was visiting my family in Boston for Easter and we had saved dessert for after we screened the film. They watched it three times. The first time, my 28 year old cousin, Katie, started crying halfway through the film. By the end she and her sister Holly were sobbing. The third time, Katie had to leave the room because she couldn’t bear to watch it again. She was washing dishes in the sink and sobbing, saying hysterically “It’s just SO sad!”, which was actually kind of funny as she was up to her elbows in soap bubbles, crying over a 3 minute piece of animation for a full half hour. Everyone agreed it had killed their appetite for dessert and, for the rest of the evening, the only thing they seemed to want to talk about was the film.
I’ve seen a lot of people cry, some gasp at certain scenes, and many stare in an unusually fixed way at the screen. The end is often greeted with reverent silence. I take all of this to mean that the sadness of Joseph Robertson’s memory was represented well in the film.
We’re flattered by this kind of response and, though we feel good about what we’ve done with the animation, we also know how much any eventual success of the film will come from the greatness of the audio. StoryCorps’ weekly radio segments have moved me and many people I know to tears or laughter on a weekly basis. (Don’t forget, StoryCorps can also be very funny.) It has won a Peabody, spawned a book, and is one of the most downloaded weekly podcasts on iTunes. Hopefully we are able to live up to that kind of success with the film.
Looking forward to next weekend!
FROM THE ASIFA-East WEBSITE:
ASIFA-East Presents – The 39th Annual ASIFA-East Animation Festival
Sunday May 4th, 6pmOur most anticipated event of the year, the 39th Annual ASIFA-East Animation Festival is here! Awards, films and a glorious reception afterwards (thanks Cartoon Network!) – come join us for a wonderful evening of animation celebration!
Tishman Auditorium @ The New School
66 W. 12th St. (bet. 5th/6th) NYC
FREE ADMISSION to both festival and after-party
