Cult films come and go, but they all make a statement on our culture and sometimes revolutions in our society. , a film by Doug Block is one such film. A work that began in search and ended in reflection, it chronicles some lively characters who were basic elements in the online culture that influenced this World Wide Revolution.
Doug met Justin Hall, a college student who puts his whole life on the web. From this meeting Doug met other lively characters and his story began taking shape. The phenom about putting our lives online was something that inspired Doug, so much so that he put up his own journal, the D-word. Of course there are many levels of themes: reflection, interaction, search for identity and identities we seek.
And the party on Friday night, November 5th, at the Thread Waxing Space was a celebration of the film and it's new developments. Streaming for free on iFilm, sold in video on Bigstar.com and opening theatrically at the Cinema Village this Friday, November 19th, my first exposure to this film was during the SXSW conference last March in Austin, TX. Doug said this is the first film to be shown free on the Internet before it's launch in theaters. The event was co-sponsored by
iFilm.com, Bigstar.com, Nerve.com, and Yahoo Internet Life.
Meanwhile, the community for filmmakers and the journal Doug started himself, continue to thrive and live on at www.d-word.com. And many of that community, or the NY-based support group were at this event. Jaime Levy (Electronic Hollywood) is (one of the more interesting folks) featured in the film and was there, chatting with Jonathan Sarno, another grassroots filmmaker who's got some big plans for his upcoming WebCinema Film Festival. Carrie Ciunta and Beo Morales of Elephant Ears, who did the music and sound for the film and Brooks Williams of Harmonic Ranch, who did the mixing, were there also. Katherine Pope and Christine Courtney, also producers, and Michelle Gahee, a writer and producer, were reveling in the joy this night brought.
Doug was beaming, as well as he should be. There were many old familiar web faces there, and as always, many many new ones at this party. And the Cyber Scene and culture, now in celluloid too, continue to influence, expose and inspire.
11/5/99
TCS Intro: November 5, 1999
This week marks the beginning of a new relationship for me and my properties--TheCyberScene.com and CocktailsWithCourtney.com. MY sites will now be hosted in Austin, TX by MSI-Austin.
