2/1/10: Industry screenings, interest from Russia, Masons as bad guys
We’re in the process of finalizing the plans for our industry screening here in LA. And let me tell you, there are some really great movie theatre facilities you can rent in this town for not too, too much money, so the next time you want to throw a cool party or really impress a date, get your own private movie theatre for the evening and show up with the movie/movies of your choice. For Dixie Dynamite, the crowd will be a mixture of distribution and agency representatives, press, cast and crew, and local mailing list fans, so it should be fun.
Speaking of fun, we were recently contacted by a Russian animation broadcaster, expressing interest in the project. It’s nice attracting attention from half-way around the world - we’re still in the process of finding a mutually functional time to get on the phone and have a coherent discussion. It would be highly satisfying to build an audience in Russia, particularly if we had to travel there to help promote the film.
And finally, what is it with 19th century fiction and the Masons? We recently saw Guy Ritchie’s version of Sherlock Holmes (which, by the way, we thoroughly enjoyed, even with the goofy Masons sub-plot), and if you have yet to see it, yes, it turns out, The Masons Did It. Same thing for Kipling (The Man Who Would Be King,) it was The Masons, starting with Alexander the Great. Conan Doyle - original creator of Sherlock Holmes - always found a place for the Masons and their semi-secret brotherhood to get up to all sorts of mischief, while Charles Dickens frequently used the group for the butt of his literary jokes. These days, when looking at the most public manifestation of Free Masonry (the Shriners driving their little cars around in circles during parades,) it’s hard to believe they were ever considered much of a threat to the greater society. But maybe that shows just how successful they’ve been ….
Tags: anime, distributors, guy ritchie, Masons, red necks, Russian animation, screening rooms, Sherlock Holmes, Shriners