CROSSING SUCCESS GALORE AT CINEQUEST!
Crossing has won silver in the extremely competitive Emerging Maverick/First Feature category.
"It was a great festival and I was so glad that people seemed to like the film so much," said Sandy. "Seeing people's reactions within the industry as well as that of friends and family was great and when I look at it objectively I see that you have to be pleased that we were able to get there and sell out for the world premiere."
"At times it's grueling making independent films, so seeing the film with an audience AND the audience really digs it is such a pay off. My wife watched it by peeking through her fingers, while Sebastian would laugh at all the inappropriate times, thinking about what he had to go through as an actor to reach those points in the film," Roger said. Sebastian Spence, who flew in from LA for the premiere says of the screening "clearly the audience loved it. I even loved it. It's work I'm very proud of. I'm so glad I went". You can see Sandy , Sebastian and Roger interviewed on the CINEQUEST digital daily news. You must click on episode 10. Crossing also picked up another great review, this time from The Wave, a glossy weekly serving Silicon valley and the south San Francisco Bay area, called Crossing "A must see...and a wild ride!." In a follow up piece in the US trade Indie Wire, Crossing was sited as one of the two buzz films at the festival.
The audience feedback also brought new light to bear on the film, resulting in many realizations for Roger and Sandra. "During question time, many audience members drew parallels between Crossing and The Maltese Falcon," said Roger, "which was a surprise to us because it wasn't something we had thought about. We were more directly inspired by 1950s Hitchcock. But Sandy actually did her MA thesis on Dashiell Hammett, so it was interesting to think about how it might have emerged unconsciously. Also, Gary Morris, editor of Bright Lights Film Journal, called Crossing 'a striking entry into the neo-noir canon,'" so I guess noir is a genre we conjure." Impressed by many of the entrants' work at Cinequest, Roger paid particular compliments to the winner of the online viewer's voice over award, the comedy Guy in Row Five and New Yorker Lawrence Levine's powerful first feature Territories starring Amanda Gruss, John B Good and Grant James Vargas, all of whom were impressive.
He was also impressed with the level of hospitality and care at Cinequest. "I stayed at the Marriott and the De Anza and both were fabulous-the first High Modern the second Art Deco. I enjoyed the Cinequest festival parties as well, festival director Mike Rabehl - Director of Programming for his great care and consideration for which we're grateful.
Also I very much enjoyed my discussions with the President & Co-Founder Halfdan Hussey - Executive Director & Co-Founder Kathleen J. Powell and board member Carlos Montalvo. Thanks also to the PR team, led by Jen Hussey, with Jennifer Moss. Also rminder Randhawa - Manager, Marketing Stephanie Nicks in hospitality, Ben Hess and he digital daily news guys, who Sebastian and I partied with hard," said Roger.
Crossing is just beginning; a Canadian theatrical release and gala premiere in the fall and a star studded soundtrack are all coming, so watch this space for news!
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