Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Pathological effect of high altitude on the human body, caused by exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude. Symptoms resemble the flu, carbon monoxide poisoning, or a hangover.
Closely related to AMS is Park City Sickness (PCS). Pathological effect of the Sundance Film Festival on the human body caused by exposure to: 1) Standing in ticket lines at all hours in frigid weather 2) Waiting outside (insert corporate sponsor) lounge, convincing the bouncer you’re on the guest list. 3) Enduring excessive press. 4) Trudging on Main Street loaded down with corporate swag. 5) Over-consumption of indy film. PCS symptoms resemble flu, hangover, nervous tremors, shortness of breath, shortness of temper, voice loss, and inability to drag oneself out of a hotel room.
Emergen-C, Echinacea, copious non-alcoholic fluids, rest, rest, and more rest…but when is there time? Anyone attending will tell you the paramount goal was not just to get into a screening of the most buzzed about film, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, rather to make it through the festival without contracting PCS.
This year was my first time to Sundance with my own film, Goats, which debuted in the Premiere’s program. After 10 years to bringing Goats to life, it was an honor to premiere in the same program alongside luminaries like Spike Lee and Stephen Frears.
I was lucky in the past to avoid PCS, but was even more determined to not let the virus destroy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. High-rolling celeb or average festival goer, the virus doesn’t discriminate. I witnessed Tracy Morgan collapse at an awards dinner before being airlifted to a Provo hospital. Well, that was the rumor. A medevac chopper landing on Main St. is a great visual. My agent arrived full of excitement, only to be reduced to a feverish mess huddled in his hotel room. One of my own cast was seen huffing an oxygen bottle all week.
Here I was, eight hours before my premiere in the thick of it, press, photo shoots, more press. The same five questions over and over. I can’t tell what answer goes to which question anymore. I just finished an on-camera with the editor of Vanity Fair and I’m told I “passed the test!” Wow, I’m glad I didn’t know it was a test. Yet, all I can think is, “Please God, let Goats play well tonight AND don’t let me get PCS.”
Hours later as I wait nervously in the Eccles Theater with festival director John Cooper, who’s generously introducing me, now all I can think of is how to get out of walking out in front of 1,400 people. If only I had PCS! I could pull a Tracy Morgan! Someone else can intro the film, and I’ll be on my way to a hospital in Provo!
Alas PCS never struck. Though Cooper’s introduction sounded like the “wa-wa-wa” of the teacher in Peanuts, I was told it was brief but flattering.
I shuffled to the podium, thanked Cooper, thanked the festival, squinted towards the sea of people, told them that 10 years ago this month I begun work on Goats, and that it was a dream come true to be standing there before them. I took my seat, the house lights dimmed and the film ran. At the first place where the audience was supposed to laugh, they did, loudly.
(Feature filmmaker Christopher Neil is repped for spots and videos by production house Honey Badger.)
“Conclave” Tops BAFTA Film Awards With 12 Nominations, One More Than “Emilia Pérez”
Papal thriller “Conclave,” which stars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal overseeing the election of a new pope, leads the race — just — for the British Academy Film Awards, with nominations in 12 categories, one more than the genre-busting trans musical “Emilia Pérez.”
But with the wildfires in Los Angeles over the past week fresh in the minds of everyone in the movie industry, Wednesday’s announcement of the latest BAFTA nominations was understandably subdued.
“We are very much thinking of our colleagues, friends, community over there,” said BAFTA chair Sara Putt. “It’s devastating what’s going on.”
She wouldn’t be drawn on whether the fires may impact the BAFTA ceremony, which is due to take place on Feb. 16.
“The ceremony is a month away, it would be inappropriate and far too early to say anything about that,” Putt said.
The five films nominated for the prestigious best film award were “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” the 215-minute postwar epic “ The Brutalist,” the Palme d’Or-winning comedy/drama “ Anora “ and the Bob Dylan biopic “ A Complete Unknown.”
“The Brutalist” ended up with nine nominations, including leading actor for Adrien Brody, who faces stiff competition from Fiennes and Timothee Chalamet, who plays the young Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”
The other actors nominated are Hugh Grant for his creepy role in the horror film “ Heretic,” Colman Domingo in real-life prison drama “ Sing Sing “ and Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of a real estate mogul — a certain Donald Trump — in “ The Apprentice.”
“Anora,” the sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” and “Wicked” each received seven nominations. “A Complete Unknown”... Read More