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The Morning Guy has played at dozens of film festivals around the country, plus a few more in Europe and Australia. After almost a year on the circuit, it was finally about to make its Los Angeles Premiere at the Hollywood Film Festival. The night before, I’m at another screening, sitting next to a tired looking man.
“Are you a filmmaker?” I ask him, always reaching out to make new festival contacts.
“No, I’m a critic,” he replies.
“Oh really? For who”
“Daily Variety.”
“Wow! I should give you one of these.” I say, whipping out a “The Morning Guy” press kit and post card.
Turns out he’s going to be at my screening to review “NewFoundLand”, the German feature I’m playing with. He takes the press kit and we settle in to watch the worst feature I’ve ever seen, which the projectionist somehow shows before the short that’s supposed to precede it. But that’s another story.
The next afternoon, The Morning Guy plays to a very small audience, in spite of my vigorous promotion, but it gets very big laughs; many coming from the Variety critic sitting right behind me.
After the feature, which was very nice, I ask him, “What did you think of my movie – The Morning Guy?”
He laughs in recollection. “It was great! I loved It!” he says, like a starving man whose finally had a good meal. “That’s the funniest thing… I haven’t laughed that much in a month. It’s just perfect.”
“So,” I ask delightedly. “Are you going to write that in Variety?”
By now I’m picturing a review I can finally blurb, and the industry buzz that’s bound to follow. At long last, all this festival hopping and self-promotion is about to pay off.
“No,” he says. “We don’t cover shorts.”
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