Over the weekend, our friends at the Lawrence Arts Center gave Lady In My Life another honor to add to its resume; it was chosen ‘Best Romance’ at the LAC Short Film Festival. It means alot to me, for several different reasons.
I enjoy giving my KU guys a hard time, but I did spend four of my formative years in Lawrence, so when the people from that community acknowledge my work, it means a little more than it does from the places where I don’t have any direct connection.
I can also tell you there’s a nice amount of filmmaking coming out of Kansas. There’s the team I worked with on this project, my friends at Through a Glass, but there’s also a KU Filmworks group in LA, there are actors (Paul Rudd) and writers (my friend Aaron to name one) who are making a nice living in this town who also have a connection to the Jayhawk family tree.
In any medium though, artists need to be nurtured and need to be encouraged to develop their talents. One of my USC friends has blogged recently about how in his home state, the filmmaking community is looking at budget cuts, which has the potential to cut off the dreams of The Next Great Artist before they get a chance to develop. The Lawrence Arts Center (and the Kansas Arts Commission) both create avenues for artists in my homestate to get their work seen. Especially when you’re starting out, getting recognized is crucial.
Thanks again to Through a Glass, the Lawrence Arts Center, and everyone who has supported this project. I’m already looking forward to the next one!
