• DECONSTRUCTING DAD •

I’m delighted to report that the film won the Critic’s Award — one of the two awards for feature-length films given at the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival, held  March 18th-20th.  I was totally surprised by this and it made a great festival that much better.  I was able to be there for the entire festival and it was a wonderful few days.  The festival did a great job hosting the filmmakers, the audiences were large and very supportive of all the films, I got to see a lot of excellent work, and as a California Wine Country Festival, the food and drink were uniformly superb.  It’s easy to see why it was called one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” by Movie Maker magazine.  Thanks again to Jason Perdue and everyone on the mostly volunteer festival staff for putting on such a superb event.

Just a reminder about the showing in Krakow this weekend.  The film will be shown during the Muzyka i Świat Documentary Film Festival on Saturday, March 26th, at the Manggha Museum concert hall.  Details: here.  The following night at 8 pm is “Ektoplazma,” a live musical tribute to Raymond Scott.  I had hoped to be there for what should be a great weekend of Raymond Scott events, but  it turned out not to be possible… do hope to visit Krakow one of these days.

—Stan Warnow

P.S. Also, will be positing within the next day or two about my West Coast trip — it was great….

I’m making a brief California trip over the next couple of weeks.  On Monday, March 14th I’ll be showing the film as part of  Gerry Fialka’s “Documental” series at the Unurban Coffeehouse in Santa Monica.  Here’s a link.  Gerry’s long-running series offers an unusual structure where he’ll interview me for 60 to 90 minutes starting around 6 pm, and then the film will screen at 8 pm.  Gerry is a legendary curator, film historian, interviewer and Marshall McLuhan scholar, so it should be quite an experience.  And it’s a unique chance to see if I can actually talk and make sense for that long — I admit I’m nervous about having to hold forth for an extended period, so if you’re in the area please come and help me out by thinking of things to ask me!  And another not inconsequential attraction is that this series is free, though I’m sure buying food and drink will be appreciated….I don’t mean for me, though I’m open to offers!  Hope to see some of my L.A. friends there….you know who you are.

And then over the following weekend the film is being shown as part of the Sebastopol Documentary Festival, which was named one of the “25 Coolest Festivals of 2009” by Movie Maker magazine, and the only documentary film fest to make the list. Sepastopol is a lovely town in the wine country about an hour North of San Francisco, and has many notable residents, none of whose names I’m going to drop here, but you’d recognize them if I did.  I’m really excited to have been accepted by the festival and totally looking forward to being there.  The film screens Saturday night, March 19th at 7pm — here’s a link to the film’s listing.  If you’re in the Bay Area, hope to see you there.

—Stan Warnow

P.S. UPDATE #1: Jury Award Finalists for the Sebastopol Documentary Festival have been announced — DECONSTRUCTING DAD is one of 5 finalists (58 were considered). UPDATE #2: DECONSTRUCTING DAD has won “The Critic’s Award” (one other was given: the “Juried Award” for GOODNIGHT NOBODY).

To all my friends in the UK, particularly in Scotland, the film will be shown this week at the prestigious Glasgow Film Festival — one of the UK’s largest.  Here’s a link to the listing.  And in a great extra added attraction, Stu Brown’s Raymond Scott Project will be performing before the show — Stu’s group does great versions of the Raymond Scott Quintette’s classics and

Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project

even have their own versions of some of the electronic compositions.  If you’re in the area, hope you can make it.

I wish I could be there, but it isn’t possible this time around as other commitments prevent me from attending.  But Stu is very knowledgeable about Raymond Scott, and he has graciously agreed to represent the film — he’ll be available to answer questions on an informal basis after the screening.

And in a brief look back, I was able to show the film at  the CTM/Transmediale Festival a couple of weeks ago in Berlin, and had a great few days there.  Thanks to Remco Schuubiers, Tania Wehrs and Leonor Jonker, and everyone at CTM for a great visit and screening.

Click Above for Link to Festival Listing

I’m leaving later today for Berlin, where tomorrow the film will be shown at the cool 12th edition of the unique and radically open-minded music and art festival, CTM (club transmediale).  The festival, repeatedly designated as “Germany’s prime meeting point for electronic and experimental music” and as “Berlin’s best pop festival,” puts down roots at new venues in Berlin Kreuzberg, namely the HAU (Hebbel) theatre and a cluster of spaces around the “Kotti” square – Festsaal Kreuzberg, West Germany, Monarch, Kotti-Shop and Paloma Bar – where a Berlin stronghold for daring, independent music and art has developed.

I’m delighted to be visiting the festival and the city that so many of my European friends count among their favorites.  If you’re nearby, hope you can make it to the screening tomorrow, and go to some other festival events, which look great to me!  Here’s a link to the event listing: http://www.clubtransmediale.de/ctm-festival/day-program/day-schedule/03/deconstructing-dad-the-music-machines-and-mystery-of-raymond-scott.html