IFP Alum PUTTY HILL take on Austin!

The Putty Hill gang, getting chicken and waffles: Marc, Steve, Joyce, Jeremy, Matt, Amy, Eric, Rachael, Jordan

Last Saturday I departed a wet and blustery Baltimore for SxSW with Putty Hill director Matt Porterfield, editor Marc Vives, and our friend Amy Belk. As soon as we stepped out of the airport into Austin's perfect, sunny, 77 degree weather, we knew immediately that it would be an amazing trip. We drove with the windows down just because we could, looked out in awe of the new landscape, and psyched ourselves out for the delicious meals to be had with every BBQ and taco joint we passed.

We arrived at the charming house we'd be renting for the week, just over a mile outside downtown Austin, and couldn't resist relaxing outside for a while just to take it all in. When we finally went to pick up our badges at the Austin Convention Center, the hub of SxSW, we were overwhelmed. As we made our way through a sea of film and interactive attendees and volunteers, we passed the trade show over here, promotional stands and panel rooms over there, and hundreds of posters hanging up everywhere. There was no doubt that this festival, in true Texan spirit, was huge.

On Sunday evening, the whole Putty Hill family got together: Myself, Matt, Marc, Amy, Jeremy Saulnier (cinematographer), Eric Bannat (producer), Steve Holmgren (producer), and Rachael Rakes (publicist). Even our producer and co-writer Jordan Mintzer flew in from Paris and spent less than 24 hours in Austin just to make the premiere. We met up at a food truck on E. 6th St called Lucky J's to enjoy some pre-North American premiere chicken and waffle tacos, which, I might add, were delicious and are highly recommended.

Our premiere was at the Alamo Lamar, one of the bigger theaters at the festival. There were some minor issues with the image quality of our projection, but no one seemed to mind as the film was very well received by our audience. One woman even commented that Putty Hill was the most authentic film she has ever seen(!)... does it get better than that? Following our North American premiere, in true Putty fashion the team went to local dive bar The Liberty for a modest but memorable celebration. We don't remember what happened next.



Our two remaining screenings were at the Alamo Ritz, in the heart of downtown on 6th street. This theater was smaller but a nice size; more intimate, and very well-suited for our film. Matt, Marc, Amy and I all sat through the final screening last night, and we were glad we did because it was an interesting experience watching the film with an American audience after our premiere last month in Berlin. I enjoyed hearing laughter at certain nuances and moments of humor in the film, which I think were missed in our screenings in Germany. The projection looked perfect, and again we had a really wonderful Q&A with people who were enthusiastic about the film and asked thoughtful questions.

Q and A session

Aside from the beautiful weather, friendly atmosphere of Austin, and our successful screenings, I can't forget to mention another highlight of this trip... the FOOD. I love the food truck culture in Austin and my favorite was Chi'lantro, which served up Korean-Mexican fusion. The Al Pastor plate from Al Pastor restaurant, as introduced by SxSW Manager/Programmer Jarod Neece, was a delicious deal. We even ventured out to Driftwood, TX to eat at the famous Salt Lick, which was easily the best BBQ I've ever had.
Salt Lick BBQ

After all these eats it's likely I'm returning home 20 pounds heavier, but I'm also returning 20 pounds happier. Overall, it's been an amazing trip. We've met some wonderful filmmakers, made new fans and friends, all the while accumulating some great press – and it's just the beginning! In April alone, Putty Hill will screen at BAFICI (Buenos Aires), CPH PIX (Copenhagen), Atlanta, and IFF Boston. If you haven't seen the film yet, what are you waiting for? Matt will be attending all of these festivals, so please come out to say hi! I, in the meantime, will hang back in Baltimore to work off these tacos...

Matt Porterfield Sums Up His First Berlinale

I received a prescient email from Ray Carney earlier this week. It said:

“Do the deed of darkness. Break a leg! Kill! Knock 'em dead. Survive the hype. Resist the bullshit. Ignore the glitter. Hate the glitterati. Hold onto your soul. Fasten your seatbelt......tight, tight, tight. But enjoy the parties!“

Immediately after our sold‐out press screening we received a number of festival invitations from all over world. We were on top of it. But the next morning we received our first review, a pan from Peter Brunette in The Hollywood Reporter. It stung, but we tried to shake it off, as it seemed almost personal his disdain for the film was so strong.

There is something that occurs in the face of public criticism, or praise, a kind of personal realignment that takes place when you’re showing your work to audiences and critics on this scale. I’m sure it’s different for everyone, but in order to manage I feel myself turning into something more monstrous every day. In the morning, a man I’ve never met calls me “inept” and “pretentious” in print, thousands read it,and that evening I have to share my film for the very first time with an audience and talk about it after. In order to get through this day, I find myself devouring everything around me, which leaves me isolated and afraid. Seeing the film with an audience for the first time conjures a mix of emotions. I fear my anxious energy will exit my body and enter the atmosphere of the room, somehow changing the experience for others; I sense the audience and know when they’re with my movie and when they’re not; I see lots of little things I want to change. I wonder if my movie’s really bad and THR was right.

Thankfully, our screenings only got better as the week went on. I didn’t attend the second, but the Q&A afterward was wonderful. I sat with Marc Vives, my editor, through our Saturday night screening at the Delphi, a beautiful old moviehouse in which Putty Hill felt right at home. The projection was perfect and Mark Perenson of Cinemascope moderated an excellent Q&A. The German and Austrian press loved PUTTY HILL and over the course of the week, we received lots of enthusiastic feedback in support of the project.

As for parties, we threw one for PUTTY HILL at Ausland, and it blew up. Jason Forrest, Christoph Linder, and Sick Girls played tons of Baltimore Club. I jumped up for a quick set. Lots of our friends attended, new and old, plus press and Forum staff, EFM folk, and programmers and distributers from around the world.


Throughout the week, there were interviews and meetings. There was also a city to explore. It was hard to catch films, but I saw a few. My favorites were Sharon Lockhart’s DOUBLE TIDE, LA BELLE VISITE by Jean‐François Caissy, and from the reparatory, Glauber Rocha’s ANTONIO DAS MUERTES. I walked out of THE KILLER INSIDE ME as Jessica Alba was getting beaten to a pulp.

On the whole, the Berlinale was a great success. It afforded my collaborators and me an opportunity to share our film on an international scale. Plus, the European Film Market provided a platform for us to access foreign agents and distribution companies and make some sales. Already, in just one week, it feels like more people have seen PUTTY HILL in Berlin than saw my first feature HAMILTON in its entire festival run. And this is just the beginning. Next, we look toward SXSW, which I’m confident will be a great North American premiere. I’m pleased to report we doubled our projected goal on Kickstarter, so we’ll be able to go into Austin strong
by paying off our debts, and begin saving money for a 35mm print.

Till then…

Matt Porterfield, IFP Alum and director of PUTTY HILL, blogs about his first Berlinale

Director Matt Porterfield, whose film, PUTTY HILL, took part in Independent Film Week 2008, will be updating us all about his first time at the Berlinale. Stay tuned, and make sure to check out the film's Kickstarter page. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/puttyhill/putty-hill

I arrived in Berlin on Saturday with my producer Joyce Kim, after a long flight and an even longer layover. The snowdrifts in Baltimore were over 8 feet high, so the ice‐packed streets of Potsdamer Platz presented no challenge at all. We decided to plow through the day, working on 48 and 72 hours, respectively (though Joyce took a quick nap in the closet when we checked into our hotel).

Coproducer Steve Holmgren, and our publicist Thessa Mooij, had hit the ground running two days prior, so when we checked into the Forum Office we found that word‐of‐mouth had spread and the streets were talking, at least among the Berlinale
crowd. Of course, we were both overwhelmed: the scale of everything here is huge and the professionalism is unparalleled, yet everyone at the Forum had watched our film and had something pointed and thoughtful to say in support of it. We felt honored and appreciated instantly. It was obvious that this was a festival that loved film.

Jordan Mintzer, producer and co‐writer, arrived from Paris the next day and gave us a tour of the European Film Market. This, too, was a major culture shock – working in Baltimore in relative obscurity, one forgets that the cinema is a commodity; but at a market, where companies sell films like vegetables, you realize how small and blemished you are.
We haven’t screened yet, though our team has now assembled: Joyce, Steve, Jordan, Eric Bannat (producer), Jeremy Saulnier (DP), Marc Vives (editor), Devon Deimler (script), Sophie Toporkoff (production design), and me, director. Our press screening is tomorrow, we throw a party Wednesday, and our premiere is on Thursday; then we screen four times before the festival ends. The theatres are so big: 400, 600, 700 capacity! I can’t imagine how we’ll fill them. And, if we do, where my heart will be afterwards.

What else? Beer. Schnitzel. Kabob. Coffee. We thrive on free meals and screenings, and nap when we can.

I saw Claire Denis speak to the Talent Campus today and knew I was in the right place. To quote: “Retain the essential. Script and budget work parallel – otherwise there is always frustration. Organize one’s self mentally, to need things you can afford and to keep what you feel the film will be made of – your secret story, what you really want, what you can do in case your budget is in danger: a little secret of your own.”

Coincidentally, I talked to Amos Poe this morning and then watched him in a film tonight (BLANK CITY). Nick Zedd was in it, too. And John Waters. What does this mean? We’re all connected, those of us who work outside the system. And the strong ones survive, despite the incredible odds. That’s what the Forum’s all about,supporting new visions and new talent, and establishing a venue where even little films and independent filmmakers have access to the world’s stage.