The MAGNOLIA FILM FESTIVAL (Feb. 4-6) in West Point, Mississippi is the largest film festival held in Mississippi to date. It's also in one of the smallest towns I've ever been too. But West Point is also a college town, home to MSU, so the screenings were full of young, festival eager filmgoers. This always makes for a great audience. All of the films were screened in the gigantic MSU theater. To show as many films as possible, each film was screened only once. Saturday afternoon, our screening went beautifully, not a single technical problem. We had a great audience and the theater was one of the fullest it had been so far. No doubt due to the sterling write-up and review our film received in the CLARION LEDGER two days before. (click here to read The Clarion Ledger review in the 'Press Room').

At the awards ceremony Sunday evening, when Fesival Director Ron Tibbett announced that the final award would be going to a film which in his mind resembled a visual poem by Auden, all eyes fell to me. This was a reference he had made only once before, when introducing "The Innocents." It was official, we had won our second AWARD. The Festival Director Award is an award that Ron gives out to the film he believes is most deserving of praise and recognition. The award also comes with one of the highest cash prizes offered by the fest, $250. Not bad.

It is often the smaller festivals that offer more intimate memories and lasting friendships, and with them come greater rewards. It is all to easy too get lost in the large fests. Sometimes it's better to build a strong and lasting force based on great press, word of mouth and recognition.