Dear 'Dancers' and friends, So much has happened so fast that our heads are swimming. I'm starting to recover from the tremendous crash after a month long adrenaline high from the success and good fortune lavished on us by the last 3 film fests.

Dancing on the Edge had it's world premiere at the historic Kiggins Theater in downtown Vancouver on Thursday August 11th 2011 and it was all that we had hoped it would be and more. When the first limo arrived at the front of the theater, the crowd waiting to get in was backed up all the way down the block and around the corner, BOTH WAYS! As the door opened and Co-Producer and award winning actor Tom Zalutko stepped out onto the red carpet , the crowd just roared! There was even the Ft. Vancouver Pipe band there to pipe us in! As each cast and crew member exited their limo dressed in tux and gown, they proceeded to the step-and-walk where the media and friends had ample photo ops of these hometown celebrities aborning!
When we got inside we found the theater full to capacity and many of the cast and crew and my fellow Vancouverites gallantly gave up their seats so others could attend (I tried to but they wouldn't let me). Even Mayor Tim Levitt, who took time out of his busy schedule to don a tux and introduce our film, refused to take a seat as long as there was a Vancouverite who needed one. It's one of the things that make me so proud of being a Vancouver resident! Yet I feel very bad for those loyal folks who supported us for so long that didn't get to see the show. The theater had to turn away about 200 people. When the film ended and the thunderous applause had subsided, we did a short Q & A for the audience then adjourned to Charlie's Bistro where we had our cast and crew and friends party which was a stunning success thanks to the awesome planning by my producing partner Tiffani Fjosne and the great staff at Charlie's. The Director of the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival,
Breven Angaelica Warren awarded us a second screening on Sunday and the Kiggins was nearing capacity even without advertising!

Five days later on August 17 th, Tom Zalutko, Alisa Rakoz, Nicole McCullough and her family, Ricky and Robin Torres, Emily Abramson, Victor Morris, Tara Krick, Russ and Jan Gorsline and Victoria, my daughter Beth and I arrived at the Millennium Hotel in Times Square, New York City for the 2nd Annual New York City International Film Festival and Market.
The Gala opening was nice as we walked the red carpet with stars John Savage, Steven Bauer and Sally Kirkland who was presented a lifetime achievement award by the festival. To be able to meet and talk with these stars was inspiring for our young people. You're not in Vancouver, Wa. any more Toto!

Our Grand Night the following night turned into a bit of a disaster that evolved into a huge blessing!
We all met in the hotel lobby dressed to the nines and the limos we hired swept us off to the legendary Tribeca Theater for our red carpet arrival and screening of our film. When we got there, there was no red carpet, no festival staff and no one there had any idea what was going on. It seems that we were the only ones to plan for Friday afternoon NYC traffic and then the thunderstorms came contributing to accidents that created massive, honking, traffic jams. An hour and a half later the festival folks show up and try to get things organized but to late to give us the step-and-walk that we paid for. We screened the film to a full house and a tremendous ovation. John Savage came as well and loved the film and sang it's praises the rest of the time at the festival. Our DP, Daniel Steely who turned 18 the last day of the shoot won Best Cinematography honors.
Because of the dog and pony show the night before the festival organizers went to the trouble of shaking up their whole schedule and presented us with an opportunity to screen Dancing on the Edge on Sunday night in Times Square al fresco!
As I was called to the mic to introduce the picture to the crowd of about 200 people in the square I was surprised when Roberto Rizzo , the festival founder, awarded me the Best Director Award. The picture promptly started and I was whisked off to the step-and-walk to do a TV interview and photo session for the paparazzi. Then I took a seat next to Tom, Nicole and Emily and was amused to watch the bystanders look to me with the big golden statuette in my hand, then look at the girls, then to the screen where Nicole and Emily were doing a scene, then back to the girls again several times. Finally, recognition struck and cameras began to emerge until there was a wall of photographers shooting us as we sat watching ourselves on the screen. Then Roberto came by and said "Do you see this? Can you believe this? I've never seen anything like it!" I stood and looked around and Times Square was packed with I'm told, by around 7000 totally enthralled people, staring at the screen. It was absolutely surreal! I have goose bumps now just thinking about it! Nobody spoke! Nobody moved! They just watched! When the film ended, the ovation was huge! We were two hours on the red carpet after the film for pictures and autographs, mostly for Nicole, Emily and Tom who were indeed stars!

Not to go into a lot of detail, but the Friday night snafu also led to greater exposure to the distributors that attended of which two are actively interested in a deal.

When I got back to my hotel room after the Times Square screening, I got a call from my wife that the prestigious IndiFest
competition announced the winners and that Dancing on the Edge had won the Award of Excellence for Best Feature Film, and Best Leading Actress (Nicole McCullough) and the Award of Merit for Best Supporting Actor (Tom Zalutko), Best Overall Post-Production (Tara Krick / Rexpost), and Most Motivational / Inspirational Film. Indies are a Big Deal!!!
Counting the Triangle Award from the Columbia Gorge Fest, that's 10 awards in three festivals! Not bad for a first-time cast & Crew!!!! I'm so proud of all of you!
On to the Tacoma Film Festival where we'll screen 6:30pm Monday 10 October 2011 at the Grand Cinema! More fun to come, Sandy

So another monster success for a film that no one gave us a chance of making!