Name: Russ Forster (russelforster@hotmail.com)

How old are you? 40

Film Title: Tributary

How's tricks?
War sucks. The Prez sucks. My friends are great, though, as are the protests.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
A friend named Jean Lotus.

Influences: Albert Einstein, populism, John Maynard Keynes

What are you working on now?
Getting a Final Cut Pro editing suite together.

Day job: Itinerant Laborer

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Horns and Halos

What are you reading these days?
Not the disinfo in the papers, that's for sure.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
CHUNKLET, ROCTOBER, GO METRIC magazines.

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: That one that's all natural.

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
No more former cokeheads suffering Attention Deficit Disorder for President. Former Potheads OK.

Name: Arno Salters (sneezyfrog@yahoo.com)

Age: 23

Film: City Mood Spin

Tricks: I can make crepes, juggle, and I'm a mean ping-pong player.

Idea for film: I was walking down the street in the city, I was moody, and my head started to spin. 'Damn it!' I thought to myself: 'I should turn this into a million dollar movie'. I checked my wallet, and decided to make it for $7.

Influences: Jarmusch, Wong Kar Wai, Marx Bros, Jeunet.

What now: I am shooting a 5mn short about stress. On 35mm. It's supposed to be funny. But if people don't laugh, I'll say my main influence was Tarkovski.

Day Job: Student & camera assistant

Best films in the last 2 years: In the Mood for Love & Punch Drunk Love

Reading: Not as much as I would like

Reading in bathroom: Cooking Magazine

Best Candy Bar: Twix. It's corporate, but I can't help it.

Off my chest: If anyone wants to give me a job, I accept.

Name: Tami Wilson (slant_six@shaw.ca)

How old are you? 30 and still able to stay awake past midnight.

Film Title: Bingo Ladies

How's tricks? lovely?

Where did the idea for your film come from?
Several years ago a friend and I were motoring along the Trans Canada Highway in a rusted out Dodge Dart, collecting the final shots for my student film about female truckers. The day had been a long one and I guess I was pretty poor company because my friend began to think out loud. "You should make a film about bingo," he announced, as if the two of us were engaged in some sort of feverish brainstorming session.

Influences: Frederick Wiseman, Nettie Wild, and Kim Longinotto

What are you working on now?
I've just finished programming a weekend of films, "Grease, Gristle and Globalization" for DOXA (Vancouver's Documentary Film and Video Festival). Also, I'm working on my next documentary about Meat Lust.

Day job: Tour Bus Driver. Many San Franciscans have been subject to my wry and occasionally warped sense of humour as we motor through the Canadian Rockies or along the twisted highway to Whistler Mountain.

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
City of God and/or Gaea Girls

What are you reading these days?
Books about meat

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: All candy bars are good

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
PEACE

Name: Roger Beebe (rogerbb@english.ufl.edu)

How old are you?
31 and 1/2

Film Title: Composition in Red & Yellow

How's tricks? I lost track of her after high school

Where did the idea for your film come from?
My accountant -- he told me it'd be a great tax write off. (Actually I had the idea when I got escorted from the premises at a McD's restaurant while shooting "Strip Mall Trilogy" [hi/lo 2002].)

Influences: the alphabet, Matmos, Fredric Jameson, Jean-Luc Godard, storm&stress, Alan Berliner, Pork Chop Hill (the Spencer Tracy Korean War film that I ripped off one of my favorite lighting set ups from), Samuel Beckett, Polvo, John Frankenheimer of the early 60s, Donald Barthelme, Blackalicious, Winchester 73 (Anthony Mann/Jimmy Stewart), &c. This question has no answer.

What are you working on now?
I think I just finished a found video piece this morning about Shaquille O'Neal (or something like that) called "Famous Irish Americans." And I'm working on two more super 8 films about strip malls.

Day job: Professor (Assistant Professor is my official title, but that doesn't sound as fancy)

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Film Ist. 1-6 by Gustav Deutsch

What are you reading these days?
I'm reading a bio of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Really. And a big stack of student essays.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
The Nation. Only the short articles at the start.

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: 100 Grand (formerly the $100,000 Bar)

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
I don't really need the small amount of hair that I currently have on my chest.

Name: William Eagar (williameagar@yahoo.co.uk)

How old are you? 28

Film Title: High Tee

How's tricks?
Not bad, but missing America

Where did the idea for your film come from?
My father told me that some distant relatives had gone to America and founded a small town called Eagarville, back in the 1890's. I looked it up on the Internet and its now just called Eagar, and in their list of events they had a cowboy golf tournament..... so being a failed wannabe golfer and with the encouragement of a good friend who also wanted to play, we thought why not... and I brought my super 8 camera along, too.

Influences: Woody Allen, Mike Leigh, Chris Marker, Nico Ghirlando, Seve Ballesteros and Adam Sandler

What are you working on now?
Hoping to make a film about the minigolf/crazy golf tour here in England.

Day job: Editing/compositing animated commercials

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Sans Soleil by Chris Marker

What are you reading these days?
The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
My flatmates' grafitti.

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Frey's chocolate cream (blue wrapper) -- you Americans don't know what you're missing.

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Apologies for missing the festival, hope it goes well and thanks to all those involved.

Name: Jeff Spoonhower (spoonhower@hotmail.com)

How old are you? 25

Film Title: Intelligent Life

How's tricks? Super! (???)

Where did the idea for your film come from?
I was at a Luciano Pavarotti concert when I started to have visions of a robot comedian being rescued from a nightclub. Go figure.

Influences: Kurt Vonnegut, Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick and my family.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working as a character animator at Electronic Arts (EA Sports) in Orlando, Florida -- doing animations for video games. A new short film is also in the works!

Day job: (See above)

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: The Fellowship of the Ring

What are you reading these days?
Tom Wolfe, Arthur Clarke, Douglas Adams, Frederick Forsyth, Herman Melville, a little bit of everything!

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
Not much. I usually just look at the floor.

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: I'd have to go with the classic Hershey's Bar.

Anything else you want to get off your chest? Nope!

Name: Jeff Hands (jeffreyhands@rogers.com)

Age: 31

Film Title: Fireplace: Redux

Where did the idea for your film come from?
My brother Stuart and I both work part-time at a video store. At Christmas time, everyone was buying these Fireplace DVDs and it would fascinate us. We kept saying to each other how it would be funny if someone would put out a Special Edition DVD with Peter Bogdanovich's commentary. We didn't end up getting Peter Bogdanovich, but so it began ...

Influences: For this project, I guess 'Mr. Show' and 'SCTV'. In general, the Coen Brothers, Albert Brooks, Woody Allen...

What are you working on now?
A feature length screenplay I recently completed called 'The Swimsuit Issue'. I've just started taking it around.

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Mulholland Drive

What are you reading these days?
An Incomplete Education by Judy Jones

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Crispy Crunch

Name: Paul Kolsanoff

How old are you? 23

Film Title: School Yard

How's tricks? Trixs are for Kids

Where did the idea for your film come from?
Based on a true story, I used to be an after school care supervisor

Influences: Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Shostakovich

What are you working on now?
A film that deals with me and my grandmother

Day job: Sierra Club Member Services, saving the world, one member at a time.

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
Werkmeister Harmonies

What are you reading these days? Philip K Dick

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
Word of the Day Toilet Paper

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Hungry? Why wait?

Anything else you want to get off your chest? Go Giants!

Name: Brian Relph (brelph@earthlink.net)

How old are you? I'll be turning 27 on April 13th

Film Title: Macroscope

How's tricks?
It's all or nothin' these days.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
From the depths of my psyche. No seriously, this is a concept that wasn't completely formed until the final edit. My only specific intention was to create an experience, to put the audience into a meditative state.

Influences: Mark Rothko, Richard D. James

What are you working on now?
A 12-minute short set to a song by my band - The Betty Expedition

Day job: Film/video dept. @ Adolph Gasser's

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
"25th Hour" actually had me in tears, I don't know, maybe I was in a mood that day. I thought "Human Remains" was pretty compelling too.

What are you reading these days?
Shakey (Neil Young biography)

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
the shampoo bottle

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Toblerone

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Don't underestimate the power of a little sunshine

Names: Marissa Ronca and Andy Schwartz (endeavor_films@hotmail.com)

How old are you?
MR = 26
AS = 27

Film Title: Dog's Next Friend

How's tricks?
MR) umm, yes?
AS) no comprendo

Where did the idea for your film come from?
Happy hour with the dogwalker from the film.

Influences: Pass

What are you working on now?
MR) Projects for Discovery Channel, freelance audio gigs, and more independent stuff.
AS) Projects for Discovery Channel, International Campaign for Tibet and independent ideas

Day job:
MR) Producer for Discovery International
AS) Producer/Editor/Camera

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
AS) Requiem For A Dream
MR) Amores Perros

What are you reading these days?
AS) Current affairs propaganda
MR) Atlas Shrugged

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
AS) New Yorker, Outdoor Magazine
MR) umm, pass?

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
NO!

Name: Keith Wilson
(walleyeproductions@yahoo.com or www.wall-eye.com)

How old are you? 28

Film Title: The Crack Baby Series

Where did the idea for your film come from?
During a cold and lonely day at the Concord flea market when I spotted an armless, hopeless, beautiful little doll that nobody wanted but me.

Influences: my parents, my grandmothers

What are you working on now?
Stuff about my family.

Day job: Serving students at the SF Art institute

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Best Boy

What are you reading these days?
Confederacy of Silence. It's about Mississippi and football and the South and all the stuff that goes along with it.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
Currently playing the 2002 NYTimes Almanac earmark-a-different-interesting-page-for-the-next-person-who-sits-down-and-they'll-do-the-same-for-you game.

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Tofutti Cutie

Anything else you want to get off your chest? Blemishes

Name: Fritz Donnelly (max4funk@yahoo.com)

How old are you? 25

Film Title: Boardroom

How's tricks? 19

Where did the idea for your film come from?
I applied for an unpaid, voluntary position advising the Postal Service.

Influences: Doestoevsky, Bunuel, Borges, Coonely

What are you working on now? "Chinese Lessons"

Day job: Mexler Auditorian

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Must (by S.Pael)

What are you reading these days? Plutarch

What are you reading in the bathroom these days? No tp in the bathroom

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Candymite (by Charms)

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
I have some movies coming out on DVD. Try a clip at: www.tothehills.com

Name: Michelle Dean (deanmich@ilm.com)

How old are you? 28

Film Title: Makin Love (Out of Nothing At All)

How's tricks? Not bad, a little phlegmy.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
From the ridiculousness of the song.

Influences: I'm not sure, honestly.

What are you working on now? A bunch of stuff, mostly short stuff. Super short stuff.

Day job: Computer Graphics

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: I don't know about putting the hands down, but I do like what Wes Anderson has been doing.

What are you reading these days?
Unfortunately, not much. I read The Mandarins last and for some reason it took me forever to get through. Maybe it's because I can't read very well.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
The Pocket World Atlas.

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: I'm a fan of Pep Patties. The ten cent ones though, cause I'm a girl.

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
When merging in traffic, merge early. Otherwise there's just going to be a bottleneck. I know you're just looking out for number one, but hey, I want to get there too and I'm merging early like a good respectful citizen. And don't expect me to let your selfish ass in at the base of that bottleneck, no siree. It's all about the flow. You gotsta let the flow flow. The thing is when it comes down to it, I probably will let you in, but it's only because I care about greater good of the flow.

Name: Allan Allen-Gervis (info@truthinmusic.net)

How old are you? 59

Film Title: Federal Truth in Music Project

How's tricks?
I am troubled by many things.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
"Reality" television.

Influences: Franklin D. Roosevelt

What are you working on now? Music. Films. Mobilization.

Day job: Professor

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
Hoover Dam from PBSs American Experience Series

What are you reading these days?
News. Letters. Advertisements. Between the lines.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
The New Yorker

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Simon's Hey-Hey! Bar

Anything else you want to get off your chest? Yes.

Name: Bob Hurst (bamo@avalon.net)

How old are you? 37

Film Title: Addendum

How's tricks?
I'm having a hard time with this war thing, but otherwise okay

Where did the idea for your film come from?
I made a film called "Bloom" that didn't get at the subject the way I had hoped -- so this is another attempt, using recycled footage.

Influences: Fritz Lang; Chris Marker; Leighton Pierce; Maya Deren; Godard; Fassbinder; Herzog; Edward Yang; Ray (both flavors); Raoul Ruiz; Margaret...

What are you working on now?
"Burned", a DV movie about an affair between a shoplifter and a security guard.

Day job: Grad student, teaching Film/Video at the U. Of Iowa

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Together (Lukas Moodysson)

What are you reading these days?
Visions of Cody, Blindness, any off-shore news web site

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
I play Gameboy

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Pearson's Salted Nut Roll!

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Everyone! Stop watching FOX/CNN/MSNBC propaganda!

Name: Mike Olenick (mikeo@mikeolenick.com)

How old are you? 24.

Film Title: The Son of Samsonite

How's tricks? Is this one?

Where did the idea for your film come from?
I have a very overactive imagination and watch a lot of movies.

Influences: Week-End (Godard), Crash (Cronenberg, Ballard), Planet of the Apes (Heston), The Birds (Hitchcock), and second and third helpings of Vertigo.

What are you working on now?
Trying to finish scripts and get funding for several projects, including Time Sluts, which will hopefully be called "a masterpiece of erotic cataclysm."

Day job: Art & Technology Studio Editor at the Wexner Center for the Arts, in occasionally sunny Columbus, OH.

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: eXistenZ (Though I just saw Happiness of the Katakuris and it was compelling to say the least.).

What are you reading these days?
Hitchcock and Art: Fatal Coincidences.
American Psycho.
Cat's Cradle.
Also the million post-it notes covering just about everything I own.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
I don't use the bathroom.

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Mr. Goodbar

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
It seems as if I'm usually the one on top??

Name: Colin Graham (colin_g@sympatico.ca)

How old are you? 31

Film Title: Mr. Slow Burn In "Drinking Problem"

How's tricks?
Tricks are good, for now. That's the thing with tricks, though, you never really know what they're up to from one minute to the other. Sneaky bastards.

Where did the idea for your film come from? I honestly forget

Influences: UPA cartoons

What are you working on now?
Learning Maya for the next big short

Day job: Freelance graphics, dancing for spare change

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Being John Malkovich

What are you reading these days?
1. Maya 4.5 Fundamentals
2. Cannery Row (John Steinbeck)
3. Cereal Box

What are you reading in the bathroom these days? Same

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Good N'Linty

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Yeah, male joggers should NOT wear spandex. Under any circumstances.

Names: Michelle Dean and Nicole Socia

How old are you?
MD: 28
NS: 28

Film Title: Chicken Shrimp

How's tricks?
NS: Tricks be good. I ran into him last week at the BART Station. He's taking care of bizness, hang'in with fellas, still work'in at Burger King ...ya know, same old same old.
MD: Ditto

Where did the idea for your film come from?
NS: Talkin' trash with MD
MD: Talkin' trash with NS

Influences:
NS: My wonderful momma & friends
MD: Corey Haim

What are you working on now?
NS: Well, I'm taking cello lessons. I'm working on developing callouses on my digits.
MD: A masculine scream short.

Day job:
NS: Interior Designer
MD: Computer Graphics

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
NS: Hands up! I really enjoyed Rivers & Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time
MD: Props to Wes Anderson.

What are you reading these days?
NS: I'm hooked on Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live.
MD: Nothing these days.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
NS: Yoga Journal & various furniture/design magazines.
MD: Pocket World Atlas

Clearly the best candy bar on the market:
NS: Not too crazy about c-bars but, I do like Luna Bars which is pretty much a candy bar with added female vitamins.
MD: Love me some pep patties.

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
NS: Check out www.menwholooklikekennyrogers.com I love this site.
MD: Nicole once met Kenny Rogers at a Hallmark Store in East Lansing, Michigan. He had a "Gambler" tour jacket on.

Name: Alex Roper (alex@anarchymonkey.com)

How old are you? 26

Film Title: Revolutions Per Minute

How's tricks?
I like magic. And cake. But I've never played Magic.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
I wanted to give people what they want. I thought, "People like to see stuff blow up." Seriously. My friend, Bret Lojzim, had an idea for a record player that played marching band music in a gallery and then shot a rocket off the arm of the turntable when it was over. It was all part of his plan to destroy art. I turned it into a video about a self-destructing patriotic machine. I felt the patriotic music fit what I saw as The Great American Identity. Revolution and rebirth. And also a little but of the idea that nothing is really moving forward. Progress is an illusion. We're just going around in circles.

Now I'm not saying that any of that is actually conveyed in the video, I'm just saying that's where it came from.

I was also really curious to see whether a theatre full of people would stand up and take off their hats when this played. As far as I know, no one has.

Then 9-11 happened and the whole thing got turned upside down. I thought the movie would be shot down or only looked at in relation to terrorism. Personally, I think this video is really patriotic. After the smoke clears, the record player is still there. It survived just like the Star Spangled Banner. Although a few people thought it was anti-patriotic and that appealed to their disgust with everyone's OVER patriotism.

Then a year later people suddenly love it because they are so upset with our government and the war on Iraq. That's totally great. It makes them really cheer.

Influences:
Sifl and Olly. Schizopolis. 2001: A Space Odessey. Radiohead music videos. Mike Mills. Bill Viola. Vito Acconci. Jeff Krulik.

What are you working on now?
A film about a lovable mouse who can't surf and another called Haunted Sorority.

Day job: Graphic designer... but mostly I'm just another mouse pusher.

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
Bowling for Columbine. No question.

What are you reading these days?
I don't read much honestly. But I found a really fun magazine lately called Ready Made. It's like Martha Stuart for young hipsters.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
I don't ever read in the bathroom.

Clearly the best candy bar on the market:
Somehow I always feel like Snickers is the only one that will actually fill me up when I'm looking for substantial food in a vending machine. Their advertising worked on me.

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
If there is, I'll make a film or video about it.

Final note: People should visit my site. It took me a long time to design it. Go here.

Name: Richard Raucci (rraucci@well.com)

How old are you? 41, I think.

Film Title: Lexicality

How's tricks? Pretty good, considering.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
I wanted to see if I could make an entire film without a camera, titles and all, that would generate a discrete abstract impression. This one's about reading and the mind.

Influences: Lots. Directors like Fritz Lang and Hitchcock and Soderbergh, filmmakers like Maya Deren and Stan Brakage and Norman McLaren, cinematographers like John Alton and Gregg Tolan, composers like Morricone and Montenegro and Herrman.

What are you working on now?
I'm putting the finishing touches on a 4-film series on a grant I got from the Film Arts Foundation's STAND program (Support and Training For New Directors) last year. Lexicality is the first part. This year's application (from FAF's Fund For Independent Cinema) is worth checking out - www.filmarts.org.

I'm also planning on workshopping some scripts I wrote over the past few years, maybe at the Squaw Valley Writer's Conference or through other means.

And I'm thinking of doing more cameraless experimental work, and shooting some test narrative footage with actors in DV, and editing same in Final Cut, to see if I can tweak the DV to look like film.

Day job: Various.

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Impossible to say. Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood. Lang's restored Die Frau Im Mond and Metropolis. T-Men and The Big Combo, both shot by John Alton. The Sargasso Manuscript. Requiem For A Dream. The Limey. Dymytrk's The Sniper. Out Of The Past.

What are you reading these days?
Dirk Bogarde's multivolume autobiography. Film texts.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
Inane and pointless catalogs. Anybody need a heated, illuminated rotary nose hair tweaker?

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Symphony. Toffee chips in milk choc!

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Thanks to Marc Vogl and the Lobsterians for starting and putting this film festival together.

And can anyone tell me why I keep having a recurring nightmare about singing hotdogs? What does it mean?!?!

Name: Anna Geyer (loquat@dr-yo.com)

Film Title: ARAPADAPTOR (I feel So)

Where did the idea for your film come from?
The Chinese doctor (acupuncturist/hebalist) I see was including some fairly scary cicadas skins (shedded shells?), and what I finally identified as dried caterpillars, in with the regular packages of herbs, or what I like to call sticks and lawn clippings. At about the time I was doing tests for my new film. I was aghast to see these "bugs", but I knew that I would have to continue to make and drink the "tea". I labeled the tea BUGJUICE; I in fact still call it BUGJUICE, and BUGJUICE was an early title for my film. Anyway, I decided that if I was going to have to drink the tea made from the bug bodies I was also going to put those, graphically (2D) speaking quite beautiful skeletons to a better, more acceptable, use. So, I got out my flashlight and some unexposed film stock.

What are you working on now?
I am working with Aaron Ross on a collaborative piece entitled Phosphenes. Phosphenes is a work-in-progress which incorporates purely digital imagery with traditional experimental film techniques.

Day job: Audio Goddess @ the Saul Zaentz Film Center & Instructor of film @ Solano Community College.

What are you reading these days?
Manuals mostly.

What are you reading in the bathroom these days?
The walls.

Name: Mark Edwards (mark@antsclimbtree.com)

How old are you? 32

Film Title: Mabel's World

How's tricks?
Red ribbon with red paper tied to it is super fun.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
It was all Mabel's idea. She's a freakin genius.

Influences: Andy Goldsworthy, Werner Herzog, Devo

What are you working on now?
New CD for Zmrzlina; new songs for Ants Climb Tree (my band)

Day job: Audio/Video Engineer

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years: Rivers And Tides

What are you reading these days?
Dawn by Elie Wiesel; Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

What are you reading in the bathroom these days? Soap wrappers

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: Charleston Chew, no wait ... Zagnut.

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
I've got this weird rash that I'd love to get off my chest ... guess I'd better go see a skin doctor.

Name: Meesoo Lee (meesoo@direct.ca)

How old are you? 32

Film Title: Pop Songs, a compilation of minimalist music videos). The two videos are "Scott" and "Chikubi"

How's tricks?
I'm broke, but the days are getting longer and warmer.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
I started by recording tv and watching it back in slow-motion, often while smoking pot and listening to music that I like... Images that are visually striking or virtually any sequence with some kind of emotional trajectory tends to synchronize well with music, with very little effort on my part. It's a process of discovery more than anything else. I find that slowing down the movement really allows you to sink into the simple pleasure of just watching and listening.

Influences:
The music, obviously, by Vancouver band Young and Sexy. From their wonderful album "Stand Up For Your Mother" (on Mint Records). I should mention that they've got a website: it's www.youngandsexy.org

What are you working on?
Another collection of short videos.

Day job: driver for a thrift store, sometimes a set dresser

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
Crumb... but for sentimental reasons, my favourite movie is The Man Who Wasn't There -- so perfectly satisfying, I don't need to see any more movies.

What are you reading these days?
Who has time to read?

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Yes, some self-promotion: I've been making short videos for the last few years and putting them out on compilation tapes which are independently distributed as "video zines." There are seven titles, available for five bucks each plus postage. You can find out a little bit more about the videos on the Satan Macnuggit Popular Arts website: www.satanmacnuggit.com

Name: Ruben Fleischer (ruben@ruben.fm)

How old are you? 28

Film Title: NADA

How's tricks?
She's getting over her hernia operation. War sucks. Sho' nuff.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
Kit Clayton's darkest nether regions

Influences: beer, butts, and boobs

What are you working on now?
A new video for dj format

Day job: unemployment

Hands down, the most compelling film you've seen in the last couple of years:
la heine

What are you reading these days? Not much

What are you reading in the bathroom these days? Vanity Fair

Clearly the best candy bar on the market: payday

Anything else you want to get off your chest?
How come the girls guitar club is not in this festival?