10th RVA Environmental Film Festival (February 9, 2020)

This past Sunday was a good day. For the first time I watched one of my films on a big screen at a film festival. Who's Protecting Our National Bird? screened at the RVA Environmental Film Festival in Richmond, Virginia at the historic and absolutely gorgeous Byrd Theatre. It won the grand prize for the Virginia Film Contest.

Left to Right: Scott Burger (Co-Founder and Past President), Me, Lori Schamerhorn (Steering Committee)

My previous documentary was accepted into two film festivals: the All Sports Film Festival in Los Angeles and the ImageOut Film Festival in Rochester, New York. I couldn't afford to travel to either. I tell this story of how when it screened in LA, I celebrated by eating a Mexican pizza at Taco Bell in Manassas, VA at the time. Five years of hard work and I couldn't afford to sit with an audience of viewers who each paid $13 to see it. And as you might guess, I received none of that. Being a filmmaker is not always profitable, but you hope that your films will make a difference.

This time I chose a few local film festival venues: the RVA Environmental Film Festival and the DC Environmental Film Festival. I won't know for a few more days if this documentary is selected for the latter, so keep your fingers crossed. Here are some photos and a video from Sunday's event.

Me and my friend Bill Briscoe. Bill was a major contributor to my film and is also an eagle photographer.