I’m sitting in my condo, it’s after midnight and I’m exhausted. The festival is in full swing, beginning with the Opening Night Feed. It’s been non-stop film immersion. Here’s a goofy shot of me and Werner Herzog, chillin’ out (I couldn’t resist).

I actually had the opportunity to hang out with Werner for about a half and hour, talking about everything from Grizzly Man (his fabulous film from last year) to adventures in Antarctica. He recommended that I see the film Ghosts of Cite Soleil, which I did (one should never turn down a recommendation from a master). It was amazing. Vibrant and gritty, the documentary film traces the lives of gangster “chiefs” in the slums of Haiti during the upheaval in 2004. Really amazing work. The camera is always moving, giving the film amazing energy from start to finish, never shying away from the graphic violence of the streets.

The film I helped to project earlier in the evening was The Italian. It’s a beautiful Russian film following the fictional story of a young orphan boy in search of his mother. Fabulous work, it’s sure to gain notoriety this year among critics. It, too, shows some of the harshness of life in post-Soviet Russia but maintaining utmost dignity and humanity in it’s characters.

For more photos of the festival, check out my Flickr photo set here.

Technorati Tags: wernerherzog, povertyjetset, theitalian, blogging, filmfestival, telluride, ghostsofcitesoleil, grizzlyman, magdalenus

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