Late in 2011, a French director, hardly known to American audiences, came to this country with his film The Artist and won the admiration of critics and five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Now we head back east, as select American moviemakers invade the shores of France for next month's swanky Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27).
Not impressed yet? Maybe this will do it for you: two such moviemakers happen to live right here in Pierce County. Yes indeedy, writer-directors Ronald Lagman and Kristi L. Simkins will soon have their respective works joining one of the most respected festivals in the world.
Like The Artist, Lagman's short Tapat Sa Pangako (Committed) carries viewers along using only imagery and music. A supposedly romantic evening for one married couple (played by local actors Rick Walters and Melinda Raebyne) reveals a dark truth about their relationship that words can't describe.
Besides an early 2012 solo screening at The Space in Tacoma, Committed has only played at Seattle's Post Alley Film Festival. Now it belongs to an international showcase at Cannes called Short Film Corner, where attendees can access Lagman's work on a digital library at any point during the festival.
The Filipino filmmaker received an acceptance email on March 10th, and couldn't believe what he saw. Actually, he first had to understand the message since it was partly in French. Luckily his wife Juliette helped translate. After the initial congratulations, a question arose: Could the couple afford to make the transatlantic voyage together?
"We need to go. We want to go," Lagman tells me. "It's an opportunity that we couldn't pass."
More good fortune soon came in the form of a sizable tax refund. (IRS! IRS! USA! USA!) The Lagmans now had their ride to Cannes. Ronald in particular can't wait to meet fellow artists from other countries. The honor of participating in this year's festival has given even more confidence to an already assured director.
Seeing Cannes as "my business card," Lagman says, "The Short Film Corner is a good avenue for me to get credibility, get noticed (and) network with other filmmakers. So it means a lot that I'll be able to be there."
Writer-director Ronald Lagman on the set of Committed. Photo credit: Sarah Lindsey
Something Special, by Puyallup's Kristi L. Simkins, also plays as a silent movie, and yet it doesn't. Sure, we hear much dialogue and sound effects in this three-minute film, but it all exists inside the head of a quiet backpacker (Daniel Musgrove), who doesn't even use his mouth to communicate his only word in the final shot. With dazzling cinematography of New Zealand and a story that carries more emotion than some features, Something Special offers audiences just that.
What began as an entry for a competition down under has, like its wandering protagonist, left home and seen the globe, appearing in festivals in Palm Springs, Tacoma, Washington, D.C. and more, collecting awards along the way as easily as stones from a stream. Special has now made two separate venues at Cannes: Short Film Corner and the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase.
Simkins cannot make the trip next month, for she has another special something coming soon - a baby girl due in July. And even if you, Dear Reader, cannot hop a jet either to watch the work of this skilled scénariste-réalisateur, the May 12 showing at STIFF in Seattle may prove a more affordable alternative. (Details at http://bodytemp-eorg.eventbrite.com/)
LINK: Committed's Facebook