I skip some of the competition films tonight to see a 1969 film by Toshio Matsumoto, Funeral Parade of Roses, a film that supposedly inspired imagery in Stanley Kubricks A Clockwork Orange; the reference, although denied by Matsumoto, you could tell, drew a lot of viewers.

This year was the first time I had ever taken a spring break trip, as sad as that sounds. This year I was excited to be going somewhere, even if Ann Arbor, Mich. does seem bland compared to Cancun, Mexico. I was not visiting on holiday, however; I was going to the Ann Arbor Film Festival, one of the longest running and most well known experimental film festivals in the country. What follows is a fragmented account of my trip, the tiny bits that stand out amidst the swarm of details, that is.

Tuesday, March 20

Opening night is tonight. There is a grand party before the 8 p.m. screening, with free drinks and girls carrying around trays of hors doeuvres and little cups of ice cream. The selection of goods is somewhat limited, and the decorations are borderline gaudy which must be on account of the funding cut the festival received. (The state of Michigan dropped their funding because they feel the festival exhibits pornography. Im going to leave it at that. You can do some research if you are really interested.)

The nights program is mediocre overall; the only film of the night worth mentioning is Jean Genet in Chicago, a film about French writer Jean Genet (again, look him up if you want to get the references,) that uses masks, humor and animation in a unique way. This film goes on to win the award for best gay/lesbian film.

Wednesday, March 21

I saw one of David Gattens films today. He is one of the festival jurors and his films are amazing. He hasnt made many, but that doesnt stop his first film, Hardwood Process from being a fantastic diary of alchemy, and a 1996 grand prize winner at Ann Arbor. He has a great approach to film as both a medium on which to capture image, and a physical being that responds to chemical processes. Im sure that I have lost most of you by now, because experimental film is not a typical topic of popular culture. Regardless, it is an experience worth having, and there arent many events in my life that I can say that about.

I skip some of the competition films tonight to see a 1969 film by Toshio Matsumoto, Funeral Parade of Roses, a film that supposedly inspired imagery in Stanley Kubricks A Clockwork Orange. The reference, although denied by Matsumoto, you could tell, drew a lot of viewers. The film is a bizarre oedipal story of transsexuals in 1960s Japan that ends tragically. The film itself is filled with many beautifully shot images, and the narrative is fractured but still engaging.

Thursday, March 22

I experience Angelos for breakfast. This is a little diner in Ann Arbor that is apparently packed and for a good reason. My breakfast is a delicious spinach and feta omelet with homemade wheat toast, coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice which is totally worth the $3 I spent on it. The food is great, the atmosphere is great and the company is great. I head off to the days screenings with a very full and content belly.

Deborah Stratman, one of the jurors, shows her films today. I find them very intriguing because they deal a lot with internal spaces, something I am interested in exploring in my own work.

The film I am most excited about shows tonight. It is Nathaniel Dorksys new film called Song and Solitude. Let me rephrase this: NATHANIEL DORSKY has a new film playing. I know most of you have no idea who I am talking about, and really dont care, but he is worth caring about.

Remember that famous dancing plastic bag in American Beauty? Well that image was borrowed from Nathaniel Dorksy. He is the master of beautiful cinematography, of slow, silent films that literally take your breath away. The projection of the film was sub-par, but it was still so beautiful. Sigh â?¦

Friday, March 23

Today is memorable because we have an incident with the man. In this instance, the man is the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Prior to the festival, all of us purchased film festival passes that gave us admittance into all the screenings for the entire week.

We show up to a 5:30 p.m. documentary side screening, and to our surprise we are not allowed in. Why? The ticket taker was told to let in people with tickets before those with passes. The theatre filled to max capacity and no more were let it. Outraged, we asked to speak to someone in charge.

We ended up talking to the hospitality manager. He tells us that although we had purchased $90 festival passes, they did not guarantee us admission into any screening, only if there were open seats left after ticket purchases. Had we bought tickets for the screening in question we would be sitting in the theatre, not standing in the lobby arguing with some guy in semi-charge.

If you had been here 15 minutes earlier, he says snidely, you wouldve gotten in. Apparently we are dumb, and are not aware of such procedures, and that we have purchased useless pieces of paper. I leave the theatre still irate, wanting to make a scene, but knowing I shouldnt.

Highlight of the nights screenings: a documentary entitled Making the Balkans Erotic, about an artists installation reenacting old, slightly graphic traditions. Also, Don Hertzfeldts new film, Everything Will Be OK, plays tonightâ?¦. If you dont know who he is you should go look him up and prepare to laugh hysterically. Both of them go on to win awards on Sunday.

Saturday, March 24

After a night of partying, and an absurd bedtime of 6 a.m. again (Im not used to this type of living at all; Im not sure how much longer I will last â?¦ good thing we are going home tomorrow), we arrive at the theater a little before 1 p.m., in time for the first screening of the day. I want to digress a bit, because the most entertaining part of the day has nothing to do with the film festival.

We stop for breakfast at a local Greek diner. We order our food, and it is mediocre at best. However, when the waitress comes to fill up our water glass, the water finds its way onto a fellow festivalgoers head. I look up from my slightly-edible feta omelet just in time to see his startled face and her horrified face.

She rushes to get towels to help him dry off his wet pants, but we see her stopping to fill another glass of water, even though that is probably the last thing he would want at that moment. All and all, he came out slightly damp, but with a free meal in his belly.

Back to the festival, the 1 p.m. program is the strongest of the festivals, filled with a lot of solid work. The highlight came at the programs conclusion, with the screening Michael Robinsons new film, The General Returns from One Place to Another. (He went onto win the most promising filmmaker award.)

Sunday, March 25

After a late night Saturday (I think I slept for one hour, maybe), we get up at 7:30 a.m. to pack up and drive back to Milwaukee. On the way home, I doze on and off, text with a special someone, and chat about various subjects.

I find myself, however, reflecting on the past weeks experience, and I am filled with a sense of renewed excitement about the new film I am working on. I feel motivated and am anxious to get back to work.

And work, it seems, is just as anxious to have me back.

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