When was the last time I did a spotlight on two major announcements for my weekly Saturday blog post? That would have to be back at the beginning of August 2018 a.k.a. “simpler times.” To think that I would have some big announcements to make in the midst of a pandemic might sound kind of odd, and yet that’s exactly what is happening today. So here it goes:
I have my first film festival screening tonight!
Yes, really. In the virtual space of Zoom, my screenwriting debut, “Breath of Writing,” will be one of several short films featured in the line-up for the unKonference Short Film Festival. Curated and hosted by Kristian Kabuay, a San Francisco artist known for practicing pre-colonial Philippine scriptwriting, the screening will begin tonight at 6pm PST/9pm EST, with a Q&A following afterwards.
I’ve attended film festivals, and with regards to my day job, I’ve had a hand in organizing and working film festivals too. To be on this end of the experience as one of the artists whose work is being featured is an incredible feeling. It’s amazing how even in quarantine, firsts like this are still a possibility.
I hope you’ll join in on the unKonference Short Film Festival. While the Zoom call will admit only the first 100 people in, the screening will also be livestreamed on Facebook Live (the Facebook invite for the event can be found here). Also, this event will not be recorded, so if you want to check this out, you’re going to have to do it in real time.
So that’s the first announcement. As for the other one…
My short play, “Foresight,” has been included in the archive of Zoom Plays at the Project Y Theatre Company!
Last month through Facebook, an opportunity came up on my radar for submissions of plays and monologues meant to be performed on a platform like Zoom. It was through the Project Y Theatre Company; a non-profit organization based in New York known within the Off-Off Broadway community for developing new and emerging talent. Due to live stage performances being impossible to do under these present circumstances, they put together this call for submissions.
That’s how my short play, “Foresight,” came about; which tells the story of a psychic woman hesitantly reaching out to her estranged older brother, in attempts to persuade him to come home at the earliest opportunity possible. To see it be one of many works available is truly incredible.
So if you or someone else you know who works in education is interested in working with “Foresight” or any of the other pieces within the archive, I’d say go for it. But please note that this is really for educational purposes ONLY. If you want to do something more with the play, you need to contact me. The information on the Zoom Plays and access to the archive can be found here.
So that is what’s going on. It’s fascinating what opportunities open up to creatives in such dire circumstances, and the announcements I made today are byproducts of that. As I wrote in greater detail last month, use this time to get creative. If you can’t or don’t want to, then at least support those who’re keeping their creative juices going.
If you are able to, I hope you can go support me in all that I do by leaving a tip over on Ko-fi. I do a lot of writing that I get paid very little for or not at all, and so this is a way of showing your support other than just reading my content. Donations of varying quantities and frequencies are greatly appreciated.
Lola By The Bay 
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