It’s true. After 7 years of work, I’m taking “NUTS!” to Sundance this January to premiere in the US Documentary Competition. Here’s the Wall Street Journal coverage of the announcement, in which festival director John Cooper said, “the face of the modern documentary is changing, with filmmakers adopting more adventurous techniques such as animation, re-enactments and experimental non-narrative storytelling.” And here’s the New York Times: “keeping with a recent trend in documentary filmmaking, nontraditional, sometimes controversial storytelling techniques will be on full display . . . Penny Lane, for instance, uses animated re-enactments and ‘one seriously unreliable narrator’ to trace the ‘mostly true’ …

We’ve picture-locked NUTS! and are moving into sound and color and all the final final final post-production. Hopefully will be able to announce some exciting film festival news really soon. In the meantime, recently I gave a short talk about the film at the inaugural Wind-Up Fest, a nonfiction festival in Williamstown, MA put together by some real genius mad scientist types. The brilliant Eric Hynes wrote up his thoughts (including a flattering mention of my talk) on Wind-Up Fest for FilmComment, which I think summarizes my own experience pretty well. Perhaps because I’m in the very beginning phases of any number …

Would I have ever started NUTS! if I had known how long it would take to finish? NOPE. It’s a good thing I was once that delusional, though, because oh man I love this movie. Look at this artwork!!! And we’re just getting started!!! Just this week, I officially hired the final roster of animators and I am so blown away by their talent. Can’t wait to share. Can’t wait!!!

It’s the year of the goat, y’all. It’s a good omen because I swear to you… this film will be done by the time it’s over.
“The Goat has a special strength as one of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac – it has the power to make something from nothing. Where you have plenty, it will be sustained in the coming year and where you need assistance, help will surely follow.”

Here is me blabbing on about how it feels. I’m tired because Kickstarter. And Film Week.

Here I am, doing my best to explain NUTS! in 7 minutes or less to a giant auditorium of really smart and important people.

It’s the times where I have the most news that I have the least time to update my “news” page. Been running all over to film festivals with OUR NIXON, which we also sold to Cinedigm & CNN for release and broadcast later this summer. I am starting a new tenure stream job as a Professor of Art at Colgate University. I am moving… again… and am looking forward to everything.

I have been too busy updating ournixon.com to do anything here. Sooooo much news… but it’s all over there.

Stoked to announce that OUR NIXON will have its North American premiere at the venerable & fun film festival SXSW. America: heck yeah! Festival director Janet Pierson also gave us a nice shout-out in her personal guide to the festival, as did the New York Times. After SXSW, I hope there will be many more screenings and tours and festivals to announce and share… and to make all that possible Brian and I have launched a Kickstarter campaign. Check it out and pledge!

THE VOYAGERS just screened in Boston with one of my favorite recent films (ONLY THE YOUNG). Which reminds me: if you live in the Boston area, you should know about THE DOC YARD – those good folks are doing the coolest documentary programming!