Mount Airy filmmaker makes Sundance debut
Here's the thing: I can't be objective about the Sundance Film Festival. My emotional connection to this place runs deep, and with each passing moment, I am reminded why I make this annual pilgrimage to Utah.This year's fest represents the 10-year anniversary of my very first Sundance experience and my seventh time volunteering overall. It just so happens that the 2009 festival is celebrating 25 years of showcasing the work of emerging artists from around the world. So needless to say, this has been a special festival thus far. From the moment I landed at the Salt Lake City Airport on Jan. 13, everything has fallen marvelously into place. If you're planning on volunteering for the festival, you should know there are a great number of variables that ultimately impact your overall experience. This year, things could not have worked out any better. When I have wished for a Park City bus to arrive at a particular time, it has magically appeared. I have not been disappointed in a single screening I've attended. (I'm still on pace to see 20 films this festival). Each day I've woken up in this winter wonderland and made a silent wish that today will prove more unpredictable than yesterday. And every single day, my wish has been granted.On Saturday night, I checked out Shorts Program IV, which included Mount Airy native Rob Connolly's short film "Our Neck of the Woods." Connolly deftly adapted a wonderful short story about a small-town factory worker who dreams of escaping his mundane life. A graduate of NC State's School of Design, Connolly produced "Our Neck of the Woods" as his thesis project to complete his MFA at the University of Southern California. A recipient of the Bush Memorial Award for cinematography, Connolly has twice been selected as a finalist for the Eastman/Kodak scholarship, and was granted the Panavision New Filmmaker Award. After viewing "Woods," it's evident that Connolly will make a number of return visits to Sundance in years to come.
Editor's note: Connolly will be featured in a Visions story in the Jan. 28 edition of YES! Weekly.
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