I have to say, one of the things I always enjoy about the annual "Top Ten Happenings" list is that we get to speculate about the future. Someone, it seems, always calls for predictions about what will be most prominent in the coming year. And as I wrote back in December,
Doctor Scratch wrote:I cannot wait for the Witnesses film. In fact, in terms of "Most Anticipated Movies of 2020," for me, it is beginning to seem like a toss-up between the Witnesses movie and Denis Villenueve's Dune. Yes: that's how serious I am about this.
That remains true. I'm sure that the Mopologists could not care less about my interest in this endeavor of theirs, but I'm also quite sure that they care an awful, awful lot about trying to drum up the attention of other possible audiences. Which brings me to my main point. I don't know if you caught it, but Dr. Peterson has been very busy plugging a special event concerning the "Witnesses" movie:
Daniel Peterson wrote:Although the Festival’s website hasn’t yet been amended to indicate it, a special closing panel discussion has now been added to the program of the nineteenth annual LDS Film Festival, which is being held throughout this week at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah:
LDS Film Festival 2020
The panel, which will begin at 5:00 PM and last an hour, will focus on the Interpreter Foundation’s forthcoming theatrical film, Witnesses, and on some of the supporting materials that will be created in connection with it. Participants on the panel will include Russell M. Richins, the film’s producer, and Mark Goodman, its director and editor. Also on the panel will be Daniel Peterson, the film’s jester. Moreover, a special surprise guest may also appear, if his schedule permits, and we’ll have at least one Important Announcement to make.
Although there is an admission fee for attending the Festival as a whole, admission to this particular panel will be at no charge. Anybody who is interested in attending will certainly be welcome.
And also this:
Daniel Peterson wrote:Just a reminder that a special one-hour panel discussion on the Interpreter Foundation’s Witnesses film project will take place at the end of this week’s LDS Film Festival 2020, which is being held at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah. It will begin at 5 PM on Saturday, 29 February 2020, and admission to it — as contrasted with the rest of the film festival — will be free. Producer Russell Richins, director Mark Goodman, and co-executive producer Daniel Peterson will participate on the panel, as will, we hope, a special invited guest. We will have an important announcement to make during the panel discussion.
I guess they are ramping up their promotional activities, eh? But there is a problem here, unfortunately. I'm sure you noticed how often DCP mentions the LDS Film Festival. And, hey: the "Witnesses" movie has aspirations of being spoken about in the same breath as Brigham City, Singles Second Ward, and The Best Two Years. Are any of these movies Citizen Kane? Well, no--not even close, actually. But Brigham City is not a bad film: it's earnestly made, but hampered by some stiff performances--particularly the villain. And how could anyone forget scene where that poor guy's porn stash is discovered? The sheriff just rolls his eyes as the poor bastard breaks down sobbing with shame. Whatever the case may be, it's clear that the Mopologists want the "Witnesses" movie to be uttered in the same breath as the other movies in the admittedly limited LDS cinematic "canon."
The thing is: despite DCP's postings, it doesn't appear that the "Witnesses" movie is connected in any way with the LDS Film Festival. As you can see from the official program, there is no mention whatsoever of this "Witnesses" panel. Indeed, DCP's first announcement was on Monday--the day the festival began. So, is this "panel" officially connected to the LDS Film Festival? Or are the Mopologists "crashing" this event? Notice how careful Peterson is to point out that *their* event is free! You have to actually pay money to go to the real LDS Film Festival--a Full Festival Pass will run you $75. And notice, too, that Peterson complains that "the Festival’s website hasn’t yet been amended to indicate it." Well, his posting was on Monday of this week. What, are the people running the festival expected to make such "amendments" *after* the festival has already begun? Surely Dr. Peterson understands that things like programs and schedules have to be drawn up well in advance.
So, what happened here? Did they hear about the LDS Film Festival and then scramble at the last second to try to "ride the coattails" of this event? I'm sure that, if certain parties had been on the ball about this, they could have theoretically gotten an actual, real panel on the program (or were they worried that the cheapskate main audience would be deterred by the cost of even a Day Pass, which goes for twenty bucks?). Is this therefore a case where they screwed up because they weren't paying attention?
Or, instead, is this a case where the LDS filmmaking community sees the "Interpreter" people as a bunch of interlopers? I.e., a bunch of Mopologist "hacks" who think that they have what it takes to challenge the primacy of the Dutcher oeuvre, as it were? (And is there any tension surrounding the fact that Dutcher is an "apostate"? And yet he is seemingly the most prominent and noteworthy Mormon filmmaker?) Well, the lone sign that anyone from the LDS Film Festival gives any squat whatever for the "Witnesses" movie is this rather spartan mention of it on their Facebook page. There *will* be a "theatrical announcement," but this hardly seems like an official acknowledgment from the actual festival. I mean, if it's not on the program, then it's not a legitimate part of the festival.
How to characterize this, then? Desperation? Incompetence? Overblown egos out of control yet again? Tough to say. But at least we can console ourselves with the fact that we'll soon get to hear some "announcement" about whenever this film will debut. That, in and of itself, is something we can all get excited about, I think.