Finding Home at the University of San Diego

At the end of March Professor Carlton Floyd invited me to speak to his University of San Diego undergraduate literature class, Paradise as Paradox.  The class was exploring the concept of home, community, and paradise. Floyd mentioned the class was studying Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Blade Runner by Philip K Dick, and Paradise by Toni Morrison, among others. To have my documentary film Finding Home included in the discussion with such profound literary texts was fantastic and flattering.

When I went to the class, the students had already screened a copy of the film and were full of questions. We had a fantastic conversation about the nature of home and the American Dream. The students were a diverse group and everyone had their own unique ideas. It was interesting to see how socioeconomic background, gender, age and ethnicity shaped the discussion. Adrian Arancibia and his family were also present. It was a profound night, and I'm thankful to Professor Floyd for letting me be a part of it.

Finding Home trailer

It's been several months since my last post. A lot has happened since then that has changed my perception of where and what home is, but that is a story for later. I'm very happy to finally have a Finding Home trailer available for viewing. The next step is submitting to film festivals, finding new screenings, and finding some funding for submission fees. The trailer features music by Vision of a Dying World and Jamuel Saxon, both are also featured in the documentary.

On another note, Drew Andrews album Only Mirrors was just released in Europe. Drew graciously let me use the song Only Mirrors in the film, and the scene it's in is very beautiful.

Last minute reflections

When I get time I'm going to write a DIY-low-fi-lo-res-how-to-guide-to-making-film-with-meaning-and-content-with-no-budget-using-a-tripod-or-not manifesto. HA! I amuse myself greatly.