Festival Corner

As sweet and colorful as a snow cone, this delightful happy-sad confection follows an awkward Alaskan teen as she discovers her Yup’ik heritage while rallying her fellow misfits to compete in her school’s Snowstorm Survivor competition. (Synopsis: IMDB)

As a frequently awkward adult I was scared shit-less to host red carpet interviews for the LAFF debut of the feature film Dear Lemon Lima. But, I discovered my inner interviewer with the help of my fellow artists at Film and Music Forum, oh and that guy with the flask full of vodka, dude you rock.

Based on her childhood diary written to an imaginary friend, writer-director Suzi Yoonessi explores the pain of heartache at the age of thirteen and the triumph of finding yourself amidst the carnage.

When I was thirteen I wanted to be a writer for Cosmopolitan magazine. I would be a glamorous columnist living in a New York loft.  I would have luxurious locks and long lashes and I would never get married.  Fast forward a couple of years and all I wanted to be was Sean Lavoy’s girlfriend, so I was thrilled to see the character of Vanessa (played by Savanah Wiltfong) find her way through in Dear Lemon Lima, because frankly, I am still looking. At least I stopped reading those fucking magazines.

I was most impressed with the young actors on the red carpet, self assured in their interviews and proactive in their approach to acting. Each one had a very specific plan for the future and a process to get there.  That blows my mind. Many of us, with mucho talent, (and yes I am including myself as part of my own program) sometimes have no idea how to channel it.  Not only are we responsible for the creative process, but also taking the steps to get it out there.  Savanah had never even acted before.  She simply sent in an audition tape.

Suzi Yoonessi says perseverance is key.  Though she received multiple grants to make this film, she admitted the application process can be discouraging. It was vital to the success of the project that she kept applying until she heard a “yes.”  Meaghan Jette Martin, who plays Megan in the film, told me not to take rejection personally: great advice!  She continued that we can’t control how the other person perceives us. For example, maybe we look like someone’s ex-wife or the mean girl from high school. And the audition is over before it begins.  Perseverance.

The red carpet itself is like high school.  Everyone wants to talk to the same select group of people.  The beauty of Film and Music Forum is that we can learn from anyone in the industry (no matter how recognizeable that face is today) and use that knowledge to further our own process.  So whenever I was asked by a publicist “Do you want to talk to so and so?” my answer was instinctively, “Absolutely. I want to talk to everyone.”

To contact Smokie Lanark email: jezebel1974@gmail.com