Back in September, I attended the Independent Film Market in NYC. It was that event that sort of revved me up and put my butt in gear about making my own film. It is also the event where I viewed all types of edgy documentaries, all fascinating.
But on the other end of the spectrum, I discovered a doc called "Tupperware" about the plastic product that revolutionized "left overs." I was really impressed by this doc because at first, like many, I thought tupperware was a somewhat stupid invention that somehow "wowed" the mindless housewives of the 1950's.
I was happy to learn how this product, while made by a man, was marketed by a brilliant woman, and that it allowed many of those bored 1950's housewives to generate their own income and to re-enter the marketplace as confident saleswomen. Tupperware is finally out on PBS and it is a must see for women and history buffs. Check it out here.
Also, check out my original September blog entry, in which I discovered that film and others: Thursday, September 25, 2003 BACK FROM THE MARKET The IFP Market was truly an incredible experience. The energy of the event has really invigorated me and motivated me to get off my butt and start producing some "festival-worthy" short films. I was only there two days (all day Monday, and Wednesday) but I felt as if I were there for a month. I saw so much, heard so much, and learned so much. It was fun to watch the mating dance between the "buyers" and the "filmmakers" as they politely introduced themselves to each other, and coyly played the "I am interested in you/are you interested in me?" dance.
Anyway, I tried to see as much as I could, which wasn't a lot (or not nearly enought) in two days. Most of the documentaries I saw were incredible. The topics were wide and yet all fascinating. In one doc a daughter confronts her aging father about his abuse of her and her sister. In another, a young filmmaker climbs the mountain in which her father was involved in a fatal fall in the hopes of discovering if his death was accidental or not. In yet another a 52-year-old mother and her 22-year-old son, both drug addicts, live in a motel room and illustrate their sad, twisted, desperate need for each other and drugs. Another one recounted the "good old days(the 70's) when gay men used to visit bath houses and the Chelsea Piers.
On a whole other scope, I watched a moving, beautiful documentary about death and how the concept of death influences everything we do. Another doc, called "Tupperware", documented the amazing history of the rise of Tupperware - the invention of a man named Tupper; but a product made wildly successful by a one-woman marketing dynamo named Brownie Wise. It had historical, cultural, and feminist perspectives and taught me something new.
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