40: SCHMOOZE

It's the Miami Film Festival , people. Time to schmooze!

Last night, I went to see the #Goya shorts program, which had a couple of gems in it, and sometimes, a gem within the thicket. One of such gems you see here pictured, #AlexanderArias, alias Mr. Red, who was in the short Arroz con Leche y Powerball by fellow Peruvian Mariana C. Serrano , produced by inimitable indie Mark Pulaski . I can't tell you not only how deeply entertaining Alex is but how perfectly at home he is onscreen, and I'm thrilled to be able to work with him in my feature #SuccessentuLife.

Major respect to two other extraordinary #womendirectors, Neda Jebelli , Iranian filmmaker who made the gripping short "The Dinner Party" in an insanely tense huit clos of a kitchen full of women. She's one to watch, and I said it before #filmmakermagazine touted their #25newfaces. Second, was the equally tense though largely silent short film "Not the 80s" by #MarkleenValien. I feel refreshed and encouraged by the extraordinary hand of these two women at directing, specifically at the skill and subtlety that they have directing actors.

As #womenadvance, so we recede! In the past couple of weeks, two very bright and accomplished women have told me that they've been #promotedwithoutaraise. Ain't that sumpn'?

The thanks we get for having a thicker corpus callosum than men, for being able to manage so many things at the same time, is that when we take over several people's jobs we aren't compensated for it.

The cherry on the cake was that the #bosslady told one of these bright young ladies that because she was also often promoted without a raise that she would have to suck it up like she did. My, my, what a way to retaliate it forward!

A word: if you've been subject to #discrimination, don't discriminate back again to your own kind. It sounds logical that you would want to break the vicious cycle, unless of course, the vice is stronger than you. :)

Finally, I met an #investor last week who, in spite of being very interesting and somewhat interested, told me that no one would ever see my movie unless a famous actor was in it. I need it to be sold not just seen. Mr. Red says: who cares. Just make it.

Otherwise, you (the female #Writerdirector) get stuck in the movie #catch22: no one will give you money to make a movie unless you've made a movie.

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