Imagine you are a filmmaker relatively unknown to most of the general population. Sure, you have made some well-regarded pieces in the past. Perhaps there is a percentage of the population that tweets you fan mail and your Facebook page is filled with “Likes.” That is not the point.
You met the July 31st submission deadline with four DVD copies meticulously maintained and only handled with latex gloves to prevent scratching. You waited patiently checking your email inbox every hour on the hour and often in between until October 15th. After refreshing your screen every minute throughout the morning, you saw on the cabosfilmfestival.com website that your film, your passion, currently in Post-Production and from Mexico, had been selected to show at the International Los Cabos Film Festival!
You had spent the better part of two full years pouring your heart and money into getting this project off the ground. All of the early morning call times, the crew no-shows, and the last-second averted disasters to tell a story that you believe in your heart needs to be shared with the world.
Through a program called “Cabos in Progress” funded jointly by the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund and Labodigital, whose aim is to ensure production of high quality films with unique artistic visions, your film is now one of six to compete for up to $189,000 in prizes. You could even be on your way to Cannes to show your work at the 2016 Marché du Film or have it shown through FOX’s package of channels broadcast throughout Latin America with a $30,000 rights advance.
Dazed from the flurry of flash photography that greeted you as you entered the theater on the red carpet you find your lucky seat. As the lights dim and the smell of Valentina hot sauce covered popcorn lingers in the air, your heart is beating so hard that you worry it may distract other filmgoers from hearing the Dolby digital surround sound. The opening credits roll and your eyes burn as beads of sweat mix with SPF 15 you applied in the morning.
The next 71 minutes of running time pass by as a blur. The audience is enchanted and by the time the film’s poignant story concludes, they turn to you in unison and applaud. All of the effort has paid off. As you glance at your notes, you notice seven pages that you must have scribbled with ideas of how to further improve the piece in post before completion. This is the first day of the rest of your new life.
Growing exponentially since its inception in 2012, The International Los Cabos Film Festival attracted over 15,000 attendees last year. Reese Witherspoon, Diego Luna, Piers Handling, Rosario Dawson, industry buyers, studio reps, renowned film professionals, all hobnobbing over Mezcal and Antojitos with the Cabo San Lucas Arch as the backdrop.
Now imagine that you are you and you live in Los Cabos or are privileged enough to be vacationing in the area November 11th-15th . All of this excitement is happening Downtown Cabo San Lucas where you can meet the filmmakers, hear their stories, and grab the last quesadilla off the tray before Ed Norton snags it. See you at the box office!
Dane Posey is a Real Estate Advisor with The Agency Los Cabos and has a passion for all things Los Cabos. Email him: [email protected], Tweet him @poseknowscabo, or connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/poseknowscabo
Originally published in the November 2015 issue of Destino Magazine Los Cabos