Aspen Shortsfest 2008

The view from my hotel balcony at night - Christmas trees! Surreal.
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At the crack of dawn I got a flight from LA to Aspen, together with a load of healthy (wealthy) ski types, all apparently auditioning for a Ralph Lauren advert. I was picked up by Beth, a prison guard who volunteers for the festival, and dropped at the Mountain Chalet Hotel to begin my Aspen adventure. This hotel is the festival's HQ but also where I'm staying. Film-makers are staying at hotels all around town, the hotels donate the rooms free to the festival and are incredibly generous. My room is humungous and my guilt at being here is expanding in line with the king-sized bed, enormous room, deluxe bathroom, flat screen TV, Mini-kitchen, balcony overlooking the main ski slopes and wood burning stove.

My first stop after dumping my bags was the Isis Theatre where the festival director George Eldred was giving a talk on 'The Art of Watching Shorts'. He had chosen 3 films to discuss and critique with the audience, and I had no idea that one of them was mine, so I was thrown in the deep end. It was great to have feedback, and the film-goers were all very engaged and articulte which was delightful, but it was also bottom puckeringly embarrassing. The film made two people cry so I considered it a success.

After that I sought out the only supermarket in townto buy supplies for the next few days. Aspens shops are terribly posh - there are Dior, Burberry and Chanel shops along with SIX fur shops - and all the chi chi cafes and restuarants are correspondingly expensive so I'm going to self cater. Added to which it's always tricky eating at film festivals. You're in a cinema from midday to midnight pretty much solidly, plus there are seminars in the mornings, so it's hard to escape for some food without missing a film or 4. I stashed my food in the fridge (salad, nuts, chocolate, olives, smoked salmon, cheese - yum yum!) and went to the first competition screening of the afternoon.

The shortsfest chose 53 films from nearly 3,500 to screen here, and the festival is known for the quality of their programming, which is why it's such an honour to be chosen. The screening was a real treat and the Wheeler Opera House (where all the films are shown) was packed. I had about 45 mins after the screening before the next one so I ran back to the hotel and had a half hour kip, grabbed some nuts to eat and ran back, just making the 8:15 screening. It was also very good and even more packed. There was a party afterwards, where I discovered that mojitos at 8,000 ft elevation and with jet lag are quite potent. I wove my way home and crashed.