2023 SXSW Documentary Feature Grand Jury Surprise!
This is really delayed. I’m still catching my breath after all the excitement.
We had high hopes that our film would be well received, but winning the top prize was not on the radar in the least. It was humbling to even be nominated alongside so many wonderful films and filmmakers. Sitting in the Paramount Theater, I began to look around, admiring the old cinema architecture, appreciating the achievement of being there. Not just for being selected for the festival. I mean to really be there, to still be alive. We had already won in this way. So, as Claudette Godfrey, SXSW VP / Film & TV Program Director, began describing our film, it honestly didn’t really register at first. My daughter, Willa squeezed my arm, a moment that is perfectly etched into my memory. Our eyes welled up and my face fell into my lap as I went into shock. A kinda reverse devastation that sent me into a growing panic as we were suddenly on stage accepting the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award! I got tunnel vision and felt like I was drifting out of my body. Somehow I collected myself and made my way through an acceptance of sorts. Jason kindly picked up where I left off as I awkwardly scrambled off stage. Not only do I have a talented partner in the creation of this film, but I have also gained an amazing friend who has steadied me along the way in this unbelievable journey.
The night was surreal and magical. Thanks to the jury and SXSW. Thanks to all my friends and family, to my medical team, to everyone at Wieden+Kennedy and JOINT for everything to make the film a reality. To Peter Broderick and Erased Tapes for the wonderful soundtrack compilation that pulls it all together. Most important of all, to my wife, Janice, not only her contributions to the film, but bringing me back from the near dead. To Willa, for keeping me alive in so many other ways from day to day.
Perhaps most rewarding was hearing that our film connected with so many people living with chronic illness at the screenings. The praise the film has received in the press has me feeling optimistic that Angel Applicant will truly bring more awareness to scleroderma. Read Press
(Um, yeah… that’s a real belt buckle!)