Dear Friend,

If you are anything like the filmmakers, artists, or humans I know, this year in which we are all existing feels like an extended state of chaos. Our reality is being hijacked like we're at a table with the magician who pulls off the tablecloth a smidge too slowly.

In a more spiritual sense, maybe we are learning to live in the flow.

So I figured now was a good time to shake up my newsletter, too. Except hopefully I'll get that magic pacing just right so the vase of flowers remains planted on the now-bare table, or at least jumps and spills in a beautiful slow-motion collapse that we all can appreciate.

News you've heard from me in this newsletter, formerly called NEWS FROM NEXT TIME, has mostly revolved around my first feature film, Berlin Loop, which started its life nearly three years ago as Next Time. And don't worry: there are still updates and stories about Berlin Loop (see below), but I figured it was about time I shared some of my other creativity and chaos in this NEWSLETTER FOR NOW. (If you are a single-issue subscriber and only wish to receive Berlin Loop updates, you can update your preferences at the bottom of the email to "Berlin Loop ONLY" and you'll only get what you're asking for; and of course you can always unsubscribe.)

So, what's NOW for this newsletter?

I'll give you a little idea of what's ahead:

• Sharing my creative process and mentorship: Most of us need mentors; I know I do. I've learned so much from the people in my life who have walked the same journey -- or completely different ones -- and shared what they've learned. That's why I started News from Next Time: to share some wisdom gained from my process, while scratching the itch of people interested in how a film gets made. I'll keep doing that. I've also written a free 5-day email diary on the topic. Some of you have read it, and some of you might know someone who wants to. Enjoy!

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• Shaping your tastes: Okay, I'll say it. I have pretty good taste. I make a lot of recommendations that people seem to like, anyway! And collaborating with musicians, writers, visual artists, photographers, cinematographers, actors, and other clever artists fulfils the guiding mission of my life, which is building bridges and making connections. I love sharing their work (as well as stuff I have absolutely nothing to do with, obviously!) and I'll do that here. Like most of us, I find out about a lot of cool stuff from people I know, and I want to pass the gift of good stuff on. Feel free to pass it back to me, by shouting out your recommendations at any time!

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• Learning about the world: If I was one of those people having a midlife crisis and getting a second Masters, I would follow my muse and study history and cultural anthropology. Traveling to a new place, time traveling into its past and then tunneling my way back to the present helps me understand the different ways people think and form societies, and how often we could learn something from them right NOW. (As you might remember, time travel was the basis of Berlin Loop.) Although I have written travel stories for loads of magazines and news sites, sometimes my angle is too political or too personal for editors and the leftover stories that have been rambling around in my brain just need a place to go; why not here?

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• Living with Integrity: Sometimes, the conversations we're comfortable having and sharing in public aren't the important ones. When I was having my quarter-life crisis and actually did go to grad school to study Kierkegaard (believe me, I know how pretentious that sounds), I began to learn the wisdom of valuing my own subjective experience, along with faith traditions and texts. These important guides inform who I am and it will always be a part of what I write.

And NOW, back to Berlin Loop...

As promised. I do have some updates.

After what seems like a ridiculously long time, we HAVE A FESTIVAL PREMIERE in Berlin! The programmers who saw the film in February loved it, and told us (ahead of their final selection deadline) that we will definitely be in their festival! Annoyingly, I am not allowed to say which one, but stay tuned for the official announcement, laurels, all that...

In addition, we've also had a few offers from aggregators. An aggregator is basically a network that "pitches" your film to streaming platforms for you, if you can't get to the streaming platform directly. (Yes, it's all so much harder than it seems like it should be!) This is a little more weedy, and creates just one more layer of bureaucracy (and profit-share) between us and the audience, so we are undecided on this path for now. Meanwhile, we decided to come up with a guerrilla marketing plan to do some indie screenings in Berlin. If we can test a screening plan that works, we'll try to find people in other cities who want to set up screenings with their own bicycle kitchens or collaborators. (Are you in another city? Are you interested in this? Write me!) I'll have more "process" news about this through the summer, but I'm sensitive to the length of this email.

NOW, anything else?

Yes. Yes, in fact.

A few years ago, I wrote a graphic novel short story for the magazine Beyond Sunset, illustrated by Rosa Ekedal. It was inspired by a New Year's Eve I spent with some of my friends in my grandmother's village of retirees, between Joshua Tree and Palm Springs. As I was writing the story in the desert, I realized it had to be a movie, too. I'm in love with the desert, and always have been!

Well, the script is just about ready, and I'm developing the film with my producing partner, Jenny. As we've learned some serious lessons from our last film together, we realized the importance of market research and audience development, starting way before the film is even a speck in the eye of a budget or schedule. So, we've developed a market research survey to learn a bit about who might be interested in the film, and how we could let them know about it when it's finished.

So please, if you haven't already -- take the survey. Plus, you get a free curated playlist at the end! Feel free to send it to all your friends, too.

There's more, but not for now. I'll save that for the future.

Much love,

Emily

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