--From a press release submitted to me by Shannon McMahon Lichte:

"On Thursday June 21, the QuikSilverEdition Mission (www.quiksilvereditionmission.org) will again open its doors to the community, this time for a special screening of the award winning documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car" (www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com) hosted by Global Inheritance (www.globalinheritance.org). Writer and Director Chris Paine will join the audience for casual drinks and conversation during a very special question and answer session after the film.

The doors at the Mission open at 7:30 and the projectors will roll at 9:00. Bring a blanket, a beach chair (seats are very limited) and your favorite hoodie as we gather together under the stars and revel in the magic of the silver screen. Stop by early for a drink and enjoy some music by Global Inheritance guest DJ before the film begins.

"Who Killed the Electric Car?" investigates the death and resurrection of the electric car as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in our country's future. Its "murder mystery" spin on an almost unreported story captured the public's attention and won notable industry nominations for Best Documentary from the Writer's Guild, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, and the Environmental Media Alliance. It also played to critical acclaim at international festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Seattle, San Francisco, Newport, Atlanta, Telluride, Deauville, Canberra, Berlin and Milan. The film made many top critics list and ranked third in U.S. documentary box office results in 2006. The DVD was recently released by Sony Home Entertainment.

Go to www.quiksilvereditionmission.org to reserve your space and to check out more happenings at the QuikSilverEdition Mission.

The QuikSilverEdition Mission is located at 1621 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice 90291."

--From an email sent to me by filmmaker/teacher Tim Jackson (who's new documentary RADICAL JESTERS is really, really good!):

"I see nobody has posted anything for the Provincetown Film Festival from whence I just returned. Maybe you can use this.

There were presentations -

"Filmmaker on the Edge" was presented to Todd Solondz by John Waters. Their discussion was more about "how do you get an edgy film released" than about the films themselves. While Solondz is not exactly verbose concerning the "why" of his films, he comes off as a committed artist, a very quirky and funny guy, and obviously the real thing.

"Excellence in Acting" was given to Alan Cumming by B. Ruby Rich.

"Lifetime Achievement Award" was given to Kathleen Turner. There was a discussion between her and Molly Haskell.

My own great picks would be:

BROKEN ENGLISH with a stunning and incredible Parker Posey as single women looking for a good man in New York directed by Zoe Cassavetes (yup, Gena Rowlands is in there).

VITUS - a beautiful film about a child genius and his family with Bruno Ganz and real life piano prodigy Teo Gheorghiu. This film ought to be seen and has some mind blowing piano playing by this kid!

Also...

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:

Best Feature - DEATH AT A FUNERAL, directed by Frank Oz
Best Documentary - FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO, directed by Daniel Karslake
Best Short - PRIVATE LIFE, directed by Abbe Robinson

2007 HBO SHOUT SHORT FILM COMPETITION WINNERS

DADDY, directed by Sid Karger
DONNY AND GINGER, directed by Jon Bush
HAPPENSTANCE, directed by Joyce Draganosky
HEARTS AND HOTEL ROOMS, directed by Justin James"

--It's funny that I'm starting to get more frequent emails from people pointing me in the direction of things, or asking me to write about certain events/films/happenings/etc. It's flattering, actually. But the whole point of this silly blog was for me to simply write about what is striking my own fancy at that very moment. I love getting invites for screenings and parties and all that good stuff, but for the record, I only feel comfortable writing about things that I've experienced personally, or that I have a direct, personal connection to. So keep the emails coming, friends and strangers alike, but just know where I stand with regards to this type of stuff.