At Glendale International Film Festival on opening night.
There once was a woman who turned 60.
One night while driving home from the movies (a chick-flick with little to no substance) the voice came back.
“You are not done yet. You still have so much energy. You know you want to make a film!”
This time she did not squish that voice. She rolled down her window (with no on-coming traffic and with nobody in the car to embarrass) and screamed from her gut, “If I don’t do it now, then when? When I grow up?”
And here’s what happened!
Nothing!
Nobody laughed. Nobody tried to talk common sense to her. Because nobody heard her!
But releasing all that pent-up energy was a gift to herself. And life began to move again.
Suddenly she felt so alive! Herself again! Free!
She could almost cry. This time she was doing it. She would let herself take an adventure of a lifetime and make that film!
That woman was me.
4 years ago, I started a film career at age 60.
Eric Koppen, Cinematographer and Editor. He traveled to Kenya with us to take professional footage. He teaches at Columbia College, Chicago. The school generously provided equipment, resources and editing space.
I engaged a filmmaker from Chicago, (Eric Koppen, faculty at Columbia College, to be exact), wrote the film script, spent months of editing with him, selecting photos and film from 15 years of working in Kenya and footage Eric took in Kenya and created my very first short doc, “Beauty in the Unexpected”– a reflective piece about women from distant lands who hold secrets to our hearts.
These are the same women we spend time with on “Women’s Journey to Kenya”
Then the fun started!
Lady Filmmakers Film Festival, Beverly Hills honored our work with the award “Best Short Documentary”. Talk about encouraging!
The film got into 5 festivals in 6 short months and even received an award for “Best Short Documentary” at an LA Film Festival!! I couldn’t believe it.
We just returned from the Los Angeles International Women’s Film Festival where the film was shown on the big screen at LA Live Regal Cinema. (Warner Brothers was reported to be milling around).
Glendale International Film Festival opening night.
And while the film was playing (with both Eric and my husband, Paul, seated at my side) something magical happened that caught me so off-guard.
I felt such a sense of deep gratitude!
“What if I had not taken this adventure? What if I had decided 60 was too old, too late. What if I had not given this gift to myself at this age? To think what I would have missed.”
Being interviewed by Glendale International Film Festival Director, Velvet Rhodes on opening night and on the red carpet.
Moral of the story? Do it! As a gift to yourself.
Diana Means (from Warner Brothers) is the brainchild behind LA International Women’s Film Festival where we showed on the big screen! We discovered that our photos of Kenya’s tribal women were used in marketing the festival.
Take that next adventure that’s been calling and calling and calling. Then, breath – frequently! Ignore the news (well, maybe a few headlines to keep up), unplug from social media, get rid of distractions (seriously, no excuses here) and say hello to that wild, juicy, forever-young, adventurous heart of yours!
One thing I know for sure. It will be thrilled you’re back and beyond grateful you are paying attention.
So… Bon Voyage!
Love, Linda
PS: I’d love to hear from you about what’s been calling you! Fill in the blanks and send it to me at Linda@Globalheartjourneys.net
My next adventure is going to be ________________
An exciting international women’s film festival created by Pamela Morgan of Women in Media, Newark! Her film selections are daring exposes on women’s issues. Our film showed at Rutgers.
