Fleeting awards

4/29/10 "Best Director" award, trashed

For four years I have been involved with our school district's student film festival, the last two as a co-director. Tonight was the awards ceremony, which included a record 219 students who were responsible for creating thirty-two films. Great stuff: everyone broke a leg.

The event is quite an affair, with limos and classic cars escorting students across the high school parking lot to a red carpet, where they are photographed and interviewed before entering the auditorium. I'll also admit that I love it because it's the one time each year that I actually get to wear my tuxedo.

I knew today would be whirlwind and that I'd be getting home late (I dragged myself in at 10:41 PM), so I had a downsize set for autopilot. A guy was supposed to come on his own and pick up a pile of bricks from my driveway. Problem solved.

And then I got his email that he hadn't been able to come because of car trouble.

Fortunately, a solution presented itself. Since I'm leaving the district after this year, the founding director of the festival presented me with trophy of appreciation at the end of the awards. A thoughtful gesture and one I certainly appreciate.

But, circumstances leave me with no choice but to rapidly downsize it.

For over two hours I had gold-plated plastic proving I was a "Best Director." But, like Steven Spielberg, John Ford, and Frank Capra, I hardly feel that I need a statuette to buttress my accomplishments.