Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller’s SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS was one of 16 films chosen—out of 624 entries—for the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Documentary Competition. This marks the first time that the filmmaking duo has had a film in the festival. The screenings, the parties, the press, the exhilaration, and the exhaustion—it’s all part of the “Sundance experience.”

Diary Entry
January 28, 2005 | Day 8

I am dog tired, but wired, so can’t take a nap. Coming down with a cold, despite positive thinking and serious denial of such condition. I thought I was pacing myself, but it is a long haul to be “up” for 10 days. I am tired of talking to other people and am ready to go into seclusion for a month.

Tonight we have our last screening, and the tension is high for tickets. So many people want to come! At our last screening on Weds, many people got turned away, so people are not sure they’ll get in off the waiting list tonight. Maybe we can make up the balance of our budget that we still haven’t raised by scalping some tickets.

The day began today with a fun photo shoot with a guy named Fred, who was shooting for the Louisville Courier Journal. Curt, Hank and I hammed it up in front of the Egyptian Theatre on Main St. The Courier-Journal is doing a story for the cover of the pull out magazine next weekend. The reporter, Judith Egerton, came up to Park City just to see the film here in competition. She has been following the Shakespeare Behind Bars program for many years, so this is an on-going story for her. It’s nice that the local press in Kentucky is so supportive.

Hank spoke on a panel this morning about the Edit process. Victor Livingston, our editor, was on the panel too. They were joined by Richard Hankin, the editor of Capturing the Friedmans, Kate Amend, the editor of the Oscar winning film, Into the Arms of Strangers, and Robb Moss, director of The Same River Twice. Mark Becker, director of Romantico, also in the Doc competition was there as well. Mark is a friend from the summer Sundance edit labs.

I am enjoying having my family here – mom and dad flew in from Florida, and my brother and his girlfriend arrived yesterday. We are now a huge entourage. There are now 16 of us here associated with the film. That doesn’t count the 3 crew members who have already been here and gone.

Okay, now I think I can take a nap. I’m signing off.

Jilann

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