A year and counting

Tower 37 concept painting by David Cahill, 2005

Producer Daniel reminded me last night that Tower 37 began its festival run with a screening in Providence on April 4, 2009 -- one year ago (yesterday). What an incredible year it has been, and contrary to what I anticipated when this all started, in many ways we are just warming up. Our success at certain festivals has translated into invitations to other fests, so with luck Tower will be showing even more broadly as 2010 continues.

Marking the anniversary was a wonderful review in Southern Oregon's News Source, the Mail Tribune. Writing about the Ashland Film Festival (we are a part of their Animation Shorts program), Bill Varble writes:

Passing on the usual templates for computer animation — the innocuous "family cartoon" and the special-effects blockbuster — director Chris Perry has crafted an quirky, eye-popping little narrative with a point.

Tower 37 is (a) a super-size water tower and (b) an example of hubris. It is monitored by a low-level functionary unaware of (and probably indifferent to) its disastrous environmental consequences. Then one day it's struck by (a) terrorists, (b) heroes, (c) inexorable fate.

This is a visually stunning little film that proves political stories can have some punch.

So happy birthday of sorts to our little film, with thanks and congrats to everyone who has been a part of it!

Tower 37 concept painting by David Cahill, 2005