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Filmmakers from around the world submitted over 200 entries for consideration for the festival which featured 15 movies in total (listed here). Out of the that number, 10 films were “shorts” running 12 to 31 minutes including one animated entry remarkable as much for the moving story as the fact it was rendered entirely in black and white. As well as 2 feature length films and 3 special viewings.  The selections and filmmakers were as  diverse as the audience.  Ranging from the three hanky major motion picture “My Life” (represented by Writer/Director Bruce Joel Rubin) and the “sleeper” hit independent movie of the last year “What the Bleep Do We Know?” (Director/Director of Photography Mark Vicente) to the outrageously funny and irreverent short “Out of Proportion” (Writer/Director/Actor Scott Cervine), the pieces were, moving, enlightening touching, funny, heart-rending, mind-bending and more.  Each and every one sought to celebrate the trials, or the triumphs of living our only too human lives the best we can and the lessons we all learn along the way.  Particularly striking were the number of high quality short stories we were privileged to see.  It was amazing that these, and so many other, writers and directors felt compelled to create such wonderful works of art and heart, at tremendous emotional and financial cost absent any reasonable expectation for  compensatory financial reward.  When asked if there  were any plans to turn his short “Career Suicide” into a (potentially more profitable) feature length film, Co-Writer/Director Alex Kang said the film was as long as it needed to be to tell the story and “now that it’s told, I’ve moved on”.  Director/Writer Tony Dean Smith won the first place award in the short film category for “Reflection”, a moving story of grief and recovery following the loss of a child.  The second place award went to Director/Writer Johan Brisinger, who regrettably was unable to attend the festival, for “Passing Hearts” a moving film about how one persons sacrifice can significantly benefit a total stranger.  Kudos to Simon and his Spiritual Cinema Circle DVD subscription service to providing a market for these “short treasures” and the filmmakers who make them possible.

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Filmmakers Clark Harris and Sam Chen, mingle with guests and staff at the Crow's Nest

In the full length feature category Writer/Director/Actor Michael Goorjian took top honors for his film “Illusion” starring Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas.  Goorjian himself starred in the film as well, which also won the Audience Choice Award.  (New York audiences may recognize that “Illusion” also took top honors for screenwriting in the 2004 Hamptons film festival).  Fortunately this film will be available to the public at large shortly as it is expected to be in theaters some time this Summer.  Heartiest congratulations to Michael who funded this film on his own with the help of family and friends and credit cards!. For a sneak preview of the movie go to www.illusionthemovie.com.  Second place in the feature length category was awarded to James Twyman for his movie “Into Me See” (read intimacy) which is the first of a series of films Twyan plans to develop for use as relationship counseling tools. 

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While the festival kicked off with a major technical glitch on the first day (the very first screening of the conference was cancelled due to technical difficulties that could not be resolved until the following day due to being out at sea.) host Simon handled the situation with such humility, honesty and grace the audience could feel only compassion for his  and the staffs discomfort rather than anger or annoyance one might have expected from a less spiritually evolved audience.  In fact, from the very onset of the cruise, participants agreed that the atmosphere felt more like family than a group of strangers.  The comraderie throughout the entire voyage was both unprecedented and a true gift to be part of. 

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Organizers who thought their initial forecast of 150 attendees was cautiously optimistic, were thrilled with the resultant turnout for the festival.  While the locale will most likely be different, clearly the event will become an annual event  attracting an ever broadening audience. Should that be the case, we can only hope that success does not spoil the intimacy and esprit de corps that all of us experienced during this maiden voyage of the Spiritual Cinema at Sea for it truly was a magic, if not life altering experience.

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Stephen Simon will be in New York the week of June 5^th (2005) hosting a Mini Spiritual Film Festival and holding workshops about Spiritual filmmaking in support of the non-profit Institute for Spiritual Entertainment he founded. For more information go to http://www.ise-NY.org