Commander Ben on stage at the Spirit of Texas Theater during the Q&A after the premiere of his video Native Plant Avengers at the “Lights. Camera. Help.” Focus on Good Film Festival.
All I can say is…WOW! WOW! WOW! 😮
Yesterday was amazing for me as I attended my first ever film festival…“Lights. Camera. Help.”…and saw my video, Native Plant Avengers, premiere on the big screen at the Spirit of Texas Theater at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. And when my video was finished, the audience clapped! I was so happy.
Commander Ben and Aaron Bramley at “Lights. Camera. Help.” Focus on Good Film Festival.
It was such a fantastic night where I had the opportunity to meet so many great people who made me feel very welcome and gave me lots of encouragement to continue to pursue my film making. I especially want to thank all the wonderful folks from “Lights. Camera. Help.” including Aaron Bramley, Chief Operations Officer, David J. Neff, CEO, and Rich Vazquez, President and Chairman of the Board.
Commander Ben and David Neff at “Lights. Camera. Help.” Focus on Good Film Festival.
After the films were viewed by the audience, Aaron Bramley asked the film makers to come up on to the stage for a question and answer session.  It was such an exciting experience to have people from the audience asking me about my film!
I also had the opportunity to see Brandy Amstel again…the woman I first met when we were interviewed together by Robert Sims on his radio show, Lights, Camera, Austin, on KOOP, 97.1 FM. (You can listen to the interview here.) Brandy’s film, In Her Shoes, was so moving about a woman named, Betty, who had everything, then lost it and became homeless. But there is a happy ending. Betty, through the help of some amazing organizations including Mobil Loaves & Fishes, Dress for Success, and Goodwill, among others, allowed her to get back on her feet…and she even went on to coordinate the “In Her Shoes” shoe drive to collect and provide shoes for homeless women.
And I don’t want to forget…To kick-off the evening there was lots of great food and beverages served before the film screening. I was a bit nervous and drank a lot of Ginger Ale and Sprite! Then enjoyed all sorts of tasty hors d’oeuvres and delicious desserts!
In case you missed the first night of the film festival, it’s not too late to join in the fun. It continues tonight and Friday night. You can learn more and buy tickets here.
Your friend,
Ben
Commander Ben 