Santiago de Compostela

After a journey from New York City, via a brief airport stop-over in London, and a traveler’s glitch of having errantly booked a ticket for the day before – requiring buying another far more costly one, I managed to arrive in Madrid a bit later, and after staying a night with Diego, moved along on train for Santiago de Compostela, “home” for the coming three weeks and more. After a somewhat intense bit of travel over the previous month and a bit – Cuba, Chicago, Boston, NYC – seeing lots of people, I needed a little rest and took it when I got here. For 24 hours, and then began to explore here, with long walks of 8 to 12 KM (5-8 miles) a day, nosing around, taking photos and a lot of back-of-the-head thinking.



This morning, after a small communications snafu (I think courtesy of a slightly scrambled brain owing to travels) I walked to center of town and met two men, Almuinha and Ariel, in the Literary Cafe on the side of the square behind the cathedral. They have an association, aCentral Folque, which does a mix of things, mostly music shows, and books, about a variety of things. And, things working out, they’ll have a part in making Casa do Silencio, which in turn may bring me back to Santiago and A Coruña in the coming autumn/winter to do some screenings/workshops or other things. We had a nice long discussion about many things, my philosophy of working and living, business (or its absence), being sure to have fun when “working” which as I told them for me means “playing.” We got along well, I think, and it was a pleasurable first step with them. I tried to recall how I got directed to them and thought it was my friend in Lisboa, Angela Solla, who somehow pointed me there way – and has been helpful in many other ways as well.

Ariel

Almuinha



As seems my habit, just talking with them about the film triggered submerged thoughts – or were they new ? – about how to structure it, characters, actors and such. I seem to develop ideas out of interactions with places, people, discussions, where things I am not sure I actually thought about before just pop up. For example this conversation, after a query about actors, had me thinking that perhaps two characters, a woman and her sister, might be compressed into a single actress, but with one flipped left-right. They could then even be on screen together? I hadn’t, to my awareness, actually given that any thought, and then out it came. A good idea? Perhaps!

So for me seems a good start, and I think Almuinha and Ariel seem to have a sympathetic understanding of my most-not-industrial-cinema way of work/playing. I look forward to collaborating with them.

Meantime trying to arrange going out to Piloño in the coming week, perhaps with Ariel to translate for me, and to get a sense of who and what will be involved. Sooner the better. Eager to see my friends there, Pepe and Maruja and others I met last May with Diego. Fun!

Pilgrims at the plaza before the Cathedral

So, off to a good start here in Santiago, with things seeming to fall into place almost effortlessly ! Makes if enjoyable and fun. Intend to keep it that way!

Thanks to those who have contributed so far, otherwise I wouldn’t be here, meeting new people, making new friends, and working to make what I hope will be a good film. Many thanks.

Anyone wishing to contribute, just let me know and we can arrange. Thankfully think I can avoid an official crowd-funding platform and just do it this way. Next report coming up soon !

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An Introduction

Time Zips

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Step at a Time

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