journal entry

Making It

Many readers are familiar with our Black Bear Film Festival issue. We’ve been a major sponsor and supporter since the magazine began twelve years ago, and we’ve always printed the festival’s schedule for the entire weekend in our issues. I’m so happy that the festival is back in person this year.

It’s an understatement to say that so much goes into the making of a film, but so much does go into it.

In this issue, we’ve interviewed three film directors whose work will be shown at the festival, and we report on the varied backgrounds and inspirations that led them to their filmmaking.

Writers, producers, directors, actors, and a very large crew— in fact, sometimes thousands of people—have invested tremendous amounts of energy into the work for months, if not years. Everyone comes to work on the film from different stages in their careers, but each movie is the summation of a lifetime of combined experiences from those involved in its production. The audience, mostly unaware of this mammoth effort, simply enters the theater and waits for the credits to roll, casting an air of anticipation into the room.

I want to share a personal story about my 23-year-old niece, Madeline Hudelson. Maddie, as we call her, began her acting career at the age of three. Her story is not unique, but emphasizes my point about the work and dedication that goes on behind the scenes.

As Maddie grew up, she had years and years of vigorous training in acting and musical theater, all while she performed in plays and musicals and danced competitively. In high school, she spent summers at the Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Conservatory and the Performing Arts Project. Then she went on to graduate from Elon University’s BFA Music Theatre Program, which included spending a semester in London, studying Shakespeare, and earning a “Semester in Classical Acting” diploma from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

During her downtime from school, Maddie was enrolled in training and workshops that taught formal acting, film, voice, and dance, led by some of New York City's best.

This September, Maddie attended the premiere of her first feature length film. She was cast in The Cathedral, which was screened at the 78th Venice Biennale Film Festival in Venice, Italy, one of the top three film festivals in the world. Maddie found the experience to be, in her words, “inspirational, shocking, and really exciting.”

“The final movie is a culmination of a lot of hard work. I really didn’t understand what I was a part of, until I got there,” Maddie explained, “because, then, I got to interact with people who were involved in so many different aspects of the film world. I saw that everyone is dedicated and has a real love for what they do, and I learned about the different perspectives and skills that they bring to the movie. The movie is equally important to everyone. It all comes together to make the piece.”

When we sit down to watch a movie, we’re happily transported into a state of suspended disbelief. We don’t think about all that went into to this moviemaking experience, and—you know what—that’s exactly what everyone involved in the making wants us to do!

Enjoy the film festival! Amy