Patience

One year and 11 months. That’s how long it took me to complete my second film, Climbing into Life. My goal was to have it done in 12 months. At least that’s what I said to myself at the conclusion of filming. As I look back I wonder why I set such a lofty goal for myself. But then when I take a minute to look in the mirror I remind myself that I always seem to do that. I routinely have set project goals unrealistically short and then agonize over the missed timeline. Ever do that? You would think at age 73 with a couple of time driven careers and another feature length film under my belt I would have allowed myself to lower my expectations. I am acutely aware of my reaction to my lack of patience. But I don’t seem to want to accept that is is seemingly a part of my DNA.

I have decided to challenge myself to see if I have the ability to alter some of my DNA or at least, learn to ignore it as it serves no purpose.

The next phase of the patience-testing part of having a finished film is to get it seen! The easiest part I will do first, uploading the film to the Film Freeway platform and perusing all the Film Festivals that I want to submit to. Then press the button to pay the submission fees and submit.

At this juncture I will call on my patience (if I can locate it) and good cheer to await the decision of each festival. Will they accept the film or not. The waiting requires not only patience but thick skin when accepting a no from a festival. I had one festival tell me during the last go round that “as and older, unknown filmmaker who makes films about older women, you have some challenges.” Oh boy! That same festival reviewer told me that if I made a slasher movie with old people in it I might get a better reception. Ah, such is life.

Patience.

I know from experience that there is an audience for my films and they are not all from a senior demographic. So I will continue to make films that tell the stories of remarkable senior women and hope that some of the festival screeners see value in the wisdom and inspiration offered by these wonderful stories.

Patience and thick skin.

Many of you have seen my first film, Beyond Sixty, which was distributed in 2021 and has enjoyed great viewership. The film highlights the stories of 9 women between the ages of 63-87 and has been an inspiration to many older women who have told me it moved them to challenge themselves to try something new. Goal reached!

Like Beyond Sixty, Climbing into Life tells the story of Dierdre Wolownick, age 72, and her journey from everything academic and intellectual to becoming the oldest woman to ascend El Capitan in Yosemite. She received that title at age 66 after only a few short years of climbing. Have you ever heard of Alex Honnold of Free Solo fame? Well, this is his mother and her life story is nothing less than fascinating, giving you a glimpse into where Alex may have grabbed some of his tenacity. They both seem to have boatloads of patience. I could take some lessons from them.

As I develop my press kit, get all the legal aspects of the new film finalized and make a distribution outline I am going to try and not set any unrealistic deadlines for myself but rather be as Zen as possible. I long to be one of those people who waits patiently for each next move and lets nothing interfere. Maybe a little more meditation.

If you have had patience issues and have found a way to control the beast I would love to hear from you!. Share away!!

Take a look at the trailer for Climbing into Life below. I will keep you posted as to how next steps are going.

For those of you who have been patiently supporting me in my new filmmaker role over the years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support and encouragement helped get me to this point.

Peace and Love,

Melissa