Lori Silverbush took home the Best Narrative honor for Mental Hygiene at the FirstGlance 4: Philadelphia festival. FirstGlance remains the only international, independent, bi-coastal film and video festival, with two festivals per year, one in Philadelphia in March and one in Los Angeles in November. March 26, 2001 marked FirstGlance's opening night reception and ceremony held at the Pen and Pencil Club and Alley Arts Studio in Philadelphia.
FirstGlance gives the audience the opportunity to choose their favorite films and videos with jury cards. The audience votes objectively on the merit of each project based on its sound design, camera/editing, acting/directing and theme/story. By making the festival interactive, FirstGlance believes the audience gets more out of the viewing experience by becoming part of the festival.
Mental Hygiene was screened at the 2002 Directors View Film Festival (DVFF), in association with the Ferguson Library in Connecticut.
In her article at NewEnglandFilm.com, Rebecca Prime writes about Celebrating Directors:
The Director’s View Independent provides an opportunity to see new films that have not found commercial distribution. With the total number of screens in the US decreasing, a large number of films produced each year inevitably get left by the wayside, making festivals such as Kesten’s an important way for filmmakers to find an audience for their work. The Director’s View Independent features an eclectic collection of 37 films, both short and feature length. The films explore subjects ranging from the comic to the dramatic and include a contribution from techno star Moby, who served as executive producer on "Porno," a satire of -- you guessed it -- the porn industry.
When it comes to fame and fortune, film directors don’t immediately spring to mind as among the shortchanged (unlike, say, screenwriters). Robert Kesten, founder of Connecticut’s Director’s View Film Festival (February 15-18, 2002), sees things a little differently. "Outside of New York," he explains, "the contribution of directors often goes unrecognized by the public. The average person thinks of film as entertainment, but that’s to ignore the most important aspect of film, that it’s a medium that’s capable of pushing the envelope." As directors are often the ones doing the pushing, Kesten decided to create a festival that would "give people an idea of who directors are, what they do, and how they do it." Hence the aptly named Director’s View Film Festival, which celebrates its third anniversary this February.
January 2002 marked the launch of The Director's View Collection at the Ferguson, and the establishment of the Connecticut Film Society, which will be a joint venture of DVFF and the Ferguson Library and will for now have its home at the library. The Director's View Collection at the Ferguson will be a special section in the video department of the library made up of films that were shown at the festival, starting with films from 2001 (including Mental Hygiene).
Robert Kesten, festival founder says: "Our goal with the Directors View Film Festival is to ensure a fulfilling, entertaining and educational experience to both industry professionals and the general public." (The Ridgefield Press, February 3, 2000, 1B)
The purpose of creating the festival is to give proper homage to directors, a group which has not adequately been appreciated by the public. The idea was to honor and present directors who have raised the artistic level of the medium and who have influenced those who have followed in their footsteps with a festival dedicated to their craft. In addition, the festival gives exposure to newer filmmakers.
Mental Hygiene has been chosen as one of thirty-six short films to be screened in competition at The International Independent Film Showcase, one of the programs presented by the Tribeca Film Festival. The Tribeca Film Center, which serves as the headquarters for Tribeca Films, is located in the heart of Tribeca at 375 Greenwich Street, between North Moore and Franklin Streets. In the 1980s, a fairly remote area of downtown Manhattan was being transformed into one of New York’s most desirable residential neighborhoods. Robert De Niro, one of its most prominent residents, had a vision for the neighborhood. This vision was for Tribeca (the TRIangle BElow CAnal) to become the core of the film industry in New York. Mr. De Niro, along with established producer Jane Rosenthal, purchased the former Martinson Coffee warehouse and formed Tribeca Films in 1989.
Lori Silverbush has won awards for her other work as well. She was the First Place winner in the fifth annual Monterey County Film Commission Screenwriting Contest (announced on June 3, 2000), walking away with the top prize of $1,000 donated by Couch
Distributing Company, Inc. for her screenplay entitled "destination: Moon," a drama set in the summer of 1977. The story is about Annabeth Measy, who hears of the casinos being built in Atlantic City, packs up her daughters and heads for the Jersey shore, looking for life, love and a high-roller to make it all happen.
Lori Silverbush received her masters degree from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She currently works as a screenwriter and freelance magazine contributor in New York City.
