Send short, interesting notes to: current@hudsonreporter.com. Or write to: Katherine Heinrich, Current editor, 1400 Washington St., P.O. Box 3069, Hoboken, NJ 07030.Film festival
This letter is in response to a story about the Hudson County Film & Video Festival that appeared in the May 27 issue of the Current.
Hudson County is a dynamic location to be involved in the arts! And I mean not only to be an artist but also if you just love to check it out. There is so much to appreciate in the area outside of Manhattan.
When I moved here from Texas, the first thing I noticed was the wonderfully designed archaic churches – it’s like stepping back in time. The availability of resources here to produce works of art is endless. To me everything is art, but I get special inspiration from the landscape with its cliffs, hills, parks, and one of my favorite places – the waterfront.
This festival will always have a special place in my soul. It was the first film fest that I ever entered, and my film Urban Ruins is the first film that I produced. My piece is a silent film and I thought that it was cool that they chose to screen it. This tells me that the individuals behind this festival are open to the art form of film in its every aesthetic.
It is a great honor to be a part of the first Hudson County Film Festival. Hopefully this will go on for years and I will continue to offer my works. – Joe Lewis Ortiz, filmmaker, Jersey City
Viva la Kismet!
I would like to thank Margo Singaliese and Jezebel Montero, the producers of Kismet Theatre, for producing my play, Chewing Mother’s Bones, at the Jersey City Museum.
Their production of my play was a wonderful experience. Although it was a small venue (100 seats), the actors and director treated my play as if they were working off-Broadway. They were professional and dedicated and the production was spectacular.
I would recommend to any playwright to send their stuff to Kismet. They are a new company and learning as they grow, but Margo and Jezebel are gutsy, open-minded, professional and most of all, they love theater. Viva la Kismet! – Sally Deering, playwright, Weehawken
Piggy brags
This letter is from the Current’s esteemed correspondent on reality TV and other critical cultural matters.
I just wanted to remind everyone that a month ago, I predicted that Jesse Palmer would end up with Jessica. The Piggy has great powers of prognostication. The Piggy would like to be lauded for her prediction. The Piggy would like Jesse Palmer to call her at (201) 798-7800 so we can meet up for a drink at the Liberty. What can I say; Piggy has ESP, not dignity! – Piggy Rabinowitz
Overheard on the 126 bus
WOMAN ON HER CELL PHONE: You know how upset I was that my man died. Ronnie. My boss was like, whatever. I was beside myself. You don’t know what I went through with Ronald Reagan. And then I watched Smarty lose. It was a hard weekend. I was watching and it was like, Yes! Yes! And then … nothing.