Today's L.A. Film Premiere, Our Books, and the Indie Filmmaking Life

I love being an independent filmmaker.

It is a lonely life. But the rewards are great. To make movies that are important to you, that no one else can make....filmmaking can be very satisfying. Take it from me, the son of a stripper. My films are really out there. If there is an audience for my movies, I'm living proof that anyone can make a movie. No matter what.

A lot's going on this fall with our low-budget film company Dixie Productions:

Today is the official Los Angeles premiere of our award winning short documentary film THE ACCEPTABLE SIN! After over 30 film festival screenings worldwide, the film about the direct link between obesity and religion, finally plays L.A. today through Sunday, daily at the Blue Planet Film Festival.

Our brand new documentary short film 2 OLD WHORES is being released to the film festival circuit, scheduled to begin playing early 2011.

2 weeks ago, our hit comedy short film PHONE SEX GRANDMA rocked Atlantic City; last week, ACCEPTABLE SIN had its Colorado premiere in Pikes Peak; the L.A. premiere is this weekend; and next month, our award-winning documentary short film THE OUTHOUSE has its Kentucky premiere at the River's Edge Film Festival. To date, our short films have screened at over 300 film festivals worldwide. And continue to rock the festival world.

We are still in production for our feature film documentary THE OLD STRIPPER. After over 4 years of shooting, production continues for this upcoming mind-blowing feature film.

Other projects are currently in development as well.

And for our books.....

The book department of our business, Dixie Publishing, continues to release amazing books. Last year's inspirational autobiography THOUGHTS OF A STRIPPER: A Mother's Story is available only on Amazon and Lulu. Recently, the new reference book ANIMAL CRUELTY LAW IN THE UNITED STATES, A Comparative Analysis, became available on Amazon. And our recent humor book 100 STORIES FROM AN OLD STRIPPER just became available on the internet library. You can check out all of the available books from Dixie Publishing's library HERE

One busy fall. With books and films. And with the life of an independent filmmaker - the son of a stripper.

The DIXIE PUBLISHING Library on LULU

This Week's Filmmaking - Shooting, Distribution...and the Name Change

What a week.

This last week has been nutso out here in farm country. As usual, I'm busy non-stop...and my crazy life continues. This last week alone, we've been shooting on THE OLD STRIPPER, doing distribution for our films, and most importantly....officially got my name changed!

First things first....this morning, it became official. The court ruled that my name be legally officially changed to Jack Truman. Thank God. This has been a long time coming. I've been going by Jack Truman for over 10 years; I was born with my deadbeat dad's name John Kerney; but that life is now behind me. I'm born again with a new name; the name everyone has been knowing me by. Jack Truman is my identity on everything except my birth certificate; everything; license, social security, property, voting card, utilities...and more...everything; except my birth certificate. Now I can get that changed. Woo hoo! It's about time. Today is a great day, and a cause for celebration.

Film distribution: Distribution is flowing for our first films - PHONE SEX GRANDMA, THE OUTHOUSE, THE 60 YEAR OLD STRIPPER, THE ACCEPTABLE SIN and THE X-RATED GRANDMA. All are now available on DVD. And only through Amazon and Createspace. This is a job in itself; I'm trying to work one film at a time with online distribution; but I'm limited in the time I can spend online working marketing. Last week, promoted THE OUTHOUSE. Trying to pick which film to work this next week.

Film shooting: As a filmmaker, I love having control over my films. Until I start making money, I'll continue making films my own way as a filmmaker. Case in point: my current feature film THE OLD STRIPPER about my Mother Opal. We've been getting some footage shot these last few days about us talking of her old stripper days. It's great when I can get Mother in the mood to get on camera and discuss her old dancing days from the 70's and '80's. We've shot a lot over these last 3 years. And the film still has a ways to go before shooting is done. But we're chipping along, getting as much shooting done as we can right now with no money.

Yesterday, I worked a little with our online liberal church the Universal Equalitarian Church; did the first podcast, wrote a new blog, and update the church's Myspace site. Usually don't have any time to work on the church, with all my filmmaking work; yesterday was the first time in over a month. But hopefully, by the end of the summer, I'll have an online foundation for the church set up to start working from in my spare time.

Also, as a filmmaker, the film festival waivers have been flowing in this last week; for many of my beginning films - such as PHONE SEX GRANDMA, THE OUTHOUSE and THE ACCEPTABLE SIN. I don't pay waivers for festivals anymore, unless it's a huge fest that I just happen to have the money scraped together for (i.e., Sundance). But the fests keep coming along. And speaking of festivals, screenings are getting lined up for the fall already; and it's only July. August we'll have FUCKIN' OLD BITCH in Seattle and Atlanta; in September, PHONE SEX GRANDMA has its Australia premiere in Sydney; and more to come. Plus, I've got to get together next week my submissions of PAYDAY LOAN and FUCKIN' OLD BITCH together and sent off to Slamdance. Park City 2010 is just around the corner. I'm praying and crossing my fingers that next January, I'll have shorts playing across the street in Park City - at both Sundance and Slamdance.

All of this, and applying for college teaching jobs all over the country. I really should get back to teaching. These last 25 years...all I've done and accomplished...as an artist, filmmaker, director, writer, actor, teacher, speaker....I've got a lifetime of experience to help develop the next generation of artists, speakers and filmmakers. Hopefully, I'll be teaching somewhere this fall. We'll see....

Gotta go for now....wanted to just take a little time and reflect, write and update what's been going on this last week as a filmmaker out here in the boonies....

I'm living proof - anyone can make a movie....

Watch the YOUTUBE trailer of Jack's upcoming documentary THE OLD STRIPPER:




Buy Mother's new book THOUGHTS OF A STRIPPER at:

http://thoughtsofastripper.webs.com/

Own PHONE SEX GRANDMA on DVD on Amazon & Createspace at:

https://www.createspace.com/255255