Hello Everyone,
I have so much to talk about I don't even know where to begin, so I'll just dive right in. I just got back from the Morelia Film Festival in Morelia, Mexico and had the most incredible time. It was the last stop for me on the "Inglourious Basterds" press tour, which began back at the Cannes Film Festival in May. I've been going pretty non-stop since then, with little breaks in between where basically I got sick and slept, and now I can get back to working on my projects behind the camera.
Morelia was special for many reasons. The people gave us the most incredible welcome. Quentin was being honored by the festival, and there was an unveiling ceremony at the cinema with a plaque in honor of Quentin. Each year they pick a director, and this year it was his turn (the festival is now in its 7th year, but getting more and more popular among directors.) We got off the plane and went right to the press conference, which is always a little disorienting, but fun nonetheless:
After we went to the the cinema for the unveiling of the plaque. The fans were amazing, as you can see below:
We had the premiere that night, and then went to dinner with the founders of the festival and the team from Universal. We had such a nice time we spent six hours in the restaurant, eating delicious food and talking about movies. Quentin left the next morning but I stayed for the HOSTEL screening that night.
I spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the countryside, touring different villages in the state of Michuacan. One village was having a festival, with food everywhere, a market, and the entire community having lunch in a monastery they are restoring. It was so beautiful, it felt like I was walking through a movie. Music everywhere, kids playing, families together - it was idyllic. I really want to go back and explore Mexico, which is something I have always wanted to do. The people were so friendly, the food was delicious, and I had one of the most relaxing afternoons I've had in a long time.
That night I went to the theater for the midnight screening of HOSTEL, or HOSTAL as it's called there. The film was a big hit in Mexico, but that was three years ago, and I didn't really know how many people would turn up for a midnight show on a Sunday night. When I got there I was greeted by a huge crowd of fans, who packed a red carpet pathway for me leading into the cinema. It was overwhelming, I had no idea all those people would turn up for the screening. When I got into the theater I was even more surprised - the theater was not just sold out, it was overflowing, with people lining the aisles on both sides. I hadn't seen the film projected in a few years and sat through the movie with the audience, many of whom had never seen it on the big screen before. It was incredible - the movie played like it was opening night. People were screaming, squealing, cheering, and applauding. After I did a Q&A and signed autographs and took photos with everyone. It was about 2:00 in the morning by the time we finished, and we went out to a bar to celebrate with some good tequila. I stayed up all night because I had to go to the airport at 4:00 AM for my flight back to L.A., and spent most of today unconscious. Muchos gracias to all the fans in Mexico who made that trip so special, and I will definitely be back to Morelia with any films I have in the future.
You may have also read about some other news today, and as you can see from the links I have my hands full. I'm really excited about all my new projects, as a writer, producer, and director, but they are going to require my full undivided attention to get them done. This means I will be seriously cutting back on myspace/twitter/internet time, so if I go quiet for a while it's only because I am busy making noise in real life. Ending this incredible tour with a screening of HOSTEL was all too appropriate, because it really reminded me where I am happiest: behind the camera, taking audiences around the world on a roller coaster ride. So if you'll excuse me for a while, that is where I will return to. I'll check in from time to time to keep you guys posted on any news regarding my various projects, all of which I am so excited for you to see when they're done.