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The 4th annual Eighth Day of Creation (EDOC) film festival again showed what happens when creative minds are put to the test. The premise as always is simple. 22 teams, 1 theme, 8 days. What comes out of that simplicity is a wealth of imagination and resourcefulness. Formed by Mike Maden and the folks at Common Grace Ministries, EDOC gives Indie filmmakers a chance to hone their skills and share their talents in the form of six-minute films. When the dust settled and the crowd converged on the Angelica Theater for the premier and award ceremony you could sense the vibe and energy. There is something about filmmaking. Creating. Seeing penned ideas come to life on
the big screen. Add to that the obvious camaraderie of this event and what you have is pure excitement and anticipation. Familiar faces, hugs, hand shakes. Yes this was a competition, but it was also a fellowship of likeminded artists.

The theme this year was Risk; a broad subject that allowed for many interpretations. Many focused on the work place, standing up to unfair bosses and doing whatever it takes to get out of your rut. Others were relationship and character traits. Taking the step to mend family issues. Or just asking a girl out. All of life involves risk and whether comedic or dramatic or downright bizarre, the 22 teams did their best to portray those risks and the outcome ranged from outstanding to well, let’s just say a work in progress.

3rd place honors went to team Big Tree and their film “Among Heroes” in which David (Brian Massey) tries to battle an inward feeling that he is capable of something extraordinary. This was in no way a bad effort, though I did feel like there were a couple of others that stood out above this one. The Risk factor was subtle and at times gray but the production was above board and that has to count for something.

2nd place found Team Cyclone repeating their position of last year. “Containment” told the story of a small band of underground inhabitants
driven below by a catastrophic event on the earth’s exterior. They resurface 20 years later and face a chance to risk life for renewed hope. Brent McCorkle (director/writer/editor) and his team again went to impressive lengths to prove that short on time is no excuse for a lack of quality, story and passion. You can always count on Cyclone to give you not just a six-minute entry, but also a project that draws you in and causes you to want more. They seriously hook you in 6 short minutes. (Click below to listen to Matt's interview with McCorkle, actor Mark Lee and writer Edward Trevino)

Top honor for this years event went to a brilliant endeavor submitted by The Movie Group. In their offer “Worth the Fall” an immigrant janitor (Edgar Arreola) must risk his family’s future in order to protect a middle school girl (Lindsay Rayl) against sexual misconduct.  An amazing work that unquestionably deserved first place. All the essentials fell into place and made for a flawless film. Arreola, who picked up a best actor award, conveyed passion and strength in the face of losing everything. The writing, production and cinematography were superb and the soundtrack by David Ramirez added the exact emotion to move the scenes along. A hands down textbook venture.

Along with these top projects, my personal favorite of the night had to be from The Outcasts and their “Recipe for Disaster”. With a brilliantly witty documentary spoof on film races, Recipe made for the funniest and sharpest written film of the evening.

To view a list of this year’s winners and watch the entries visit http://www.commongrace.net/edoc4.html. With a spin on entertainment, I’m
Matt Mungle

Audio interview with Team Cyclone's Brent McCorkle, actor Mark Lee and writer Edward Trevino. http://www.mungleshow.com/cyclone.mp3

The Mungle  6/5/2006

Matt is a member of the North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) and hosts the weekly syndicated Indie Rock Radio Show Spin 180. Plus with his wife Cindy they do a weekly radio feature, The Mungles on Movies. For additional reviews and interview clips visit the website www.mungleshow.com