WIFD Monthly Monday Meeting
Spotlight on the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
With
PASTURE PRIME
Our next M&M is Monday, February 26th
7pm - 9pm CST!
We are thrilled to welcome three speakers for our February meeting:
Carolyn Purnell - Producer and Writer
Diffan Sina Norman - Producer and Director
Gail Cronauer - Actor and WIFD VP
WIFD will be discussing their short film PASTURE PRIME which played at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The filmmakers will be discussing their paths as filmmakers, their Sundance experience and what they are planning for the future projects.
WIFD members who register for the event will receive a special code to view the film prior to the meeting. The film will only be available for WIFD to view during this limited time.
Diffan’s Director Note:
I’ve always admired the complexity of late love in films like The Bridges of Madison County, White Palace, and Notes on a Scandal. The tenderness of a person discovering love later in life, despite their impending mortality, often results in a less filtered state of truth and vulnerability. It’s punk rock, “outlaw” and if I may, exceptionally Texan.
My wife and I moved to East Texas during the pandemic. My attraction to this place is inconclusive and far from conventional for a Malaysian-Iranian Muslim and former LA resident. Yet the terrain of green pastures, dearth of mosques, pine trees, truck stops and the smell of burning compost rouse a surreal attraction that constantly nudges me into a state of revision and reevaluation—unpacking the romance of country life and smashing notions of rural ignorance. I want to draw upon the broad splendor of East Texas and like the story itself, turn against our expectations.
Information on the film:
● “Pasture Prime” is Diffan Sina Norman’s third short to premiere at Sundance and Carolyn Purnell’s first.
● The film was supported by a grant from the Austin Film Society and donations from local residents.
● Our team also raised $10,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, drawing more than 100 individual supporters from six countries.
● “Pasture Prime was filmed on writer and producer Carolyn Purnell’s family ranch just outside of Marshall, Texas.
● Marshall, TX is the birthplace of boogie-woogie music and George Foreman.
● Cowboy churches have been growing at a lightning pace in Texas since the ‘00s. Congregants—usually from rural areas—frequently attend in jeans, cowboy hats, and other relaxed clothing. Some cowboy churches, like the one in Pasture Prime, also have a rodeo arena and host outdoor events as part of their ministry.
Here is a Sundance featurette about PASTURE PRIME:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8rm7mg
And here is the trailer:
https://vimeo.com/912383599/3277fa8f45?share=copy
To receive the Zoom link for the meeting, you must RSVP, so get 'er done and join us! The Zoom meeting link and passcode Vimeo link will be sent via email before the meeting begins.
We encourage our new members to attend each meeting to network and get the most of your WIFD membership. We look forward to seeing your faces and hearing your lovely voices!
