It's Raining Ron's Hallejuh

Howdy folks,

Sorry to be so lame with the postings and all, but I am now going to give you a little update of the skizzy in my life. I am currently writing from lovely Twinfalls Idaho, where I have been spending some much needed R&R with my sweety (Jazzy) and some long missed friends. It has been fun to get out of the C-town world, especially considering the overwhelming 9 months of drama (literally and figuratively) I have been dealing with in this the year 2004. But lets not dwell on the past shall we. I am very pleased to announce that my current employer (the Western Canyon Youth and Family Coalition) is allowing my the privilage to spend 5 days with my family in the Portland area over labor day week. I am down right giddy. There are several reasons for this joy. One: I get to spend time with a side of my family I haven't made contact with for 9 years. 2: I get to visit Erik Henrickson and Miles Evens (two of my favorite ACI cohorts) THREE: My surroundings will be quiet, beautiful, and serene and will allow me to clear my mind and think about next year. 4: I will get to read, write, listen, and watch all of my favorite forms of entertainment. five: I will be doing all of this in the company of my lovely mother whom I have never gotten the chance to vacation with alone. 6: GOOD EATS! I mean good eats!!!SEvEN: I get the chance to see land that I will probably inherit. IT IS GOING TO BE A BLAST.

So expect quite a detailed entry about my northern in adventures in the future.

until then let's talk about the here and now.

The past two weeks I believe I have finally come to grips with being an "artist". The consumation of this acceptance came from a weekend spent amongst peers at the TRUE WEST FILM FESTIVAL in Boise. It is here where not only did I spend three ENTIRE days watching amazing cinema, but I got the chance to meet and chat with the artists who tell such poignant stories. In summary, the conversation focused on the responsibility of artists to not only express the world at large, but also the specific aesthetics that make their own communities unique and worth exploring. Almost every film shown would be classified as a labor of love rather than an attempt at fame and fortune. Even the festivals most prominent figure (hollywood scream queen Neve Cambell) showed a very personal project that took her over seven years to produce. Amongst all this passion and dedication, I was inspired to reiterate my moral grounding as a storyteller. I feel we as a nation are on the cusp of a very turbulant and dangerous time, and it is only through artistic dedication to portray the truth within your particular medium that will bridge the cultural, religious, political, and financial gaps that plague America and might possible bring it to a very violent end. We have a responsibilty to our audience, our collaborators, and ourselves to uphold justice through self expression. The Lense of the camera does not keep secrets, good storytelling brings out the truth of humanity. As an amazing director of the festival spoke before his documentaries premiere "Good Filmmaking is easy, THEY want you to believe it is hard. " I highly recommend finding the work of Travis Wilkenson of Butte Montana. His documentary "An Injury to One" is better than anything I have ever seen distributed to a mass audience. It is more simple and more visceral than the work of Micheal Moore, and yet those differences make the anger within his message twenty times stronger. IT IS A MUST SEE FILM. Too bad to even buy copy cost 300.00 due to poor distribution contracts. But wait seven years and he will have artistic control again.

Any way, I better go but keep it real and for those filmmakers out there who are listening.

TELL THE STORY.

Ron M. Torres