“As an independent you always feel like every film that your doing is both your first film, because it’s a whole new subject, a whole new set of people that you’re working with, [and] a set of unknowns that you haven’t even calculated, [and] it’s also possibly your last film, because if it tanks nobody’s going to hire you again. If it’s really a stinker, well ‘poof’, there goes your independent film career. But, I somehow had the great good luck, and great collaborators, and brilliant mentors to be able to just keep doing it. And, I hope that that’s part of my legacy. That you just gotta stick to it, ya know. Sell your sound equipment, have a bake sale, whatever. Ask your mother for money. Just the horrible humiliating things I had to do to just keep going. But I kept going. 

You know you make a film, and until other people see it, it’s not really real. And, even though you keep getting work there’s a deep insecurity that haunts most independent filmmakers. And, I remember coming [to the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival] and feeling embraced, and feeling valued, and thinking if this wonderful community of people thinks that my films have enough value that they would fly me out here, fill an auditorium, ask me questions….It always makes me feel that I can keep going.

Eight hundred films have been blessed, have been anointed by the incredible experience of this Festival. It’s awesome. It really is like no other. And this community is so amazing! Just thank you for this honor. Thank you for being, thank you for keeping on. Thank you for all of you who have supported this amazing, unique institution.”