BEHIND THE SCENES:
CONGRATULATIONS ISHMAEL ANNOBIL
DIRECTOR for “LINDA KARSHAN: COVID-19 CONVERSATION”​
WINNER BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY AT MYKONOS INTL FILM FES

PART I

JSVCprojects is very excited as ASSOCIATE PRODUCER of this film. It is a pleasure to receive the recognition and support of the international film industry and the meaningful work that creative like-minded collaborations bring to light.

They write:

The joint project that fosters cultural exchange between visual art and expert filmmaking has a vital role to play in building stronger communities around the world; I am delighted to support this recognition which celebrates everyone involved in this fantastic project. Really heartfelt congratulations to all involved.

Mykonos International Film Festival

This is the 3rd award the film has received since its release.

See the wins and nominations tally below.

WINS:

1. Winner, Luleå International Film Festival (Best Covid19 Documentary)

2. Diamond Award Winner, Nawada International Film Festival 2nd Season (Best Covid Documentary)

3. Winner, Mykonos Film Festival (Best Short Documentary)

NOMINATIONS, etc:

1. Finalist, Sweden Film Awards (Best Covid-19 Film)

2. Shortlisted, ARFF

3. Nominee, Hollywood Blvd Film Festival (Best Documentary)

4. Nominee, Florence Film Awards, (Best Short Documentary)

5. Nominee, Five Continents International Film Festival (best Documentary Short)

6. Nominee, 2021 ARFF Berlin International Awards (Best Short Documentary)

7. Nominee, Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Awards (Best Medium or Feature Length Film)

Congratulations to the team:

Ishmael Annobil (Director/Editor), Linda Karshan, Max Mallen (Cinematographer/Sound Recordist), and Nick Kulukundis (Sound Engineer), and also Allison Wucher (Archivist/Photographer), Roger Karshan (Photographer), Jill Silverman van Coenegrachts (Associate Producer), and the Joseph and Steinfeldt families.

PART II

When the pandemic began, Linda Karshan was in New York, I was in London getting ready to fly over. The first reports of people getting ill in Maastricht, and some coming back from the Armory also becoming ill made me cancel all my travel. Linda and I spoke a lot in those first weeks of not really knowing what was happening but sensing this was serious on a scale we had never before seen. I suggested she take the measure of this moment in her body and with her walking posture channel what it felt like in New York. This was her mantra for weeks and months, then she went up to Connecticut and continued the deep dive into channeling the grief and pain that was everywhere. I didn’t know the story of her courageous father who was afflicted by polio as a young lawyer and father of three in Minneapolis in the 1950’s. This information came later, slowly, in incremental parts of our work related conversations when she would show me drawings on FaceTime.

As the months dragged on, it became all too clear what was happening and how deeply affected the entire world was. She kept making drawings, one after the other. They were perhaps the best work she had made after decades of practice. It was obvious. You felt it like a bell. Then Ishmael Annobil with whom she was collaborating on films of the Walked Drawings said he needed to make this film about the series, and went to the studio to discuss this with her, the story of her father sprang into high relief, and the discussion was filmed in one take. This is the half hour documentary that is winning accolades across the globe. It was a year that humbled us all 2020, this film is a rich reward for the solitude, quiet, and darkness we all experienced together. For this artist and this filmmaker the story telling was light at the end of that tunnel.

How lucky we are.