Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

I had a great day! Sometimes, life is just fun. Today was one of those days. (It wasn’t as good as Marion Cotillard’s day but more on that later.) So, I got up at the crack of dawn to grab what I needed for a quick trip to LA (heaven forbid that I would pull it together the day before). I was at the airport by 8:15 for my 9:30 flight (not bad for me). Heavy rains in LA gave us a 30-minute runway delay but I just caught up on some reading so I didn’t really mind.

At the car rental joint, they actually let us choose the car we wanted (when did this start, the opportunity to choose any car on the lot in the price range?) … I chose a lovely navy blue Sentra and buzzed my way up the 405 to Westwood. The parking fellow was so kind. I forgot to get cash before I left Phoenix and he let me park without having to pay ahead. I guess I have an honest face. As I walked to the ATM, I was enjoying the fresh breeze and high-energy that seemed to be reverberating effortlessly. I recalled that physics lecture about how energy cannot be created or destroyed. It seemed to be emanating from every nook and cranny of the City of Angels.

Then, my meeting with Zimbabwean-born filmmaker Eunice / Tafadzwa. There’s something so rewarding about sitting around discussing film with someone who understands the love of making films that make a difference. To talk about the greater idea of film as an art form, as a medium that can change minds, as a catalyst that can change the world. I shared the details of the Zambian film projects. We discussed all of the other African-made or African-themed films that we loved. THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, HOTEL RWANDA, THE CONSTANT GARDENER, CATCH A FIRE and BLOOD DIAMOND were all discussed in the feature arena. The DARFUR film, THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK, LOST BOYS OF SUDAN and WAR/DANCE popped into the documentary discussion. We talked about the possibility of future projects and went over the script structure for one of the projects.

Ultimately, I almost didn’t make it back for my return flight. Fortunately for me (the rest of the folks at the airport weren’t so happy), the flight was delayed 45 minutes because of weather. So, I made my flight and made it home in good time! It was faboo. Now, I’m watching the Academy Awards. I was sooooo happy to see Marion Cotillard win for her portrayal of singer Edith Piaf in LA VIE EN ROSE! She was so dang happy. Just prior to the announcement, I was thinking about how much I thought she deserved the award but thought she’d never get it because it was a relatively small picture. It was so cute. She said, “It’s true. There really are some angels in this town.” Sweet, sweet, sweet.