"WHITE FACE" slamdunks at SLAMDANCE - January 30, 2001
McDonald & Sparky
On Friday Night January 26, 2001 Seattle Filmmaker Brian McDonald's White Face won the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the 2001 SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL in Park City, Utah.

White Face, "a serious comedy about racism," is a hilarious and dead-on mockumentary which explores the daily discriminations that clowns might face if they were an actual race of people.

Filmmaker McDonald had this to say about winning the coveted "Sparky" award, "Winning this award is an overwhelming experience. I try hard to create stories with the audience in mind, so it's especially nice to win the Audience Award."

McDonald is currently working on a feature film based on an award-winning screenplay he co-authored entitled Mrs. Baker. An intelligent horror film in the tradition of The Shining, Rosemary's Baby, and The Sixth Sense. Mrs. Baker is scheduled to be shot in Seattle this Spring .

After being courted by several distributors at the festival, McDonald finally signed an agreement with HYPNOTIC.COM. In addition to distributing the film through their website, HYPNOTIC will also sell the film to foreign markets, pay and cable TV, airlines, and possibly even release the film theatrically or couple it on a feature DVD through their parent company UNIVERSAL STUDIOS.

Sparky
Co-producer Kris Kristensen, who also shot and edited White Face, remarked, "I knew there was a pretty good chance that we would sell the film to one of the many short film distributors that are out there now, but winning the award really validates all the hard work that our cast and crew put into this film." Associate Producer Lisa Halpern added "This Award also sends a message that Seattle is a vibrant film community."

White Face will be playing in THE BEST OF SLAMDANCE in Los Angeles February 7 and 8th. All shows will be screened at the Egyptian Theater. THE BEST OF SLAMDANCE tour will eventually take the film to New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, March 16-18; the Boots Pioneer Theater in New York, March 20 and the Charles Theater in Baltimore, March 25., and throughout the globe. Times to be announced.

The film will be the opening film at the Spokane Film Festival on Friday February 2, 2001.

To view the White Face trailer click here.

To read a daily festival journal of Park City click here.