Up A Creek Did Not Win Best Documentary Short Film At Fort Worth's Lone Star International Film Festival

Lone Star Film Festival Did Not Show Up A Creek

Fort Worth's Lone Star International Film Festival ends today, Monday, November 14.

The fact that I did not realize this was taking place is a good indicator of how un-festive this film festival is.

It's not like the Telluride, Sundance, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver or Cannes Film Festivals with a herd of celebrities coming to town.

If I remember right, last year's big deal, at the LSIFF, was low level film star, hometown boy, Bill Paxton, showing up.

The Lone Star International Film Festival rejected the award winning documentary "Up a Creek" from appearing on the roster of films shown this year.

"Up a Creek won the Best Award in some category I'm not remembering, in September, at the prestigious Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival.

It is sort of ironic that Fort Worth's film festival would choose not to show "Up a Creek" due to the fact that it was filmed mostly in Fort Worth and focuses on a Fort Worth issue, that being the Trinity River, deadly flooding and the billion dollar boondoggle known as the Trinity River Vision.

I believe "Up a Creek" will be shown at the Seattle and San Francisco film festivals.

I already told the star of "Up a Creek" that I would go to the Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, with her, if "Up a Creek" gets nominated for Best Documentary Short Film.

I suppose I could be talked into going to Seattle and San Francisco. But not Telluride. The high elevation makes me too dizzy.

Fort Worth Weekly's 2011 Best Free Spirit, Watchdog & Old Guy Was Not Me

Fort Worth Weekly Best Of 2011 Edition

While Elsie Hotpepper and I were foraging for Horse Apples today I got a call telling me I needed to get this week's Fort Worth Weekly, with it being the annual "Best Of" issue, as in "Best Of 2011."

I usually find this type thing a bloated ad magnet. That and I rarely know the person, place or thing the Reader's or Critic's choices choose.

So, I got this year's Best Of 2011 and thumbed through it, and just like I thought would be the case, most of the choices were unknown to me.

However, there were a few I recognized, particularly on a couple pages in the "People & Politics" section.

For instance, I have met the Critic's Choice for Free Spirit, Layla Caraway. Personally, I think Ms. Caraway is more of a Watchdog than a Free Spirit. I think Elsie Hotpepper should have gotten the Best Free Spirit of 2011 accolade.

Kevin Buchanan was the Reader's Choice for Watchdog. I may be remembering wrong, but wasn't Kevin Buchanan a big proponent of Fort Worth's failed Streetcar to Nowhere Plan? That doesn't seem very Watchdoggy to me. The Critic's Choice for Watchdog was North Central Texas Communities Alliance.

My view of NCTCA is the group has very good intentions. I don't know how successful the group's Watchdogging is. However, there is this other group I would have picked as the Best Watchdog of 2011 had I been the critic making a choice. I would have picked the Trinity River Improvement Partnership (TRIP).

TRIP was sort of recognized in the "Culture" section in the Locally Made Film category, where the Reader's Choice was the award winning TRIP documentary, Up a Creek. The Critic's Choice was a locally made film I've not heard of called Pioneer. Apparently Pioneer has also won awards.

Another of the few names I recognized was Clyde Picht. The Critic's Choice for "Old Guy." I manned a booth for awhile with Clyde Picht at this year's Prairie Fest. I liked him. But, I did not think of him as an Old Guy.

In the "People & Politics" section and the "Culture" section Durango Jones and the Durango Texas blog were picked as the Reader's & Critic's Choice by no one in any category. What a shocking omission.

Granny Grassroots' Harping Harp

Also left out of being the Best of Anything in 2011 was another person I met at this year's Prairie Fest, who co-manned a booth with me for much longer than Clyde Picht, that being the entity known as the Granny Grassroots.

Granny Grassroots, while not the Best of Anything in 2011, according to Fort Worth Weekly's Readers and Critics, did place a large ad in the FW Weekly Best of 2011 edition.

Methinks Granny Grassroots would also have been a good choice as Best Free Spirit of 2011.

Watch Granny Grassroots' video below and you'll see what I mean by free spirit. Who but a free spirit would haul her harp to the Trinity River to sing a song to the litter as it floats by?

First Photo Of Layla Caraway Accepting GRNRFF Award For Up A Creek

On of my sources who was in Glen Rose for the Labor Day Weekend Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival sent me this photo of Ms. Layla Caraway receiving the coveted Grand Prize Award in the Conservation Category.

I think I may have already mentioned the film that won the award at the GRNRFF was a Trinity River Improvement Partnership (TRIP) documentary titled "Up A Creek."

You can watch Up A Creek in 4 parts on this very blog. If I remember right at the end of the documentary, when the credits scroll by so does the name of this very blog. I think some photos I took of Trinity River litter may have been used in the documentary. I may be wrong about that.

You can also watch Up A Creek on TRIP's website.

If I had the energy to do so, I would re-watch Up A Creek to see if the part is still there where Adrian Murray makes remarks about Fort Worth's lack of a real newspaper playing the role of Fifth Column (referring to the Star-Telegram) when the term Mr. Murray was intending to use was "Fourth Estate."

However, I think a case could be made that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram does sort of act as a Fifth Column when it comes to how it looks after all the interests of the citizens in the area it covers.

Or doesn't look after all the interests of the citizens in the area it covers.

The Star-Telegram definitely does not play a Fourth Estate role in Fort Worth.

Heading To Texas Dinosaur Country For The Labor Day Weekend Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival Viewing Of Up A Creek

The Layla Caraway/Bob Lukemon/TRIP documentary Up A Creek is one of the featured documentaries at the Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival this Labor Day Weekend.

Up A Creek will be aired twice during the Neo-Relix Film Festival, Saturday, September 3 at 2 pm, then again on Sunday, September 4 at noon.

You can find more information at the Trinity River Improvement Project (TRIP) website, where you can also watch Up A Creek.

Or you can also watch Up A Creek, in 4 parts, on this very blog.

Now that Up A Creek has entered the Film Festival circuit I assume it is only a matter of time before it gets an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short.

When that happens I am scheduled to be Ms. Caraway's escort to the Oscars.

Watch "Up A Creek" The Movie Documentary About Tarrant County Water Issues

The "Up a Creek" movie documentary has now been YouTubed.

In "Up a Creek" you will meet a young Texas lady named Layla Caraway.

Miss Layla is a lifelong Haltom City native who was peacefully living her life, minding her own business, when something happened to her that turned her in to a political activist.

"Up a Creek" documents Miss Layla's activist journey and the serious issues regarding Tarrant County flooding that are currently not being addressed. Which, of course, leads to the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle being part of what is discussed in this movie.

"Up a Creek" is presented below, in 4 parts, for your viewing and educational pleasure....

I Was Not Up A Creek Without A Paddle Tonight At The Stagecoach Ballroom In Fort Worth

I made it safely back from the world premiere of "Up a Creek" at the Stagecoach Ballroom.

I really did not know what to expect to see in tonight's movie premiere.

I knew, sort of, what the subject matter was, that being promoting an adult version of improving the Trinity River and its tributaries and actually doing something about the flooding problem, other than building the world's best artificial wakeboard lake.

And stopping the bizarre Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The movie starred a young lady from Haltom City named Layla Caraway. It tells the story of how it came to be that Ms. Caraway is so passionately fighting the bizarre political power structure that runs roughshod over Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

Or as one of the talking heads in the movie said, "Fort Worth, the eminent domain abuse capital of Texas."

No. I was not that talking head.

I must say, Don Woodard is a Fort Worth treasure. His letters to the editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram are great. But that man and his one-liners are even better. Clyde Picht is another Fort Worth Treasure.

There are a lot of Fort Worth treasures.

Unfortunately the current system of conducting business, in what is known as the Fort Worth Way, sort of stops Fort Worth's treasures from turning Fort Worth into the treasure it could be, rather than the poorly run company town it is.

Tonight, before the movie, while I hid in the dark, observing the crowd, a young lady approached me and asked if I was Durango. This type thing always makes me nervous, shy guy that I be. I said my name is not Durango. The young lady insisted that it was. And so I agreed. And then I learned it was she who emailed me today about something about Montana. It is from that email I know this was Georgia S. I met tonight.

I also met "Tarrant Liberty Guy" who had commented on my blogging earlier today about tonight's movie premiere, saying "Hope to see you and Ms. Hotpepper tonight!"

Well, Tarrant Liberty Guy saw me, but I don't know, for sure, if he saw Ms. Hotpepper.

"Up a Creek" will soon be available for viewing online. I'll  direct you to that when it is ready to be viewed.

In the meantime, I've got myself a problem with a video of J.D. Granger, who was not at tonight's TRIP meeting movie premiere.

Ironic, because it is J.D. who is sort of up a creek. With no clue he is missing a paddle or two.

Don't Litter At Tonight's Fort Worth World Premiere Of TRIP's Up A Creek Movie Documentary

I am not absolutely certain, but I think trash and litter in the Trinity River may be part of what is covered in TRIP's "Up a Creek: the Movie."

I went swimming (not in a creek) this morning, even though it was only 40 degrees. The water was warmer. I did not stay in the water long enough to induce a case of the shivering trembles.

I went to Oakland Lake Park at noon to walk around Fosdic Lake today.

I've long been amazed at these ugly green litter barrels that litter Oakland Lake Park, along with these worn paper messages stickered on the barrels, saying "Don't Litter - Put It in the Can! Keep Fort Worth Beautiful."

Well.

You'd need to click on the picture to enlarge it, but, ironically, there is litter on the ground between the two litter barrels you see in the picture. There is a lot of litter in Oakland Lake Park. A lot of the litter floats in Fosdic Lake. I suspect this type litter is some of what ends up in the Trinity River when it goes in to flood mode.

At least we now know it is all the litter that is what is keeping Fort Worth from being beautiful.

I suspect if you go to the Stagecoach Ballroom tonight you may learn more about the bad stuff that goes in to and gets done to the Trinity River by its many abusers.

The Stagecoach Ballroom is located at 2516 E. Belknap, aka 377, in Fort Worth, just a short distance northeast of The Smoke Pit, with The Smoke Pit being my favorite place to get BBQ, whilst served by scantily clad servers.

The Red Carpet for the movie premiere starts at 6:30, with "Up a Creek" screening at 7:00. To fortify yourself, for viewing the movie documentary, adult beverages will be available. I'll be in the VIP area signing autographs with Elsie Hotpepper. Or not. I've not decided yet.

Below is map that should help you find your way to the Stagecoach Ballroom....

On Wednesday TRIP Invites You To Fort Worth's Historic Stagecoach Ballroom For The World Premiere Of The Movie Documentary "Up A Creek"

This coming Wednesday you will likely find me at Fort Worth's historic Stagecoach Ballroom.

No, I am not going to be at the historic Stagecoach Ballroom to dance with Dancing with the Stars' Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo. That pair will be giving dance lessons at Fort Worth's non-historic Universe Ballroom.

I had no idea, til today, that Fort Worth had ballrooms.

On Wednesday you can join me, if I show up, at the historic Stagecoach Ballroom to watch the world premiere of the documentary movie "Up a Creek."

"Up a Creek" looks at various impacts of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

I do not know if "Up a Creek" includes footage of the infamous J.D. Granger UTA breakdown.

I have no idea what this documentary movie is rated. But, since it's about Fort Worth I expect it to be filthy, with a lot of trashy stuff shown.

The historic Stagecoach Ballroom is located at 2516 E. Belknap in Fort Worth. You can easily find directions by Googling "Stagecoach Ballroom Fort Worth." That is how I found out where the historic Stagecoach Ballroom is located.

On Wednesday, March 30, 2011, doors open at 6:30 p.m. with "Up a Creek" screening at 7:00 p.m.

This is a TRIP event. TRIP is an acronym for Trinity River Improvement Project. TRIP is a non-partisan, non-profit organization which advocates cleaning the Trinity River, while supporting development that does not spoil the natural aesthetics and historic nature of the river.

Go to the TRIP website for more information.