We're coming up on our first full evening for the festival, and things are definitely hopping!

We'll be starting at 6:45 with Reprise, followed at 7:00 with First Snow and The Old Man Who Read Love Stories. At 7:15, screenings will start for A Map For Saturday and Salty Air.

A few heads-ups about those screenings! This is a very popular time of the evening, and two of the screenings -- First Snow and The Old Man Who Read Love Stories -- are on Standby now. So get here early! Once they know how many seats are still available for people in the Standby line for one of those films, the people in the front of the line will get to go in first. So the earlier you get here, the better your chances are. Also, we still have plenty of tickets for Reprise, Salty Air, and A Map For Saturday, all of which are fantastic films themselves.

There will be Filmmaker Q&As after The Old Man Who Read Love Stories and A Map For Saturday. If you're a Rolf de Heer fan (and I know a whole lot of you are), this is a great chance to get his insights on his film. (All the more reason to get in line as early as you can!) And if you're a fan of exotic locales, you definitely want to get in line early for A Map For Saturday. While tickets for that movie probably won't run out, that's because it's playing in two theaters. Once the first theater is filled, the second theater will be opened for the overflow. But the Q&A will only happen in the first theater, and given how fascinating Brook Silva-Braga's journey was, you'll need to make sure you're in line early if you want to participate!

So far nothing's gone on Standby in the 9:00 Round, but I'll keep an eye on that and let you know if anything changes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wow, you guys are amazing! Yesterday was the Festival's biggest First Friday ever, with more than 3,800 attendees! And today is looking to be huge, too!

I don't know about you, but I woke up to solid white in front of my house! Cleveland's getting between 1 and 3 inches of snow over the course of the day, so if you're driving down here, please make sure to give yourself extra time, especially because parking is going to be tight and tricky with all of the St. Patrick's Day revelers coming down. If you want to save yourself a headache, RTA is the way to go. I took the red line in, myself.

We're getting ready for the noon round of films now, and are they ever a fantastic group! We kicked off this morning with American Visa and What Means Motley at 9:30, which are some really wonderful films. Next up at 11:30, we have Angosto and The Art of Crying. Then, at 11:45, we have The Bet Collector and The World's Best Commercials, and at noon we have the 10% Shorts Program.

A few words to the wise: The World's Best Commercials is already on Standby, and it looks like the 10% Shorts Program will go on Standby, too. This doesn't mean that you can't see the films, but it does mean that your best bet is to arrive early. Also, if your schedule mentioned a Filmmaker Q&A for The Bet Collector, there won't actually be one for this screening. But it's still a really impressive film that you should go see.

I'm gathering information about the 2:00 round and will get that up really soon. Have a wonderful time and wear lots of green!

I have to say, I love all the people I'm working with.

This is the best group of people ever. As crazy as things get -- and they get pretty crazy! -- there's so much wonderful energy and cooperation and such a strong sense of fun. You should know that, when you come down here and see us, all of the smiles on people's faces are genuine. I've never seen such grace under pressure.

And you guys are totally amazing too! I'd like to put up a special shout-out to last night's audience for A Map For Saturday, who responded so generously to Toby Devan Lewis's challenge! You guys raised $1,400 for our Challenge Match, putting us over $7,500! And you were all so sweet to Brook Silva-Braga's mother! That warmed all of our hearts. You made the premiere of Brook's film a huge success!

We're coming up on the 2:00 PM round, and we have even more spectacular films for you. We'll be kicking off at 1:45 with First Snow and Looking For Leonard. Then, at 2:00, Thicker Than Water will start, followed by the Family Shorts Program and A Map For Saturday at 2:15. Stellar choices, all!

Be aware: First Snow and A Map For Saturday are currently on Standby, and we think that the Family Shorts Program will probably go on Standby soon, too. Remember, Standby does not mean we're sold out, but it does mean that you'll want to get in line early so that you'll have the best chance of getting in. So finish up that green beer and get over here! ;-)

It's getting on towards time for the 9:00 Round of films! Things are going to get wild and busy tonight, especially with St. Patrick's Day revelers still thronging downtown, so you definitely want to get here early. Especially because three of our five films in the round are already on Stand-By!

We're starting at 9:30 with Fay Grim and Who Loves the Sun. Then at 9:45, Alexandra's Project and A Grave-Keeper's Tale will begin. Finishing out the round is the provocative Boy Culture at 10:00.

At this time, Alexandra's Project, Boy Culture, and Fay Grim are all on Stand-By, so the earlier you arrive, the better your chances are of getting seated. We have four Filmmaker Q&A sessions this round. Alexandra's Project attendees will have another wonderful opportunity to talk to Rolf de Heer, while Boy Culture attendees can talk to actor Derek Magyar. Derek is on the cover of The Advocate this month! Director Chitra Palekar will field questions once A Grave-Keeper's Tale finishes screening, and Who Loves the Sun attendees can talk to director Matt Bissonnette and producer Corey Marr. That's a lot of very stimulating conversation!

There is an incredible festival adventure story attached to Who Loves the Sun, that I hope I'll be able to share with you tomorrow. More soon!