A NOTE FROM ADAM CIOLFI

As many of you are aware, The Lady of Names has enjoyed a measure of success since its premiere in September 2011. I feel fortunate that the film has been able to find an appreciative audience during its festival appearances thus far. With 3 more screenings on the horizon, I am hopeful that it will have continued success.

It is extremely rare for any small, independent film to find an audience. People are inundated by the media in so many ways that it is almost impossible to be noticed in the crowd. You are competing with the massive marketing campaigns of studios that employ armies of animators, spend millions of dollars and use the best computer technology on the planet to create their films. There is the perceived success of viral videos, individuals doing incredibly stupid things getting millions of hits on line. I won't even begin to address the shallowness of the popular music industry.

In this environment it often seems impossible for a film like The Lady of Names to exist. But exist it does and it will have an enormous challenge competing in what is more so now than ever before, an industry. Corporations run all the major studios and they are more interested in what will make money than what will make a good movie. Something like The Lady of Names just doesn't show up on their radar.

So what am I complaining about? No one forced me to spend 15 years making this film. Just like no one is forcing me to send it out into the world to try and find its way in a hostile environment. All this is true. I have no reason to gripe. In fact, I am in a fortunate; some might even say enviable position. Against all odds, The Lady of Names was created in a unique and unprecedented way; by hand, one frame at a time, by a single individual. In a world of mass produced entertainment, that makes it something of an original.

Whether that makes it worth supporting is up to you. That the film can only be seen at festivals at this time is a major drawback. It's hard to endorse something you haven't seen and we all know movie trailers can lie.

What I'm asking for is a leap of faith.

I have created a SUBMISSIONS tab on this site that lists all the festivals The Lady of Names is currently in consideration for. Send them a note saying you have heard of The Lady of Names and would like to see it at their festival. If there is an audience for a film, they will schedule it. I have provided their e-mail address and link to their home page. Share your thoughts on our FACEBOOK page. Even do something as small as "liking" it. Tell your family and friends about it. All these things can make a difference. This is the only way a film like The Lady of Names can survive and perhaps even flourish.

The Lady of Names will never win an Oscar but it has won its share of awards. And while I am not suggesting that any of these awards can in any way be equated to an Academy Award, I would point out that on 3 separate occasions so far, in places totally unassociated with each other, festival juries and audiences have seen fit to recognize the film with a Best Animated Feature award. This is not a fluke. Something about the film is clicking with those who have seen it and with your help that audience can be made to grow.

Adam