By St. Clair Bourne (1943 - 2007)

To be a politically conscious filmmaker of African descent living in the “New World” is to realize that history is really multiple “versions of reality.” Despite what the corporate media tells you, there really isn’t one objective . Aside from the political implications, multiple “histories” which also makes documentary filmmaking more interesting.

Cathryne Czubek, or as I call her, Cathryne the Beautiful, has released a Current TV short based on the premise of her current feature film in post-production. A Girl and a Gun explores the complex relationship of American women and weapons.

“These girls may look young and harmless but underneath their teenage skin is a passion for shooting guns. Take a look at the emerging scene of young female gun enthusiasts that are changing the face of a predominantly male dominated sport.”

If you haven’t met Katie Brown, producer of The Trials of Darryl Hunt, well, that’s sad for you. She is a bright, warm young woman who consistantly astonishes me with her wisdom. I guess it’s a quarter-life crisis that prompted her to take a break from the grind of the indie film world to seek out new experiences in Italy, olive-picking to be exact. If you saw her during the summer in New York, her tales of the filmmakers-turned-Tuscan farmers, Barbara & Ugo, who were just waiting for her to arrive in the fall, I’m sure like me, you wanted to hear all about it. I guess others told her that as well, so she started a blog which she has been updating regularly.

She spent her first 3 weeks in Italy at a language school before moving on to the farm, where she is now. It’s a true-life adventure and Katie’s writing is the kind that wonderful travel memoirs are made of… The Single Girls Guide to Olive Picking:

Strange, sad, and exciting that it is my last day in Firenze. It’s been a perfect 3-week package. A veritable pu-pu platter of life. Ups, downs, the unexpected, and the routine. An opportunity to carve out an everyday role amidst exquisite beauty and sheer indulgence. Most importantly, a new take on the same 24 hours that make up all of our days.

Tonight is a full moon, and the reflection in the Arno has created a true illusion. All of the buildings that parallel the Arno are reflected in the water so clearly that you can not tell that they don’t actually exist in double. None of it seems real.