Sometimes I make special mugs just to give away. When I saw Beowulf & Grendel in Canada about a year ago, I was so taken with the movie that I started actively trying to get it shown in the U.S. It needed a distributor, but first it needed a track record. I and some other fans began working to get it included in the Seattle International Film Festival. It did get put on the roster and the film's director, Sturla Gunnarsson, was lined up to come ands speak before the screening.
In the meantime, I had played around with the idea of making mugs with an applied streamlined Viking helmet design. I made several and tested different glaze effects, coming up with a final design that worked well both in form and glaze coloration. Some mugs went to people who had worked to get the film out there, some went to cast members and one to the screenwriter, Andrew Berzins.
When the film was shown at the Seattle International Film Festival, I was fortunate enough to meet Sturla and give him the mug. A group of us spent the evening having dinner with him and talking about the rigors of filmaking. What this cast and crew went through to bring this movie to the screen is a monument to tenacity. The website, www.beowulfandgrendel.com, is still up and the DVD is available for purchase. "Wrath of the Gods" , making it's rounds at various film festivals, is a documentary about the incredible problems that were faced and dealt with in order to make the movie. It is also available on DVD and can be found at www.wrathofgods.com.
So here's to you, guys, may you continue to make more great movies!
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