Father Geek here to give you a wrap-up on one of the most unique Film Festivals in the world... annnnnnnd one I swear I'm going to attend next year. I've spent 4 summers up in and around Taos, New Mexico high in the Rockies and I loved those times. This fest is a great excuse to go back for a visit, plus I've never been there in the Spring and that has just got to be ungodly beautiful. Soooooo, you festival staff people fix up some AICN press passes for ol'Father Geek and a couple of other Aint It Cool staffers right now... we'll be seeing you next April...

Now here's a run down of the fest's last days for 2003...

A small, stoppered, glass bottle containing dirt and a sprig of native sage was handed to Campbell Scott Saturday night while the crowd at the Taos Talking Picture Festival Awards Presentation went wild. Much coveted by filmmakers, the modest little award represents the prize for winning the Taos Land Grant Award -- five acres of land on Cerro Montoso, just outside Taos. Scott's film, Off The Map, was selected by a jury as the winning example of a filmmaker's inventiveness and passion.

"I got the land!" Scott gleefully announced, holding the small bottle up as though it were made of gold. Then he invited the other nominated filmmakers to visit him on the land and described his idea of contacting other filmmakers who have won the Taos Land Grant Award to join together in creating a place for creative workshops. Noting that it was just the "germ" of an idea at this point, Scott talked about there someday being a retreat for writers and filmmakers - an escape into the special landscape of northern New Mexico to share ideas and collaborate.

Scott was the first person to win both the Taos Land Grant Award and the Maverick Award, a tribute to filmmakers who have retained their unique vision while creating an impressive body of work.

The Taos Talking Picture Festival Awards Presentation was sponsored by The Taos News, and the Taos Land Grant Award was sponsored by KTAO Solar Radio.

The first Taos BAFTA/LA Award for Excellence in Short Film went to Christin Cockerton, director of the 12-minute film, Deep Down. The film gives a perceptive view into the life of a woman striving to be a good daughter to her cranky mother, whose obsession with that "very special dress" challenges their relationship beyond the grave. The film, made in the United Kingdom, was first released there last year. The award is sponsored by Kodak Entertainment Imaging. Cockerton was on hand to accept the award.

As the ninth Taos Talking Picture Festival came to a close, Festival organizers were preparing to celebrate another successful Festival. According to Festival Executive Director Morten Nilssen this year's event has been the smoothest in the Festival's history. "I've never had so many festival-goers and filmmakers come up to me just to say what a great time they're having! We always have our little last-minute emergencies but this year, they're fewer and smaller, and the whole Festival just seems to be flowing beautifully," Nilssen said.

Attendance for the 2003 Festival is estimated at 5100, with more than 12,000 admissions to Festival events. Emilio Estevez, Sam Elliott and Alan Rudolph were among those on hand enjoying the films, festivities and sunny skies.

Film lovers packed the house for the New Zealand film, Whale Rider; Buddhadeb Dasgupta's A Tale of a Naughty Girl; Alan Rudolph's The Secret Lives of Dentists; and naturally, Off The Map. Several films gathered audiences as the Festival continued and the audience buzz spread: Vera, directed by Francisco Athié; Stuey, a Festival world premiere; and The Stoneraft from Spain. Another film that was in demand was the Canadian/British production, Touching Wild Horses.

Capacity crowds attended The Taos Media Forum events to hear alternative media presenters David Barsamian and Janine Jackson and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum. Ninety teenagers participated in the Taos Teen Media Conference, working with film and television professionals and educators including Stephen Marshall, Tim Sutton, David Wilson, Glenn H. Ribble, Deborah Fort, Austin Haeberle, Mitchell Stephens, Marie-Rose Phan-Le, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Teresa Foley, Antonio Lopez, Bruce McIntosh and David Barsamian. The Teen Media Conference was sponsored by Webb Design.

2003 Taos Talking Picture Festival Tributes included:

Cineaste Award: Chicano satirists

The Cineaste Award celebrates film artists whose work furthers understanding between cultures. This year's tributees were the Chicano Satirists including video and digital media artist Alex Rivera, cartoonist/filmmaker Lalo Lopez Alcaraz and filmmaker Esteban Zul. First State Bank of New Mexico is the sponsor of the Cineaste Award.

Taos Mountain Award: Ojo de Agua, Video Mexicana Indigena

The Taos Mountain Award recognizes the lifetime achievements of an outstanding aboriginal film professional. This year, Taos Talking Picture Festival recognized the work of indigenous mediamakers working through Ojo de Agua, a non-profit media organization based in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Storyteller Award: Neil LaBute

The Storyteller Award honors a writer/director for outstanding filmmaking. LaBute, following in the footsteps of playwright-filmmakers like Rainer Werner Fassbinder and David Mamet, has demonstrated his prodigious talents behind the camera. A new film, The Shape of Things, was screened at the Festival.

Taos Talking Pictures, a New Mexico-based not-for-profit 501(c)(3) media-arts organization, encourages the thoughtful production and informed consumption of the mass media. The year-round calendar, which includes film screenings and educational programs, culminates each April with the Taos Talking Picture Festival. The Festival is a celebration of cinema as a creative art form and a venue for the examination and discussion of ways media affect our culture and our communities.