During the week leading up to Thanksgiving, Constance Marks had a lot more on her mind than who was coming to dinner. She and about 3,811 other independent filmmakers were anxiously waiting to hear whether their submissions to the Sundance Film Festival had been accepted.
Marks was at an appointment when her cell phone displayed the much-anticipated 213 area code where festival experts had been screening entries from all over the world and she couldn’t take the call for more than an hour. But when she finally reached Sundance programmer Adam Montgomery, the news was just what she had hoped for her film “Being Elmo” had been chosen for the Sundance Film Festival’s prestigious Documentary Competition. It was one of only 16 out of 841 entries that made the cut.
The recognition was doubly sweet because the Director of Photography on the project is her husband, James Miller. According to Marks, she and her husband and about 20 crew and family members are now busily planning their trip to Park City in January.
It is not Marks’ first trip to Sundance. Her film “Green Chimneys” was accepted by Sundance in 1998. But the excitement is still fresh. “When we go, we are going to have the time of our lives,” she said.
“Being Elmo” is about Kevin Clash, the man plays the sweet, funny Sesame Street Muppet of the same name. And, according to Marks, Kevin Clash is as kind and generous as the little round-faced character who is loved around the world.
Marks’ relationship with Clash began when her husband worked for Sesame Street creator Jim Henson. Marks and Miller had a baby girl and Miller was sharing pictures of her at work. Clash (and Elmo) sat down to look at the photos and they made a video.
“I thought it was extraordinary that he would take the time to make this little valentine for us and our daughter,” Marks remembers, adding that two years later she instructed her husband to “tell that man your wife has a crush on him and wants to make a documentary about him.”
Marks and Miller followed Clash as he traveled around the world with his furry and wildly famous alter ego, Elmo.
“He is a tremendous talent who comes from a remarkable family who didn’t have many resources,” said Marks. “It is a story about perseverance, talent, love and generosity.”
Audiences will get their first look at “Being Elmo” when it premieres at Sundance where Marks also hopes it catches a distributor’s eye. “We haven’t shown it to anyone yet, she said.
According to Sundance organizers, “Being Elmo” is one of 115 feature-length films representing 28 countries that were selected for this year’s festival. A list of the other competition films begins on page C-7.