On Wednesday night, the first Woodstock in the City screening (co-sponsored by the Woodstock Film Festival and Indiepix — of Frank Popper’s incredible CAN MR. SMITH STILL GET TO WASHINGTON? was a ravishing success.

Playing to a full house at the lovely Makor cinema, the film captivated and impressed; every person I talked to at the reception was inspired by the story of Jeff Smith, a tiny firecracker of a guy with a notable lisp and boundless energy. The Q & A was long and interesting, and the reception filled with interesting conversations.

Among the many friends and colleagues who came out to show support were: Agnes Varnum , Erica Berenstein , Joe Pacheco of the Brooklyn Independent Cinema Series , t-shirt designer Jessye McDowell , Call It Democracy director Matt Kohn, members of the Working Families Party , David Dundas of Youare.tv , documentarian extraordinaire Aaron Kreiswirth , Brian G the Film Panel Notetaker himself , Lila Yomtoob, director of High Life , Martha Pinson, director of Don’t Nobody Love the Game , and many others. Including my dad and sister. Who are pretty damn cool. I got to chat with director Frank Popper for a bit. He is a first-time filmmaker, and new to the distribution game, but the film is not going to have ANY problem finding an audience. It’s really a mesmerizing journey. Jordan and I sat down in the office, in the middle of a very busy day, with the intention of watching the first 20 minutes. We could not bring ourselves to turn it off. In addition, the savvy Sarah Jo Marks (aka the Documentary Insider , loved the film so much that she became its representative. It’s a big deal for a first time filmmaker to World Premiere at Silverdocs AND win the AUDIENCE AWARD. It was pointed out that the film that won this very award in 2005, Marshall Curry’s engrossing STREETFIGHT, was nominated for an Oscar. We’ll keep our fingers crossed, Frank!