HORNBY & BEZMOZGIS

I was honored when Sundance asked me to moderate a public discussion with Nick Hornby and David Bezmozgis. Hornby needs little introduction–his beloved novels include About a Boy, High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, and How to Be Good. The author wrote the screenplay for An Education (directed by Lone Scherfig), a Sundance ’09 favorite starring Peter Sarsgaard and breakout actress, Carey Mulligan (Mulligan’s name is on everyone’s lips at Sundance; she is also in the Dramatic Competition feature, The Greatest). An Education premiered at Sundance with no distribution and will leave as a Sony Pictures Classics’ film (heading next to Berlin). David Bezmozgis is the celebrated Canadian author of Natasha and Other Stories, one of my favorite short story collections of the past decade. Bezmozgis’ lovely first feature (which he wrote and directed) — Victoria Day — has been warmly received at Sundance. I chatted with Hornby and Bezmozgis for almost an hour (about the process of adaptation, writing fiction versus screenplays, life on a film set as opposed to solitary writing, etc.) before we opened it up to questions from the packed house. The authors were tit for tat in their intelligence and graciousness; that sort of humility seems like an anomaly for a film festival (where self-promotion is practically expected). I highly recommend both authors’ films.

An Education could be quite successful for Sony, and marks the arrival of a major talent in Mulligan (whom some audience members compared to a young Cate Blanchett). I hope Bezmozgis’ film finds distribution in the United States, but until then, pick up a copy of Natasha and Other Stories. It’s a stunning collection (a debut on par with Goodbye, Columbus), and what most excited me from speaking with Bezmozgis is the news that he’s close to completing his first novel, which he’s been working on for the past four years. It was clear from listening to charmed audience members–and random Park City chatter–that Sundance ’09 was an opportunity to meet Carey Mulligan (star of An Education). While it may sound ridiculous to say this less than a week after the Sundance premiere of An Education, but I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised to see Mulligan’s performance and Hornby’s elegant screenplay receive love from Academy voters in a year. But for now, you can follow the film’s progress on Nick’s wonderful blog. And Michael Goldman at Digital Content Producer sat down with the film’s director, Lone Scherfig, and spoke to her for a podcast you can listen to here.