Wednesday 2nd November - The Boy Mir, Frontline Club, London.

So here we are, the day after the night before. More4 showed THE BOY MIR – TEN YEARS IN AFGHANISTAN last night . After all the to-ing and fro-ing, the contracting, the hustling, the 70-page security protocols that went back and forth, the film has come and gone. Ten years ago, it would have been on Channel 4 and watched by 2 million. More 4 – it’s 200,000. Then again, in the cinemas, you’ll get 2000, maybe 20,000…So it’s a rough old game. But it’s on catch-up and will be repeated and folk are talking on social media about buying the DVD…so who knows? There is so much stuff out there, so much competition on your and my time, that having anyone see your film at all is a minor miracle. But still, one can’t help but feel a little low – I really want people to see the film and, moreover, think they should. I write this on a plane to Washington (very nice flight on Delta I have to say) where I’m screening at the Smithsonian. A couple of days earlier I had a nice screening at the best club in London, the Frontline Club in Paddington… it was the first time I felt I really benefitted from writing a blog – someone at the club had read how a cinema recently did not feel it could give me a free pudding with a coffee (despite my travelling at my expense for 4 hours to get there) and so the lovely lady at the Frontline gave me a free dinner! Mind you, the event was sold out and I could have done with a fee too. How are film-makers supposed to make ends meet? I don’t get it. Anyways, here I am flying merrily to Washington DC for another screening. I'm only staying a night but the organisation has provided the flight in business so it's all very comfortable (albeit via Atlanta) and I have got a huge amount of work done. I'm one of those rare folk who look forward to long flights as I get so much done....