The time I spent in Arlington, MA for the Lonely Seal International Film Festival this past weekend was unforgettable. Smaller crowds coming and going made for perfect one on one and group networking. The location of the glorious Regent Theater is a dream. Plenty of restaurants and coffee shops surround the theater allowing one to spend the entire day and evening at the theater. I learned invaluable information about distribution, crowd funding/raising money, production tips, etc.. The festival’s founder and director, Hammad Zaidi, is over the top kind and open with his knowledge and stories of his time in the business. I wish I could have got to Arlington sooner to have spent more time learning from him. The Regent Theater’s manager/director of programming, Leland Stein, was a joy to be around. Everything about this festival and experience was positive. I’ve been to a few high quality festivals and had wonderful experiences but never one like this. Lonely Seal is different in a way that puts it on the top of my film festival experience lists. Thank you Lonely Seal for all you do for us filmmakers, writers, musicians, and fans of cinema.