SOS is not A fest

Written by Brian Craig Hinderberger

With original films, live music, filmmaker conversations, and multiple artists sharing the same stage, Song of Sunset can appear similar to a film or music festival. For a time, I considered moving further in that direction by adding more films, more musicians, and more people to the program.

But I have realized that Song of Sunset is not a festival, and it should not try to act like one or want to become one.

I am a professional content creator, musician, and filmmaker. Throughout my life, I have moved between these creative worlds, writing songs, performing music on amazing stages, producing stories for television and magazines, making films, and creating experiences that connect people with ideas.

As an older artist I have the privilege of bringing all of those disciplines together has been a lifelong dream.

Long before Song of Sunset had a name, I imagined an evening where a film could lead into a live conversation, where a conversation could become a song, and where music could carry the emotion of a story beyond the screen. I wanted to create something that felt more alive than a traditional film screening and more meaningful than a typical concert.

That is the heart of Song of Sunset.

Like many independent filmmakers, I have submitted my work to festivals and experienced the joy of getting accepted to a film festival and disappointment of not being programmed. That can make a filmmaker question the work, or feel tempted to create another festival environment with a different set of gatekeepers.

But Song of Sunset was never meant to be a response to the traditional festival system. It is an opportunity to build something different.

A festival usually presents audiences with a large collection of films, performers, stages, and schedules. Song of Sunset is intentionally more focused. It brings everyone into one room and guides the audience through one carefully curated journey.

The films introduce ideas and people. The live panels allow those stories to continue beyond the screen. The musicians then carry the emotions, themes, and sense of place into a shared performance. Each part of the evening is selected to strengthen the whole.

This is why simply adding more films or musicians would not necessarily make Song of Sunset better. The goal is not to fill every available minute. The goal is to create an experience with rhythm, meaning, and room for the audience to connect.

As Song of Sunset grows, I want that growth to come through greater depth and higher production values: larger venues, stronger projection and sound, more immersive lighting, ambitious original films, exceptional musicians, compelling speakers, and partners who believe in the power of bringing people together.

The venues may become larger. The productions may become more expensive. The artists and stories may reach wider audiences. But the experience should always remain personal, intentional, and carefully directed.

I now see Song of Sunset as a premium live-cinema and music experience, a touring series where original films, filmmaker conversations, and live performances become one cohesive theatrical event.

It is more intimate than a festival, more cinematic than a concert, and more alive than a traditional screening.

Most importantly, it is the experience I have wanted to create for much of my life, and the experience I have always wanted to attend.

Please help support this vision! Buy a ticket and experience Song of Sunset when it comes to your town.