Another Best Documentary Win For the Monarch Movie

This crazy ride continues to exceed expectations.

I'm once again humbled to share that my documentary, Your Cinema Needs You has picked up a few more selections and awards on its ongoing international film festival tour this summer.

Last month the feature-length film was awarded Best Documentary in the feature-length category at the 2024 Edinburgh Film Awards, it made its way to Istanbul, Turkey for a selected screening, and just this week received its 12th Best Documentary nomination after being selected at the Detroit Independent Film Festival.

Amid this good news, I was reminded that it was exactly one year ago that we formally announced the completion of the film. I never imagined that I'd still be talking about this documentary a year later with the wide release not having happened yet, but here we are.

The long-delayed and surprise success of the premiere shows at the Monarch, followed by the (now) 7-month film festival tour, essentially turned this run into an entirely new project for 2024. It really has been an incredible journey to see this story spread, and I can't express how thrilled I am that so many others have latched onto this doc in recognition of the grassroots power of indie cinema, and quite literally in this case, the importance of indie cinemas like the Monarch Theatre.

Thank you all so much for all the support over this last year.

Your Cinema Needs You in Scotland

This month, Your Cinema Needs You is in Edinburgh, Scotland for the Edinburgh Film Awards where it's been nominated in the Best Documentary category. It's been incredible to see this film travel around the world and pick up so many official selections on this ambitious tour. Obviously, I was optimistic when casting such a wide net with my festival submissions for this documentary, but it's truly exceeded all expectations at this point. June will see the continuation of this festival run as details for the Canadian release are still being finalized.  

2023: Top Photo Essays of the Year

Suffice it to say, my feed was pretty documentary heavy in 2023, but I still found time to release some major travel shoots throughout the year. It's once again quite a mixed bag of locations, which is a nice reminder of just how much this aspect of my career has grown over the decade.

The 10 images shown here represent complete photo essays that were released on the Editing Luke site in 2023 - ranked as the 10 most viewed collections on the site this year. Thank you all for coming on this ride with me. Here's to continued adventures in 2024!

10. A visit with the Statue of Liberty

9. Capturing iconic London views from the Royal Leonardo Hotel

8. Inside the German Spy Museum in Berlin

7. A stay at Winnipeg's iconic Fort Garry 

6. The Big Donut: Randy's Donuts

5. Trying the best scotch at the Balmoral in Edinburgh, Scotland

4. Inside the Academy Museum in Los Angeles

3. A stay at the Watergate in Washington DC

2. Climbing the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City

1. Sunsets & Cowboy Baths: Camping out in a vintage trailer in Joshua Tree National Park 

A Glass of Scotch at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh

Before we even arrived in Scotland I had made it clear that I wanted to get a glass of scotch at the whisky bar in the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. It just seemed like an iconic thing to do. If you're unfamiliar, the Balmoral has been a fixture along Princes Street in Scotland's capital since opening in 1902, and to this day is one of Edinburgh's most recognizable landmarks.

What I hadn't anticipated over our stay in Scotland, however, was just how much whisky / scotch I would end up sampling. By our final night, not only had I had my fair share of variety already, but I had collected a mini-bars worth of small bottles to bring back home. The reason this is noteworthy is because looking back at this now, I can't remember exactly what kind of scotch I ended up having on that final night when I finally sat down in the Balmoral bar. 

I know I wrote it down, but have yet to find where I hid the note.

Memory loss seems a fitting end when making a point of sampling a lot of scotch in Scotland, I suppose. What I do remember is that the whisky I chose was aged 18 years, the Balmoral itself was incredibly beautiful, and the drink I had was by far the most expensive pour of all the variations I tried that trip. I may not remember the brand, but there's no denying I felt like a king in the castle that night in Edinburgh, Scotland.  

A Month of Travel Shoots Across Europe

For the month of September I was having the time of my life on what I can only describe as the most elaborate, continuous travel shoot I've completed to date. With shoots taking place across Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, and Scotland, there was no shortage of things to do, places to see, and experiences to capture. It was a wild month!

While content from these shoots won't really start to emerge until 2023, I did share a handful of highlights on the Editing Luke Instagram @editingluke as things were unfolding. Unlike most shoots were it feels relatively easy to sum up the adventure under a single banner or theme, I'm still reeling from just how varied and expansive this entire undertaking was. I'm going to need some time to be a bit more thought provoking - but, in short, it really was incredible.  

Unpacking a Suitcase of Travel Shoot Souvenirs

While the experience was undeniably incredible, I'm currently feeling a bit overstimulated and numb from this last month of travel shoots around Europe. It really was the adventure of a lifetime. A lot of this content won't surface until 2023 now, but I'm enjoying rediscovering all of the random bits and pieces I've brought home as I unpack and reorganize. 

Here are a few early highlights.

1. Kitschy French singles from a Parisian thrift shop.

2. Various pieces of the Berlin Wall.

3. A mini bar's worth of different Scotch from Scotland.

4. Belgian comicbook souvenirs - with an emphasis on finds from Tintin and Lucky Luke.

5. Retro inspired merch from Euro Disney's 30th anniversary - now known as Disneyland Paris.

6. A handcrafted "willy warmer" from Amsterdam ... for dressy occasions.

These were clearly all must haves in the moment lol.