“The Trophy” by Mort Laitner

 

 

 

 

 

“The Trophy” by Mort Laitner

When I produced “The Stairs”, I fantasied about being at a film festival’s red carpet award gala (Academy Awards) in my tux, giving my acceptance speech to a house packed with celebrities and receiving a trophy as photographers clicked my picture.

I wrote about my fantasy in a vignette where I mentioned my angst after attending  eight galas and not winning a single trophy. 

I left those galas feeling the pain of rejection.

I watched the trophy winners raised their arm, waving their prize in the air to a room filled with applause.

My eyes wept invisible tears.

Well the gods of fame and pride heard my prayers. They were not the Greek gods of hubris offended by my success. But they made me wait a year until my last festival—the Miami Beach Film Festival.

I saw celebs seated in the Marco Polo Hotel ballroom:

Patrick Decile, an actor from last years Oscar winning movie “Moon Light”;

Marty Wisher, a beautiful Barbara Eden clone and star of “Three Wishes”;

Kamen Drandarov, actor and producer of “Tesla”  which recently aired on PBS;

Stewart Solomon, Gloria Estefan’s acting coach.

David Schroeder, writer and producer of “This Modern Man Is Beat” which had been accepted in 102 film festivals and won 36 awards;

All of us drank wine, ate steak and waited for the awards.

As the trophies dwindled from the awards table, my mouth soured as if I had bitten into a crabapple—that sour pithy taste of failure.

Then I heard the words from the mouth of Jill Melody, the festival’s  executive director. Words I had waited one year for.

Winner of the Miami Beach Film Festival award for best historical drama, short film goes to “The Stairs” Mort Laitner, writer.”

As the photographers clicked and the applause blanketed my body, I smiled and held my trophy high in the air.

My fantasy had become a reality.

My dream had come true.

 

 

Remember you can buy all of our books, A Hebraic Obsession, The Greatest Gift and The

Hanukkah Bunny on Barnes and Noble and Amazon. The movie “The Stairs” is available

for$15.00 through this website.

 

 

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January 17, 2018