By Sharon Katz

I'm sitting here in the KLM lounge in Toronto waiting for my flight to Paris so I can make my connection to Rome where I'm on the jury of this year's I Castelli Animati.

At the entrance door to this lounge is a reproduction of Rembrandt's "Night Watch." How ironic. Rembrandt died pretty much a pauper, rejected by the cognizenti and collectors who hungered after work that was more fashionable. It wasn't always like that for Rembrandt. His work was popular in years previous. But fashion changed, while he stuck to his vision.

It makes me think about the filmmakers whose work doesn't get in to festivals, and how resilient one has to be to take the rejections in stride, to go on believing in one's work in spite of the tough times.

It's very hard being an artist. You have a vision, you translate it into a work of art or a film, then put it out there for the world to judge. You have to be made of strong stuff for this.

So here's to every filmmaker who dreamed a film, actually got it animated in spite of the odds, and put it out there to be judged. I salute you, and I salute your courage.

Sharon Katz is a visual artist working in still and animated imagery. Her award winning animations screen at art and film festivals around the world, and her drawings and paintings are held in art collections in Canada and abroad. You can visit her website at www.sharonkatz.net/about and reach her by email at katz@sharonkatz.net.