my first public screening

Last Saturday I show my film with the lady in Victoria square on a screening in east end film festival.
www.eastendfilmfestival.com
The opening night of the festival there were people saying that on Saturday there going to be a screening in the foyer and people were welcome to show their short films, I had with me a lot of work since I was in London for an interview for a placement for a masters degree. So I thought I will show my dot animation or the documentary from last year. So I went in on Saturday and I realised I didn't have with me the the documentary in good quality and that I also had a swf file for the animation, so I gave them the video with the lady. At the beginning I thought they would put the films to play alone but I soon realised it was a proper screening people were sitting on chairs it was a microphone and a lady was asking one after the other the directors to introduce their films. I panicked but it was too late. I panicked because I didn't know what to say and also because the audience in this type of film events would not expect to see a film like mine that is made for a gallery space or maybe for a screening for experimental videos but certainly not for a proper film festival in London. And then I heard my name And reached the microphone and I remember saying:
Hello the next piece is a last minute addition to the screening and is not a film, it is more like a moving photograph, originally part of a video installation, so please be patient. Thank you
And then the film started and it was the only film without sound and without story.
But I felt nice watching it on a big screen and knowing that people were watching something that they didn't expect and that it would make them wonder.
At the end people clapped and somebody that I don't know who cheered loudly.
I disn't stay until the end of the event this night because I had to see a movie in another cinema so My feedback was the clappings the one cheer and feedback from my friends that were there with me (I know that the cheer wasn't from them though)

So now I know that is really very easy to include your work in screenings.
Also that as scary as it feels at the end is always better.
And that the only way to start a dialogue and to know what you want from your self and to find your artistic position is to expose your work to the public. And also you can never foresee the reaction of the public, some times there are surprises.