http://www.cinema-scope.com/cs36/col_finn_festivals.html
Jim Finn put together an incredible editorial in the latest edition of Cinema Scope titled, “Damn Dirty Apes: Dead Festivals in the USA.” In this article, Finn talks about three major film festivals that have all gone under. The New York Underground Film Festival, Cinematexas, and Thaw were the festivals that Finn attended during periods of operation. Not only did Finn give me an appreciation of how important these festivals were, but also how important it is that more festivals are born.
The most powerful line in the entire article was towards the end when Finn said that these festivals “helped give all of the filmmakers who screened at them the opportunity to live as humans.” I think this entire article is very timely. Not only does Finn discuss how difficult it is for these festivals to “pay the bills,” but the difficulties created by YouTube and other forums for video distribution. Finn describes specific experiences at each of the festivals, even mentioning Kevin Everson as a filmmaker he discovered at a festival.
Finn does a great job of pulling the reader into the community of filmmakers that can be encountered at a film festival. He even explains how screening for a small audience can be a powerful experience, if the audience is educated. “It didn’t take me long to learn that 20 nerds who see and love your work are equal to or better than 300 who see it and are mildly annoyed.” This was a powerful message for me, because I attend screenings for experimental filmmakers and I always wonder how the minimal turn out affects them.
This article is put together very well and states a good message. If you are a member or claim to be a member of the “film community,” then you owe an awful lot to these small film festivals that never withstand the test of time. Fans should be perpetuating these festivals by doing whatever they can to keep the community strong and the art of film alive.
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1 comment:
Conner - thanks for directing me to this. I need to take a look. I think I first saw the work of Jim Finn at THAW, and he once put on this great video festival in Chicago. Video Mundi. I thinkit was called?
Be curious: what do you think of the "scene" here? I must confess a certain combination of fatigue/complacency/distraction. What local events -screenings or festivals - do you think are vital, work? Or what models - anywhere - do you think work, as an event, as a showcase for film, as a gesture at community?
Or,in thinking about the events that you attend, what has been good about them, what has been lacking? Or, what do you think we should be doing here?
Sorry to grill you so, but as some one involved in some way with exhibition, I am interested in helpful feedback, am wondering about new models. Two things: 1) s the festival a dinosaur? & 2) my favorite festival is Media City in Windsor, Ontario, which, as these things go, is nearby. (http://www.houseoftoast.ca/mediacity/)
Again, I appreciate your engagement with and selection of this article. You give a good sense of the article, and maybe I'd like to hear more of your ideas and takes on it.
Carl
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