Filmmaker Fete brings fans and filmmakers together
March 1, 2008
Sculptor Larry Young has worked for the festival since its inception, each year designing and creating the True Vision Award. This year, Alex Gibney, the Academy Award-winning director of “Gonzo” and “Taxi to the Dark Side” will receive the honor.
“I’m excited because I haven’t seen his film, but I’m real proud that he’s receiving this and that he has the guts to stand up for truth,” Young says.
“It’s been awesome,” Donnelly says. “Every time I talk to my parents or anyone in New York now, I tell them you can’t imagine how amazing this place is. The whole town has been great––there’s lot’s of cool stuff here. It’s like being on vacation. Club Med with lots of movies.”
Michael Monahan of Jimmy John’s Sandwich Shop is one of the many representatives of the festival’s sponsors. As a sponsor, Jimmy John’s donates money, food and gift certificates.
“We mostly wanna feed ‘em,” Monahan says.
The company has been involved with the festival for several yyears.
“It’s a very good thing for Columbia,” Monahan says. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Monahan had already seen nine films by Saturday afternoon.
“I’ve enjoyed almost all of them,” Monahan says. “Some of them really piss you off and really hit home. Others are pure fun.”
The filmmakers are not the only ones present at the festival representing their films. Fiona Dall, one of the teachers at England’s Mulberry Bush School, the subject of the film “Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go.”
“It was very strange,” Dall says. “It was unlike anything I had ever experiences. We were quite worried about how it was going to be edited. I think it made us very anxious.”
Dall says she was satisfied with the result and thought director Kim Longinotto portrayed the school for children suffering from severe emotional trauma with sensitivity.
“We had to trust she would do a good job,” Dall says.
Dall says being present at the question and answer sessions for the film has been an enlightening experience both for her and the audience.
“It’s a good opportunity for me to be able to explain some of the bits that people may not understand,” Dall says. “It’s good for them to ask the questions and then I can explain.”
The filmmakers have enjoyed the chance to chat with others in their profession, as well as those who merely enjoy the art of filmmaking. “Secret Screening (Green)” director Joshua Weinstein says he appreciates the intimacy of the festival and its ability to allow for these conversations to happen.
“They are very nice,” Weinstein says. “At a festival like this, you can actually talk to people. In major cities like New York or Los Angeles where all these filmmakers are based, you never actually get to sit down and talk with people because it’s so rushed. You have the luxury of talking to these people here. The only rush here is to get to the open bar.”
Weinstein expressed his gratitude for the festival organizers and the city of Columbia, citing certain aspects more than others.
“The air quality here is so great,” Weinstein says. “It’s so tasty.”
Film fans were also given the opportunity to chat with those in the industry. Passholder Joel Heller, who operates a blog called Docs That Inspire, was having a lively conversation about bands like Ween and Balkan Beat Box with “An Alternative to Slitting Your Wrist” director Owen Lowery.
“We were just talking about his film and about how great of a music town Austin is,” Heller says.
Lowery handed a DVD copy of his film to Heller for his personal viewing.
“Owen knows how to market himself,” Heller says. “He wrote my email address on his arm in Sharpie and offered me a copy of his DVD.”
The intimacy of the festival has had an impact on Lowery as well. He commented on how he enjoyed the premiere screening of his film at MU.
“It was so much fun,” Lowery says. “ It was the nicest reception I think I’ve ever had. I thought college kids would make fun of me like they did when I was in college, but it was so cool.”
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