Reporting on film festivals
“As we continue to prepare for next month’s film festival, we want to be very clear about the aggressive steps we are taking in order to make our film festival safe so our patrons can begin to get back to enjoying the movie going experience in the company of other people again,” said Executive Director Melanie Addington.
Call for Entries have opened exclusively on Film Freeway for the 22nd edition of the Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival, which will take place November 10-14, 2021. The film festival will once again be offered virtually to both Minnesota and Texas, with the potential to expand to a hybrid approach with in-person screenings in Minneapolis and Austin.
San Luis Obispo Film Festival Director Skye McLennan said, “Following last year’s whirlwind experience to shift our film festival to an online presentation seemingly overnight due to the onset of the pandemic, it’s a gift to know that the same dedication we put into selecting our films is matched by the SLO Film Fest audience’s anticipation to see them – virtually or in-person. But safety is still the priority, so while we will all go to the drive-in for Surf Nite, the rest of the time, we will once again be coming into our film faithful’s homes to deliver the best movies we could find.”
Oxford Film Festival’s Executive Director, Melanie Addington, said, “In a year of crisis, we were reminded that one thing remains constant: movies bring us together, bring out our shared humanity, help us navigate sorrow, joy, love, trauma, remind us to laugh, and keeps us occupied while sheltering at home.
“Ashley’s film is important, timely and the perfect culmination to a week of honest conversations with over 800 independent film exhibitors at FIlmEx. We’re thrilled to support the filmmakers in presenting UNAPOLOGETIC to audiences across North America, in this new model of distribution, and look forward to hearing her talk about the experience of making the film and how it reflects on what we just saw take place in Georgia and the rest of the country.”
Holbrooke said, “While this has been a year like no other, we also know that our planet’s air, water and biodiversity continue to be enormously threatened. The filmmakers out there in the environmental space are going to keep making the movies that bring us stories that both disturb and inspire us to be better stewards of the earth.”
Call for Entries have opened for the 23rd edition of Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF), which will take place June 9-13, 2021. The Austin-based film festival will return with a virtual presentation following the success of this year’s special Virtual Showcase.
Film Festival Alliance Executive Director Lela Meadow-Conner, said, “FilmEx will set the tone for the year to come, bringing everyone in the ever-growing film festival and art house cinema communities together in the virtual space we are all currently inhabiting, to share new ideas, methods, and business practices, as our members and others continue to innovate the ways in which we present films, and benefit filmmakers, distributors and audiences. We hope to join the voices of experience and bring new ones to the table, to look at the ways in which we move forward and the opportunities that exist for change.”
Vasquez and DiGiorgio said, “We took on the challenge to do a virtual presentation and the combination of our Billy the Kid Film Festival with Justina Walford and the Women Texas Film Festival actually confirmed that we were on the right track in creating this film festival just two years ago. It was clear – even in the virtual space – how special and unique Texas film is and how much our local Hico and Hill Country community enjoys and supports the work of those filmmakers. The fact that we could also make a dedicated effort to support and put forward the work of some wonderful women filmmakers and talent also made for a wonderful weekend.”
The 2020 Naples International Film Festival announced the filmmaker award winners following the conclusion of this year’s virtual/outdoor screening hybrid fest. The jury prize for Best Narrative Feature (and a cash prize of $1,250) went to David Gutnik’s MATERNA, and the jury prize for Best Documentary Feature (and $1,250) was given to Brian Morrison’s BASTARDS’ ROAD. Audience Awards went to Lanie Zipoy’s THE SUBJECT (Best Narrative Film) and Lynn Montgomery’s AMAZING GRACE (Best Documentary Film), which each won a cash prize of $1000.
