The Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival is a rarity in that its scope should far exceed the reach of its quartet of volunteer staff that manages to produce the film festival year-after-year. Of course, every single film festival self romanticizes the idea that they are a band of misfits and scrappy champions of film that are battling against all of the odds and the big boys each year to somehow manage to put on their event that is unlike any other around. I always love it when a film festival head earnestly tells me that they are unique in the film festival world because they “care about the filmmakers.” I mean, thank goodness there is that one film festival that does, right?!
Anyway, Sound Unseen, under the leadership and
self-relying efforts of Jim Brunzell and Rich Gill (with equal pillars of
festing support, Kat Swenson and Cody Raisch this year) DO put on a great fest
and attract top line filmmakers and fill seats in numerous theaters around
Minneapolis. There is a very good reason they were included in this year’s
MovieMaker Mag “25 Coolest Film Festivals” list. The fact that they exist and
have continued to do so in such a solid nature is cool in and of itself. Having
the rock n’ roll Moxy Hotel as their festival hub is cool. And I mean that rock
n’ roll thing literally. Each room has an electric guitar and an amp. I’m not
kidding. Being able to hopscotch between the class of the Walker Art Center to
the classically independent Art House atmosphere of the Trylon Theater to a
theater/bowling alley hybrid, etc. AND have the solid support of Extreme Noise
Records, which lives and thrives in 2019 like Napster and Kanye West never
happened – I mean Sound Unseen just exudes cool.
But they have never done a red carpet. And they shouldn’t. Wouldn’t fit with
their personality. However, a photo call with some interviews? They were
overdue to add that to the mix.
And now they have….
Sometimes, filmmakers’ schedules make it impossible to participate in the red carpets or the photo calls….or life, I guess. And sometimes, I just happen to be around and I want to make sure I can squeeze filmmakers into the photo gallery (even though they were not actually there). And then again, sometimes, it’s a filmmaker cocktail thing the night before and the step and repeat or the signage has already been put up and the lighting is all kinda cool and rock and roll and this is a music doc fest, so….