The 2019 Naples International Film Festival has tropical red carpet featuring honoree Joey Pants

The Naples International Film Festival, which recently took place from November 24-27, like all film festivals, takes it’s cue from the people at the top (Executive Director, Artistic Director, Festival Producer, etc.). In this case, that leadership and tone come from Festival Producer Shannon Franklin. She has been there from the beginning, she is the heart and soul of the fest, and she is – and this is vitally important: fun. She enjoys doing the film festival thing. She loves the films and gets giddy joy out of being with and talking to the filmmakers.

You would think that would be a common denominator among people that do what she does. But guess what? It’s not.

However, NIFF has another secret weapon that makes it unique and a must stop for a filmmaker (if they can get accepted into the lineup) in the midst of their film festival tour: The Artis—Naples duo of CEO/President Kathleen van Bergen, and Executive Vice President, Artistic Operations David Filner. And let me add some context here: I worked for a number of years as the Senior Publicist for the Film Society of Lincoln Center (and all of their film festivals and events like NYFF, New Directors, the Chaplin Gala, etc.). During the 5 years I was there, I think I saw the top guy at Lincoln Center once, possibly twice, and both were at – I kid you not – ribbon cutting ceremonies. That was it. There just wasn’t that kind of connection with the overarching ARTS umbrella organization.

Not so here. WOW, is it not so. First off, David Filner works hand-in-hand with Franklin on the programming of the fest. He is involved. He also moderates a good number of the post-screening Q&As. This is an arts organization exec we are talking about. The guy dealing with orchestras and stuff. And yet, he is at the film festival every single day, coordinating, strictly on top of the quality control in every way. I sat next to him at an informal get together with some NIFF staff and filmmakers late at the end of that night’s screenings and listened in as he had an in-depth conversation with one of the filmmakers on each detail of the fest that director had experienced thus far and how it compared to other fests, i.e., what could NIFF do better. I mean, it was a thorough point-by-point, experience-by-experience thing he was going through. Now, before you brush this off, thinking that of course he should do that, I will remind you of David’s title – EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, ARTISTIC OPERATIONS. He is THAT guy at an organization that is the equal to Lincoln Center in every way – they just happen to be located in sunny Florida, next to beaches and palm trees.

And Kathleen van Bergen. The CEO and President of Artis—Naples. Let’s talk about her for a second. From the welcome to the filmmakers cocktail party held prior to Opening Night to the final after party following the Filmmaker Awards and Closing Night Gala screening – she is also there. Present. Very present. Watching films, and talking to everyone: filmmakers, film fans, the regulars, the newbies, and more. Kathleen might be the most down-to-earth super impressive person with a title (CEO AND PRESIDENT, in case you need a reminder) you have ever met. And she is clearly enjoying herself at the film festival. And I can’t underline enough how much that is not a given. Not by a long shot.

So, the point I am making is that the Naples International Film Festival is a true rarity in that it has both a very powerful arts organization supporting it, and it has toppers (two of which that are the leaders of that organization) that aren’t simply keeping the train running, signing some checks, making an intro speech or two and doing a couple dutiful laps at the gala parties – no, they are LOVING every moment of their fest. You feel it. You can’t help but feel it. (In fact, look at the photo gallery from Opening Night at Kathleen and David and Shannon on the red carpet. They are having silly fun. It’s the best thing ever.)

I work on many fests all around the country throughout the year, and I will put together photo galleries (like the one that will follow this intro) for the majority of them for FilmsGoneWild.com. But with NIFF, I rarely have to refer to my notes to identify the filmmakers and their films. That speaks to what is fantastic about the Naples International Film Festival. Because it means that I didn’t just meet all of the filmmakers on my red carpets or at the fest, but I actually spent some time with them, with more than one conversation with nearly all of them to make that connection.

Before we get to the photos from the final red carpet we did at Naples this year, I’ll leave you with two key anecdotes:

First, one of the judges we brought in this year was my friend Larry Gross, an award winning screenwriter (48 HRS, STREETS OF FIRE, WE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, PORTO, etc., etc., etc.) and film instructor who might be one of the smartest film people I know. Well, Larry goes to Cannes, Toronto, Telluride, etc. He doesn’t go to regional film fests. I wanted to change that. And from his reaction, I think he’ll be going to more of my fests. He was blown away by the competition films he watched. He couldn’t stop raving about Amber McGinnis’ INTERNATIONAL FALLS, telling me he’d give her several of his scripts to direct, he liked the film so much. Following the Filmmaker Awards ceremony he came up to me and asked me sincerely if the programming was this good at my other film festivals on the regional circuit. I assured him that it was and that’s why I believed that the journalists and tastemakers stuck in New York and L.A., that couldn’t imagine traveling elsewhere unless it was to Sundance or one of the other market fests are being passed by. The film discoveries are elsewhere now – like at NIFF.

Second, prior to the awards presentation, Larry gravely came up to Shannon and myself with a “problem” that he hoped wasn’t going to mess things up. The problem was that he and the other two judges (Amazon Studios’ Annalisa Shoemaker and Colette Freedman, from QUALITY PROBLEMS and the upcoming MILES UNDERWATER) wanted to give out a special jury prize for direction to SOUTH MOUNTAIN’s Hilary Brougher. Shannon laughed with relief, because, of course, it was no problem at all. That happens all the time. But here is where the wonderfulness of the support the Naples International Film Festival receives from Artis—Naples enters the mix: When informed of this jury decision, it was decided that the special award should also come with a check for $2500. That decision was made the night before the awards were handed out. Not weeks or months prior, with a committee signing off on it. No – it was as automatic as anything like that could possibly ever be.

Think about that. That is literal investment in the filmmakers. And it comes from the top.