Approach your regional film festival tour exactly as you would if all things were business as usual, BUT with much more management and care over your film. (And frankly, you should have been doing this anyway, but no one’s giving you side eye here so carry on…)
“This week’s films as well as the featured panels share a universal idea and experience of dealing with a new situation or in some cases – a new world order,” Executive Director Melanie Addington said. “Sometimes the effort to sort things out can be wryly and darkly funny and sometimes it can surprise us and inspire us to reach goals we never previously thought we could attain. And sometimes, just talking about it and hashing things out can do us a world of good.”
“The importance of curating this weekly mix is to showcase the versatility of our filmmakers and highlight how global cinema unites us,” Executive Director Melanie Addington said. “Whether through a music documentary about fighting a conservative government with art, or Queer cinema from southern filmmakers, to gorgeous animation from Oxford Film Fest alumni like film professor and fest circuit favorite Geoff Marslett, this week’s virtual film festival again allows us to narrowly focus in on these great films and engage much longer detailed conversations about filmmaking.”
Executive Director Melanie Addington, said, “The Oxford Film Festival has become a vital showcase for independent film and filmmakers for close to two decades now, so rather than reducing the number of the films that routinely receive the benefits of having that platform, we decided to create these weekly presentations in lieu of a one-week online virtual film festival. We’re excited by the idea that we can give each film that much more of a focus. It is important for festival organizers to adapt in this pandemic to do what is best for their filmmakers as they are our partners and the only reason our industry exists.
“While we work to reschedule our main film festival, we are so grateful for creative partners like Film Movement for teaming with us on special presentations and events like these to support our work in the film and film festival community. This Virtual Art House will create a wonderful opportunity for our audiences to both watch great cinema while also helping us to raise funds to bolster our budget as we move forward in our efforts to give Oxford film fans something to look forward to during uncertain times,” Executive Director Melanie Addington said.
Addington, said, “Each year, after we initially set our schedule, exciting films will pop up and potentially be available for us to show to our Oxford Film Festival audiences. This year, we were fortunate enough to grab a few great ones. The Female Filmmaker Retreat is a very exciting addition to offer some real assistance and push to a group of women working on their next films. Project(ions) is another step forward for film as art that we think will add to the fest-going experience. And we’ll see everyone at our Secret Screening for the big reveal!”
Oxford Film Festival’s Executive Director, Melanie Addington, said, “We challenged ourselves this year to both achieve goals in line with our staunch support of female filmmakers, LGBTQIA+, and those with disabilities, We have embraced our role as leaders both in this city and the state in that regard knowing that the filmmaking community and the public look to our film lineup and our presentations to match our public positions. However, this year, we also wanted to deliver big signature events to enhance our film lineup so that Oxford film fans and Oxford Film Festival filmmakers can feel they have been part of something truly special at this year’s fest.”
In person, the Oxford Film Festival is a comfort zone, an oasis for filmmakers to connect with each other and see each other’s films and enjoy that shared camaraderie while bowling on opening night (literally) or hanging out at a longtime sponsor’s southern mansion, listening to each other and discussing topics during filmmaker panels that very much feel like personal “airing-out” sessions, and, of course, watching each other’s films.
In the meantime, now that I have probably exhausted everyone’s patience by blathering on and ranting like an old man carrying a crumpled paper bag and out of date newspaper outside a deli, here is a quick list of ten people that I work with and for that I would suggest filmmakers, film industry types, and people reading the movie industry tea leaves SHOULD be paying attention to:
Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Melanie Addington, said, “The move to March was inspired by a desire to give us a little more breathing room following the Academy Awards broadcast and the conclusion of the Sundance Film Festival, opening up more potential for select films to play that fest as well as Oxford FF.”
