A recent e-mail concerning a documentary that did not get in to this year's Florida Film Festival had no problem grabbing my attention. As any festival programmer will tell you, there are always way too many good films for the available programming slots in any given year--a luxury we enjoy, but one that makes our jobs difficult and sometimes heartbreaking. And once those rejection letters start hitting, there's the inevitable barrage of e-mails, phone calls, and letters demanding an explanation for such an injustice or asking the selections committee to reconsider.
Having learned somehow that a new film on Haiti and Aristide was not chosen for this year's FFF, this particular writer was so incensed that he complained of" having to sit through one anti-Aristide film after another" at past festivals; accused us of showing no Haitian films this year because their content was not anti-Aristide; mentioned how horrible it's been "to sit through hours of the anti-Castro lobby films" that we've put on over the years; and accused us (again!) of "not showing a single Haitian film because there were many that criticized the U.S. coup against Aristide." The only problem--he's got the wrong festival! Other than the fact that we're not playing this one doc feature (as well as nearly 250 others, many quite good, that unfortunately also didn't make the cut), everything else he complains about is completely off-base and untrue. These comments need to be directed South, my friend.
--Matthew
PHONE SEX GRANDMA? MILTON IS A SHITBAG? FULL METAL SLACKS? NEVEL IS THE DEVIL? NEW BOOBS? FUCK? THE TOZER SHOW: THE URINE BOMBER? AMERICAN STAG? What's going on here, you may be asking yourself? Has the Florida Film Festival lost its mind and gone completely "underground"? Nonsense! These titles are but a small sample of the cinematic extravaganza (141 films and counting) that awaits Central Florida film lovers in late March. Stay tuned for lots more info in the coming days...
--Matthew
Anybody try to program an International film without American distribution lately? Talk about a rude awakening! Apparently the prestige of being showcased in a nationally and internationally recognized and respected festival, the possibility of winning an Audience Award for Best International Feature, and the exposure to national press and assorted specialty distributors just doesn't mean much anymore. It's simply all about the cash. Some of these foreign production companies and distributors are asking outrageous sums of money for rental fees, and part of the problem is that some very well-heeled domestic festivals are paying them and ruining it for the little guys. A fellow programmer recently complained to me that she had to pay 1500 Euros for a screening of a new Italian film, and the justification from the print source was that another festival had just paid it, so why shouldn't they charge that much? Well maybe if their rental fee was a third of that, their film would get featured in many more fine festivals, generating enough buzz and earning numerous honors to attract the attention of the national media and distributors. Not to mention perpetuating the desire in this country to see quality films that happen to be subtitled. And they wonder why foreign language films are a tough sell to even art house audiences outside of a couple of major markets?
--Matthew
Ok, so I am pathetic...it's 7 pm on Valentine's day and my date is my latptop as I am still at work trying desperately to keep my head above water in the six weeks left before the 2006 Florida Film Festival. Matthew is on the verge of being done with programming and bobbing on the surface, enjoying a mai tai...not really, but it seems that way. I am scrambling to deal with collateral materials, sponsors, operational details, conflicting personalities and staffing issues...oh, hi John, Director of Ops...what's that? No, no one is coming to save us...we have to swim for it. But once we get to that sandy beach that is Opening Night, it's all downhill. Actually, we are on the verge of announcing all of the programming team's hard work so stay tuned for those press releases later this week. Oh, yeah, and buy a ticket package online now!
Shannon
You would think that as Florida Film Festival preparations get more intense and the pressure builds to get both the schedule and programming locked and ready to go, Enzian activity might slow down a bit. In fact it's been just the opposite! In the couple of weeks since we've been back from Park City, our humble little art house has continued its record-breaking run of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN; hosted filmmaker Shola Lynch and her documentary CHISHOLM '72: UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED as part of the annual Zora! Festival; presented STAND BY ME as part of the Sundance Channel Film Series; hosted writer Tobias Wolfe and the film THIS BOY'S LIFE as part of the Rollins College "Winter With the Writers" program; kicked off the 11-day Central Florida festival of the arts known as "Artsfest" with a Popcorn Flick in the park, free outdoor screening of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT; and presented a free matinee screening of the 35mm, 3-hour plus "Director's Cut" of Milos Forman's AMADEUS for Artsfest as well. I am constantly amazed at what a single screen, a great staff, and a passionate audience can accomplish.
--MC
