Michelle (Buy Indies), John Lee (author), Judy Laster (Woodshole Film Festival), Jay Spain (Cinematographer), Louise Levison (author), David Kleiler (BUFF) in Park City, UT at Dolly's for book signing.

Today, anyone who puts together a collection of films; books a theatre, or just has a projector and a sheet; prints flyers inviting people to watch or creates a web site; can call themselves a film festival. Since the beginning of the year, more than thirty festivals have graced the U.S., hoping to help filmmakers make their stand and take their place amongst the storytellers of our generation. The game is to get your film accepted in as many of the smaller festivals as possible, hopefully win a few awards, then get into one of the notable festivals such as Toronto or Cannes, ultimately finding your way to distribution in some venue that pays you and your investors back, and finally making your next movie, having to struggle only half as much. This article will give an overview of the some the hotter festivals gracing the U.S. during the first quarter of 2001.

Where it Begins: Park City, January, 2001. In snowy ski Mecca, Park City, Utah, this past January, no less than a half dozen festivals, stemming from the grandiose Sundance, more a showcase for films already pre-signed to distribution than a festival these days, to the grunge NoDance and Slamdunk, as well as the truly obscure Lost Film Festival, put up posters, sold tickets and held parties for industry folk to schmooze their brains out, including myself, for twenty-six hours a day. Well, festivals come and festivals go, and if the word on the street is true, many insiders suspect the most well known of these incarnations may be shrinking in prestige and out of true industry fashion, as their selection criteria becomes blurred with politics. Meanwhile many of the other festivals fail to attract films in ready condition for distribution, instead garnering filmmaker-wannabes practicing for their next "real" film. However, in the spirit of truly inspiring festivals, that meet the standards of the Film Gods that were and are, the one that still caters to true auteurs refusing to suck up to Hollywood, but still make class-act entertainment which should be properly distributed, there is only one Here To Stay festival amongst the Park City multitudes, and that, of course, is none other than SLAMDANCE, held this year to rave reviews at the impressive Silver Mine silo, literally a silo converted into an underground Disney-like film-goers paradise, with screening rooms, computers, café, massage tables and even make up artists dispersed throughout.

Smith Glover, AtomBomb.com,
and Robert Boyd, Actor at
Slam Dance Film Festival.

Slamdance 2001, rocked Park City, Utah from January 20 to 27 with real film festival style, shadowing other festivals in the area as it hit the finish line taking the Gold. Founded in 1995 to take festivals back to quality standards for filmmakers who were not necessarily so connected that they had a deal lined up and the necessary P&A to ensure big purchase prices, and thwarted at every turn by rival Sundance, Slam Dance has surely arrived by this new Millennium, and if anyone was in doubt, it is definitely the festival of choice for the hip set in Park City this year. Peter Baxter, Executive Director, has convinced one and all that his main concern is "giving it [the festival] a friendly atmosphereŠ" while his main goal is to ensure that the struggling filmmaker can produce quality work that entertains audiences and have a venue in which to be seen and heard. Baxter is no stranger to filmmaking, having created the feature film LOSER, which premiered at Slamdance back in 1995, and went into theatrical distribution in more than fifty theatres with good overall reviews in 1996. In comparing filmmakers to the 19th Century European Masters in terms of artistic drive, Baxter noted how difficult it was to choose amongst the 70 films admitted to screen this year (12 features in all) from the more than 2000 entrants (934 features). More than 40% of the films this year were submitted in digital format, and as Baxter puts it in regard to the future of digital films, "the train has left the station."

Films this year included an international array of entrants from Australia (DAY DREAM BELIEVER, winner of Best Dramatic Feature), Korea (BARKING DOG NEVER BITES, winner of Best Editing and MEMENTO MORI, Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography), and my personal festival favorite from the producers of RUN LOLA RUN in Germany (PAUL IS DEAD) by need-to-watch director Hendrik Handloegten, about an eleven year old in 1981 who is convinced that Paul McCartney was really killed by the VW on the cover of the Abbey Road album, and tries to uncover the murderer. Other films of note included AMERICAN CHAI (Audience Award For Best Feature), about a college-aged Indian immigrant and his struggles to fit in with Americans while resolving traditional issues with his family; and HYBRID (Grand Jury Award For Best Feature), about a 100 year old Iowa farmer and his obsession to breed the perfect corn. Also notable, is the quirky Play Dead starring Diva Zappa (youngest daughter of music great Frank) and New England native Sherie Rose (THE PERFECT NANNY), as well as astounding soon-to-be-child-star-new-comer, Jessica Stone (THE ICE STORM).

Peter Baxter and Margot Gerber
Slam Dance Festival Coordinators outside the Silo.

Of course it wouldn't be a film festival without the film shorts, and this year's Grand Jury Award went to BOUNDARIES, directed by Greg Durbin, about a woman pursued over the Mexican border into Southern California by her own personal ID, a mute trombonist. I also jived on ME AND THE MOILSIES by New York filmmaker Justin Schwarz, which premiered at the Boston Film Festival last September alongside BLACK CAT WHITE CAT, and brought fond memories of Woody Allen's earlier films to mind. Justin noted that his goal is to construct "a creative, subjective, imaginary world" in his pictures, and apparently, during the festival, offers have been made for this exceptional film short heading to Cannes next. In the animated categories, the always-popular penguin farce, TITANIC: THE TRUE STORY, screened to roars of laughter. The Audience Award for best short went to WHITE FACE; the Ilford Black & White award went to a 4 minute flic, THE OLD MAN & THE GOBLINS; the Spirit Of Slamdance Award went to THE BALLAD OF LITTLE ROGER MEAD; and this year's Global Anarchy Audience Award (awarded by how many votes are received on-line), which was won last year by Boston local Monika Mitchell (NIGHT DEPOSIT), went to VOODOO, about a little girl tries to use voodoo to get rid of her mother's date.

Also worth mentioning at Slamdance are the $99 specials, which were created as a challenge to past Slamdance entrants, allowing those filmmakers to exercise their creativity in making a short for $99 or less, and screening at the now celebrated festival. Finally, the Slamdance parties must be noted, opening up at the Silvermine January 20, 2001, and closing at same with 2000+ in attendance at the surprise final festivity with D.J.s spinning to all hours of the evening, Thursday, January 25. The official close of Slamdance 2001 was Saturday, January 27 with a screening of the Best in Show winners. If you are making plans for next year's array of festivals, be sure to include the best one, Slamdance, on your roster, and don't forget to pack your skis. For more information about Slamdance entrant deadlines, check out www.slamdance.com.

Vinca Jarrett is an attorney of counsel to the firm of Shames and Litwin, a full service law firm with foremost experience in the field of entertainment, including film, music, television and media. She is also the owner and principal of SKRIPTEASE Script Consulting, specializing in drafting, editing and consulting on feature and television projects both on spec and in production. You can contact Vinca during work hours at (617) 277-6772 or (617) 821-6772 or at JarrettBiz@aol.com.