Kleiler and his team aspire to make Northampton the most important independent film festival in the region. This is a lofty goal given the number of other wonderful and well-organized film festivals in New England, but it should be known that Northampton is recognized as one of the best small cities for the arts. "Northampton is perfectly situated to become a premier film festival of New England", said Burke.

"We've made a number of changes and many more are planned for the coming year", said Kleiler. Highlighting the changes that the festival is going through is its new name, Northampton Independent Film Festival (NIFF). And the awards given out at the festival are appropriately named, the NIFFty Awards. The Northampton festival has been beefed up in several significant ways: The number of films shown over the festival's 4.5 day period is up from 70 films to over 100. The festival has partnered with PBS affiliate WGBY to establish a year-round presence of independent films. In the past, panel discussions were not always scheduled; this year five are planned. And there will be morning coffees for gatherings of filmmakers and film aficionados alike.

Several films that will be shown are from Canada. "We have established a relationship with the Film Circuit section of the Toronto International Film Festival to make the Northampton film festival the launching point for Canadian independent films", said Kleiler. There is, of course, an emphasis on independent productions and many have local New England connections. There will be a new focus on student films and also several short film programs. The inclusion of student films is a natural given the proximity of Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, and the University of Mass, and it is the aim of the festival to bring in the five-college community as active participants.

The festival will run from Wednesday, November 6 to Sunday, November 10, 2002. It opens Wednesday evening with a presentation of MADE-UP; a New England produced independent film, which has received acclaim on the festival circuit. The film's writer-producer Lynne Adams will attend to talk about the film and answer questions. There will be an opening cocktail party prior to this screening for festival filmmakers to meet and mingle.

A real treat for film watchers will be a screening of BLACK PIRATE, an American film classic from the 1920's, the first film to be made entirely in Technicolor. It is also one of first films from United Artists, which pioneered independent production. The Alloy Orchestra, currently touring the US, will provide the music and sound effects to accompany the film giving the audience the same experience as when the film was originally shown in theaters. This special event will be held in Northampton's Academy of Music. "The Academy, an 800-seat theater, is an incredibly beautiful space for this", said Burke. "It was built in 1890 and was the first municipally owned theater space. It is one of the six oldest theaters in the country and a stunning place to see an event such as the Alloy Orchestra."

The panel discussions will take place over the entire festival period. There will be a Screenwriters Panel, which includes the writers Steve Adams and Daniel Giat, who will share their experiences from the writer's perspective, and attorney-literary agent Janice Pieroni, will explain how to get projects developed. Steve Adams' script is now being shot by New Line Films starring Ben Stiller. Daniel Giat's recent television drama "Path to War" has been very well received.

The panel, "The Making of ..." will present the documentary GIFT OF THE GAME discussing the process of how the film was made, from concept to final edited piece. John MacNeil, owner of Boston Camera and the producer of the film will be on hand with the director, Bill Haney, and former Red Sox great, Bill Lee, who was also involved in the project. This documentary goes to Cuba to tell the little known story about the baseball team for young boys that Ernest Hemmingway organized and coached there.

Locally based film distributors Larry Jackson and David Mazor along with other notable distributors and directors form the panel on how to market and distribute your film. Henry Brommel, a well-known writer, producer, and director of such shows as "Northern Exposure", "Chicago Hope", "Panic" and "Last Call" will join them to discuss the distribution process.

Lynne Adams returns for a panel on gender issues in filmmaking. Also on this panel is Mark Donadio, the producer of MADE-UP, Carla Stockton, the producer of "G-SPOTS." Her film is in the festival.

Finally there will be a panel discussing the technical issues behind digital and film. Kodak has graciously agreed to show their HD vs Film project that was shot by several of the best directors of photography in the world.

In addition to showing its films in two theaters at Smith College and the Academy of Music, the festival has obtained a new venue, the Pleasant Street Theater, which is well known in the area for showing art-house independent films. "We are thrilled to have them involved for the first time in the history of the festival", said Burke.

With all these changes the Northampton Independent Film Festival is well on it's way to becoming a Mecca for independent filmmakers, as well as a festival for viewers.

"We have a lot in place and in many ways this year's film festival is about next year as we continue to make this a festival that is unique to the region", said Kleiler. "ItÕs potential is astonishing".

General admission tickets for each screening costs $7.00 for adults, $6.00 for students, and $5.00 for those aged 15 and under. A pass for the entire festival is $99.00 and a day pass is $28.00 per person. The panel discussions, morning coffees and Sun awards ceremony have free admission.

For more information visit www.northamptonfilmfestival.com or call (413) 582-1832 to request a catalog.