When the lights go down in the Stevens Center next Wednesday night, and the first frames of the romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer begin to flicker on the big screen, thus will begin the eightday RiverRun International Film Festival in the city of Winston- Salem.
This marks the seventh festival in the City of the Arts since making its eastward journey from Brevard and the longest in its 11-year existence. Since coming to Winston-Salem, the RiverRun International Film Festival has been embraced like few other arts-related events in the city’s recent memory.
The 11 th RiverRun International Film Festival boasts 100 films including features, shorts, documentaries and cartoons. Something for everyone. That’s the plan, anyway. Every festival’s success depends on attendance, but the question facing this year’s RiverRun festival is whether or not the economic downturn will affect people’s decision to attend. That said, tickets prices are comparable to those of mainstream, multiplex movies, and this year’s selection of films a diverse and eclectic mix. That many of these films, some of them awardwinners, won’t otherwise be shown here is also an incentive to attend.
Ticket sales for the 2008 festival totaled just under $72,000, having increased significantly with each festival since the first one in 2003, in which ticket sales were approximately $15,500.
The budget for this year’s festival was $368,860 — “a diet budget,” says Andrew Rodgers, executive director of the festival. Given the success of each film festival, it would hardly be uncommon to raise the budget the next year by 10-15 percent. But recognizing the early indicators of a nationwide economic tailspin, Rodgers played it safe and proposed an increase of about 3 percent.
As it turned out, “we had to adjust it further,” he says. “It had to be lowered in most categories.” Such a decision might send shockwaves of worry among even the festival’s most passionate supporters, but Rodgers can be assured that RiverRun will not suffer any lasting damage due to the wavering economy.
“We’ve met our goal for
sponsorship and individual donations, our grants were up, and we’ve
already met our budget goals in [advance] ticket sales,” he says with a
combination of pride and relief. “Barring any major, unforeseen
catastrophe, we should be fine, and if we match what we did last year
in ticket sales, we’ll do great.”
“Bear in mind: The general
trend when the economy goes down is that movie attendance goes up,” he
continues. “I don’t know what to expect, but I’m hoping that trend
holds! I am confident we’re going to match what we did last year.” Dale
Pollock, former dean of the School of Filmmaking at the UNC School of
the Arts and a current faculty member, is widely credited with bringing
RiverRun to Winston-Salem. He’s not as involved as he once was — he’s
seen none of this year’s films, for example — but readily concedes that
he doesn’t need to be as involved, given how well Rodgers keeps things
in hand, but remains an important member of the festival’s board and
one of its most fervent cheerleaders.
Like Rodgers, Pollock
believes that the current economy won’t have too large an impact on its
financial success. “I have high hopes for this festival,” Pollock says.
“We’ve kept our ticket prices low and very accessible. It’s a bargain
in comparison with mainstream ticket prices. This is also one of our
most diverse and interesting programs, and very representative of
international cinema.”
Having seen none of this year’s
selections thus far, Pollock admits he’s as eager to experience them as
audiences are. “There’s a lot I want to see,” he says. In addition to (500) Days of Summer, which
features Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as star-crossed
lovers and has been a big hit at festivals such as Sundance, RiverRun’s
got some heavy hitters in the line-up: • Robin Williams in World’s Greatest Dad (April 23), a black comedy from writer/ director Bobcat Goldthwait (one and the same), was also a success at Sundance.
• Surveillance (April
25 and 28): The second film by director Jennifer Chambers Lynch
(daughter of David) is a darkly humorous suspense tale involving a
group of travelers waylaid by an encounter with a serial killer. Bill
Pullman, the recipient of last year’s Master of Cinema award at
RiverRun, heads an all-star cast that includes Julia Ormond, Cheri
Oteri, Pell James, French Stewart and Michael Ironside.
• The Burning Plain (April
24 and 26): The award-winning feature directorial debut from
Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (Babel), stars Oscar
winners Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger.
• Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes (April 27 and 28): Peter Rosen’s documentary looks at the career of broadcaster Garrison Keillor and his popular weekly show, The Prairie Home Companion. The April 27 screening will be followed by a Prairie Home-themed party,
“Guy Noir’s Noisebox,” which will be held at 6 th & Vine in
downtown Winston-Salem and will feature a live performance by Polecat
Creek, which will be performing on Keillor’s radio show next month.
• Il Divo (April
23, 24 and 26): Writer/ director Paolo Sorrentino’s Italian-language
drama chronicles the career of real-life prime minister Giulio
Andreotti (played by Toni Servillo), who was elected to the Italian
Parliament an unprecedented seven times since its formation in 1946,
albeit with considerable controversy from time to time — including
accusations that he worked in collusion with the Italian Mafia.
Il Divo won
the Jury Prize at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for
the Palme d’Or (the Golden Palm), the top prize at Cannes.
• Three Monkeys (April
24, 25 and 26): Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the best director award at the
2008 Cannes Film Festival for this suspenseful Turkish thriller that
also earned a Palme d’Or nomination.
• Goodbye Solo (April
25 and 26): Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize from the Venice International
Film Festival, the latest film from writer/director Ramin Bahrani
focuses on the relationship between a cab driver (Souleymane Sy Savane)
and an embittered old man (Red West) and was filmed entirely in
Winston-Salem.
Bahrani, who was born in Winston- Salem, will
be the festival’s first recipient of its Emerging Artist award, which
will be presented this year instead of a Master of Cinema award. Rest
assured, the Master of Cinema award has not been retired, but this year
“we wanted to present an award for somebody at the beginning of their
career,” says Rodgers.
Goodbye Solo is only one of several RiverRun selections this year with direct ties to the Piedmont Triad, including the shorts Casting Session (UNCSA School of Filmmaking) and Sapsucker (UNCG); the feature documentaries Rocaterrania (April 23, 25 and 26) and With These Hands: The Story of an American Furniture Factory (April
25 and 26), which were made by Brett Ingram and Matthew Barr
respectively, both members of the UNCG faculty; and the sci-fi thriller
Eyeborgs (April 27), which was filmed in Winston-Salem and will be screened as a work-in-progress.
“RiverRun
is an outstanding festival and we’re very proud to be a part of it,”
says Richard Clabaugh, director/producer/cowriter of Eyeborgs. “For local filmmakers, it’s like winning an Academy Award.”
“We’re
extremely excited to be showing a movie that we’ve worked two years on
to the audience that we think will most appreciate it,” added John
Rushton, also a producer of Eyeborgs and a principal actor in
the cast. “It’s been a real special time, being able to make a feature
film with the talent here, in a place I’ve called home for a long time
... and Eyeborgs is — in every way, shape and form — a hometown project.”
“It feels great to return to RiverRun as an exhibiting filmmaker,” says Ingram, whose award-winning 2004 documentary Monster Road captivated RiverRun audiences. This year, he’s back with Rocaterrania, which explores the world (real and imaginary) of artist and North Carolina native Renaldo Kuhler.
“It’s a great festival and they really know how to treat filmmakers,” says Ingram.
“RiverRun
has really come into its own over the past few years and now it has
established itself as a major festival with a wonderful reputation.
From what I’ve seen [this year], there are a lot of great films, so
audiences are in for a treat.”
One local filmmaker that is not a part of this year’s festival, however, is Out of Our Minds Animation Studios, which is
headquartered within
walking distance of RiverRun’s offices and whose awardwinning animated
shorts were a mainstay of the early RiverRun festivals here in
Winston-Salem.
Out of Our Minds has been working for over two years on its first feature film, The Magistical, and has submitted it to various film festivals throughout the country — but not RiverRun, its hometown festival.
The festival will once again pay homage to the Hollywood of yesteryear, with a special screening of John Ford’s 1936 classic The Prisoner of Shark Island (April
25), with a post-screening discussion moderated by renowned film critic
and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York and The Age of Innocence).
The closing-night (April 29) film will be the 1928 silent comedy classic Speedy, which marked comedian Harold Lloyd’s final silent film and earned director Ted Wilde an Academy Award nomination.
This
year again, the Alloy Orchestra will be providing live musical
accompaniment. The success of RiverRun pleases its organizers and
supporters, but Rodgers is not one to take all the credit for himself.
His
four years at RiverRun’s helm have been, he admits, both exhilarating
and challenging. He emphasizes the efforts of RiverRun’s staff and
volunteers, as well as its sponsors. All of the local core sponsors —
Reynolds American, BB&T, the city of Winston-Salem, the Arts
Council of
Winston-Salem, the Millennium Fund and the UNC School of the Arts (an inkind sponsor) — have once again rolled with RiverRun.
“It’s
given us a stability,” Rodgers says, “and it’s given us the ability to
run the festival. The challenges we’ve faced, they have given us
tremendous support.”
Feeling the economic pinch, some sponsors
weren’t able to come aboard this year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t
be back in the future. In many instances, Rodgers says, they would have
liked to be a sponsor again but simply weren’t able to. No hard
feelings, he confirms.
“Nobody’s leaving us mad,” he says.
Expanding the festival to eight days will, Rodgers and festival
supporters hope, further solidify its reputation in the community and,
perhaps just as importantly, in the worldwide film community. If it
doesn’t prove successful, they can always go back to a shorter
schedule.
“I can’t envision going longer than 10 days,”
Rodgers says, “but I’d love for it to span two weekends.” This year’s
festival also sees the return of YES! Weekly as a premier
sponsor, as well as the media sponsor for what will likely be this
year’s biggest, baddest bash — the Friday Night Speakeasy party at the
Millennium Center on Friday, April 24. The 100 films being shown at the
2009 RiverRun International Film Festival represent 26 different
countries around the bet it wins … I’d almost be shocked if it doesn’t
win,” he says)..
One of those who voted on last year’s
eligible films, however, was more than happy to recall the experience.
Most people disdain jury duty. Not Kevin Thomas — at least not when
he’s sitting in judgment of movies, anyway.
A veteran of innumerable film festivals throughout his career, Thomas was for many years a film critic of the Los Angeles Times and is still a regular contributor.
He
came to RiverRun last year for the first time as a guest of the
festival and member of the jury. “First of all, the quality of
selections we were asked to vote on was very good,” says Thomas.
“Secondly, the festival is very well organized, with a high
friendliness quotient. There’s an effective use of local facilities,
both for the presentation of films and as gathering places for people.
The whole ambience of Winston-Salem is charming and accessible, and all
these elements combine to make for a pretty spectacular film festival.”
“We’ve become a viable entity,” Rodgers observes. “We know what
we are and I think we do what we do pretty well. We’re not Cannes or
Berlin or Sundance, but.…” Rodgers leans back in his chair and
world. “If that’s not ‘International’,” cracks Rodgers, “then I don’t
know what is!” That big 100 was distilled from almost a thousand
selections representing 65 countries worldwide. Overall submissions
were down from last year, Rodgers admits, a likely casualty of
economics. Nevertheless, he points out, that also indicates that
RiverRun is likely getting a better quality of submissions overall.
A veteran of innumerable film festivals throughout his career, Thomas was for many years a film critic of the Los Angeles Times and is still a regular contributor. He came to RiverRun last year for the first time as a guest of the festival and member of the jury.
“First of all, the quality of selections we were asked to vote on was very good,” says Thomas. “Secondly, the festival is very well organized, with a high friendliness quotient. There’s an effective use of local facilities, both for the presentation of films and as gathering places for people. The whole ambience of Winston-Salem is charming and accessible, and all these elements combine to make for a pretty spectacular film festival.” “We’ve become a viable entity,” Rodgers observes.
“We know what we are and I think we do what we do pretty well. We’re not Cannes or Berlin or Sundance, but.…” Rodgers leans back in his chair and pauses. Then he smiles. “I’m clearly biased,” he says, “but I think it’s safe to say that we’re one of the most prestigious regional film festivals in the country.” Cut. Print.
Director Ramin Bahrani’s fourth film, Goodbye Solo, which is the first to be set and filmed in his native Winston-Salem, has won rave reviews from critics such as Roger Ebert and AO Scott. (courtesy photo)
