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N.O. Film Festival turns 20
Twenty years ago, the first New Orleans Film Festival kicked off with a couple of films over the course of a weekend at the Prytania Theater.
It was a small, unassuming affair by a bunch of people who really had no idea what they were doing, said artistic director John Desplas, who counts himself among one of those people.
“We figured we’d put together this small little festival and show a few movies. That was the idea,” Desplas said.
Twenty years later the festival has expanded to five venues: the Prytania, Canal Place Cinema, the Contemporary Arts Center, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Porch, a neighborhood cultural center in the 7th Ward. This year's festival runs Oct. 8-15.
“We’re focused on bringing the festival to multiple neighborhoods so that everyone has an awareness of our mission,” said Wayne Troyer, president of the film festival's board. “We’re trying to show how the organization has a level of relevance now throughout the city.”
Some would argue, however, that the Film Festival still has a long way to go before it can claim a significant level of relevance. Some say it has not yet achieved the designation of a “must-attend” event among New Orleanians. And it lacks the national and international acclaim of more notable festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival in Utah and the Austin Film Festival in Texas.
Desplas acknowledges that the New Orleans Film Festival has room to grow but does not believe it is fair to compare his event with industry giants like Sundance, which is known as much now for its after-hours parties and celebrity sightings as it is for its movie premiers.
“Those are market festivals and the industry is heavily involved with them. It’s where people go to get into bidding wars for new films and where studios go to show off their new movies,” Desplas said.
The New Orleans Film Festival is not a market-oriented event, Troyer said.
“We’re catering more now to filmmakers and the art and craft of making films. We feature a series of panel discussions and workshops including interviews with people in the film business. It’s a great tie-in with the local push to develop New Orleans as a real center for making films.”
That’s not to say that up-and-coming filmmakers can’t use New Orleans as a launching pad, Desplas said.
Director Todd Phillips, who helmed this summer’s comedy blockbuster, "The Hangover," in addition to other commercial successes "Old School" and "Road Trip," won best documentary picture at the New Orleans Film Festival in 1994 for "Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies."
Two years later, the movie "Shine" was shown at the festival.
“The star Geoffrey Rush was here,” Desplas said. “No one knew who he was at the time. So we went to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop and the waitress came to the table to take our orders. I said, ‘This is Geoffrey Rush. You don’t know who he is but he’s going to win the Oscar for this movie.' She rolled her eyes at us, but a year later he won the Oscar.”
This year’s featured speaker is director Richard Linklater, known for "Slacker," "Dazed and Confused" and "School of Rock." Booking established artists like Linklater is part of a concerted effort to raise the festival’s profile, Desplas said.
“Panels have become a big part of film festivals, and that wasn’t the case in the beginning,” he said. “But now the networking aspect has increased dramatically so it’s an integral part. We’re a regional festival but hope to become known as place to have a film shown and possibly discovered.”
Before Doug Whitford, vice president of film for Southern Theaters, moved to New Orleans from St. Louis in March, he was unaware the city had a film festival, just as most people in New Orleans are most likely unaware that St. Louis has one, he said.
Southern Theaters assumed control of Canal Place Cinema in August and will spend $4 million redeveloping the theater.
It is doubtful festivals in New Orleans or St. Louis could ever compete with the long-established giants but that doesn’t mean they can’t carve out a niche for themselves, he said.
“New Orleans is such an interesting city that our festival can continue to be maybe not a second-tier festival but something like the Palm Beach Film Festival, where people want to go because of the location,” Whitford said. “We can’t rival anything in New York, but we can be something different and very strong.”
Whitford helped book high-profile films for this festival such as "The Cove," a documentary about Japanese dolphin-hunting practices, and "Precious," a tale about a troubled young girl that has created buzz. Such films help drive up audience numbers and turn a profit, Whitford said.
To create more publicity, this is the first year festival organizers hosted a press conference in conjunction with the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
“We’re marketing the festival as regional with national ties,” Troyer said. “And we hope to really rely on the draw of New Orleans. Everyone in the entertainment industry knows our culture and they all want to come to New Orleans. So the festival gives them that opportunity as a working holiday. And now that we have 20 years under our belt we’re trying to grow on the credibility we’ve established to become more relevant.”
Mary Beth Romig, director of communications for the visitor’s bureau, said a strong film festival could only benefit the city’s burgeoning filmmaking industry.
“We would love to see it become a marquee film festival. We deserve as much since we’ve done so well creating Hollywood South,” Romig said.•
by Richard A. Webster Staff Writer
Link: http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/uptotheminute.cfm?recid=27041&userID=0&referer=dailyUpdate
