by Bart Santello
The 3rd annual “Arivaca Independent Filmmakers Exposition” is scheduled for Saturday March 29th at the Arivaca Community Center. The purpose for holding this event is to provide a rare opportunity for people in the greater Arivaca area to see independently produced movies from local filmmakers. And for the filmmaker, our film expo provides a forum for the ‘Indie’ producer to show their work to a live audience. Click just below for the latest on the 2008 Expo.
Click here for a map to Arivaca and the Film Expo at the Community Center!
The format of the film expo will remain relatively the same: To the extent possible, all films and documentaries will originate from Arizona filmmakers. Feature-length films and documentaries (greater than 30-minutes) will be shown in the afternoon; while the evening session will emphasize short films. Film styles for the evening session will vary and include, but will not be limited to: narrative, documentary, comedy, historical or experimental. The difference in the afternoon program this year will be fewer documentaries and more feature-length films.
Local residents have been asking if ‘Arivaca specific’ films they made can be submitted. The answer is ‘yes’, as long as the film/video was created with artistic intent, and/or conveys information and knowledge in the form of a documentary or narrative. Also over the years, the occasional filmmaker has passed through Arivaca and shot footage here. It would be interesting to get our hands on these productions if possible. Opportunities for new creative projects could emerge from raw historical 8mm or Super 8mm film taken in Arivaca. These old films could be converted to digital and made into documentaries as part of a community project by those interested in film and the history of this area. And hopefully, an annual Arivaca Independent Filmmakers Exposition will inspire others in the community to make a film.
Since there is no admission fee, people can feel free to pick and choose films to view in the afternoon as their schedule and interest dictate. Last year there were viewers who came for a single documentary, or, just attended the evening session. Others stayed to watch the complete program that showcased 19 Films over the course of 10 hours.
The film expo will start at 12-noon, with films shown through 5:00 pm. There will be a pot-luck dinner on the patio at 5 pm with food and deserts made by local residents. For the evening program, films will start at 6:30 pm with the final film ending about 9:30 pm.
If the director of the film is in attendance, they will be given the opportunity to provide a brief statement of their work before the film. At the completion of the film, the director has the option to field questions from the audience. Last year many of the directors could not attend because the Arizona International Film Festival in Tucson was ongoing at the same time. This was one of the reasons why the Arivaca Independent Filmmaker’s Exposition has been moved forward to the March timeframe.
There is no admission fee to attend this film festival; instead there will be a donation box. Donations will go to cover the cost of the building rental, and other expenses related to hosting the event. This worked well last year as donations were able to cover the necessary expenditures.
With the proliferation of affordable digital video/audio recording equipment, digital-video editing software, the ubiquity of DVD players and the accessibility of the Internet; making and distributing a film is more practical for the individual than ever. As a consequence of technological change; acceptable formats for submission will be DVD, Video CD, VHS tape, digital video tape; or, computer (digital) formats such as Windows Media (WMV), Quick Time (MOV), or MPEG. If you would like to help out, or, thinking of submitting a film; contact me (Bart Santello) at 480-620-5386; by mail to P.O. Box 778, Arivaca, AZ 85601, or via email at bart@psychotropicfilms.com
Further schedule details will be forthcoming in both February and March’s Connection; public postings and signage as we get closer to the show date on March 29th. Also, check www.arivaca.net in the coming weeks for the latest schedule of films and other details.
Click here for Bart's Blog for the 2007 Film Expo!
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