New Filmmakers Festival is a Success

The first Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) was held this summer and ran from August 27-30. MNFF is tailored for new filmmakers, the underdogs of the film industry. The festival only accepts the first and second films of new filmmakers. MNFF received over 300 film submissions, of which 90 were shown. The films represented 15 countries, and Middlebury alumni produced five of the films.

It’s difficult for new filmmakers with limited resources and connections to break into the film industry, and the festival’s aim is to increase their exposure. Kyla Jarret ’14 was one of the principal organizers of MNFF and thought that its success was due to finding an important untapped niche.

“We were told that the standard number of films submitted to a new film festival is about 100, but we received over 300,” Jarret said. “We discovered that we hit a groove that other people hadn’t thought of, and that we appealed to more people than we anticipated. Other film festivals don’t take any time for new filmmakers, and our goal was the opposite of that, to try and make it about the filmmakers. We were bogged down by submissions.”

The first MNFF was the result of more than 18 months of planning. Lloyd Komesar, a former distribution executive at Walt Disney, is the head of MNFF and came up with the idea for the festival.

“I volunteered at the first Pasadena festival in California,” Komesar said. “Several of the films were by first time film-makers, and I thought that was a good element. It struck me that it’s hard for new filmmakers to get recognition because they’re mixed in with established filmmakers. I thought why don’t we dedicate a festival to completely new filmmakers, so that they’re competing on with folks at the same stage?”

Komesar spends half the year in Middlebury and thought its strong cultural base with the Town Hall Theater and the College was ideal for a film festival. Middlebury’s rural location proved to be both an asset and, at times, a challenge.  Most problematic was the transportation and housing of filmmakers. More than 40 filmmakers attended the event, and they were placed with local families. But Phoebe Lewis, the Press Associate of MNFF, thought that the size and remoteness of Middlebury was important for the event’s success.

“I would say there were more benefits to holding a festival in Vermont than drawbacks,” Lewis said. “The community really came alive and gave the festival that extra spark. It was the biggest perk of creating a film festival in such a small area, and I can confidently say that without the amazing Middlebury community and their incredible support, this event would not have been nearly as energetic and memorable as it was.”

Films were shown in Dana Auditorium, the Marquette Theater and the Town Hall Theater. Four feature films and seven short films won the festival’s VTeddy award. Winners received a Vermont teddy bear and will be taken on a New England circuit and shown in theaters in each New England state.

Jay Craven was the artistic director of the festival. Craven is an independent filmmaker based in Vermont and has shown his films in over 1,000 towns across the state. He was in charge of film submission screening. The only requisite for film submission was that the films were first or second films of new filmmakers. The movies spanned multiple genres including documentary, drama, animation, horror and comedy.

One of the award winning films, Sound and the Shadow, is about an eccentric recluse that secretly records his neighborhood. He’s brought out of isolation by his neighbor, who urges him to use his audio documentation to help solve the disappearance of a girl in the neighborhood.

“The Sound and the Shadow is an interesting concept and an incredibly powerful film,” Jarret said. “That’s what would astound me about these first time filmmakers, is that they would present the most complete projects. Color correcting is even perfect on this film.”
Another award-winning film, My Gal, Rosemarie, follows a day in the life of Rosemarie and Ray. Barely able to subsist on social security checks, the two collect cans to save up money for Rosemarie’s 90th birthday wish to go to In-N-Out for hamburgers.
The Sound and Shadow, My Gal, Rosmerie, and the short film Stunned will all be shown at the Town Hall Theater on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. for an admission price of $10. This Tuesday, Sept. 29, three documentaries including the award winning film Omo Child: the Sound and the River will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall Theater.

Komesar hopes the festival will continue strong into the future and provide an important venue for aspiring new filmmakers.
“What we can do here is create a festival with recognition where quality new filmmakers show their films. I don’t know that there are other festivals that do this in a concrete way. It’s something we feel strongly about. There will always be new filmmakers, and we feel like they need a break.”