Filmmakers mix with locals at festival bash
There was a lot of "badge" checking at the opening bash of the Ashland Independent Film Festival Thursday evening at the Ashland Springs Hotel.
Blue badges were for festival volunteers, pink indicated very important status (media, in other words) and the really, really big badges identified you as a filmmaker and the name of your movie.
It was a festive time of clinking wine glasses, nibbling on snacks and sharing ideas about cinema philosophies, camera angles and discussion about entering the Ashland film festival.
John Jeffcoat, director of "Outsourced," said he's been to a lot of film festivals, but Ashland is known for its hospitality.
"The filmmakers who attend this festival are very friendly. They're not shy at all about coming up and talking to you," he said. "I've been to festivals that if your badge didn't say the right thing, they'd just move along. You end up in a corner by yourself all night."
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Thieves of Sleep provided entertainment Thursday at the AIFF opening night bash. Orville Hector | Daily Tidings |
Aaron Wiederspah, director and screenwriter for "The Sensation of Sight," said the Ashland festival has received good word-of-mouth reviews.
"I heard great things about the festival and the town," he said. "I've always wanted to visit and I'm glad I did."
This was Antonio Ferrera's first time in Ashland. He co-directed "The Gates" with two-time Emmy winner Albert Maysles and was enchanted with the town and the film festival.
"Where else can you go to a film at noon on a weekday and it's packed," he asked.
Ferrera said he's attended film festivals around the world, and loves how intimate Ashland is.
"I just went to a film festival in Amsterdam," he said. "It was so vast and impersonal. I love walking around Ashland and talking to the people. And the town itself is so gorgeous."
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| Ryan Harriss, left, and Evan Westhelle-Grant look on as Jim Botzer capture film footage during the Ashland Independent opening night bash Film Festival.
Orville Hector | Daily Tidings |
Thirteen-year-old Ryan Harriss enjoyed rubbing elbows with the "experienced" filmmakers. The Ashland Middle School student won a student film competition for his four-minute movie about the trials and tribulations of Monday mornings.
"It feels great being around all these people who have experience in filmmaking. And I love hearing people's reactions to my movie," he said. "It's worth going to school late tomorrow."
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Pia Marchetti, Ashland high school film maker, left, talks to Shelley Austin, right, during the Ashland Independent opening night bash Film Festival. Orville Hector | Daily Tidings |
Reach reporter Michele Mihalovich at 482-3456 x226 or mmihalovich@dailytidings.com.
