That’s a listing in the April 10th – 24th issue of Current Magazine, on news stands now, requesting submissions for a new local film festival.
The Phoenix Film Festival is the brainchild of Jason H. Pike, born out of the idea that local films should be given a better crack at screen time in this town — something that, despite there being two film festivals in St. John’s already, doesn’t always happen.
The St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, on top of being very high caliber, requires that submissions have at least a female writer, director or producer attached.
The Nickel Independent Film Festival, in trying to keep their quality standards high, do not favour local films simply because they are a local festival.
You can’t really blame either for not wanting to show just anything made here, but that a new festival might is still a welcome idea. Good or bad, when a film screens in front of an audience it opens itself up to criticism, and in doing so gives its makers a chance to learn and grow.
So bring on the Phoenix Film Festival, I say! Rise from the ashes of unsung local films and soar, soar!
Still, I have to wonder, am I getting my hopes up for nothing? A quick glance at the PFF’s current efforts doesn’t inspire much confidence.
The ad, above, is one thing. No definite date, no mention of a venue, no URL for submission guidelines, just a guy’s name as it appears on Facebook for you to search for.
Not even a mention of the Facebook group set up for the PFF, which, incidentally, contains very little information. Nothing about how to submit, nothing about a date or venue, and one piece of undated news that states: The Festival was double booked working on a new date now for for the inconvenience (sic).
On the group’s wall there are requests from locals for more information about dates and submissions alongside posts from non-locals obviously confusing this for the other Phoenix Film Festival, which takes place in Phoenix, Arizona, and is kind of a big deal.
The closest thing to a submission guideline for the PFF can be found in the Facebook group’s description.
… we do expect films to be as professionally done as possible…we do not want to turn films away…that is the total opposite of our goal, but we obviously would have to make a judgment based on said requirement.
Good to know.
Finally, the group lists a URL for the PFF’s website. Not surprisingly, it’s just more of the same: no info, bad grammar, poor execution.
As much as I’d love to see this festival fly, the evidence so far seems to indicate that the Phoenix’s wings will never flap so much as flop, never soar so much as sour, never — ok, enough with the bad poultry puns. You get the idea.
Still, it’s a nice idea, this festival. Even if the PFF does turn out to be the real-world equivalent of vapourware, perhaps it will inspire others to pick up the torch and light the way to a new local festival for local films.
It wouldn’t even have to be a festival per se. Local filmmakers could simply band together, even in small groups, and host public screenings of their films at pubs, clubs, restaurants, or even their own homes.
Perhaps more of this sort of thing is, after all, the real phoenix; perhaps this is what will rise out of the ashes of a film festival that never was.
filmmakers had to submit their name for a draw. Very lucky me, my name was drawn and a few weeks ago I shot my silent film.
In 2006, Roger Maunder made a film where Duane Andrews gets a call while in bed that springs him to action. He runs madly through the town, impeded by an array of obstacles en route to the Majestic Theatre, where he finally arrives at the film’s conclusion.
