FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1999. All Rights Reserved
| Film by Richard Z CSIF $100 Film Festival Eight years ago, Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF) member James B. Morison got an idea. Spurred on by the notion of making ultra-low budget films and having a venue for their exhibition, Morison came up with the concept of the $100 Film Festival. Each year since, Morison and other filmmakers from around the world have supplied the festival with a hodgepodge of short films that have entertained – and sometimes shocked – its ever-increasing audience. Based roughly on the amount of money it would cost to purchase and develop Super 8 film stock for a short film, the idea was to provide a venue for films which were purely a labour of love for their makers. After the initial few years, the $100 budget restriction was dropped and now 16mm films are included in the festival. "What we try to keep alive is the spirit of the festival," says Kevin Allen of the CSIF. "Entrants have to submit a budget of the film, including deferments. "Our basic requirement is that the film is under 22 minutes in length," he continues, "which makes it less than the television minimum and therefore non-commercial in nature." Allen stresses that this year’s festival will see a record number of submissions from Calgary filmmakers, as the festival now seeks to encourage more local participation. In all, 45 films will be screened from producers all over the continent, with at least 10 filmmakers from California, B.C., Saskatchewan, Quebec and Ontario in attendance. Local participant Joe Kelly, whose 13-minute La Dolce Velveeta is in competition, says making films for the festival is a great way for filmmakers to get their personal vision on screen and have some form of audience feedback. In recent years, the festival has also included features which were done using the "no-budget" approach. Last year saw provocative films like Calgarian Donna Brunsdale’s Cheerful Tearful, and Surrender Dorothy as featured highlights. This year, Amerikan Passport, a film by Reed Paget, will be screened on Friday night. The winner of the 1999 Sundance Best Documentary, Amerikan Passport chronicles the life of a 23-year-old Yank as he travels from one war zone to another. The festival’s sponsors have donated $4,600 dollars in prizes. A jury of four local filmmakers will select winners in seven categories and the winning films will be screened on Sunday night. "In most cases, the prizes will barely pay the filmmakers back for their personal investment," says Allen. Along with the winning shorts and an undisclosed surprise film on Sunday, the Canadian drama Full Blast ends the festival. In French, by Acadian director Rodrigue Jean, the feature follows the lives of a small sawmill community as it reacts to economic crises and social pressures. If you want to support the festival but can’t make it down to any of the screenings, Saturday night will see the festival’s participants and audience engaging in an all out party at Ramsey Community Centre with local DJ Taro spinning tunes. |
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