Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Chris Honoré: Reality television and the GOP primaries ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... Chris Honoré: Reality television and the GOP primaries ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... BACKSTAGE Backstage: Ashland Film Festival programmer Feinberg played major role in its success Comment By Evalyn Hansen DailyTidings.com By Evalyn Hansen Posted Apr. 29, 2015 at 4:42 PM By Evalyn Hansen Posted Apr. 29, 2015 at 4:42 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Departing Ashland Independent Film Festival programmer talks about what makes a good mov... » Social News At the the Ashland Independent Film Festival awards ceremony on April 12 at the Historic Ashland Armory, AIFF Director of Programming Joanne Feinberg said her goodbyes to two standing ovations and a surprise staff-produced tribute film. During the five-day event, many filmmakers mentioned that Feinberg’s involvement was one reason they brought their films to the AIFF. I met Feinberg for coffee at Mix on the Plaza in Ashland. This is the first of a two-part interview. The next column will be published on May 14. EH: How did you first get interested in film? JF: When I was 9, I went to a small private alternative school. I had a teacher who was a photographer. He gave me a camera and built a darkroom in the school. I just fell in love with taking pictures, developing the film and printing the images; I learned that whole process. I decided I was going to become a photojournalist and travel the world. In my senior year of high school video came in. I got a little taste of what that was like, and how you could tell stories with interviews and moving images. I graduated from New York University with a double major in Cinema Studies and Film Production. Cinema Studies is a lot like studying English Literature. You watch films and write about them analytically in depth. When I got out of school, I worked for a number of years as a freelance editor in New York and San Francisco. I did a lot of commercials and corporate videos, and then I worked on documentaries. EH: Then you left editing? JF: Editing was very long hours and stressful. I loved it, but it was time for a break. I had my son. And then I had my twins. When the twins were 5, the AIFF was in its second year. I attended the festival, got on the board and then started working as a programmer. Nothing was structured at that point; we were making it up as we went. I’d had experience on juries at other film festivals in the Bay Area and had a sense of what programming was. In 2003, it was an all-volunteer organization. We had 200-plus entries. This year we had 1,200. It’s been exciting to watch the development in so many ways: the reputation, the way the festival is organized, and all of the systems we have in place. It’s an extremely professional well-run machine. EH: How many people attend the Ashland Independent Film Festival? JF: There are between seven and eight thousand attendees, mostly from this area. There are about 18,000 tickets distributed. We are increasing our out-of-town audience incrementally, but there’s such an enormous base of fans in the Ashland area. The film makers love that there’s such a passionate audience that lives here and supports it. A lot of my position the whole time has been out in the world in the industry, developing that side of the festival’s reputation. Even though we get a lot of unsolicited submissions, my job has been to be in touch with filmmakers, developing relationships with other festivals, seeing films and bringing them to Ashland, so that we get the best films possible. It’s a lot about screening and building relationships. In 2005, I would see amazing films, but no one knew of the Ashland Independent Film Festival. It was really hard to get those films here. Now filmmakers want to bring their films to Ashland because of the audiences, the programming and the way they are treated. The hospitality is so outstanding. They just love it. For information about the Ashland Independent Film Festival, visit www.ashlandfilm.org. Evalyn Hansen is a writer and director living in Ashland. She trained as an actor at the American Conservatory Theatre and is a founding member of San Francisco's Magic Theatre. Reach her at [email protected].   By Evalyn Hansen DailyTidings.com By Evalyn Hansen Posted Apr. 29, 2015 at 4:42 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501