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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 31, 2005 Bernice Lakin, of Ashland, buys her tickets to the Ashland Independent Film Festival Wednesday while Annie Hirt, of Talent, considers the choices for a date with her husband as the Varsity Theatre box office opens Wednesday afternoon in downtown Ashland. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Film festival is bigger than ever The fourth annual independent film event opens today at the Varsity Theatre in Ashland By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune Maybe it’s a measure of success that the Ashland Independent Film Festival has put in place a 15-minute rule. The rule says that buying a ticket isn’t necessarily enough. You have to show up 15 minutes before each screening or risk losing your seat. The reason? It won’t increase the gate, but rush sales stemming from no-shows will give more people chances to see popular films such as "Brothels," which won an Academy Award in the documentary category this year and which is sold out for four screenings, aiff Executive Director Tom Olbrich says. "Some people get a ticket for every show and don’t show up for all of them," he says. Last year even some sold-out showings had empty seats. The fourth edition of the festival opens at noon today at the Varsity Theatre in downtown Ashland and runs through Monday. It’s bigger — and maybe better — than ever. Advertisement A "Meet the Filmmakers" reception is set for 8 tonight at the Ashland Springs Hotel, and question-and-answer sessions follow screenings, so fans have plenty of chances to talk with movie folks. An awards banquet is set for 7 p.m. Sunday at the old Ashland Armory. Tickets for the festival are now available only at the box office, and no longer online or by phone. See www.ashlandfilm.org , or call 488-3823. The aiff seems like the right idea in the right time and the right place. With video and digital technology making films more affordable, more indie filmmakers than ever are working. With Hollywood movie budgets out of sight, many have criticized the industry for making safe projects that chase trends and package stars in formula pictures. Independent films tend to be innovative, original and often edgy. They range from surprise hits like "The Blair Witch Project" to countless smaller pictures that struggle to get made and be seen. With the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the off-Bardway scene, Ashland’s tourist infrastructure and destination status, Southern Oregon University’s theater arts program, and the Ashland community of Hollywood expatriates and retirees, the aiff would seem to be a natural. Olbrich figures new projectors and lenses to show pictures in formats from 35-mm to DVDs should eliminate the need for fine-tuning that has plagued some screenings in the past. The aiff received $43,500 in grants for this year, another gauge of its growth, and much of it went to equipment. Many indie film festivals have taken on less of an indie feel as Hollywood has moved in with the star power to attract audiences to events such as Sundance, the 800-pound gorilla of the circuit. But unlike the Sundance Festival and others, the Ashland event happens in one place, at one theater complex: the Varsity. Eric Danson, who produced the full-length feature and aiff entry "Repetition," went recently with his partner to the Santa Barbara Film Festival. "It has star power," he says. "But what stands out here is the sense of community. You don’t get that in other places." "Repetition" is a drama about four lonely people who can’t connect with others until an event brings them together. It’s entered in a festival at Syracuse, N.Y., later this month. Danson quit a finance-sector job to make pictures such as the $50,000 "Repetition." He says the hardest thing about getting it made was the time and money constraints. "Everybody worked for free," he says. "It was shot in 12 days, then we all collapsed." He’s working on a distribution deal. The aiff debuted in October of 2001 with 73 films in four days, the brainchild of Steve Woods. The films were chosen from among 157 entries and included 22 world premieres. It sold about 3,000 tickets. There was no festival in 2002. In March of 2003, aiff returned with 67 films, 43 of them world premieres, over five days. Advance ticket sales were added, and about 3,500 tickets were sold. Spokesman Bill Machado said organizers had learned one thing for sure: "People are going to show up." By 2004, aiff had Olbrich aboard as executive director. It had 73 films picked by 25 volunteer viewers, up from eight, and it was gaining recognition. It drew 325 film submissions. It was listed at www.withoutabox.com , an online service to nearly 50,000 writers and filmmakers. Attendance doubled, to 7,600. A questionnaire found that fully 20 percent of attendees were from out of the area, although many were probably in town for Oregon Shakespeare Festival offerings. This year there are 85 films and 110 screenings. As of Wednesday afternoon, 28 were already sold out, versus 33 last year in the entire festival. And as of Wednesday the festival had sold about 7,000 of 11,718 available seats. All films will be shown at least twice. The documentary "Born Into Brothels," which won an Academy award and was featured on "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning, has sold out all four of its showings, yet it could wind up being shown again Monday. That’s because the winners in the Sunday awards ceremony will be played again on Monday this year. Olbrich says the festival is at a point where it won’t grow without an infusion of cash. Many festivals have a dozen or more staffers. The aiff has one full-time staffer, a couple of full- time volunteers, two part-time temps paid for by grants and some volunteers. "That’s it," Olbrich says. "We are completely maxed out. People have been here seven days a week for weeks. This is it for now." Olbrich was to appear before the Ashland City Council Wednesday night to make the case for an economic development grant. Reach reporter Bill Varbleat 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s