Originally conceived in the heart of Gotham, the New York Film and Video Festival transcends the rather limiting traditions established by other festivals. Although many argued that its spring festival marked its eighth year, its history actually extends much further.

Once upon a time a stand-up comic and moviemaker struggled to find some new way to showcase his talent. He observed that his frustrations matched many other talented artists in the field. Inspired, he created his own independent festival. Now festival founder and Executive Director, Stuart Alson is responsible for one of the largest and most recognized independent festivals in the industry. Yet the true spirit can be succinctly put in the words of one friend who said, “Alson was simply trying to find a way to let artists have their work shown without having to kiss ass.”

With its wide selection of over 200 films, the festival aims to be inclusive rather than exclusive, offering a variety of undiscovered films, many with little known stars and no major distributor. But this does not prevent the festival from selling out screenings at such spots as the Clearview Cinema, which seats a moderate 300.

Such movies as Barrett Esposito’s Mourning Glory (winner of Best Directorial Debut) and Dick Baby were among those that had great showings. Not to be outdone, Cockfight, a documentary on illegal chicken fighting, was high on the success ladder. Both Dick Baby and Cockfight captivated audiences and won spectator awards.

As usual, the festival treated audiences to a wide selection of killer shorts from all over the world including the award-winning Irish gems Dream Kitchen and The Case of Majella McGinty. The impressive Dot Dot Dot by Anthony Ng picked up the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film. The clever visual imagery in Things to Remember About Daumier earned a Best Experimental Award for Matthew Konicek. Agent 15, a female James Bond parody, and Jesus and Hutch, starring Eric Stoltz and Tate Donovan, were huge audience favorites. While My Friend’s Sandwich, made on a budget of $200, left audiences in hysterics.
There were a number of films that depicted breathtaking views from the four corners of the world. Gonzalo López-Gallego’s Nómadas from Spain won the award for Best Foreign Film. With only seven minutes of dialogue, the film tells the story of four isolated young people in a cold, gray world splattered with violence and murder. Augusta, writer of Agent 15, walked away with the Best Action Short Award.

Goodbye Casanova, the festival’s opening film directed by Mauro Borelli, recounts the fanciful tale of the legendary Casanova and his lover Lavina and his attempts to escape from a 17th century children’s book. The dialogue was somewhat stilted at times, but an unassuming and enchanting production design allowed to the film to pick up an award for Best Set Design.

The New York International Independent Film and Video Festival breathes life into films that have been on the shelf for a while. They accomplish this by considering films that have been made in a certain year or have already screened in other festivals. A great example of this is Woundings, a futuristic war drama by Roberta Hanley starring Guy Pearce. According to Roberta “This festival was amazing. It was just as they described—my film got a ton of press and now I’m getting offers from various distributors.”

In addition to 10 days of films, the festival was augmented by some insightful seminars straight from industry insiders including an intensive screenwriting workshop hosted by the prolific writer Henry Bean (Enemy of the State). Director Abel Ferrara, who hosted indie film seminars during festival, noted that “This festival is the real deal. Everyone else talks about doing something—these guys just do it." — Vinessa Di Carlo

Provincetown International Film Festival

At the very tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where the land curls around enough to confuse which direction is which, sits the small town of Provincetown—a community that was long ago established as one of the country’s most important arts centers. And though many larger cities have moved in to take that title away, Provincetown remains a haven for artists of every discipline. Jackson Pollock, Eugene O’Neill and Norman Mailer are just a few of the diverse names who’ve lived or worked there. It’s not surprising then that the film festival that takes place there each year programs a versatile lineup of films, both old and new.

In its third year, the Provincetown Film Festival has quickly gained a national reputation as one of New England’s best cinema events. Due to overwhelming popular demand, the festival added an additional day of screenings to the 2001 event, making the festival a 5-day event showcasing more than 50 films from all over the world, with more than 30 moviemakers there to show their support for their films and the festival.

For the opening night selection, the PIFF chose to screen Kate Davis’ remarkable Southern Comfort, winner of Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. The documentary explores the themes of discrimination and sexually orientation with a realism and tenderness that is far too often lacking in modern cinema. Those who opted to stay for Everybody’s Famous were treated to a look at culture and the media so hilarious, it garnered director Dominique Deruddere an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

Attracting an impressive slate of films for all five days, the PIFF knows exactly what it is their audience wants to see. Coupling some of the world’s most highly decorated movies and moviemakers with enlightening discussions and a chance for all attendees to become a part of the action fits right in with Provincetown’s own open-minded and extremely casual atmosphere. They make the most of the town’s beauty as well—there’s a gorgeous beach or ocean view everywhere you turn. Such highly anticipated films as Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming’s directorial debut The Anniversary Party, Dan Minahan’s Series 7 and Eric Valli’s Himalaya were all popular choices. And John Cameron Mitchell’s film adaptation of his Obie Award winning musical creation, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, put audiences into a musical frenzy at each screening.

Keeping with the festival’s appreciation of classic film, the PIFF paid tribute to cinema verité innovators Albert and David Maysles, who created some of the most well-known nonfiction films of our time. Albert Maysles was on hand to present special screenings of Grey Gardens, the story of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie, the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; Gimme Shelter, the 1969 Rolling Stones concert film that just happened to capture the tragic stabbing of an audience member at the infamous Altamont Speedway; and a double-bill of candid looks at two of the world’s most well-known artists in Meet Marlon Brando and A Visit with Truman Capote.

This year’s Filmmakers on the Edge panel and award marked a first for the festival: it was the first time the award was split between two people—Good Machine producers Ted Hope and James Schamus. Following a discussion of what it means to be “on the edge” in a panel moderated by New York Times film critic Stephen Holden and consisting of producers Hope, Schamus and Christine Vachon and directors John Waters, Albert Maysles and Dan Minahan. Last year’s Filmmaker on the Edge recipient, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon, passed on the honor to the very grateful Good Machine team.

Even in its closing, the festival didn’t slow down. Tom Twyker’s Run Lola Run follow-up, The Princess and the Warrior, starring Franka Potente and Benno Fürmann, once again proved Twyker a talented visionary and one of the most important moviemakers on the rise. Which is a description that can almost be used to describe the festival itself. Though a relative newcomer to the festival circuit, it’s one that has already been able to attract top-notch talent and films in just three short years. This is a festival to keep your eye on. — Jennifer M. Wood

FirstGlance 4: Philadelphia

While Philadelphia, a city with over 300 years of history and an abundance of artistic and cultural attractions, has been known as a rich and diverse location for film talent and major motion picture production, the birthplace of independence has not been known for its independent film scene. Not until now, that is.

On a narrow Philadelphia city street, amidst a landscape of parking garages, sits a building well back from the sidewalk. The window, emblazoned with two red neon ‘P’s, can be seen as you approach. You ring the doorbell. The door opens. A voice asks, “Are you here for the film festival?” Upon answering “yes,” you are led into a lounge space transformed into a screening house. Flanked by rows
of folding chairs, a video projector sits at the center of the room and a bar at the rear end anchors those who prefer to enjoy a cocktail and smoke while watching
the latest the showcased independent moviemakers have to offer.

FirstGlance was back in Philadelphia for its fourth year and remains the only international, independent, bi-coastal film and video festival, with two festivals per year, one in Philadelphia in March and one in Los Angeles in November. March 26, 2001 marked FirstGlance’s opening night reception and ceremony held at the Pen and Pencil Club and Alley Arts Studio in Philadelphia. Following founder Ostroff’s opening comments, the first annual FirstGlance Award to M. Night Shyamalan was presented by Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Philadelphia Film Office. This award, voted by FirstGlance’s Website visitors, was presented to a Philadelphia born or raised individual who has made an impact on Hollywood. The festival accepted 2,000 votes online over a three month period, for seven nominees. “Shyamalan received an amazing 80 percent of the votes to win the award by a landslide,” says Ostroff. Shyamalan has written, directed, filmed and made cameos in both The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable in his hometown of Philadelphia.

After the ceremony, the anxious crowd had the first opportunity to view a wide selection of works. Ostroff and the selection committee members assembled screenings of 45 works over the five night festival run, selected from over 150 submissions. With the help of the Internet, FirstGlance became global and received films from India, France, Brazil and many other countries. All projects were exhibited on state-of-the-art video projection systems, keeping the festival affordable for both the moviemakers and the audience.

FirstGlance gives the audience the opportunity to choose their favorite films and videos with jury cards. The audience votes objectively on the merit of each project based on its sound design, camera/editing, acting/directing and theme/story. By making the festival interactive, FirstGlance believes the audience gets more out of the viewing experience by becoming part of the festival. This year’s winners included The Pig Farm by New Yorker Michael Lee Barlin. This Best Feature winner is the outlandish tale of a backwoods “zero” from upstate New York and an entrepreneurial mobster who team up to bury dead bodies in a pigpen. The Best Narrative honor went to Lori Silverbush’s Mental Hygiene, the story of Caitlin, a young girl whose thoughts take the form of 1950s educational films. The Best Documentary winner was Echoes of a Ghost Minyan by Gustave Rosanio and Joseph Van Blunk, which documents the exploration of the original immigrant Jewish community in South Philadelphia from its inception to the present. Best Student Project belonged to Decomposition in AB Minor by Jack Rene Perkins; the Californian dishes up a tale of a conductor who conjures up monsters to perform violent symphonies to a spellbound crowd of upper-class citizens. Best Experimental winner was Sex, Love and Kung Fu by Kip Fulbeck, about two crazed kung fu film fanatics who argue over Asian American masculinity and what channel to watch. Among the other prizes, the winners of FirstGlance 4: Philadelphia automatically receive entry into the FirstGlance 2: Los Angeles festival in November.

With grassroots festivals like FirstGlance, Philadelphia may well be on its way to making a name for itself in the indie landscape. M. Night Shyamalan summed up the importance of the festival best in his award acceptance letter when he said, “It’s my hope that the more Hollywood recognizes our hometown as a center for the arts, the more we can share with others what our city has to offer. For many years, talented individuals have left Philadelphia to pursue their dreams. It’s great to see that the talent is beginning to stay.” — Andrea DiFabio