A crowd awaits the start of the 2006 Aspen, Colorado, film festival.

 

Public interest in and support for film festivals has grownthroughout the United States, giving new filmmakers broadexposure and audiences varied entertainment. Carolee Walkeris a staff writer with the Bureau of International InformationPrograms of the U.S. Department of State.

 

In the United States alone, more than 300 film festivalsprovide moviegoers the chance to see short and featurelengthfilms that might otherwise miss the silver screen.And they offer independent filmmakers, especially youngand newly trained artists, the unique opportunity toshowcase cutting-edge works and dramatically movingdocumentaries that might have a positive impact on theircareers in the film industry.Film festivals serve two important purposes: 

 

They shinethe light on independent filmmakers who need moreexposure before studios will hire them to make commercialpictures, and they offer cinema enthusiasts and localcommunities a way to come together to talk about ideas.Film festivals come in an array of sizes and shapes, from theinternationally well-known Cannes Film Festival in Franceand Sundance Film Festival in Utah, to such lesser-knownevents as the Silk Screen: Asian American Film Festivalin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Cascade Festival ofAfrican Films in Portland, Oregon. Some festivals have beenaround for decades, while others are relatively new, like thethree-year-old Stories From the Field, a documentary filmfestival sponsored by the United Nations that is as muchabout conquering world problems as it is about effectivefilmmaking. (For further information about Stories Fromthe Field, visit http://www.mcainy.org/common/11040/?clientID=11040.)Although most film festivals use a combination of juryand audience awards to put some films and filmmakersin the spotlight, they also show films that are not enteredinto competition. Usually this is a way for films to bemarketed to distributors and for independent directorsand lesser-known actors to gain exposure. The Academyof Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents theAcademy Awards each year, recognizes the grand prizewinners of 60 film festivals in the United States andworldwide and awards Oscars to the best live-action shortfilm and the best documentary among them.Increasingly, film festivals are becoming annual events,and many of the most successful festival organizershave been able to attract paid memberships fromfilm enthusiasts who sign up to see whatever festivalcoordinators choose to showcase. 

 

For Americans, in particular, this amounts to a leap of faith because memberspay in advance year after year. In many cases, membershipdues merely entitle film enthusiasts to purchase tickets inadvance. One incentive for Americans to become membersof film festivals is that they are often a key venue to seeforeign films in the United States. Directors and actorswho attend screenings often participate in workshops,adding to the festive atmosphere and helping communitiesand organizations increase much-needed support. Becauseof the growing community involvement and interestin film festivals, the events have also become popularsponsorship opportunities for local businesses and largecompanies.A listing of film festivals of the Academy ofMotion Picture Arts and Sciences is available at http://www.oscars.org/80academyawards/rules/rules_shortfest.html. «±