PRINTMultiple Choice
Is True/False not enough? Travel to these nearby festivals.
March 1, 2007 | 12:00 a.m. CST
If you’ve ever sat in a dark theater, touched by a film so much that you feel if you so much as move, the film’s spell will be broken, then keep reading. Maybe you’re the type of person who sits through all of the credits, glued to your seat way past when the key grip’s name scrolls across the screen, until they’re sweeping popcorn from between your feet. Or perhaps it’s the director’s cuts on DVDs that leave you mesmerized. Either way, if you’ve got a fever and it’s spelled F-I-L-M-S, the countless hours of documentary footage at True/False might still leave you jonesing for more.
Fear not. There are plenty of other festivals within a day’s drive. (You’ll have to MapQuest your own directions to Park City, Utah.) We’ve rounded up the rest of the best in a limited number of pit stops; so go ahead, make a road trip out of it. Just don’t forget to pack your Twizzlers.
Still not enough?
Kansas International Film Festival
kansasfilm.com
September 14 - 20, 2007
Shows are at the Glenwood Arts Theatre in Overland Park, Kan.
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
fullframefest.org
April 12 - 15, 2007
Sponsored by Duke University, Durham, N.C.
Chicago International Film Festival
chicagofilmfestival.org
October 4 - 18, 2007
Films showing at Landmark Cinema on North Clark Street and AMC East Cinemas, among others.
--Brianne Sanchez
*Films are in order of driving time. Times were researched on Google Maps and vary according to traffic and the size of passenger bladders.
Cinema St. Louis
2 hours
November 8 - 18, 2007•cinemastlouis.org•314.289.4150
St. Louis’ screen scene
Just because Cinema St. Louis is regional doesn’t mean it can’t draw big names. Oscar-winning actor Kevin Kline, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns (THE Ken Burns, of Baseball and Jazz fame), Les Blink and Bill Condon have all participated.
“We try and be much more of a generalist festival,” says Cliff Froehlich, executive director. “It’s not like you have to be someone who has a furrowed brow and has to be dead serious about films.”
The festival offers shorts, slasher comedies, monster films and international films from 30 different countries.
Highlights: Festival organizers continue to try and incorporate hometown filmmakers and actors into the mix, but who knew Hollywood cared about what goes on in St. Louis? Cinema St. Louis’ shorts program is a qualifying festival for the Oscars. The top three winners can apply for Academy consideration. Westbank Story, which played at Cinema St. Louis, won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film this year.
Details: Cinema St. Louis films play at a variety of venues around the city, including Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac, Saint Louis Art Museum, Webster University and the UMSL Performance Center of Creative Arts. Tickets are $10 each (student and member discounts apply).
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
7 hours, 35 minutes
October 19 - 28, 2007•hsdfi.org•501.321.4747
Soakin’ up the cinema
Also known as “The Filmmakers Festival,” this Arkansas doc-fest features 7,500 minutes of film in categories that showcase art, health, politics, sports and cultures of the world. This festival is totally noncompetitive, so there aren’t any awards. “The main emphasis for us is to be the main documentary film festival in the world,” says Malinda Herr-Chambliss, executive director. “We don’t steer away from strong subjects, and we’ve never had any problem with that here in the Southern Bible Belt.”
Highlights: The scenery, including the Quachita Mountain Range. The festival is in its 16th year, and this year’s event falls within Hot Springs National Park’s 175th anniversary. All films are shown in the historic Malco Theatre in downtown Hot Springs, which boasts many turn-of-the-century buildings. “The natural beauty of the area lends itself to creativity and recreation,” Herr-Chambliss says.
Details: Films show from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. over the 10-day period, and a full-access pass is only $100 for adults and a mere $1 for students who come with an I.D. (Pay $20 for a day pass or $50 for three days.) Plus, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute presents “What’s Up, Doc,” an April minifest aimed toward children in the first through fourth grades.
SXSW (South by Southwest)
12 hours, 40 minutes
March 9 - 18, 2007•sxsw.com•512.467.7979
Enjoy the views
This Austin, Texas, festival is more of an indie fest than Sundance and has wide-ranging appeal. The complete schedule is available on the festival’s extensive Web site, but this year’s SXSW will feature more than 180 films, including new work from Judd Apatow (Knocked Up), Eric Chaikin (A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar), Katy Chevigny (Election Day), Doug Pray (Big Rig) and David Wain (The Ten).
Highlights: This fest is guilt-free for eco-conscious film lovers. This year SXSW has taken steps to be carbon neutral. The fest kicks off with film screenings and panels, which cover topics on nuts-and-bolts aspects of filmmaking. It finishes off with music panels and softball and golf tournaments.
Details: Think you don’t need a stinkin’ badge in the Southwest? Think again.
A student badge runs $250 and platinum $950 as a walk-up rate. A platinum badge gives unlimited access to film and music events, and a gold badge, $550, lets the holder attend any film-related event. The interactive badge, $350, gets you into all of the insider industry events.
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