Discovering local independent media

Posted in ARTS to Film by Kristiana Burtness on Friday, February 5, 2010 at 5:00 am

Maybe you're a filmmaker, you're a film lover, or you're looking for something to do in downtown Urbana this weekend. The second annual Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (IMC) Film Festival is taking place this weekend (February 5–7) at their facility at 202 S. Broadway, Urbana. The festival is free to attend, and it's a great way to discover what's happening in the local and regional film scene.

"People that attend the fest will be able to see films that are not in the mainstream. Also, the wide range of topics allows people to learn about something they may not have been exposed to before," said Laura Fuhrmann, an intern at IMC.

The IMC Web site reports that "last year's inaugural IMC Film Festival attracted approximately 300 supporters of creative media who enjoyed three days' worth of screenings, presentations, workshops, dance parties, and after-hours camaraderie." Brian Dolinar, who is helping organize this year's documentary night, said that "a grant from the Urbana Arts Council will allow this year's event to be bigger and better." One difference this year is that "[the content] is more interactive and more competitive," explained Nicole Pion, Outreach and Development Coordinator for IMC. This year's programming includes some new live performance elements.

The festival provides a chance to get a "rare glimpse through others' eyes," Pion said. For example, A Series of Exchanges by Justin Jach, "took a piece of culture from elsewhere and brought it here," she explained. Jach's description of the project on Vimeo states, "[It] strives to show graffiti as a mode of social communication ... This film is about what happens when the surfaces that make up a city are modifiable and freely express the sentiments of the people occupying that space." The short film is scheduled to be screened tonight.

Pion stated that this film festival is a way for people to "look at media as not just consumers, but to see their potential to make something, too." The festival itself embodies the mission of the indie media movement: "the idea that anybody can be a filmmaker," Dolinar describes.

Jason Pankoke, who has both followed and written about filmmaking for the past decade in the Micro-Film and C-U Confidential magazines and online on the site C-U Blogfidential, spoke about this idea. He said, "[T]he IMC Film Festival can fill a void in Champaign-Urbana... Films shown at this festival are made primarily by people like you and me. They can express any combination of art, entertainment, passion, history, stories, issues, and politics that hopefully will resonate with the viewer and provide food for thought long after the end credits run.

The IMC Film Festival provides an opportunity for the audience and the creators to connect with each other in a way they might not be able to at a bigger festival. Pankoke said, "Often, the filmmakers themselves will be present and can tell you all about it after the screenings over dinner or a beer."

This year's festival lineup encompasses many topics, performances, and expressions of media. Tonight's program runs 6:00 p.m. to midnight. The first part of the night focuses on "Healthcare on Film: Local and Global Perspectives," and the latter part on "CU on Film & Behind the Lens: Locally produced Films." The health-care films include Clownin' in Kabul and the feature documentary ¡Salud! After these two films, there will be a discussion about health care and what the Gesundheit! Institute is doing in the C-U community.

Local filmmaker Johnny Robinson's film Celeste Above will be screened after the healthcare discussion. Robinson said he "tried to make a simple film about real people. Such films can carry a profound understanding about life between the lines and in the characters' choices. The films I like ... challenge me to see things differently than I did before. Celeste Above was written with these goals in mind ... I think the story works overall and I am proud to have made it as my first dramatic fiction." You can watch a trailer for Celeste Above on his website.

Robinson said he is "looking forward to seeing the whole scene and knowing more about my community and what everyone is doing."

In addition to being one of the filmmakers featured this weekend, Robinson is the founder of the group Champaign Movie Makers, which meets once per month. Robinson said, "Many artists, especially filmmakers work best in a community. I started CMM to assist filmmaking by supporting the community foundation for local filmmakers. So we are very similar [to the IMC] in that way."

On Saturday, the film fest resumes at 7:00 p.m. with screenings of locally and regionally produced feature-length and short films. There will be a screening of composer and media artist Vin Calianno's short 8 Vingnettes. Next, he will do a live performance with a string quartet of the new score he wrote for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an early twentieth century German expressionist film. But the evening doesn't end there. Remember the SPlog update announcing Elsinore's new video, "Chemicals?" Matt Harsh, who directed the video, will be doing a live musical and video performance with DJ Belly to round out Saturday's fare.

If you want something to do instead of watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, why not attend the final evening of the Film Festival? Sunday night is focused on documentaries, and it kicks off at 6:00 p.m. with "the People's Potluck, a group of people working to fight homelessness, unemployment, and other issues," Dolinar explained. He said, "a highlight [of Sunday] will be the screening of Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad, which documents the 2006 people's uprising in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the role indymedia [sic] played."

Much of the funding for the festival came through sponsorship from area businesses. Pion said, "The sponsors of the Film Fest this year are Sleepy Creek Vineyards, That's Rentertainment, and the City of Urbana's Public Arts Program, whose grant support has allowed us to bring new attention to the festival this year. The city's efforts to support the arts have made a substantial difference in the quality of the advertising and print materials this year. We are excited to be a part of the arts community in downtown Urbana!"

Filmmakers, filmgoers, and those looking for entertainment or new perspectives will have the opportunity to connect with each other and experience regional independent media this weekend. It begins at 6:00 p.m. tonight and it doesn't cost any money. Visit the official UC-IMC Film Festival site to access the full schedule.