The Wausau Film Festival 2008
Hello Wausau, this is Wausau Film Festival producer James Rubino.
Jarrod Crooks and I are currently working on putting together the next Wausau Film Festival. I talked today with Tom Houting, a manager at the Marcus Crossroads Cinema about having our next film festival there in place of the former Kelly Martini Bar site. The projected date is August 15th and I suspect this is going to be at the same time as the Big Bull Blues Festival.
I am proud to say that we will be getting an independent feature documentary on its first round of distribution through the festival circuit. It is called “Rockabilly 514” and covers the Montreal Rockabilly music scene (and Las Vegas) in its self-proclaimed rockumentary style.
Another film we will be showing is “Milrena from P7″. It is a short Romanian film by the late Cristian Nemescu. The plot is about Andrei, a 13 year old teenager, living on Bucharest outskirts, who decides one day to steal a trolleybus in order to impress Marilena, a prostitute he fell in love with. The plot is provacative but I believe it captures the insanity being a young male in love (to prove himself).
The major comment after last year’s festival was it featured very violent selections. It was unfortunate that the festival happened immediately after the Virgina Tech tragedy. The 2008 festival will feature films for a more mature audience without the violence but we hope to make it up to families by holding films made for younger audiences in the morning and continuing to support new filmmakers in the early afternoon with a audience juried contest and then provide the more mature independent features at night.
More about our call for entries, sponsorships, grants, and volunteering in my next post.
All the best,
James Rubino
anonemoose said:
Mr. Rubino,
Your film festival sounds like a wonderful venture. It is something fresh and new that this area needs. I hope it gains momentum as you present it each year and I thank you for all the time and effort you have invested.
I’ll admit up front that my concern about your projected date is a selfish one but perhaps others share my concern as well. Do you really want to be in direct competition with the Big Bull Falls Blues Festival?
I will pose the following question. What is your target audience for the film festival? Is there little or no possibility for crossover between your audience and that of the Blues Fest?
I suppose when all is said and done that I am a fish out of water in wanting to go to both events. It will sadden me greatly to have to choose between the two.
All the best as this project moves forward,
moose
December 9th, 2007 at 7:08 am #
jcrubino said:
I am glad you brought these points up and even happier that there is a forum for Wausau to provide feedback for one another.
1) The target audience:
Movie lovers, cinema aficionados, all those who hover over the Sundance Independent Film Festival news or wait till the Academy Awards to hear about the latest foreign film, documentaries and new directors. Also advanced and local online movie makers and Midwestern film makers who want a shot at showing their films in front of a crowd.
2) The Audience Cross-Over possibility for both events:
My sense is that people only want one event at a time in Wausau. However, I look at the Artrageous Weekend and its success over the years. Correct me if I am wrong but initially it started as “Art in the Park” and now Wausau entertains many arts and craft venues all over town on the same weekend. If this is true then there is no reason Wausau could not host and entertain two events; one of which is willing to accentuate the other.
December 9th, 2007 at 8:47 am #
anonemoose said:
I can’t speak about the history of Artrageous Weekend as I am a transplant to the area and do not know the history of that event. What I think I do understand about the event is that one can come and go freely and on one’s own timetable because there is no set schedule. The exhibitors and craft vendors are there for the whole weekend.
I see the potential for direct conflict with an event like the Blues Fest. I’ll just make up a hypothetical scenario here, picking a name out of thin air as far as Blues Fest is concerned (I have no idea who is on their lineup this year). Rockabilly 514 is scheduled at the exact same time as Guitar Shorty. I would have to choose one or the other.
I’m not sure it is accurate to state that people only want one event at a time in Wausau. It might be more appropriate to state that people would not want to have to make difficult choices between two one-of-a-kind and wonderful opportunities because they were in direct conflict with each other.
But again, I am but one voice here. I wish you all the best in this exciting endeavor.
moose
December 9th, 2007 at 9:33 am #
Wausau Film Festival said:
Moose, did you come to the festival last year?
December 9th, 2007 at 10:02 am #
Wausau Film Festival said:
The Film Festival?
December 9th, 2007 at 10:04 am #
anonemoose said:
Wow, I thought I had left a comment last night but it isn’t here. I’m sorry about that.
I did not attend the film festival last year. There was some sort of conflict in my calendar but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was.
The festival sounds like a wonderful event and I’d love to go this year as my schedule permits.
moose
December 10th, 2007 at 5:46 pm #
Wausau Film Festival said:
I am sorry. I thought I was approving it. I must have deleted it. My mistake. Thank you for your support and insight.
James Rubino
December 10th, 2007 at 6:34 pm #