The goal of Film Fest Connect is to bring audiences to film festivals--and festivals to audiences--in any way they're able to connect. Films have the power to educate, enlighten, and embolden communities. They can bring about change, positive and negative, personal and social, local and global, in ways no other form of media is able to do. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that roughly fifty percent of the human brain is hardwired to process visual information. Whatever the reason, this is THE medium for reaching people.
A Good Movie Can Change Lives.
Some movies have even changed the world. But paradigm-shifting films are rarely industry blockbusters from the moment they leave the studio. Some never will be. Film festivals, then, provide audiences with a unique opportunity to see films that might otherwise be seen by very few--or not at all. Audiences (audies, in Tweetspeak) can use the power of social media and direct conversation to share, or even create, a popular culture "moment in time".
For filmmakers, film festivals are a chance to gauge audience reaction, score a distribution deal, gain enough notoriety to fund future projects, and connect in a very personal way with the people who love (and, sometimes, hate) their work. Film is an impersonal medium in so many ways. Festivals offer the chance to communicate, confront, and connect, with all the immediacy and humanity that good films--and filmmakers--deserve.
Most of All, Film Festivals Are a Whole Lot of Fun!
If you love the thrill of a festival atmosphere...
If you believe in the transformative power of film...
If you can't wait to lord it over your friends that you asked Steven Soderbergh, during a panel Q&A, what he thinks about streaming films online; or that you sat 20 feet away from Liam Neeson in a theater and got his autograph; or that you think you've just discovered the next Kathryn Bigelow...
This is the site for you.
Follow, Follow, Follow, Follow...!
Join in the fun and follow Film Fest Connect's highlights of the Best Fests in the West. Anything west of the Rockies is fair game (AK, HI, WA, OR CA, ID, NV, AZ, UT, and possibly WY, MT, and CO). Each week, FFC will provide links for current and upcoming festivals in the sidebar. If not actually reporting from a festival, there will at least be a brief highlight of the latest events in the day's posts to spark your interest. Entries will include such topics as tips and tricks for film festival survival, live reports, and links to other sites with well-written, relevant posts.
Most of all, FFC wants to hear from YOU. Follow Film Fest Connect on Twitter. Help build your film festival social network through the Film Fest Connect Facebook page. Share what you know about the festivals in your area. Impart your best advice, divulge your horror stories, send intriguing pictures. FFC can't possibly be everywhere at once--we need all the boots on the ground that we can get!
Promoters, you are welcome to send more information on film events for inclusion in future posts (see "Contact FFC"). Respect FFC's readers (be kind, don't spam) and this site will be happy to honor your event with coverage. If you have already sent your links through Twitter, FFC will be keeping up with you.
Just Warming Up
Keep in mind, so far, this is a "soft launch"--a chance for FFC to warm up, to train, to acquire new skills before taking off down the runway. Plans are afoot to kick off the official launch of FFC at the Sundance Film Festival, beginning on January 24th. (The festival itself begins on the 20th.) Once FFC is fully off the ground, wheels up and locked, it would sure improve the journey to have you along. This is only the beginning. Come share the ride.
