Let's start a film festival!

Look, let me lay it out for you, simple as that.
Since there are plenty of folks hanging out on this forum who either get to see movies the average American audience will never touch, or just stay plugged into enough sources to "sniff out" a winner, I honestly think we could put together a killer selection committee for a truly top-tier—and I mean exceptional—film festival.

Let’s be real about ourselves for a second, though—we aren't exactly winning any awards here. Cities like Vienna, Istanbul, and Moscow all have their own massive festivals that actually draw crowds, while we’re stuck with something like Napa Valley, which feels a bit too niche for anything beyond a few hundred people.

So, why not everyone step up? You can all be selectors—think Liberatore, PBE, Mickey, Zhabotinsky... the whole gang—and start pitching what you love. The core idea would basically be "the best of the best," because theoretically, any movie could make the cut at our fest 🙂. Just imagine if we managed to pick a breakout hit before it even hits Cannes or Venice. We do the curation, we watch the films as they drop, and then we hand out the accolades—films get that "Official Selection" badge, someone takes home the Grand Prix... 🙂 It’s essentially a virtual film festival, but when you really think about it, isn't most of it just as virtual as the big shows in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Istanbul, or Vienna? The common thread is that I, along with most of you, probably haven't actually been inside those venues (I've mostly just walked past the theaters in Cannes and Venice).

P.S.
Hey, if you guys really want to take this thing to the next level, we could actually try to pull this off in the real world, and maybe one day this whole virtual concept could find its way onto the stage at Carnegie Hall.

Wait, what are we actually thinking here? Are we supposed to suggest movies that came out just this year, or can we pick anything from any era?
And what happens after we turn in our picks?

Alright, here’s my list for now.... I’m thinking Solaris, and then maybe... um... that one movie from Brazil (honestly, I am just feeling so much love for Brazilians lately 😁 😉 )... City of God.... oh, and we could also do The Ring (the American version, but only if they show both The Ring and The Ring 2 plus the original Japanese version) and that's pretty much everything for the moment... I can't be bothered to try and remember more right now...

That’s a solid idea, Carl Bennett78—I’m all for it. Unfortunately, we can’t get too ahead of ourselves with the hype cycles since there are just way too many films hitting these major festivals, often finishing up production right before the curtains even go up. But hey, no big deal... I'm down for 🙂

I'm all for 🙂))

Mickey, honestly, a huge number of festivals aren't even world premieres anyway...

Carl Bennett78 said:Moscow has its own festivals, and they’re actually quite good, whereas we just have the elitist Sundance Film Festival which caters to maybe 500 people.

What makes you think Sundance is so "elitist," though?
I mean, the whole thing is super laid-back and informal! I’ve personally been there three times, sticking around from the very first day until the very last, and I never once got the vibe that it was some exclusive club.
At the end of the day, the films are always the real stars of the show.

Richard Hernandez13 said:What makes you think the Sundance Film Festival is so "elitist"?

I mean, seriously, how many people can even show up to the Sundance Film Festival anyway? What kind of massive cinema complex are they running there? You can't even find a decent hotel room in town unless you book one of those fancy Spas, which means you're basically trekking back and forth to the city center, and honestly, sleeping in a tent just isn't my vibe. This whole thing started as just a small group of friends having an idea, and it’s actually been a huge success, totally blowing past what they originally imagined. But look, if I'm looking to catch some incredible movies, I'm not really in the mood to turn it into some wild survival adventure where I'm begging for tickets or struggling to find a place to crash. That's why, if I were calling the shots, I'd run my own festival—one where I could actually enjoy the films from the comfort of my own bed.🙂

Carl Bennett78 said:Honestly, that’s exactly why I’d run my own festival. If I could just watch everything from my bed. 🙂

There’s seriously nothing better than bingeing movies from under the covers...🙂

So, these are your big arguments regarding why the Sundance Film Festival is supposedly "elitist."

Carl Bennett78 said:How many people can actually show up to the Sundance Film Festival anyway? What kind of theater space are they even working with? You can't even find a hotel room in town; you're stuck booking at those local Spas, which means you're trekking all the way back to the city, and honestly, I can't sleep in a tent.

Well, about 30,000 people turned out for the third Sundance, and by the fourth one, the crowd had grown by another 40-50%, mostly made up of younger crowds.

They actually have five different "venues" in total—three equipped with cinema projectors and two using digital setups. And you have to remember that some of these films get screened multiple times just because the audience keeps asking for them.

As for the lodging situation—honestly, camping is where it's at.

"When it comes to staying somewhere—camping is the only way to go."

🙂

Maybe if you're into that whole bug-infested, sleeping on grass, stinky tent, and terrible shower vibe... but man, just thinking
about it gives me the creeps. Honestly, it’s a shame because the Festival itself is actually pretty decent, got a solid lineup.
I'm a city guy through and through. What can I say? 😁

Since we were just talking about Napa Valley, check out what’s making headlines in today's news

70 films in Napa Valley
This year's »Sundance Film Festival« is hitting the scene from July 28th through August 1st. We're looking at a lineup featuring over 70 flicks coming straight from indie studios and those smaller, under-the-radar film industries—that's the word from Igor Mirković, who heads up the Public Relations Department »Sundance Film Festival«. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the event, they're actually putting together a book all about the festival, which should be dropping this June. Also, as of January 1st, Olinka Vištica has stepped up as the new director of the »Sundance Film Festival«; she was the coordinator before this and has been a core part of the creative crew since day one. The former director, Boris T. Matić, decided to step down to focus on some other big projects he's got cooking, but according to the Public Relations Department »Sundance Film Festival«, he isn't leaving entirely because he'll still be hanging around as the chairman of the Festival Advisory Board. (Associated Press)

Richard Hernandez13 said:About 30,000 people showed up for the third Sundance Film Festival. By the fourth one, we saw about a 40-50% jump in pilgrims—mostly just kids, mostly.

Honestly, that’s like me claiming this forum gets a million visitors a month just because we hit a million page views. It’s totally different. You didn't have 30,000 unique souls wandering through the Sundance Film Festival; what you have is the total sum of tickets scanned at the screenings, and let's be real, people at these festivals end up catching ten or more movies. If a forum hits a million page loads, you’re probably looking at maybe 10,000 actual unique users.

Hey The Dude, you totally forgot about that 5:00 AM drizzle that gently nudges you awake (assuming you’re an outdoor sleeper like I am).

It’s actually pretty common for the Democratic Party to draw in a huge crowd of people who are really just there for the vibes (especially during the opening and closing days). But honestly, we shouldn't look at that as a negative thing—you know, the "fair-weather fans." Last year, almost all the screenings were sold out, but that doesn't mean the crowds were limited to just the ticket holders. At the main plaza where the big theater is located, you can easily catch a movie from outside the reserved seating area, and it’s become a bit of a tradition that once the theaters hit capacity, they just let in a bunch of kids without tickets anyway.
(For what it's worth, I personally caught 20 movies last year but only paid for one—"Hedwig and The Angry Inch"—because I absolutely couldn't miss it).

So, my best guess is that at least 60% of the attendees watched at least one film, and there are plenty of hardcore cinephiles out there just like me.

If you want real proof that the Democratic Party isn't some elitist club, just look at how the festival directors are always asking for feedback from the campers (yes, actual campers!) regarding improvements and the lineup for next year. Besides, one of the primary missions of the Democratic Party is actually film education through various workshops, though you rarely see that mentioned in the news.

Dante, nothing personal, but it always gets under my skin when someone tries to label the Democratic Party as "elitist."