Recent Articles
• Film Tells Story of Generational Conflict
• Mardik on Mardik
• 'Frasier' actor opens film festival
• Film festival offers something to do in Salem
• FILM SHORTS PROVIDE A BREAK FROM MAINSTREAM
• FOR THREE DAYS, SALEM'S THE STATE CAPITAL OF FILMDOM
•
THIRD ANNUAL EVENT HAS LINEUP THAT INCLUDES 60 FEATURES AND SHORT FILMS
• WHAT ABOUT THE ARTS?
• SALEM FILM FESTIVAL 2008
Film tells story of generational conflict
Director says he almost gave up on the project
Friday, April 18, 2008
STATESMAN JOURNAL, Ron Cowan
The first day of filming his debut feature, "August Evening," director Chris Eska was tempted to shut down production and go home.
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Chalk it up to first-timer's nerves. The lyrical feature, which shows at the Salem Film Festival Sunday, won the Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Spirit Awards and was lauded for its "naturalist acting and visual lyricism" by the Hollywood Reporter.
"We shot it in July of 2005," Eska said. "I thought that the film was going to be disastrous; I didn't touch the footage for nine months."
He struggled with not being able to reshoot scenes on a $40,000 budget, having to bring in a runner-up when a supporting actor failed to show.
"I was too caught up in thinking what I would do if I had four months (not five weeks) and $5 million," Eska said.
"I would have messed it up; I'm really not sure at this point.
"I would have enjoyed myself, that's all I would have done."
What is also remarkable is that "August Evening" is the story of Latino characters and is told in Spanish. Eska isn't Latino and doesn't speak Spanish, although the rural Texas setting of the film is his home turf.
The cast members are mostly nonactors.
The naturalistic film blends romance, gentle humor and tragedy to tell the story of an undocumented farmworker, Jaime (Pedro Castaneda), who loses his job and his wife, with only his widowed daughter-in-law, Lupe (Veronica Lauren) to support him emotionally.
He turns to his two grown children, but they have grown beyond his world and are uncomfortable when Jaime visits them. Lupe wants to stay with Jaime, but a young man is interested in marriage.
In spite of the language and setting, it's a universal story of generational conflict and a father who recognizes the force of time.
"It's never been my goal to make pretty films," Eska said. "It's always been my goal to tell a good story.
"I think we took it very seriously. We didn't act as if we didn't have money."
Eska, who has studied film directing and backpacked across India and Asia, cut his teeth on short films.
"I'd been making shorts for 10 years," he said. "I've always taken care with my short films."
In his first feature, Eska wanted to deal with issues of family and the bittersweet nature of life. He also used storytelling that doesn't always rely on dialogue but rather on expressive acting.
"In general, I just don't think dialogue and acting are what cinema does best," Eska said.
"(Jaime) is a lot like that stoic, quiet father/grandfather figure we have in a lot of families.
"It's certainly fiction, but it's things I've gone through, things a lot of families have gone through."
"August Evening" may be specific to the Latino community and Texas, but the film aims to be universal.
Among audiences so far, people have been able to identify with the son and daughter, uncomfortable with the father's old-fashioned ways, as well as Lupe.
Lupe is the quiet heroine for whom Jaime is her family; she is more of a daughter to him than his own children and is reluctant to leave him, even when she falls in love.
"Sometimes I like to have a character who goes through a lot of emotion," Eska said. "I think as a writer, I have to put myself in the shoes of a lot of the characters."
As to the details, Jaime loses his job at a chicken farm to a younger worker, and Eska himself worked at a chicken farm.
"I stopped eating eggs when I was 16," he said of the experience, graphically depicted in the opening minutes of the film.
Eska doesn't want the public to see "August Evening" as a film about immigration.
"It's not a political film," he said. "I'm not a political filmmaker."
Eska now is meeting with prospective backers of a new film.
"Nothing is as low budget or as sprawling as 'August Evening,'" he said.
"I couldn't do that again if we tried."
rcowan@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6728
Mardik on Mardik
Screenwriter talks of his life in Iraq and his start in the movie business
Friday, April 18, 2008
STATESMAN JOURNAL, Ron Cowan
Mardik Martin wrote the first three drafts of a classic American film, "Raging Bull," and co-wrote "Mean Streets," the film that made actor Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese Hollywood legends.
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So it's no surprise he doesn't waste words talking about the documentary on his life, "Mardik: From Baghdad to Hollywood," which is showing at the Historic Elsinore Theatre Saturday as part of the Salem Film Festival.
"It's not mixed," he said of his feelings about Baghdad, Iraq, where he grew up as an Armenian Christian.
"It was total hatred. It wasn't lovable then, and now it's even less lovable.
"That was not a home; that was being a stranger in a strange and hateful place."
Martin, who immigrated to the United States as a young man who didn't speak English, found solace in Hollywood's escapist movies in Baghdad, however. Movies like "On the Town" told him about America.
"I spent all my time watching movies and television; that was how I learned English," he said.
"It showed me how to write."
It didn't hurt when he happened to meet a fellow, ambitious film student, Scorsese, at New York University, where Martin got a master's degree and taught screenwriting.
They met in 1961 when both were sophomores and started making short films together.
"We were the best students at the time," Martin said.
"I structured things on paper better than he does, and he is visually with no peer; he tells stories with a camera."
"Mean Streets," a little film about New York City hoods in Little Italy, starring De Niro and Harvey Keitel, changed everything.
It was the featured film opening night at the New York Film Festival.
"Our lives changed that night," Martin said. "It was a big moment, mostly for (Scorsese's) life.
"I contributed to the writing and put it more objectively; he was too involved."
Scorsese's more recent films, such as "Casino" and "Gangs of New York," show he needs a balancing voice, someone to say no, Martin said.
"That's what I tell students, it's not a one-person, God-like thing," he said.
Martin is now semi-retired in his 70s but is senior lecturer at the University of Southern California film school.
"Raging Bull," the story of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, is the most admired of Scorsese's films. The 1980 drama is on many all-time lists of great films. Martin will introduce a showing of the film in Salem.
De Niro brought La Motta's autobiography to Martin to adapt.
"I think it's a great movie, and it took a couple of years out of my life," Martin said.
The autobiography seemed insubstantial, so Martin did a lot of original research over two months, moving into the home of La Motta's wife.
After three drafts, he decided it needed another voice and called in Paul Schrader to restructure it; the final draft was polished by De Niro and Scorsese.
Screenwriting is not an honored profession in Hollywood, Martin said.
"Once he gives the script to whomever is paid, whoever is involved, they say goodbye to you," he said.
"Everyone puts their hands in it."
But directing takes a special person, as well.
"To be a director is hard because you have to be a master," Martin said. "That's not an easy job. I don't think I could do that.
"I encourage people to be writer-directors; to be a writer is a good way to be a director.
"The script is the car that drives you around. It gives you a whole different world.
"In a script, less is more; you have to respect every minute of screen time."
Good films come from real life, not movie life, Martin said.
As to his own life, he likes seeing it on the screen in "Mardik: From Baghdad to Hollywood."
"I never get tired of seeing my life," he said.
"Some of the things about my life aren't quite true. The things about the drug business is exaggerated.
"The thing is, temporarily I took a shot at being a producer; I lost a lot of money (and used some drugs).
"It is a serious turning point but not because of the drugs. The drugs are just part of it.
"Now I've been clean for 31 years."
With his experience, Martin often is asked how to succeed in the film business.
"What I usually put down is there's like 5 percent you can do something about," he said.
"The other 95 percent is just luck.
"You have to be prepared; know as much as possible. The more you know, the more likely you are to impress with your knowledge of that past."
rcowan@.com or (503) 399-6728
'Frasier' actor opens film festival
Thursday, April 17, 2008
STATESMAN JOURNAL, Ron Cowan
There's a point in Dan Butler's new movie, "Karl Rove, I Love You," when you wonder, "Is he putting me on?"
Uh, yeah.
As Friday's opening-night attraction at the Salem Film Festival, the movie allows the actor, who played the crass Bulldog in television's "Frasier," to tweak reality a little, then a lot.
"I don't call it a mockumentary," said Butler from his new home in Vermont (the film shows him in Los Angeles).
"It's its own animal; it hovers somewhere between documentary and mockumentary.
"We're taking a lot from real life. Most everything is real, except the premise."
The premise: Director Phil Leirness approaches Butler with a plan to do a documentary on the unheralded character actor.
But the story goes in a different and eventually bizarre direction when Butler decides to jump-start his career with a satirical stage production based on Karl Rove, the senior presidential adviser and Republic election mastermind.
What starts as a hatchet job becomes a love affair when Butler gets a little too close to his subject.
Then it gets really weird.
The cast includes Butler's real-life partner, acting coach Richard Waterhouse, and his writing partner Julia Miranda; most everyone uses their real names and personalities.
Leirness, who co-directed the film with Butler, also plays himself.
"I hadn't directed a film," Butler said. "I directed an episode of 'Frasier.' I've directed a few things on stage.
"There were times it got challenging. It took over three years to do. We weren't sure where we were going; it started out as a lark."
Everyone worked on an "ultra low-budget" contract.
Butler would let Leirness see only a few pages of the script at a time.
"I like as an audience member being surprised. It doesn't have to be a big surprise," he said.
One of the more hilarious scenes in the film occurs late in the story, when Butler's liberal friends stage an intervention, reeling in horror at the fact that Butler is now reading books by Ann Coulter and other conservative pundits and contributing money to the Republican National Committee.
"It was cool to do," he said of the scene. "We did it all in one shot.
"We just set it up as an intervention. That's all you need to know. As an added element, Julia had just come from a family intervention."
That blend of reality and fantasy contributes to the film's tone.
"The one thing both Julia and I tried to aim for in this is that the scenes were really successful when things were sad, funny and crazy at the same time," Butler said.
"I didn't think about it; I just made it as true as possible: These are the situations in my life.
"You do have to approach it as a love story."
Most everything in the film is true, Butler said.
"During the little family interview thing, my mom thought she was being filmed for an actual documentary, as did my college professor," he said.
Butler clearly is proud of what he accomplished, but there always is room for improvement.
"There are little things I would tweak."
The film has Butler wanting to get his play on stage before the 2004 election, which he supposedly wants to influence.
Although he doesn't hope to influence this year's election, he does want to capitalize on it.
"My goal is to get it on the screen before the election," he said.
"It would be fun and potent that it's in the air right now. I think, really, when it comes down to it, if it leads people to learn more about Karl Rove, it's a good thing."
As to the subject of the film, he has yet to be heard from.
"I sent it to Rove himself," Butler said. "I'm waiting to hear back from him.
"I'm really intrigued what his response will be."
Although Butler has done other work than "Frasier," his new film does not seem likely to displace the Bulldog role as a way to identify him.
"That was a really fun gig," he said. What better thing can you do than make people laugh? Even the writers of 'Frasier' would have trouble believing I did other things."
Butler and his co-director, Leirness, will attend the Salem showing and take questions from the audience.
rcowan@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6728
BACK TO TOPFilm festival offers something to do in Salem
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
STATESMAN JOURNAL, Karin Holton
The Salem Film Festival, Friday through Sunday, offers a chance to enjoy new, indie and cutting-edge films in the Historic Elsinore Theatre, Grand Theater and Salem Cinema.
In addition to providing hours of cinematic entertainment, this is also a juried film competition with entries being judged by experts in the field as well as the audience choice award. Categories include narrative, documentary, short, animation, experimental and international along with a youth and amateur category.
The festival also offers an opportunity to hear panels of movie professionals share their craft.
This festival was started a number of years ago as a partnership between Chemeketa Community College and the Historic Elsinore Theatre as a venue for students in Chemeketa's film program to show their work.
Over the years the program went through changes and three years ago became the Salem Film Festival that we know today. The festival is a partnership between Salem Cinema, Allied Video Productions and the Historic Elsinore Theatre. Co-coordinators of the event are Loretta Miles, owner of Salem Cinema, and Jeff Hart, part-owner of Allied Video Productions.
A full schedule of showings is available on the Salem Film Festival Web site. Tickets are available at the Historic Elsinore Theatre Box Office and range in price from $8 for an individual showing to $75 for a three-day film and forum VIP pass.
There is also an opening night red carpet gala at j. james restaurant. Cost is $45 per person.
For more information about the Salem Film Festival visit www.salemfilmfestival.com. And remember, "There's Something To Do in Salem."
Karin Holton is executive director of ArtSmart. Contact her through info@artsmartsalem.org.
BACK TO TOPFILM SHORTS PROVIDE A BREAK FROM MAINSTREAM
Grand Theater will show kid's films during festival
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
STATESMAN JOURNAL, Holly Hamlin
Some things don't sound good at first. For example, Salem Cinema's offering of brewer's yeast as a popcorn topping originally scared me. Now it's a favorite.
My youngest daughter didn't like the sound of leaving our newly assembled trampoline on the first sunny Saturday of the year.
"I don't want to go to the movies," she screamed as she clutched the trampoline. "It sounds stupid and boring."
We'd been invited to preview the IndieKids Family Shorts scheduled to show at this weekend's film festival.
I'd told my kids all I knew about the films. There would be a variety of shorts made by kids or for kids.
My older two were convinced and hurried to leave. My youngest needed a little more coaxing — or more specifically, carrying to the car.
The adventure started as soon as we entered Salem Cinema and the theater's unassuming entrance. "It's like a cave," my older daughter whispered. "You enter through a small opening and grows bigger and bigger."
The first film, "No Problem", had a young girl creatively solving any difficulty her father threw at her. Its innocence and simplicity brought giggles from the kids. The contrast between adult concerns and childlike optimism brought reflection from at least this adult.
"Lost in the Woods" was the longest film of the collection and voted as our family favorite. It gave many reasons to be loved. There were beautiful scenes from nature, the touching story of a fawn left alone in the woods and musical numbers. But its humor stayed with us long after we left the theater. We laughed again at the passionate raccoon named Fernando Hernandofandavez, the lounge singing tree frog and the pollywog who needed legs and better material to be a standup comedian.
"Day of the Dead," another favorite of my once-resistant 5-year-old, explained the Mexican holiday with beautiful animation, homage to family, and a touch of fantasy. Or, as my daughter succinctly summed it up, "It was really cool."
The films varied from two minutes to 29; from silly to thought-provoking. There were clay heads moving to beat of techno music and dragons finding happiness to strains of "Carmina Burana."
Most of films said more in their short duration than the full-length kid movies we usually watch. And what they didn't say — smart-aleck remarks and bathroom humor — wasn't missed. Where other kid films turn to scary characters for effect, these turned to creativity.
In other words, these indie shorts were a nice break from mainstream kid media. They were something I was glad to expose my kids to and experience myself.
My son has shown an interest in film-making in the past. After reading one book on the topic, he announced that he was writing an 110-page screenplay. For obvious reasons, his enthusiasm reached its end before the ambitious project. I'm hoping that Indiekids Films not only rekindles his interest in filmmaking but provides him with a more attainable vision.
Heck, I'm inspired to make a movie myself. Maybe our family will have its own kid film festival soon.
Until then, I'm going to enjoy the Film Festival that Salem is fortunate to have. Most of the festival is aimed at adults and shows at different venues around town.
Coincidentally, the ones I've chosen are all scheduled for Salem Cinema. I'm telling you, that brewer's yeast popcorn is really addictive.
Holly Hamlin lives in Salem with her husband and three children ranging from ages 5 to 11. Kid Trips appears Tuesdays in this section. Write to Kid Trips, Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309-3009. Letters can be faxed to (503) 399-6706 or e-mailed to STEFHAM@Comcast.net
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FOR THREE DAYS, SALEM'S THE STATE CAPITAL OF FILMDOM
Sunday, April 13, 2008
THE OREGONIAN, Shawn Levy
While the Hollywood movie pipeline continues to churn in anticipation of the summer movie calendar, Oregon audiences are still able to branch out and see something new and different.
This coming weekend, the Salem Film Festival appears in its third incarnation, a collection of 26 feature films, several dozen shorts, some celebrity appearances, and a chance for the capital city to shine as a cultural standout.
From a PR perspective, the highlights of the three-day event are likely the evenings built around special guests. On Friday, actor Dan Butler (who played Bulldog on "Frasier") will be on hand to present his directorial debut, a comic vision of American politics titled "Karl Rove, I Love You." The following night, screenwriter Mardik Martin, who wrote "Mean Streets," "Raging Bull" and "New York, New York" with Martin Scorsese, will present "Mardik: From Baghdad to Hollywood," a documentary about his life. And on Sunday, "August Evening," a film lauded at the most recent Independent Spirit Awards, will be presented by its director, Chris Eska.
Among the feature films on tap are "Audience of One," a charming and frightening documentary about a San Francisco evangelist trying to make an epic science-fiction film about God; "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies," a hilarious French spoof of espionage films; "Then She Found Me," a drama that marks the directorial debut of actress Helen Hunt (who also stars); and the documentary "Girls Rock!," which explores Portland's famed Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls.
There's actually quite a bit more to see and do: locally made films, parties, discussions and so forth. For full information about the festival, including prices and schedules, surf over to www.salemfilmfestival.com.
THIRD ANNUAL EVENT HAS LINEUP THAT INCLUDES 60 FEATURES AND SHORT FILMS
April 13, 2008
STATESMAN JOURNAL, Ron Cowan
The Salem Film Festival marks its third birthday next weekend, with about 60 films and some new and familiar names in the film spectrum.
With an enhanced lineup including short films and an evening of gory movies, the festival offers world cinema; documentaries, shorts and features; and subject matter as diverse as the Iraq war and a Helen Hunt romantic comedy co-starring Bette Midler.
The festival celebrates the opening of its three-day run Friday at the Historic Elsinore Theatre with actor/filmmaker Dan Butler of "Frasier" fame and his mockumentary "Karl Rove, I Love You."Among the celebrity guests during the weekend will be Mardik Martin, who collaborated on the script of "Raging Bull" and worked on other films with director Martin Scorsese, and a host of directors, producers, writers and actors.
There will be nine Oregon premieres and two West Coast premieres.
"I'm really impressed with the lineup and the filmmakers," co-coordinator Jeff Hart of Allied Video Productions said.
"I think this is the best yet."I don't know if it's clout; I think it's the luck of the films."
His fellow coordinator, Loretta Miles, owner of Salem Cinema and spearhead of the programming committee, previewed 250 films for this year's festival, including visits to the Denver and New York film festivals.
"I think that we're proving ourselves as being a class event," she said. "Certainly, the industry has already taken note of the film festival; they pay attention to what's showing where."
Some filmmakers sought out the festival, and some are even traveling here at their ownexpense.
Such films as "Say I Do," "To the Limit," "Driving to Zigzigland" and "Greetings From the Shore" were submissions.
Not all the films Miles saw were good. Some were really bad; some were good ideas that had been stretched too far in becoming features.
"Everything that I was embarrassed by got kicked out before anyone else saw them," Miles said.She sought a balance, with comedies and dramas, documentaries and features, American and foreign films. Consequently, a number of documentaries had to be rejected.
The focus is independent films, films that wouldn't necessarily make it to the multiplex.
Still, there are some major names in the festival, including Christopher Plummer starring in "Man in the Chair," Helen Hunt acting and making her feature film directing debut in "Then She Found Me," and "Juno" actress Ellen Page in "The Tracey Fragments."
New this year will be an emphasis on short films, many paired with thematically relatedfeatures.
There also is "Night Camp Shorts," a collection of campy, horror-themed short films including "Gay Zombie," "Zombie Jesus!" and "Criticized," in which a film critic gets a gory comeuppance.
This selection of 10 edgy films, including Salem filmmaker Sam Sparks' ironic "Foie Gras," was intended to reach a younger audience and has an 11 p.m. showtime.
"This is a total experiment," Miles said. "I'm really excited about it."Although reluctant to pick favorites among the films, she said she was really pleased by the opening night highlight, "Karl Rove, I Love You," and the appearance of legendary screenwriter Mardik Martin, the subject of the documentary "Mardik: From Baghdad to Hollywood," who will also host a showing of the classic "Raging Bull."
"I'm personally just really, really proud of the fact that he's coming to join us," she said.
Hart said his favorites include "Audience of One," a documentary about a pastor who tries to make a biblical epic without money or experience and "A Man Named Pearl," a documentaryabout Pearl Fryar, a self-taught topiary artist in South Carolina who has found fame and respect in artistic circles.
Finances are always a challenge, and even with sponsors, Miles said the festival is dependent on ticket sales, most of which probably will happen at the last minute.
"It's been tough," Hart said of finding sponsors. "It's a little harder, but if you keep asking and show them the product, then they come on board."
The festival costs $80,000 to $90,000 to put on.The festival lacks the advantages of Ashland and Bend, whose film festivals are in destination cities, and Portland, which has a large urban population to support multiple themed festivals.
"I think the challenge we have is we're a little old Salem," he said. "That's what we have been in the arts, and we're breaking that mold.
"Maybe we're pipe dreaming, but that's what it takes."
He hopes this year's festival draws about 5,000 people, up from 3,676 last year and 3,426 the frst year.
Part of the festival once again this year is the Youth and Amateur Program, with showings and panel discussions Monday through Saturday at the IKE Box. The competitions include the 72 Hour Challenge, with teams of filmmakers required to assemble a short film including specific thematic elements.
Most films are at Salem Cinema, Historic Elsinore Theatre and the Grand Theatre, with panel discussions at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.
As an added attraction, Willamette artist/faculty member Alexandra Opie will have an installation at the corner of High and State streets.
The exhibit is open 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. April 20.
rcowan@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6728
WHAT ABOUT THE ARTS?
Salem has its share of great festivals
March 16, 2008
STATESMAN JOURNAL, Ron Cowan
Salem is known for sometimes messing up, sometimes getting things right and sometimes excelling. When we do something that catches on, there's obviously a niche to be filled.
Film festivals have, oddly enough, turned out to be a perceived need that is being filled.
Salem Film Festival is returning for its third year April 18-20 at the Salem Cinema, Grand Theatre and Historic Elsinore Theatre.
The relative old timer is the Wednesday Evening Film Series, a collaboration of Chemeketa Community College and the Historic Elsinore Theatre. The series started in 1974.
The latest series, coming in April, will be the spiciest: "Images of Desire: Sin, Censorship and Pre-Code Hollywood."
Then there is the Salem Progressive Film Series, which is more than simple entertainment. The April 10 program, for example, is featuring the film "Subdivided," a look at senseless development, showing at the Grand Theatre. Each film is followed by expert guest speakers and discussion.We also have the new Willamette University series, "Hollywood and Beyond: Worlds on Screen," which shows modern and classic films and includes a discussion led by Willamette experts.
On April 8, the film will be director Akira Kurosawa's "No Regrets for Youth," showing at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.
None of these series is really about making money. The motives vary from informing us about the world to looking at the art of filmmaking.Salem Film Festival is probably the most ambitious, following in the style of such events as the Ashland and Bend film festivals. This year's festival is an exploration of new independent film with visiting filmmakers and panel discussions enlarging on the viewing experience.
Judging by several of the films I've seen already, there is an emerging conscience about being an informed if entertained citizen of our world.
"Driving to Zigzigland" is a funny, revealing documentary of a Palestinian cab driver who discovers its easier to be from a fictitious land than Palestine; "Audience of One" is adocumentary exploring how a Pentecostal minister and his flock in San Francisco pursue a bizarre dream of making epic films.
"The Memory Thief" is a disturbing look at a man absorbing the lives of Holocaust victims, and "The Tracey Fragments" is an innovative look at a troubled teen's messy life.
Given the kind of junk that frequently litters the multiplexes, such series are a reminder than film is also a serious medium, not just a frill.
SALEM FILM FESTIVAL 2008
coming APRIL 18, 19 & 20, 2008!
Visiting filmmaker, Michael Knowles (Room 314), reminds us that not only did we “roll ‘em”, but we rocked ‘em at SALEM FILM FESTIVAL 2007!
2007 Audience Award Winner was COFFEE DATE
2007 Special Jury Award Winner was WAR/DANCE
THANK YOU to all of the committed and faithful film fans who put their lives on hold, lined up around the corner and filed into darkened auditoriums to escape with us into the magic of the movies.
Attendance was up, spirits were high and many of us made an attempt to reach our inner Airness. We journeyed with exceptional filmmakers beyond the realms of Otisia, Vietnam, Japan and Mexico. We found Molly, raised Flagg, took a strange cab ride in which Night Becomes Day and checked into Room 314. We learned what it means to Live Free or Die, succumbed to a tumultuous Coffee Date and discovered that it really is The Little Things that matter most.
We couldn’t have primped and planned such an extravagant weekend without our many sponsors and supporters. From our producer-level contributor on down to the tireless volunteers who counted you on their clicker as you walked through the door, this festival’s success was largely due to a community coming together to create, cultivate and embrace the beginnings of something extraordinary.
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