Last week we spent a lot of time at the Chain Film Festival. It was our first time attending and being part of this festival, and overall we found it to be well run and more attentive than most in the City.
"Arm Bar" screened Monday evening in a lineup all about women. It was a nice selection of films. There were about 40 people in attendance for 5 shorts and a feature. The audience reaction was positive. A couple people complimented lead actor Latresa Baker's performance. See photos below.
And here's his Q&A. Check it out if you've seen the film.
"Night In" screened Tuesday afternoon in a Horror lineup. We don't usually comment on the other films in a lineup in our recaps but this one was rife with misogyny and was hard to sit through. (The decision to program some of the films really turned me off, in terms of submitting future work to the festival.) That said, at least the festival does a solid job of giving each film and filmmaker a moment to discuss their work in a specific, not generic way. And the audience seemed to enjoy the film. There were about 60 people there for the 9 shorts screened. One person came over after and thanked me for not making a horror film where a man rapes and kills a woman, and another called the film delightful. It got laughs where I wanted, and I feel was a nice contrast to much of the lineup.
See photos below.
And here's my Q&A. Included for people who've seen the film. SPOILERS. It's a 3 minute film, so maybe wait to watch it at the next fest and then come back to watch this. Don't ruin the fun! ;)
"Night In" was also invited to screen again Friday night at their encore screening of 5 shorts and a web series. It was a stronger lineup overall, though only 10 people were in attendance (all filmmakers).
-Christina
