Geneva film fest offers flicks, workshops
You don't have to go far to find local movie talent -- just head over to the Geneva Film Festival Saturday for a sampling of some local, and some not-so-local, filmmaking talent.
The one-day festival, sponsored by the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission, features 14 short films and a variety of workshops for filmmakers.
"One of the things we'd like to celebrate is the art of filmmaking," said Vic Portincaso, a member of the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission and head of the film festival committee.
"The film festival gives filmmakers an outlet to show their work and get some publicity for what they do," he said. "It also helps bring people to Geneva so that they see our wonderful little town and we're hoping it could help better the career of some of these artists."
Two area filmmakers -- Nick Smith of St. Charles and Jose Gomez of Geneva -- will have their short films featured at the event.
Smith's film, "Stormlife," will be featured for the second time locally. The film, which tells the story about how a drunken driving accident changed the lives of two high school friends, debuted last year at the Arcada in downtown St. Charles.
Gomez' film will be shown for the first time locally. His film, "Tragedy of a Delivery Boy," is a short comedy about the perils a delivery boy faces when delivering a pizza.
"I've submitted to a lot of festivals," Gomez said. "This is the first that picked up the pizza movie."
Gomez, whose love for filmmaking was sparked in high school, said the festival helps show others in the industry he is a serious filmmaker and it helps promote local talent besides filmmakers -- such as the actors who were featured in his film.
"This little film helps me promote what I can do," he said, noting he has worked with other produces on larger projects such as "Roadkill," in which he helped with scouting locations and had a minor role.
Smith said he's glad to see a local town focusing on the art of filmmaking.
"It's nice to have a forum for people," he said.
"I've never actually done one," he said, referring to being involved in a film festival. "I'm usually not a fan of film festivals… I don't make movies for myself or for critics or judge."
Smith, who is in his senior year at Columbia College, plans to pursue his interest in filmmaking and in reaching out to teens about issues such as drunken driving.
His film, which he originally wrote as a story and shot as an 11-minute film in high school, is loosely based on actual events. He turned it into a 27-minute film with the help of a fellow student at Columbia.
Other films include works from filmmakers as far as South Dakota. The films featured at the festival include short documentaries, music videos, short films and films made by college students.
The films will be shown in groups of three or four on a rotating basis at city hall and the Geneva History Center. Film showings begin at 10 a.m. and end at 4:45 p.m. An awards reception -- which includes a people's choice award -- will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the history center.
Workshops will be from 9 a.m. to noon at Riverside Receptions, 35 North River Lane. Topics include directing documentaries, producing movies, writing fiction, editing, sound, critiquing movies and casting movies. The cost for each workshop session is $4, or $10 for three sessions. The cost for the film festival is $5.
For additional information or to reserve tickets, go to www.genevarts.org.