Copyright 2000 Crain Communications, Inc.
Crain's Cleveland Business
May 29, 2000, Monday
SECTION: Pg. 14
LENGTH: 526 words
HEADLINE: On the job; Unique movies the mainstream for Ohio Independent Film Festival
BYLINE: Scott Suttell
BODY:
"Even if she wanted to,
Bernadette Gillota couldn't get away from the movies.
Much of her time these days is spent, along with co-founder Annetta Marion,
running the nonprofit Ohio Independent Film Festival and sifting through more
than 300 submissions for a week-long festival of about 100 quirky films. This
year's event runs Nov. 7-12 at the Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave.
Work is well under way to compile the schedule.
But evaluating independent films of widely varying quality is only part of the
task of running the Cleveland-based organization. Ms. Gillota and Ms. Marion
have expanded the festival in recent years to include a film production
training program, an
"Off-Hollywood Oscarz" event honoring local independent filmmakers and a screenplay competition that
attracts about 130 submissions.
Ms. Gillota also is squeezing in some work as a line producer on a low-budget
feature film written and directed by a Cleveland lawyer who wants to keep a low
profile and asked not to be identified. (Cut to exasperated man sighing,
"Artists.") And she's producing a commercial that will be filmed here in a few weeks.
"It's a juggling act, really, to run a nonprofit and at the same time, in
your other life, try to make a living," Ms. Gillota said. Ms. Marion, a filmmaker herself, was traveling for much of
May and was unavailable for comment.
From its humble beginnings in 1993 as an event primarily to screen short films
and videos, the festival now makes room for several longer works and has grown
into a major event in the local independent film world. Although submissions
come from around the world, Ms. Gillota said the festival organizers try to
stay in touch with the event's Ohio roots by emphasizing the work of local
filmmakers.
"We really do try to show films from Ohio if possible," Ms. Gillota said.
"We won't take them if the sound or lighting quality is really bad, but we want
to focus as much as possible on local filmmakers."
To handle the increased workload of running the film festival and its
related events, Ms. Gillota said she and Ms. Marion recently added a part-time
assistant.
No one mistakes the Ohio Independent Film Festival for the glitz of Hollywood,
Ms. Gillota said. The organizers want to keep it that way.
"A lot of filmmakers like our festival because it's not a lot of hubbub," she said.
But the festival organizers aren't entirely immune to a little movie glamour.
Ms. Gillota noted with pride that this year's Sundance Film Festival in Park
City, Utah -- ground-zero for manufacturing word of mouth about independent
films -- showed two films that previously had appeared at the Ohio Independent
Film Festival.
Ms. Gillota said she and Ms. Marion take pride in playing a role, along with
organizations such as the Cleveland Cinematheque, to provide a
home for films featuring something other than explosions and teen gross-out
humor.
"The film scene here has exploded," Ms. Gillota said.
"In 1992, '93, nothing was going on. We obviously aren't going to be the center
of the filmmaker world, but the level of activity is increasing pretty
dramatically."
GRAPHIC: Film festival co-founder Bernadette Gillota says the film scene here
"is increasing pretty dramatically.
LOAD-DATE: May 31, 2000
