Inspiration. Usually it hits me in the middle of the night when my glasses are nowhere to be found and my 2am “note to myself” look more like a chicken got into a bottle of ink than anything else. If not then, the shower is always a solid second. Both are rife for me forgetting about the latest great idea. But not this weekend. This weekend I was awake, dry, and armed with a pen and a place to use it.
The Annapolis Film Festival ** was in town. This is a relatively new festival (6 years) and it is fantastic. I always will take off the Friday of the festival to basically sit on my butt in the dark for 12 hours. It is fantastic and if you ever want to come, let me know and you can be my guest. Anyhow, the idea…
The festival offers full-length films and shorts. And the shorts are usually bundled together toward a common theme. Comedy, women’s issues, racism, environment, etc. They also pair some full-length films with a short for an opener—sort of like the cartoons of yesteryear. And that is where I got my idea!
What about a travel film festival? Disclaimer: I am not sure of the legality of playing these in public, so consult an attorney first. But imagine a decent size venue with a temporary screen and speakers with a bunch of chairs? Maybe there is an outdoor park in your town and you can put it on as a series under the stars on an inflatable screen. Partner with a local winery or craft brewery. Or if you are budget restricted, do it in your office or your driveway! Charge a few dollars per film to cover your costs and plant the seed to travel. Of course, you would have graphics for you as the sponsor. There might be some swag for the attendees to take home with your information.
Need some travel movie inspiration….
- Vicky Christina Barcelona (Spain)
- Romancing the Stone (Colombia)
- Titanic (Cruising) Scratch that!
- Under the Tuscan Sun (Italy)
- Julia Julia (France)
- Chocolat (France)
- Out of Africa (Africa, duh)
- Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (India)
- Up in the Air (because who doesn’t like Clooney)
- The Bucket List (because who doesn’t like Nicholson or Freeman)
- One Week (Canada)
- Everest (Nepal)
- In Bruges (Belgium)
- Once Upon a Time in Mexico (Mexico)
- A Good Year (France)
You get the idea. While I don’t see it becoming a four-day long festival, I do see there is potential in the idea. Movies allow people to dream and to get lost in their own imaginations. Why not let them get lost in some wanderlust? And why not be there when they decide to do something about it?
** As for my highlights
- Beirut (Meh)
- Sammy Davis Jr.: I Gotta Be Me (Incredible)
- A Crooked Somebody (Incredible..and I got to hang with Joanne Froggatt)
- Come Sunday (Incredible, spoke with Bishop Pearson)
- Butterfly Kisses (Great, if you are into horror)
- New Wave: Dare to be Different (Incredible, but I may be biased because I knew a lot of people in the film)
- Stumped (Incredible, intense, motivating)
As for the shorts, I find that they program them in blocks of 6 and 2/3 of them are good to great. The remaining 1/3 leave me scratching my head asking what it was I just watched!
Sorry—didn’t mean to get that far off topic, but keep an eye out for those if you are into films!