Filmmakers and die-hard film lovers flocked to the inaugural Hot Springs International Women's Film Festival over the weekend, and while attendance numbers were not as high as Executive Director Bill Volland hoped for, he said he is optimistic about its future.
"We probably could have used a few more people in the seats but considering it's only the first year, I'm hopeful that word will get out. All of the filmmakers I've spoken to have said they feel the selection of films we featured were really good," Volland said.
At any point, Volland says there were anywhere between 30 to 40 people in the theater. The majority of those in attendance were filmmakers, but Volland said that's how word about the festival will spread.
"Our keynote speaker, Sandra Luckow, will be going back to Yale and telling people about the festival. We've had several filmmakers come from far and wide and I'm hopeful that they will spread the word about next year," he said.
"I've had a few local filmmakers come to me and say that they feel everything has just run so smoothly compared to other festivals they have submitted their work to," he said.
Volland also said he was extremely pleased with how well the question-and-answer sessions went following six of the films' premieres, noting he had to work to keep them within the time limit. Members of the audience remained engaged throughout each film and had several well-thought-out questions for filmmakers, he said.
The two-day festival featured a total of 27 films from various genres, including feature-length films and documentaries, shorts, experimental films, and animations. Each submission had at least one woman in one of the key production positions, such as producer, director, writer, cinematographer, editor or lead actress.
In addition to question-and-answer sessions, filmgoers had the opportunity to meet several filmmakers during a meet and greet at Will's Cinnamon Shop, attend workshops and roundtables, and have a photo taken with Alfred Hitchcock' camera crane.
At the end of the festival, Volland passed out six awards for the top films in their category, the best actress, and an "audience's choice" award.
The film "Days of Power" won best feature film and "That Way Madness Lies" won best feature-length documentary. Actress Crystal Cubria won best actress for her work in the film "The Things They Left Behind." The short horror film "Alfred J. Hemlock" won best short film and "Left on Pearl" took home the award for best short documentary.
Local on 03/19/2018