Does the thought of seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger, spouting one-liners in yet another overhyped, poorly acted and bewilderingly inane movie make you sick to your stomach?
If so, you might find solace in the offerings of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, which features a refreshing and eclectic mix of experimental films, documentaries, and animated shorts.
The festival showcases the efforts of talented filmmakers from across the United States and around the world. For many directors, the festival has been a springboard to recognition and financial backing.
Director Arthur Dong, whose documentary "License to Kill" was shown at the 36th annual festival, acknowledged the importance of the festival.
"They showed my very first film," Dong said. "As a young filmmaker, it was important to receive exposure. To know that people were watching my film was very encouraging."
The festival, Dong said, has stayed faithful to the focus it held when he showed his earliest work.
"Ann Arbor accepted works of all kinds, especially experimental films," Dong said. "I've always followed the growth of the Ann Arbor Film Festival. The spirit of the festival is intact, as far as focusing on the art of film."
That attention to art is what many say distinguishes the Ann Arbor Film Festival from more commercial festivals such as Sundance.
"We're about experimental film," said Vicki Honeyman, who directed the last festival. "We're not about distributors, contracts or Hollywood. We're about the film and the art."
In the past, the festival has shown the works of many up-and-comers, including George Lucas, Brian DePalma, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, and Gus Van Sant, director of the Oscar-nominated "Good Will Hunting."
The festival attracts many participants because it is known internationally as a showcase for innovative films.
"The festival is really geared to 16 mm filmmakers," Honeyman said. "Many filmmakers enter here before anywhere else. It's very prestigious to be included."
One major goal of the festival, Honeyman said, is to reward the hard work of aspiring filmmakers. An awards jury will decide which films receive the $12,000 available in prize money.
Teeming with interesting and imaginative works, the Ann Arbor Film Festival is the perfect place for those tired of the standard Hollywood fare.
09-08-98
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