A Decade of Film Celebration
The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival is turning 10 this year, and what better way to celebrate than going back to basics! Festival creators, Lloyd Komesar and Jay Craven, have tailored an exciting program enabling budding filmmakers to sharpen their skills.
This lively festival takes place from August 21-25 in the picturesque town of Middlebury, Vermont. Komesar and Craven have lined up visits from big industry names like Oliver Stone, the mind behind ‘Platoon’ and ‘JFK’, and John Patrick Shanley, screenwriter of ‘Moonstruck’.
The goal? To give rising filmmakers a chance to mingle and learn, not just from each other, but also from industry veterans. Festival producer, Lloyd Komesar, passionately believes that the festival provides a space to harvest valuable knowledge about these established filmmakers’ career trajectories.
Hollywood Meets Middlebury
While some may think this is becoming a star-studded affair, this is not the intention. Rather, these high-profile appearances are valued for the inspiration they bring to the filmmakers who travel here from all corners of the world.
This year, Komesar has heavily favoured panels and discussions, with Thursday alone boasting three panels. These will cater to different interests within the film industry, namely animation, festival networking strategy, and editing. As Komesar puts it, they’re positioned so everyone can choose which one to attend and share notes with others later. This new approach highlights the festival’s ethos of facilitating connections and fostering collaboration.
The Genesis of the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival
What’s the backstory this great festival, you ask? Interestingly, Komesar felt compelled to start the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival after leaving his long-time position as a film and TV distribution executive at Disney.
He teamed up with Craven, the artistic director of the festival and a filmmaker in his own right, to establish a festival that emphasises emerging filmmakers. From its humble beginnings, the festival now sees films that played at Sundance or South by Southwest applying to be a part of it.
A Festival That Connects
What really sets this festival apart is its potential to create long-lasting filmmaker connections. The festival team maintains ongoing relationships with the filmmakers, offering them a platform for their debut films, and often their second ones, too!
Then there’s some buzz about an executive shuffle. Komesar is stepping down as the festival’s producer, welcoming Caitlyn Boyle as the new executive director. Fear not, he will remain a core part of the festival, focusing on fundraising, meeting sponsors and donors, and acting as the face of the festival.
A Little Festival That Became Big
Over the past ten years, the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival has done more than just showcase films. It has put Middlebury on the cinematic map, ceased to be our ‘little festival’, and emerged as a truly flourishing platform for new filmmakers. As it hits its 10-year milestone, the future sure looks bright!
