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Film Festival Today: Film world coverage with personality
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The universe of film is a massive one, teeming with innumerable indie filmmakers trying to scale the tower of overly-budgeted studio pictures for visibility. Discovering movie industry talent outside the studio system was next-to-impossible before the relatively recent proliferation of film festivals, the art galleries of the video world.
The rising abundance of film festivals has created its own set of problems, however. It's become increasingly difficult to keep track of them all, as each of the hundreds of festivals has a unique personality, an equally impressive roster of films and a hit list of future Spielbergs, Soderberghs and Spielderberghs waiting to be discovered.
In this modern movie metropolis, Film Festival Today (FFT) is a road map for the cinematic sojourner. The site provides festival news, film reviews and industry interviews in one comprehensive location.
FFT started in 2001 as a print publication that later shifted online. FFT founder Jeremy Taylor was also one of the original members of the team that began the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, the home of the Sundance Film Festival.
“I realized there wasn't a publication that catered to all of the (festivals) in the industry for businesses or even consumers,” Taylor said.
FFT fills a void by providing extensive and wide-ranging coverage of film festivals, from Tribeca in New York to ShoWest in Vegas. The site is updated frequently with news, reviews of newly premiered films from festivals or nationwide and interviews with filmmakers and performers, from Sean Penn to Geena Davis.
“We try to get new, unique content up there everyday,” Taylor said. “We have local correspondents all over covering events, taking pictures and whenever I'm at a festival I run around with a video camera to interview filmmakers.”
One of FFT's top correspondents is filmmaker and UNLV film professor Rob Goald, who covers several premier film festivals and provides movie reviews for the site.
“I look at film festivals as an exciting way to explore the world and its various human stories,” Goald said. “The bottom line is film festivals give you a chance to see the small, non-Hollywood-esque films that I particularly embrace.”
Goald said he – and FFT – try to showcase films such as documentaries, independent releases and international movies with limited chances for mainstream distribution.
“We provide comprehensive coverage of the film world, usually in an encapsulated form, so you can know what to look for in theaters or on DVD,” Goald said. “It's really a more expansive view of the film world that just festivals. We also try to cover related ancillaries – such as book reviews useful for people in the process of making films or filmmaker interviews.”
FFT'S FOUNDER STEPS UP TO PROMOTE MEANINGFUL FILMS
Taylor, a documentary filmmaker and human rights activist in Manhattan, has had a passion for film since his childhood, where he was an avid moviegoer. As an extension of this interest, he became a dedicated attender of film festivals.
“Going to film festivals is what I love doing the most. As someone who has made films, I appreciate the other documentary filmmakers,” he said. FFT support documentaries through video Q&A interviews with the filmmakers in order “to help them get their messages out there,” Taylor said, emphasizing that he promotes “Movies that Matter,” films with substantive messages.
“There's a desperate need to show all these films; the documentaries I watch don't have celebrities, just good stories,” he said. “They're trying to make a difference. Trying to promote change for the better. You look at a guy like Lou Dobbs – he helps shape policy. I'm hoping these movies help shape policy.
Taylor has displayed his passion for important issues with his activism and topic-fueled television show, “Step Up with Jeremy Taylor.”
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