News

September 30, 2009

AUDIENCE GROWTH, DISTRIBUTION & NEW TECHNOLOGY ARE HOT TOPICS AT 2009 FLYWAY FILM FESTIVAL

Brian Newman, Former CEO of the Tribeca Film Institute, to Deliver Keynote, Moderate Panel

Today, the 2009 The Flyway Film Festival announced that Brian Newman, entertainment industry consultant and former CEO of Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff’s Tribeca Film Institute (TFI), will deliver the keynote speech for the Festival at its opening gala on October 22, 2009.

Newman, who currently resides in New York, has spent his career helping filmmakers, artists and organizations distribute content and connect with audiences through innovative uses of new technology. He also conceived and launched the Reframe project, a unique initiative that digitizes and distributes films for DVD, streaming, and video-on-demand. He speaks regularly on new media, audience development and the future of the industry, and contributes irregularly to a blog on these subjects at Springboardmedia.com.

Newman previously served as executive directors of IMAGE Film & Video Center and Renew Media, in addition to producing the Atlanta Film Festival and holding positions at the IFP and the South Carolina Arts Commission. For five years, he was also an officer of the board of Grantmakers in Film & Electronic Media (GFEM). He currently serves on the editorial advisory board for Art Papers magazine and the advisory board for the International Film Festival Summit in Nevada.

Rick Vaicius, Director of Film and Music Programming at the Lake Pepin Art & Design Center (LPADC), is also pleased to have Newman moderate a special panel for attending filmmakers, artists, and other interested parties on October 23, which will further explore innovative and new film distribution methods for film and other artistic media.

“Brian really represents the forefront of new methods for artists in a variety of disciplines to reach a broader and deeper audience,” says Vaicius. “His extensive experience and expertise in film world dovetails nicely with the grassroots, more ‘organic’ film programming the LPADC promotes and provides added credibility to our efforts.”

Full Festival passes and individual tickets for these events and movie screenings will be available are available now. A limited number of press and industry passes will also available through direct arrangement with the Festival director at rick@flywayfilmfestival.org .

Highlights Include Big-buzz Sci-Fi Feature “Ink” and Acclaimed Regional Documentary “Typeface”

PEPIN – September 22, 2009 – The Flyway Film Festival announced today the films that will be showcased at the 2009 Flyway Film Festival, presented by the Lake Pepin Art & Design Center. Selections range from regional Wisconsin/Minnesota offerings to international fare, among them, the Cannes-favorite U.K. zombie film “Colin”; German drama “Storm”, which garnered huge praise at The Berlin International Film Festival; “Trust Us This Is All Made Up”, from U.S. director Alex Karpovsky (whose mockumentary “Woodpecker” was a 2008 FFF audience favorite); and the family-friendly feature “Etienne!”, which has steadily been gathering warm critical praise.

Added into the mix is the Opening Night (and Midwest premiere) screening of the extraordinary sci-fi film “Ink” and Closing Night’s feature, the Wisconsin typesetting documentary “Typeface” for a variety of subject matter that can truly appeal to almost every film lover.

“We are so excited about this year’s programming,” says Vaicius. “It’s been a lot of hard work, but we’ve been rewarded with some regional and national sponsorships, as well as a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board which has allowed us to expand on last year’s successes, including the ability to bring more filmmakers to the community and the festival.”

The 2009 Flyway Film Festival will run October 22–25, 2009 in venues in Pepin and Stockholm, Wisconsin, a mere 60-minute drive from Rochester, Minnesota and 90-minute drive from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Individual screening /event tickets and passes go on sale this weekend on the Festival website (www.flywayfilmfestival.org), and attendees are urged to purchase in advance to avoid anticipated sellouts.

Cars, buses, and motorcycles are weekend-typical on the sleepy little streets of Stockholm, WI. Founded in 1851, this popular weekend destination on the Mississippi boasts a year-round population of under 100 people; however, those numbers are expected to swell on a late October Saturday with Zombie-movie aficionados—and perhaps even a number of the undead themselves—shambling up the stairway into the Historic Stockholm Opera House.

The 2009 Flyway Film Festival, in partnership with the WideSpot Performing Arts and Community Center, is pleased to present the International Zombie Summit on Saturday, October 24—a one-day, genre-specific event of classic and cutting-edge independent zombie films and a rare opportunity for Q&A with their directors/producers.

Currently scheduled to appear is director Pericles Lewnes with his 1989 classic, REDNECK ZOMBIES; as well as producer Justin Johnson with his recent documentary, ZOMBIE GIRL. Also screening as part of this event will be Cannes 2009 most-talked-about UK feature, COLIN; the Norwegian Nazi Zombie film that wowed Sundance, DEAD SNOW (DOD SNO); and the cerebrally horrifying Canadian feature, PONTYPOOL. At press time, other director attendee confirmations are still pending.

Says, Lewnes, whose film LOOP won a Special Jury Award at the 2008 Flyway Film Festival, “From the buffoonery of REDNECK ZOMBIES, to the Romero-esque genius of COLIN, the International Zombie Summit will showcase the leap from the cheesy 1980s to the terrifying new world of Zombie 2.0.”

Beginning in mid-September, the Flyway Film Festival website will feature a full International Zombie Summit schedule, including director biographies, trailers for each selected film, as well as online ticketing options for purchase of a special International Zombie Summit pass, which allows attendees access to the filmmaker/producer panel discussion, hosted by Lewnes. Pass holders will also receive a limited edition International Zombie Summit poster, signed by artist Andres Guzman and the attending directors/producers. Individual tickets will be available for purchase in early-to-mid-September.

The 2009 Flyway Film Festival runs October 22–25, 2009 in Pepin and Stockholm, Wisconsin. Overlooking Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River bluffs, this lovely (yet sparsely-populated and foggy evening-prone) area is located a mere 60-minute drive from Rochester, Minnesota and 90-minute drive from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport¯a worthwhile journey for any “die-hard” zombie film lover.

The best in independent film to again be presented by the Lake Pepin Art & Design Center October 22–25, 2009

The close of the 2009 The Flyway Film Festival Call for Entries has left Rick Vaicius, Director of Film and Music Programming at the Lake Pepin Art & Design Center (LPADC), with a proverbial “good problem.”

In addition to the published Call for Entries in March, word-of-mouth about the Festival has been traveling from director-to-director, and with the event now entering its second year, Vaicius estimates that he has received 25–30% more entries than last year—growth that seems particularly impressive given the continuing economic climate. Submissions have come from high school to professional level directors, ranging from Pepin-local to greater Minnesota/Wisconsin, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

“Clearly, artistic quality and creativity is not suffering, even if the dollars are,” says Vaicius.

To help accommodate the desire to expand both capability and programming to appeal to a much broader audience range, this year, the Festival has added two days and is partnering with Pepin Area Schools and the WideSpot Performing Arts and Community Project of Stockholm, Wisconsin to provide two additional screening locations.

More than 40 films are anticipated to be programmed between the three venues. Pepin Elementary School will host family-friendly films in cooperation with the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, run by the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media. The LPADC in Pepin and the historic Stockholm Opera House, six miles upriver, will share the best of the rest, including national and international independent film, the Second Annual Wisconsin/Minnesota Showcase, and the all-new, genre-specific and sure-to-be-gory International Zombie Summit programming and filmmaker panel running late-night Saturday.

Among other accessibility improvements still in the works, the Flyway Film Festival website will feature full schedules for each venue, trailers for each selected film, as well as new online ticketing options and packages. Passes, anticipated to be available in late August, will include a low-cost family pass, a regular screenings, a full festival pass (including opening night party), and a special “International Zombie Summit”-only option. Individual tickets will be available for purchase in mid-September.

The 2009 Flyway Film Festival will run October 22–25, 2009 in Pepin and Stockholm, Wisconsin. Perched on a hill overlooking Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River bluffs, this lovely area is located a mere 60-minute drive from Rochester, Minnesota and 90-minute drive from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport a worthwhile trip for any film lover.