September is a big month for film festivals, and if you can't make it to Telluride, Toronto or Venice, you can motor northeast to Springfield, Ill., for the 9th annual Route 66 Film Festival, Sept. 17-19.
Like Telluride, the film festival has an element of surprise. I can't find a list of the specific 62 titles that are screening in the thematic bunches, but organizer Linda McElroy promises they will not bore us--and that some of them were made by St. Louis area directors. Here is the press release I just received:
“Against All the Odds,” a documentary about East St. Louis by Sandra Pfeiffer of Simpson, IL, has won the Best Documentary Feature Award and “Ragman” by Eureka resident Dale Ward will vie for Audience Favorite Short Drama at the 9th Annual Route 66 International Film Festival to be held September 17-19, 2010, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, Illinois. Their films were selected from an international competition of independent filmmakers from all continents except Antarctica. This year’s 62 films represent 19 states and seven countries.
The Route 66 International Film Festival has grown each year, getting a special boost after being named one of the "25 Festivals Worth the Fee" by Moviemaker magazine in 2008 and being a featured festival at the 2009 International Film Festival Summit in Las Vegas. The festival screens short and feature narratives, documentaries, experimental and animated films and awards trophies to judges’ favorites. Short comedies, dramas and debut films may also be selected to compete for Audience Favorite Awards.
“Our judges look for originality and pacing when selecting films,” said Festival Director Linda McElroy. “Our main advice to filmmakers is don’t bore us. Show us something new and don’t try to make a short film idea into a feature. Because our festival has only one screen and is only one weekend, we have to pass on a lot of good films, but we pride ourselves on offering something for everybody.”
The complete schedule and more information can be found on the festival website www.route66filmfestival.net and on its Facebook page. Passes and tickets are on sale at www.scfta.org or by calling 217-523-2787.
As a bonus, the twin-screen Route 66 Drive-in (at Knight's Action Park in the southwest part of the city) will still be open that weekend, so you can catch a double feature under the stars.
So if you've got an open mind, make like Honest Abe and head to Springfield.
