LDS Film Festival
Over at AML someone mentioned that along with the Sundance Film Festival, the Slamdance Film Festival and probably a half dozen other smaller festivals there is an LDS Film Festival going on. There is up at a public Yahoo group a discussion of the festival so I thought I’d link to it for those who are interested.
LDSFilm Report 1
LDSFilm Report 2
LDSFilm Report 3
LDSFilm Report 4
Apparently an LDS themed film is also in the Slamdance Film Festival. It is The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang by Tim Skousen and Jeremy Coon who worked on Napoleon Dynamite. It is getting fairly good reviews, including this one from Variety.
Thanks for posting this, Clark. Past years of the LDS film festival have been fairly low key, but it looks like they had a lot of things going on this year. I must say I share some of Richard Dutcher’s sentiments, expressed in his interview with M* a few months ago, about LDS cinema now being on the downhill. As such, it’s encouraging to see things clearly picking up as far as the festival is concerned.
Comment by Eric Russell — January 25, 2006 @ 11:42 pm
As I suggested in this M* thread I think Dutcher’s pessimism is a bit misplaced. I think the problem with God’s Army II is more just an issue with the way films are distributed and marketed today. I just don’t think LDS film makers ought count on being able to market the way they did in the past and can’t count on profits from theatrical releases. DVD is the way to go. There are ways around this, but they require a rethinking of how LDS cinema functions.
While I think the Halestorm situation hasn’t helped matters – bad LDS movies lead to a skeptical audience – I think that this situation really was inevitable. Further I think some film makers like Dutcher simply make movies that will be difficult to get a large theatrical audience for, regardless of quality. Look at the kind of films that make the big box office nationally and you’ll get a good idea of what kind of films will do well in the LDS niche market. Thoughtful dramas, for better or worse, don’t do well in the current distribution environment except in exceptional situations.
Comment by Clark Goble — January 26, 2006 @ 12:47 am
Today’s Washington Post style section has a big article on the film festival and LDS films in general. Go to http://www.washingtonpost.com and click on the Big-Screen Religion story. You will have to register.
Comment by Last Lemming — January 26, 2006 @ 10:15 am
Wow, thanks for that link Last Lemming. I think “BYU sweatshirts and hand-knit sweaters†is a bit over-the-top in characterization, but that’s a nice article. Impressive to see that the festival has made the Post at all.
Comment by Eric Russell — January 26, 2006 @ 10:31 am