Classic City Vibes

Filmmaker Chris Pendry

• Athens Regional Library System • Episode 85

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Learn about local up and coming filmmaker Chris Pendry.  Chris Pendry is a talented multi-hyphenate artist. From acting on stage, writing new works, and making short films in the UGA Masters in Film Arts program, Chris Pendry has had a busy year making art and adding to our beautiful creative scene. Check out his latest films Chase and This Body is a Test (here are the links to watch): https://youtu.be/Ho9itJEiOiY & https://youtu.be/sPkrFz804XQ.

Speaker 1:

All right, welcome to Classic City Vibes today, our first ever live episode recording. We have with us Laura Hogan and Anthony Zuniga from the Athens Film Festival. Thank you both for coming today and being part of the show, looking forward to seeing what a live one goes like for us. So first of all, just tell us about the Athens Film Festival. Your role let's start with your roles. What are your roles in?

Speaker 3:

Athens Film Festival. You want to go first? Yeah, so I'm Anthony Zuniga. I am the event or head of event services and volunteer coordinator.

Speaker 2:

I'm Laura Hogan. I'm the head of marketing and publicity.

Speaker 1:

And how did the project originate and when did you get involved with the project?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so the project originated, we believe, a little bit over a year ago. However, we got involved end of April. Around there beginning of May, we met Chuck and Sam, who are our colleagues in this whole thing, and they needed some help running it, because a festival takes a lot of help. So they recruited us in and we've been. We've been rolling on it since May oh, we got someone coming in yeah, um, hello, someone just walked in.

Speaker 2:

So basically the film festival began, yeah, over a year ago. Chuck said why don't we have an Athens Film Festival? And you know what then happened was they were like, well, why, I guess no one's doing it, we might as well do it. And so Chuck and Sam decided to start a film festival here in Athens, because there have been little ones over the time that have come up, but they've never been one that's lasted and been kind of really involving the whole community, and so that is kind of like that way back when of it. Um, I can keep going.

Speaker 1:

No, I love that. So it's total diy, what you know? Why is there not one?

Speaker 2:

we'll make one yeah, I love it. You know a lot of people just be like well, I guess there just isn't one.

Speaker 1:

Instead, they're like well, I guess it's on us well, you kind of have to have that mentality in filmmaking, right to a certain extent, because it doesn't come to you. No, it sure doesn't?

Speaker 2:

I mean you wish they do, like a rare chances, I guess, right, like. But then you find out the real truth, like you know, like harrison ford wasn't really discovered um the way they say he was, like I mean, you know he was a carpenter, but like that was just one of his jobs or whatever he'd He'd done other acting stuff, right?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, he wasn't just pulled from a.

Speaker 2:

Hey you come here, yeah, hey, you come here, yeah, no.

Speaker 1:

Sure I can do that. So, in the planning so far in your role, what's been the biggest surprise for you?

Speaker 3:

Ooh, biggest surprise, I think, just the amount of support we have for people wanting to volunteer. We have someone here too that is interested, so thank you so much. But yeah, I was really overwhelmed in a good way to see the amount of people that want to be involved and help, and even if it's just a few hours of their time, that was a good surprise.

Speaker 2:

So I guess I've had a lot of surprise. I mean, one of them like, for example, we almost got Sundance. So all of a sudden my questions were like hey, what can you tell us about Sundance? And I was like I'm here to talk to you about the Athens Film Festival. I do know about that, but we're just in the running. I'm not running Sundance. You have to take a step back.

Speaker 2:

And now Atlanta is still one of the candidates for Sundance, but we are not, which is, I think, that's okay. We put in a good effort and I'm very proud of our city and we are a wonderful city for film and a film festival. But maybe just you know, one like the Athens Film Festival is where we're at, and just also just all the outpouring of support from Georgians. I have been amazed, like when we went to the Atlanta Film Festival, the number of people who said, oh, you're from Athens, athens doesn't have a film festival, what? And wanting to get involved. I mean, to this day, like as of yesterday, even I had people being like wait, I didn't know, can I still submit a film? I didn't realize this was happening, which is good news for next year, but it is too late. I'm so sorry you may not submit your film for this year any longer. It is full.

Speaker 1:

So maybe Sundance saw what you guys were doing. So you got Athens covered, that's right. How did you get the word out to filmmakers or, when you come in, more were there? Was that already kind of a thing?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so when we came on we already had a lot of submissions. We had over 5,000.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and that's pretty unusual, but it's because we didn't charge for our submissions.

Speaker 2:

yeah so Chuck wanted and Sam wanted to make it a real community event and reflective and open to all the filmmakers. Um, and so, as a result, he did not charge a submission fee on film freeway, which led to some but 5,000 films that were having to be watched and viewed is a lot of films, and some, I mean, you have to think, even if, like some of them, are feature films, so that can be what Two hours even, and some were just like two minute shorts, but that's a lot of hours watched by the people who were on that committee.

Speaker 1:

so I would think even like a two minute short almost takes more of your attention to make decisions on films that short than like feature length, where it's you got more time to kind of like grow into it and kind of immerses you. Right, I would just what was your experience? What did you as a judge? What was that criterion for?

Speaker 2:

I mean, we weren't judges in this portion okay but I can say that they did have like a panel of people, um, and I would say that probably the biggest. I mean they had like a spreadsheet and they were, you know, judging and like film freeway. Let's do like right criteria, but do wonder I haven't asked that. And I'll have to ask Chuck that question now because, like, we only had so many feature film slots, right, there's only so many hours in the day and people only want to see so many feature films and yet we have a lot of short films. And even just like one of the biggest blocks with like the number of films is the animated block, because a lot of them are very short. So that's, I will have to ask him because I don't. Yeah, do you know?

Speaker 3:

well, I mean we've we've had to work on just writing some descriptions and you know questions for q a's that we're gonna have to do during the fest. So, just on a personal note, I thought seeing the short films was a little easier. It's a little more digestible. You know a feature you have to really sit there. And I don't know if anyone else is like this. But the way I watch any sort of netflix or anything, that second five minute chunks because I'm always just so busy, so it's like when I'm eating I prop up my phone. Um yeah, so that's kind of how I was. I was navigating through it. So the two minute ones, the three minute ones, are super easy. It's like boom, let me just go ahead. They're great. I mean those blocks, you sit through them. I mean some of them you'll find they're your favorite. Some of them you won't like so much, but hey, that's, that's what film's about, and a lot of them are just really great, eye-opening and inspiring.

Speaker 2:

So that was my experience I would say, though, 80 films, you know, is a lot. So even just the ones we've watched, I felt like that was lot, so I can't imagine the number of movies.

Speaker 3:

We're hoping to expand that committee going forward because, goodness, we're going to need a lot more watchers.

Speaker 2:

Spoiler alert there will be a fee of some kind next year, so I apologize in advance if you did not submit your film for free, but it was cool to see just the international submissions too, because it was just so open, people from around the world.

Speaker 3:

I mean, even just here we were seeing such diversity in the films. Someone else coming in? Hello, hello, hey.

Speaker 2:

Oh, welcome, sit down, we're live. This is great.

Speaker 1:

Tell us about some of the local partners in the theaters that you're working with.

Speaker 2:

We are very lucky. Yes, because we're at four different venues for the theaters. Um, this year we have cine, which is a presenting sponsor, downtown they're all downtown and walking distance the morton theater um, flickr, and then the globe upstairs. Um, I would like to just make a brief note, since we this, the only one that is not really ada accessible is the globe upstairs. Yes, unfortunately, um, so we are trying to be strategic in what is shown there, but all the other venues, obviously, yes, and we're.

Speaker 3:

We're super lucky to have those venues because they've been all about it. They're also of the same mindset. They're like why hasn't a film festival happened yet? How can we help, you know? So it's been great to see their support. And then we're also having a few hangouts and stuff like that Some happy hours at Cine.

Speaker 2:

We'll be doing stuff at Creature Comforts and Paloma Park and Little Kings, and then the Little Kings, and then the Globe Upstairs also has that, and we also even at the Globe Upstairs before we have a Laugh your Ath off on opening night and there's an encore performance and we have some local stand-up comedians from Athens Comedy Scene who will be kick-starting that block as well. So that's kind of cool, and we also just have a lot of generous supporting sponsors from around the community in all sorts of ways. I don't want to leave anyone out, so I'll just tell you to please go on our website and you can see a complete list of all of our sponsors and we're very, very thankful for all of them, and if you'd like to be a sponsor, there's probably still time- there's always time to be a sponsor.

Speaker 2:

We'll find a way, yeah.

Speaker 1:

What makes a successful film festival? We were talking about Sundance earlier. What, in your terms, what do you think makes a festival?

Speaker 3:

successful. What I think is the people, the community, People coming through seeing the films, being a part of the scene and just meeting everyone. That's what we want to see. We want to see the community, we want to see Athens come out, show out and see these films. We want to kickstart this film industry in Athens. We want to see more films being produced out here and I mean, it's a beautiful city for it to be the backdrop to the stories that already exist here and the stories that so many people want to tell. That's what we want.

Speaker 2:

And a film festival is amazing. We have a whole bunch of world premieres. We have filmmakers coming from literally around the world. I mean, we have someone flying in from Brazil, we have people coming from California not just, you know, georgia filmmakers and so getting to be in an experience where A it's the first time that this film has been shown in like a large group, right, that's a world premiere. That's an amazing experience for the filmmaker, the cast members, but then also you're in the room with cast members, with crew, with you to have Q&A so you can actually ask questions of the filmmakers.

Speaker 2:

And I think there's that's also just as a as a filmmaker, the coolest experience. Like when you're, like when you perform on stage, you get to see the audience reaction in real time, right, like it's a communal community of you know, communal response or whatever is the word I'm trying to say. But, like in film, you don't get that until you do all this work and until you get to go see it with a group of people. That's when that final step gets to happen and that's where they happen sometimes as film festivals, like these short films you're not going to see on Netflix or anywhere else, like a lot of these films like this is where you go to see them and this is their place yeah, and that you can't beat some local filmmakers too.

Speaker 3:

that, too, that you know they're bringing their crew, the people that worked on it, their families and this is their moment to shine to put their story out, that they worked so hard and to see a full house. That'll mean so much to them. So that's what we think will make successful people coming out and supporting us.

Speaker 1:

Just in general, how do you see the current film kind of scene in the Athens area here?

Speaker 2:

I mean we're growing. I mean, obviously, we now have Athena Studios. We just had the Woman in the Yard just shot there locally, which is a Blumhouse production, which is like the first major production from a major studio to film at Athena Studios here in Athens. The MFA in Film Program is now at at uga and it's in its I want to say it's going into it. Maybe it's fourth year, um, I think it started in 2020, so that sounds about right, right, um, and that also is bringing, because uga before didn't have a master's in, you know, in filmmaking, and so now you have an mfa in film which is also attracting people who want to come here and stay here and continue to hone their craft, which is very exciting. And I think also, just, you know, people are realizing that you don't have to go all the way to Atlanta to do these things, like we don't have to. You can do it here in Athens. We have the resources, we have the people. You want to say more?

Speaker 3:

Yeah I think I'll piggyback off of that is that I think it's blossoming and we need to keep watering it, we need to keep nurturing it and supporting that, because there are people that want to produce their films out here, there are people that want to start and a lot of people, like Laura was saying, that have been working for a few years. They just got to keep commuting out to Atlanta and I don't know if you made that drive but doing that every day.

Speaker 3:

So, yeah, it'd be great to have that here in Athens, and so many people have expressed wanting to work here, people from Atlanta too. They come in and they're like why hasn't it happened? That question keeps coming up.

Speaker 2:

I think also, you have to think Athens is an easy place to get around. We do have so many different locations here and because of the university, we already attract people who are more creative and like to read and to write. So there's always been that side. And we're a music city and we're an artistic city, but we're also I mean, why can't we be a film city? Yeah, I mean, it fits all the same buckets definitely.

Speaker 1:

I always think of like film festivals in like two different ways one from like a filmmakers or people who make films perspective and one from people like me who just love films yeah so someone's listening to this and they're a filmmaker. What's? What's some things going on with the film festival that, like you would say, definitely check this out, come do this network.

Speaker 2:

Here they're those oh, there's so many networking opportunities. Do you want to talk a little about some of like the parties or things that are happening? Like as a filmmaker, like that's the most benefit, like going and learning and meeting right yeah.

Speaker 3:

So, as a filmmaker, lots of benefits you can have from the Film Fest. We've got a happy hour at Cine for every feature that's going to happen there. So networking there like an hour before the film, you know, get a drink, talk to people, maybe find your new job for the next few months. You never know how it works in this industry and that's well. That really is how it works. It's just networking. The other benefit you can get is we'll have a crowdfunding and crowdsourcing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah crowdsourcing.

Speaker 3:

What is the word? Workshop? Workshop, thank you, thank you, I gotcha. Yeah, so we'll have a workshop that you know can come in learn how to. That's really where the industry is moving right now is crowdfunding and crowdsourcing. Um, so you know, learning how to move those grassroots movements and getting your film funded.

Speaker 2:

That's how you get it produced yeah, and that'll be done by marty lang, who we mentioned is he's the director of the uga mfa and film program, and then aaron strand, who is an athens native and he recently crowdsourced it successfully his film Withdrawal. That was shot here in Athens and that's at one o'clock on Friday, august 16th at Cine.

Speaker 1:

She's remembering that from the top of her head for those of you who are listening which is impressive for me because I don't remember any dates. What about from the other side of it? You know just as who you know love films and we want to support and make sure that's a success. What's the what? What's the best way for us to make sure that this is successful, as as film lovers in the community?

Speaker 2:

come and watch as many films as you can, go to as many events as you can and bring your friends.

Speaker 3:

Yes, the morton, like it's huge talk about, yeah yeah, I mean the Morton can seat over 400 people. I think it's 458 around there. So bring your friends, you know, bring your family, tell them to come. You can even buy just a single pass to a movie or a film. You don't have to come the full day or come the full day. It's going to be a great day.

Speaker 2:

And ask questions. You can ask questions in these Q&As, I think right.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you can. There are going to be some times to ask some questions. We'll open it up to the audience for a few questions and also not even just during this Film Fest. Support these places even outside of the festival. These places support us throughout the year. They're here, not just during football.

Speaker 1:

So just support. So most film festivals over the years kind of develop their own personalities and I know y'all are just part of a bigger team, but just you personally. What would you like to see the kind of personality of this develop into, If that makes sense?

Speaker 3:

So, huh, I'm not quite sure yet, because you plan something and then it goes the other way. But what we've been seeing, it kind of developed this personality of the music scene that we had in Athens that's been now handing off and working hand-in-hand with the film scene. We've been kind of seeing this rock-and-roll feel with it. So we're going to have wristbands and badges, people at the door checking you in, so almost feels like a concert when you'll be walking in. So that's the kind of vibe we've been feeling, like an Athens vibe.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I feel like it's going to be a very representative of Athens Festival. I think that that's part of what attracts people to come. I mean, obviously we're lucky because it will showcase people from around the world, but also, again, we are Athens, we have a huge college here that has people from around the world attending, so that also still kind of fits our vibe in our niche and like we're a little bit quirky but we're super fun.

Speaker 1:

Yeah keep that as weird. I mean, quirky is the best thing you want from a film festival anyway, right, right.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I think so.

Speaker 1:

Well, talk about some of the films. Is there any particular? Ones I know it's hard, you don't want to leave anybody out, but some of the maybe high points you want to point out to people, I mean I'm super excited to start, I guess.

Speaker 2:

To start with, I'll talk about Ugly Sweater, which is our opening night feature film, and Lauren Musgrove, who's won? I believe she's an eight-time Southeast Emmy winner. Again, that's off the top of my head, lauren. If I quoted the wrong number and you have more, I'm sorry. She's a UGA professor. She will be there. It's at CNA and this is their like Southeast premiere of that film and there'll be a Q&A after that and stuff. So that's super fun. It's a little bit more, especially if you are into it's a feature film. It's a little bit more like lighthearted than some. So if you have, like high schoolers or middle schoolers who wanted to come with you to a film, like that would be the choice that I would recommend. We also have a documentary showing that benefits Lovecraft on Saturday and that would also be a good, family-friendly one in a totally different direction. And then I guess there's so many things about other films.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I'll talk about more, but you know I don't want to leave anyone out or spoil any of these films, right? But uh, two of my favorite shorts, um will be guests with benefits. That's going to be playing at the morton, and then we have walkman, which was in our trailer here. That's an incredible story. It's by Jeremy Tao and he's from Winder, so not too far away.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and he wrote that film Walkman that you saw the trailer for if you were here live, yeah, before this actually during in athens during covid, so that's kind of cool yeah and I, I would say just in general, I'm excited about all of the films we have in the georgia real peaches blocks.

Speaker 2:

um, every, every single block we have of short films contains a georgia film or an athens film. Um, and they're, they're just. It's amazing to see what the caliber of talent we have here. Um, and like chipper is going to be shown on that Friday at the Morton and that's Jason Warner Smith's last showing of that film. He's going to retire after this. It started at the Rome International Film Festival but he's from Athens, so it's coming back here for its last hurrah, which is kind of cool too. I mean, all of those films are great. We have a whole bunch of MFA graduates that will be shown at CINE and all of their films are wonderful. And then just the international films. Like I said, we had someone coming in from Brazil. We're having a world premiere of Boys About Town at the Globe upstairs with the filmmakers coming in from LA, and that's a comedy.

Speaker 3:

I can't keep going. There's too many. There's so many filmmakers that are going to be coming out too, filmmakers that are going to be coming out too, just flying in and everything. So I mean, you're going to be able to meet a lot of cool people and, just you know, see some cool films.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think there's every block. I mean, everyone has a different taste in film so I can't say you're going to like all of the ones that you see. Or you could see a feature film and be like this one wasn't for me and I like it, Like that's also the part of the fun of a film festival is when there are so many things. You might not like everything and that's okay. Or you might love everything and be like me just going. I can't tell you which one I like the best because there's just too many choices that's the beauty of art, you know, is there, are there awards or there?

Speaker 2:

is an award happening uh saturday at cna at 9 30 pm it's late, um, and there's for sure jury selected awards, um, and things like that, and that'll all be happening. We have, like some, I, at 9.30 pm, it's late, and there's for sure jury-selected awards and things like that, and that'll all be happening. We have, like some I don't know the details of the artist's name at the top of my head, but there's custom awards that have been designed for the festival by a local artist.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, very nice, All right. So we always ask people on the podcast to come on about a book or film that and you can do more than one that has that like an impact on your life all right, so since we're talking about films, I'll start with a film, uh, one that really has an impact is life is beautiful.

Speaker 3:

I can't remember who. What the filming, who the filmmaker?

Speaker 2:

is.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I mean Buongiorno Principesa.

Speaker 2:

Oh man, that film just changed everything.

Speaker 3:

I was like oh my goodness.

Speaker 1:

What was it about that film?

Speaker 3:

So I loved that it was a foreign film and you could still understand the story through it, like it still touched you, no matter what part of the world you're from. The other thing I loved about it was, I mean, just how much of a gut punch it is after being so beautiful, you know. I don't know if you've seen it, I don't want to spoil it, but it's set in Nazi Germany or, I guess, in Italy. Yeah, fascist Italy, fascist Italy, yeah. So sorry about that, I guess. Yeah, thank you, goodness. That film, a book, I don't know why. This was a little weird, but Brave New World, aldous Huxley. It's just a strange book. It got me into the whole futuristic, dystopian stuff and, yeah, I just, I love that. I love that book. It's super weird. A lot of the stuff is coming to be, so that's also weird to me.

Speaker 1:

That's kind of the first, I believe. Right, that's one of the first.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it was it kind of started.

Speaker 2:

So I literally am the kind of person who never goes places without a book. I'm reading multiple books at a time. My Goodreads gets mad at me, so I'm not going to give you just like one book, but I will. I thought about this and I will now give you a book that is also a movie and both are wonderful. And that is the Princess Bride, which is the lamest answer ever. But it's actually not the book by William Goldman, who is actually a wonderful book to read. I highly recommend you read it. It's great for all ages and it has way more exposition and things in it than the movie does. But the movie is filled with talented, talented, talented performers and it has literally everything. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry. There's that's the whole part of the book. It is supposed to make you like movies and like books, and so I think, think, like I mean everyone like yeah, and so they send me for everyone in that, and it's really like lame and hokey, but it's classic and has cheesy 1980s music over the end, you know.

Speaker 2:

And they race off on their horses into the you know the night. It's got everything. Yeah, it has everything.

Speaker 1:

All right. So since we are live, which we never get to do, is there any questions from the audience?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, you had one earlier, I think it was. I can't remember what it was, I kind of forgot which. Oh yeah, it was about crowdfunding. I think it's really cool about crowdfunding because that's what a lot of filmmakers struggle with nowadays, especially post-strike, when the AMV TV, the studios would not help their filmmakers get funded because we don't trust this idea, and it's interesting because studios only care really more about profits rather than really the art.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I can sort of respond to something to that, just because we've been trying to get our films kick-started or know wanting to do something right, and what we've been learning is that it's. It's about, like what you said the studio is not really being behind your idea. You got to get behind your idea, thousand percent, you know, and being able to pitch it is that's.

Speaker 4:

That's really the yeah the challenge yeah, it's pretty much the challenge. Because I think it's very interesting for filmmakers, because a lot of filmmakers tend to make mistakes by signing on to big productions rather than starting off on their own. And when they start off on their own, they get more creative liberty and more creative respect. Take, for example, christopher Nolan. His first film from 98 to 99 was the film Following, which is 75 minutes long. It's on the Criterion Collection, shot in black and white, I think, on 35 millimeter, and it took him weekends to make that film in London.

Speaker 4:

And this was before he had partnership with Warner Brothers and Universal and I mean he was only like 28, 29 when he made Following and it was a successful film. He premiered it, I think, in a few festivals and he too had to raise his own money before his name then came in, and then Warner Brothers and Universal came to him and I'm going to say that's awesome.

Speaker 2:

And.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to take this back to actually broaden it too. So one thing that's cool about that workshop as well is, like crowdfunding and crowdsourcing is not just for filmmakers nowadays, like I think it's while. This workshop is designed for filmmakers, and creating a pitch deck and knowing how to pitch your idea is this is all for filmmakers. But you need to have that skill. If you are a music artist in Athens and you don't know how to get people to support your album I mean they're crowdsourcing their albums you have to get the gigs. You have to be able to put yourself out there and say who you are, what makes you unique, whether you are a visual artist.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah so like the skills in that workshop, while it is specific to film and there's certain, like you know, sites specifically for film fundraising etc. Like that's something that I think nowadays, in the world we live in, is kind of universal.

Speaker 1:

If you are a creative person or a small business owner, even like game designers and things like that.

Speaker 2:

It's all done through crowdfunding and things like that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but probably would you say maybe filmmaking more so than any, Because film is more expensive to make than to make an album or to write a book or something like that. So I would think, this is just me thinking that maybe film is unique in that aspect that you would need a lot of money.

Speaker 2:

I think also because film requires people, think it needs a lot of people. Even if your film is three minutes long with two actors, that is still. You have to have somebody doing sound. You have a cinematographer, you have to have an editor. Afterwards you have people on pas on set. You have someone you know like there's a lot of different and that's like if your film is not union, I mean there's a lot of things you have to go through and it takes time. I mean they say you know a page you know of a script is like a minute long, but like how many chunks is it? Because like eight sections within a page usually that they break down by shots and stuff. So you know, yeah, I said eight, didn't, I maybe almost, uh, but that's a lot and so it's a lot of people and a lot of time and components so right to the film festival.

Speaker 1:

Um, do you have a film or a short that you're most looking forward to seeing on the big screen? Because I assume you haven't seen them on the. You know, you've probably watched them in preview. But you know, not necessarily your favorite, but just one that you're most interested to see transition from I assume you've watched them more on your TV or computer or something to the big screen.

Speaker 2:

I mean, I'm definitely interested in, well, Ugly Sweater, as I already mentioned, because it has animation in it too, as I already mentioned, because it has animation in it too. So seeing that on the big screen, I think will be really neat. And I'm also, I would say, like the international films, because watching on your computer is very small and so you can't see especially when you're trying to read subtitles, you can't see all the nuances, whereas on a big screen you actually can take in that full panorama.

Speaker 3:

I'm looking forward to the animated stuff, because a lot of that stuff goes crazy places and you can do a lot with animation, with a story, so seeing that on the big screen is really cool, or would be really cool. I'm excited.

Speaker 2:

It will be cool, yeah, but we see it in two weeks. Depending on when you're listening to this, it could be tomorrow and the event might have happened already.

Speaker 3:

Yeah that's true.

Speaker 1:

In which case, thank you so much for listening. In that case, be looking for 2026. Athens Film Festival, date to be determined.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

Talk a little bit. What about the logistical issues that go behind the scenes and making something this big?

Speaker 3:

It's got to be massive right yeah, so I think it's just like you know, we came on in in May, so having only was like three months, that we had pretty much. Yeah, when we usually people have a year, you know they finish the festival, other festivals and then they start planning for the next year from the get-go. So it'll be nice to have that time for next year. But that brought a lot of issues, I know, reaching out to the volunteers like I wish I had another two more weeks to really develop, get more people out there but the people that have reached out are people that are experienced and they're ready to work. So I'm excited for that and again, thank them.

Speaker 2:

I would say, just like a logistics thing, that is, it's a cool thing, but we didn't charge submission fees, like we said. So most film festivals, in addition to having already done a festival, they have charged submission fees, so they have money to work with to do more things and do stuff. So we are very much, you know, on a I don't want to say shoestring because that sounds bad but, like you know, like we are crowdsourced as we go to right, we're learning, we're trying to really rely on the community and word-of-mouth and people's kindness. We have a lot of interns that I genuinely can say I would not be able to do it. You guys are listening, are? You are amazing. I could not do this without you because literally there's not enough hours in the day and enough of me and I don't have all the skills. So you know right, we can't.

Speaker 3:

So you were very lucky yeah, and I think I'm just excited to see how the different venues work. So they're all you know. All the teams are great, but each venue has its own things to work with and all of that. So we'll see which ones flow, which ones we need to just work a little better with, and we're just excited to have them. We're really thankful too.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I wonder your first year if you'll kind of learn some just stylistically too, like these kind of films show better in certain venues and your audience. Is that kind of thing? Do we have any more questions from the audience? Well, tell everybody where they can find information, where they can get tickets, and tickets are cheap yeah, we have.

Speaker 2:

So individual tickets start as low as eight dollars if you wanted to come just to a single showing, and then we go all the way up to passes which are currently as of so. Today is august 1st and they are on discount, and so the three-day pass is currently 65, but if you again are listening to this, that price will go up, so you should buy now.

Speaker 1:

Tickets are available at athensfilmcom and the festival is august 15th through the 17th be there and if you're listening afterwards, the tickets are going to be muchly reduced in price because then it will be over.

Speaker 2:

But we'll take donations for next year. You're welcome to chip in alright.

Speaker 1:

Well, thank you both for coming out today. I'm excited to have Athens Film Festival going on and I hope it will be a great success and for many years to come thank you.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much.