Knoxville will become host to the annual Valleyfest Independent Film Festival Thursday, which will feature an array of original films from independent filmmakers.
Valleyfest has grown from a small gathering of independent films into a full fledged festival that spans four days and features not only films, but also workshops for both the filmmaker and the film patron.
Produced by Euphoric Productions Inc., Valleyfest is East Tennessee’s first and only film festival. The company recently said it strives to be a little different from other film festivals. In a recent press release, Euphoric officials said they try to screen as many premieres and first works as possible.
Filmmaker Martin Edwards said Valleyfest offers a good environment and helps to produce a strong fan base.
Valleyfest was one of the first festivals I knew about, and it had been suggested to me to look for indie-friendly festivals, he said. It builds up a track record for your work . . . and a fan base. If you entertain them, then they’ll remember you.
Valleyfest will open with a party tonight at Patrick Sullivan’s in The Old City. Films will begin being shown on Thursday at 1:15 p.m.
A unique feature about this year’s festival is Thursday’s Tennessee Film Day, which will exhibit works exclusively from Tennesseans after the opening feature.
Opie Jones, a Tennessee filmmaker, said the home state portion of the festival offers a local opportunity for all members of the filmmaking process.
For us, it’s a good chance to get a little exposure while at the same time allowing the cast and crew a chance to see the end result of all their efforts, seeing as it’s so close to home, Jones said.
Tennessee Film Day will begin around 3 p.m. and continue until midnight.
Day Two of the films will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday and will continue until about 12:30 a.m. Valleyfest will host a Filmmakers Mixer at 10 p.m. at Hops Grill that is open to anyone with a festival or Friday day pass.
Saturday will see an animation block with a few documentaries and shorts thrown into the mix, and will feature the annual workshop. Workshops will begin at 10 a.m. and begin with Directing Television Commercials as a Means to Directing Films with speaker Phil Hardison. Hardison is the owner/operator of Phil Hardison Productions, a Knoxville-based company that creates media projects and commercials.
Following the first workshop will be The Role of a Film Commission with Mona May, who comes to Valleyfest as the Executive Director of the newly formed East Tennessee Film Commission. Two other workshops will follow entitled Acting for the Camera and Panel Discussion on Digital Technology in Filmmaking, which features a panel of various filmmakers and industry veterans from across the country discussing digital technologies in the film industry.
Sunday will be the final day of Valleyfest and will feature blocks of documentaries and shorts that will be followed by an awards presentation and dinner at Fairbanks Roasting Room.
All films will be shown at the Regal Downtown West Cinemas 8. Festival passes for all events may be purchased at Cat’s Music on Kingston Pike for $50.
Daily passes will be available at the box office for $11 and allow access to all of the day’s films and activities. Tickets to the Awards Dinner are $35 each and may be purchased through Donna Maxwell at [email protected] or by calling 577-7711.
For more information on the films and Valleyfest events, visit www.valleyfest.com.
