The only film festival I have ever seen in person is the Nashville Film Festival. It’s almost fifty years old now, and it just keeps getting bigger and better. I think one day the same could be said for the Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF). Entering its fifth year and a new location—Chattanooga Theatre Centre—it cannot help but show its age. With that said, lets start at the beginning when I was late to my first movie.
I have been to Chattanooga more than a few times, but somehow I still managed to take a wrong turn and arrived at the Theatre Centre at 9:58 a.m. on Friday for my 10 a.m. screening of RBG. However, by the time I paid for parking and received my VIP badge, it was past 10 for sure. Then, I found out I wasn’t in the right building and had to go next door. Did I mention it’s raining, too? No worries. I still made it in enough time to even use the potty. The start of RBG was delayed, and this became a normal circumstance throughout the weekend, unfortunately.
After that, I had less than ten minutes to go back to where I was at the beginning for Gemini. The festival has three different screening rooms. The Bruce Springscreen Theater was the only true theater setting (aka the most comfortable seats). The other two theaters, Screena Turner Theater and Wilhelm Screen Theater, were performance/rehearsal spaces turned in to a spot for our viewing experience. Huge kudos to the IT guys out there because the sound and picture quality was always top-notch once the tech issues were resolved.
So, Gemini was delayed which made me a little late to my next movie, Madeline’s Madeline, but I was seated before the title even showed on the screen. All good. After that, I enjoyed a little break and returned to see A Prayer Before Dawn and Revenge. Five movies in one day. Beat that!
Saturday didn’t get off to a great start due to the screening of Lesser Beasts being cancelled. There were quite a few technical difficulties throughout the CFF, but this one was a big one. The director is in the audience and after forty minutes, they called the movie off. It was a huge bummer, but the staff was very accommodating by offering free movie tickets and drinks at the bar. At least something was offered.
I had concerns throughout the rest of the day because my other four movies were in that same theater. Luckily, that was the only time it happened while I was there. Ghost Stories, Tigers Are Not Afraid, Rock Steady Row, and Summer of ’84 went off without a glitch. If you’re keeping count, in two days I have seen nine films. Only two remain. Sunday was the easiest of all because The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales… and Life After Flash were all I had to see before we had to hit the road.
Overall, the Chattanooga Film Festival was a great experience, and I’m personally happy to be expanding my horizons in the festival circuit. Slowly but surely. At times, I did witness disorganization when it came to delays and Q&A’s seeming to always run long. A schedule at a film festival is vital, and every minute they get behind is another minute you lose to get to your next movie. Of all eleven movies, I only heard about the voting process once. I just know it involved Facebook Messenger and a number.
My VIP badge wasn’t as useful as I had hoped. However, the festival ran from April 5-8 and because of my day job, I missed Opening Night and had to leave early on Sunday. So, it’s quite possible to get your money’s worth with it, plus it goes to a good cause. Still, I’m left wondering if it was the right call for me. Where CFF shines the most is in their quality of films and pride for cinema. There was a lot of good stuff at the festival to see, and that’s what will ultimately keep people coming back. And, it’s not like the city itself isn’t a cool place to visit anyway.
What can the CFF be in five years? Ten years? It’s not up to me to say, yet the opportunity is certainly there and they’re just getting started. I look forward to going to their 5oth annual one day. There’s your boost of confidence!
(Editor’s note: To read Brandon’s ratings of all the movies he saw over the course of the Chattanooga Film Festival, click here)
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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