Flood of entries rolling in for Sandpoint Film Festival
SANDPOINT — In a town famous for its love of the arts, one medium has emerged as a perennial — if not completely well known — player in that field.
For more than 10 years, local screenwriters, cinematographers, actors and producers have tried to get the idea of a vibrant film community to take root here. And though attempts at things such as film schools might have fallen short of the goal, one core group of advocates has managed to keep the dream alive in the form of an annual film festival.
Chief among them is Janice Jarzabek, who first rubbed elbows with local filmmakers as an extra in a local film and, later, led the drive to screen independent movies on the Panida Theater’s big screen.
The fruit of her labors has been the current incarnation of the Sandpoint Film Festival — an event that first started in 2010 as a select showing in the Panida Little Theater and subsequently moved to the larger auditorium when Jarzabek became involved four years ago.
“It brought in about 200 people and it’s getting progressively bigger,” said Jarzabek, who has added both festival promoter and film producer to her credits since that time.
“But as far as festivals go, it’s still small,” said Erik Daarstad, Oscar-winning cinematographer and film festival proponent.
Daarstad’s involvement on the team marries his lifelong career in movie making with a keen eye for good films. And it’s a combination that comes in very handy this time of year, when the Sandpoint Film Festival starts to get inundated with entries for its showings on the first Saturday in November.
The festival picks up to 20 candidates — the longest of them about 20 minutes in length — for the categories of narrative, animation and documentary films. Access to technology has ramped up interest in the craft, as virtually anyone can now afford a high-definition camera and film editing software. Factor in the ability to post films online and there’s no limit to who can turn out a movie and, in theory, share it with the world.
Case in point — the Sandpoint Film Festival now receives more than 1,000 entries each year. Not all of them, according to Daarstad, are worth watching.
“I don’t think there’s been any increase in quality,” the Academy Award-winner said. “You still have to pick through a lot of quantity to find the good ones.
“We’re trying to find the little gems — and it’s not always easy,” he added. “But last year was our overall best quality of films.”
“That’s because you’re the eyes now,” said Jarzabek, crediting Daarstad with bringing a higher level of professionalism to the selection process.
In 2010, that involved daily trips to the mailbox to fish out DVD submissions. Today, the entire process happens digitally, which has simplified matters in some ways, but kicked up both the number of films submitted and the geographical areas from which they arrive.
“Technology has changed everything,” said Jarzabek. “We have films coming in from countries like Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Russia and Egypt. We get a lot of films from Bollywood.”
For the first few years, the festival awarded cash prizes to the top tier of winners. A winner’s check is no longer part of the equation, which only seems fair, since Sandpoint Film Festival has waived all entry fees, as well. So, what’s in it for the 15-20 or so filmmakers who do make it to the big screen? A non-monetary “prize” that is more caché than cash.
“It’s still a good way for a filmmaker to get recognition,” Daarstad said. “And prizes are an important way to make that happen.”
Daarstad might be the only Sandpointian who can claim ownership of an Oscar, but he has turned into a tireless cheerleader for nurturing the local film scene. Each year, there are three or four entries from the home turf, along with regional films from Coeur d’Alene, Boise and Spokane.
“It’s a small festival — just a day long,” Jarzabek said. “We do it mostly for fun. The minute it’s not fun any more, we’re over and out.”
Information: Sandpoint Film Festival, 208-290-0597, or www.sandpointfilmfestival.com