Two years ago, the Chicago Film Critics Association wanted to shine a spotlight on new films that its members felt were worthy of more recognition, and the Chicago Critics Film Festival was born. With guests ranging from Sarah Polley and David Wain to Dick Miller and William Friedkin, the fest has sought to highlight both veteran filmmakers and emerging talent, and it's the only one of its kind to be hosted and curated by members of a film critics organization. With the third annual CCFF kicking off today, RT interviewed Erik Childress, critic for eFilmcritic and WGN Radio and the founder of the festival, to find out how it came about and what its philosophy is.
Rotten Tomatoes: How did the festival start?
Erik Childress: Very quickly. I envisioned a festival where you could see the best of the best on the circuit, and they were not competing with another 100 films for your attention. Any festival you go to, there are generally four, five or six films playing at the exact same time, and your enjoyment resides in which one you ultimately choose; usually before anyone has written anything about them. This idea had been creepin' and crawlin' around in my head like Nick Rivers for a while, and after at least one failed attempt for someone to sign onto it in Chicago, we got the Muvico in Rosemont, IL to bite.
We wanted to revolve the event around a book tour that William Friedkin was coming through the city with in April 2013. He was gracious enough to change his schedule to appear on our closing night, and on top of that, he managed to get a 35mm print of Sorcerer to play as the capper. (This was right around the time it was about to officially be announced that the rights issue had been cleared up and it would be getting a Blu-ray restoration.) We had literally three months to put together a full weekend program and we were fortunate enough to have filmmakers, publicists and studios alike react enthusiastically to the idea of a festival of this type put together purely by film critics.
We wanted to revolve the event around a book tour that William Friedkin was coming through the city with in April 2013. He was gracious enough to change his schedule to appear on our closing night, and on top of that, he managed to get a 35mm print of Sorcerer to play as the capper. (This was right around the time it was about to officially be announced that the rights issue had been cleared up and it would be getting a Blu-ray restoration.) We had literally three months to put together a full weekend program and we were fortunate enough to have filmmakers, publicists and studios alike react enthusiastically to the idea of a festival of this type put together purely by film critics.
RT: What's your core philosophy? What differentiates the CCFF from other festivals?
Childress: Good is good. Great is great. That is what I have always wanted for this festival. It's not specific to genre or demographics. Our programming team has a variety of tastes and we want to have something for everyone, but what we love trumps all. Aside from the choices being made completely by film critics (all members of the Chicago Film Critics Association), this is a festival tailor-made for the casual and curious moviegoer as well as the true cinephile junkie. One week. One theater. Over 20 Chicago premieres on one screen, and anyone can see every single film we have to offer if they so choose. On top of that, the Chicago Critics Film Festival is a not-for-profit enterprise. The bottom line goes back into next year's festival and other film-related events we hope to offer the Chicagoland community.
RT: You've attended a lot of film festivals over the years. What are some of the things you learned as an attendee that you've put into practice with your own festival?
Childress: That your festival experience is only good as your choices. Not only from what the festival has chosen to be a part of it but then the choices you make when rounding out your schedule. Questions that are frequently asked of critics include, "How was the fest?" or "Was it a good year for that festival?" But one critic's bad experience is another attendee's great experience. And it's not just the opinion of a critic vs. ticket holders; it is somewhat unfair to label the quality of a festival when, realistically, you are likely only seeing 25% of what that festival has programmed. That is with a jammed, back-to-back-no-time-to-eat-to-back schedule too, which I am frequently accustomed to. As easy as it is to be dismissive of critical opinions on Twitter in the heat of the moment, it can be a valuable tool on the ground at a festival with multiple choices occurring almost every hour. I would certainly rather take a chance on something I know nothing about than stick to a schedule that now contains a film getting really bad buzz. Because as eager as critics can be these days to declare the next big thing and be out in front of a film at a festival, when word-of-mouth is mostly negative, you know it's best to move on to the next title.
RT: As a programmer, is it difficult to balance spotlighting small films you think deserve wider recognition with bigger films that might draw a larger audience?
Childress: When we are programming, our mindset doesn't lend over to the idea of what is a "big" or a "small" film. Clearly some have received a bit more press or won a few fest awards, but we're thinking quality first. Once we have the lineup finalized, we can then schedule the films where they may best be suited to achieve the best possible audience. Scheduling guests is a big part of that as well and will occasionally dictate where certain films need to be scheduled. We make a point not to play favorites since we believe every film in our lineup deserves wider recognition. Guests can be a selling point for certain, though, and we try to work with studios and talent to bring them in and help to further the very discussion of these films that only begins with the screening. We have 11 of the film's directors this year coming to the Music Box Theatre (our most ever) to contribute to those discussions.
RT: How do you feel about the state of contemporary film criticism?
Childress: Is there a mixed tomato that I can offer? I believe there is a lot of great criticism out there. So good, in fact, that it only makes me want to be better at articulating my thoughts on the air and online. At the same time, I wish that some people would follow through on their convictions. Too often I see a lot of criticism going into reviews only to come out the other side with a 3-star rating or a passing grade. I'm a big fan of Rotten Tomatoes. Always have been, and not just because I'm a numbers guy. The collective ratings at the site are just a starting point and would be meaningless without the access to the reviews. But it is also interesting to watch those very numbers dip and spike as different critics chime in (or should I say, are allowed to chime in) with their reviews. You ever notice how a lot of films start really high and begin to slowly dip day-by-day, depending on who has chimed in?
My absolute dream scenario would be for there to be a universal screening for all critics to attend in their respective cities. All with the same embargo, say 24 hours after the screening. That would give everyone plenty of time to write a review, all would be published at the same time and their opinions would be free of any pre-screening buzz from other critics or softballs quickly assembled from those a little closer to the film (or filmmakers) than they probably should be. How often does hype or quick Twitter response from festivals inform the thought-process of another critic whose experience doesn't live up to what they've heard? It's an unfortunate side effect of criticism, but at the same time, we are all human and biases exist. And they will continue to exist as long as any city (or group of critics) get access to a screening and are allowed to post reviews -- some too desperate to be first on the block -- before other cities even have a screening invitation. A man can dream though, can't he?
All one should ask from a film critic is an honest review and the know-how to back it up. At our film festival we turn the lineup over to the audience and love to hear their honest reviews, which they share via our Audience Award ballot and we hope will share via social media, message boards and certainly their friends. Maybe some will be inspired enough to write a review themselves. If any of these words from the audience brings another pair of eyes to these films then we feel like we have done our job.
My absolute dream scenario would be for there to be a universal screening for all critics to attend in their respective cities. All with the same embargo, say 24 hours after the screening. That would give everyone plenty of time to write a review, all would be published at the same time and their opinions would be free of any pre-screening buzz from other critics or softballs quickly assembled from those a little closer to the film (or filmmakers) than they probably should be. How often does hype or quick Twitter response from festivals inform the thought-process of another critic whose experience doesn't live up to what they've heard? It's an unfortunate side effect of criticism, but at the same time, we are all human and biases exist. And they will continue to exist as long as any city (or group of critics) get access to a screening and are allowed to post reviews -- some too desperate to be first on the block -- before other cities even have a screening invitation. A man can dream though, can't he?
All one should ask from a film critic is an honest review and the know-how to back it up. At our film festival we turn the lineup over to the audience and love to hear their honest reviews, which they share via our Audience Award ballot and we hope will share via social media, message boards and certainly their friends. Maybe some will be inspired enough to write a review themselves. If any of these words from the audience brings another pair of eyes to these films then we feel like we have done our job.
The Chicago Critics Film Festival begins in Chicago this weekend and runs from Friday, May 1 to Thursday, May 7. Click here for the complete schedule.
0 comments:
Post a Comment