The beauty of the film festival
Entertainment Aspect: Your Weekly Entertainment News
Lauren Rocha
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Film is not just about going to the movies to see the latest thriller or watching the Academy Awards. In the film industry, there is one event critics line up for and people buy tickets in numbers: film festivals.
While Sundance Film Festival ended in January, there are still others worth noting. Roger Ebert's film festival, Ebertfest, recently ended its five day run. Ebert has described the event, "As film exhibition in North America crowds itself ever more narrowly into predictable commercial fodder for an undemanding audience, we applaud those brave, free spirits who still hold faith with the unlimited potential of the cinema."
Each year, Ebert chooses films from throughout the years that, while not necessarily the average viewer's picks, deserve recognition and praise.
This year's films included lesser known movies such as "Shotgun Stories" to more recognizable films such as Ang Lee's "Hulk." When I first read that one of the film's Ebert hand-picked for his festival was "Hulk," I thought the critic was off. But reading his reasoning behind the film, I could see why he chose it.
"It is not so much about a green monster as about two wounded adult children of egomaniacs." With this in mind, I had to agree with Ebert's take on the film; but I still think it's a boring movie overall.
The Tribeca Film Festival started April 23 and will continue until May 4. The festival was created in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Their goal was to revitalize the lower area of Manhattan though an annual film celebration. According to the website, "The Festival's mission focuses on assisting filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promoting New York City as a major filmmaking center." Since it started, the Festival has raised more than $425 million in economic activity for the city.
While Sundance Film Festival ended in January, there are still others worth noting. Roger Ebert's film festival, Ebertfest, recently ended its five day run. Ebert has described the event, "As film exhibition in North America crowds itself ever more narrowly into predictable commercial fodder for an undemanding audience, we applaud those brave, free spirits who still hold faith with the unlimited potential of the cinema."
Each year, Ebert chooses films from throughout the years that, while not necessarily the average viewer's picks, deserve recognition and praise.
This year's films included lesser known movies such as "Shotgun Stories" to more recognizable films such as Ang Lee's "Hulk." When I first read that one of the film's Ebert hand-picked for his festival was "Hulk," I thought the critic was off. But reading his reasoning behind the film, I could see why he chose it.
"It is not so much about a green monster as about two wounded adult children of egomaniacs." With this in mind, I had to agree with Ebert's take on the film; but I still think it's a boring movie overall.
The Tribeca Film Festival started April 23 and will continue until May 4. The festival was created in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Their goal was to revitalize the lower area of Manhattan though an annual film celebration. According to the website, "The Festival's mission focuses on assisting filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promoting New York City as a major filmmaking center." Since it started, the Festival has raised more than $425 million in economic activity for the city.
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