This article contains promotional content. (February 2011) |
Location | Ashland, Oregon |
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Hosted by | Southern Oregon Film Society |
Language | International |
Website | http://www.ashlandfilm.org |
The Ashland Independent Film Festival is held in Ashland, Oregon, United States, and has been organized by the non-profit Southern Oregon Film Society since 2001. Founded by D.W. and Steve Wood, the festival is held each spring over five days at the Varsity Theatre in downtown Ashland and the Historic Ashland Armory in the Railroad District.[1] The festival presents international and domestic shorts and features, including drama, comedy, documentary, and animation.
Most of the independent films are shown on the five screens at the art-deco Varsity Theatre located in downtown Ashland. Special events and large screenings (including Calvin Marshall, The River Why, and Tattoo the World) are held at the Historic Ashland Armory, which seats 500 people. In addition to the screenings, the Ashland Independent Film Festival hosts several social-gatherings and artistic events. These include an opening-night gala, filmmaker Q&A sessions after screenings, filmmaker panels, art exhibits, and a nightly lounge. In 2010, approximately 6,500 people attended the film festival, collectively purchasing 16,800 tickets.[2]
In addition to submissions from around the globe, the festival has a free entrance policy for local filmmakers to motivate them to submit their films. It also aims to encourage Ashland residents to attend by running two free "Locals Only" programs during the festival. The festival also has a program that is free to all students in Southern Oregon and encourages them to make their own films to submit. In 2010, a special "Made in Oregon" presentation was added to the festival's awards ceremony in acknowledgment of the record set: 25% of the films presented at the festival were shot in Oregon.
The 2010 festival attendees, 40% of whom came from outside of Ashland, had a $2.8 million economic impact in the community in the 2010 fiscal year. More than 1200 attendees completed surveys from which the following information was gathered:
The festival continues to gain national attention as a high-quality regional film festival.