Big changes at this year’s Big Rock Eddies
Big Rock Brewery bash rebrands as more serious cinematic venture
Even the best parties have to end.
For 22 years, Big Rock Brewery has hosted the Eddies, an annual beer- fuelled bash that invited fledgling filmmakers to vie for cash prizes with fake commercials heavy on wackiness and product placement.
But the event is coming of age this year, with Big Rock rebranding it as a short film festival. It will debut Saturday at the Theatre Grand Junction, a more intimate venue to befit the cinematic seriousness of the new venture.
“Like anything that lasts that long — multiple decades — we got to the point where we wanted to evolve with the event,” says Big Rock’s Susanne Fox. “At Big Rock, one of our mandates is supporting arts and culture. So we started to look for ways to contribute in a new and meaningful way to that community. We do a lot of events with the Calgary Underground Film Festival and Calgary International Film Festival, so the idea came to the table to do a short film festival. We wanted to do a show about film for filmmakers.”
As in years past, filmmakers were invited to submit entries. But for the first time, the focus was not on Big Rock’s brand or product placement. Participants were asked to base films — all five minutes or under — on the loose topic of tradition.
Of course, old habits die hard. Fox admits that some went ahead and submitted Big Rock beer commercials. But there will also be a huge variety in tone and topic on display from filmmakers across Canada. On Saturday, the 10 finalists out of roughly 50 submissions will be screened at the Grand in a toned- down evening.
“We wanted these submissions, which people work hours and hours on, to be able to go forward in the film circuit throughout the year,” Fox says.
“By putting strict stipulations on it, that wouldn’t happen for people. That’s the spirit of what this is all about. You will see some shorts with product placement, but you’ll also see some that have nothing to do with beer but speak to an interpretation of tradition.”
As always, the filmmakers will be competing for money, with prizes of $ 10,000, $ 5,000 and $ 2,500 up for grabs.
This year’s panel of judges reflects the focus on film. Emmywinning Calgary producer Chad Oakes, Hell on Wheels star Anson Mount, Calgary Underground Film Festival founder Brenda Lieberman, Calgary International Film Festival executive director Steve Schroeder, the CBC’s David Gray and Big Rock brewmaster Paul Gautreau will be choosing the winners.
The event will also include reverent tributes to Big Rock Brewery founder, Ed McNally, who passed away last fall, and Calgary theatre innovator Michael Green, who worked behind- the- scenes at the Eddies for years. He died in February.
For the most part, the event will be similar to an evening spent at festival screenings, Fox says. This doesn’t mean those who choose to follow the Eddies tradition of dressing up in elaborate costumes will be turned away.
“We are going to have a cocktail hour from 6 to 7 and obviously we are going to be selling beer,” Fox says. “People have been asking ‘ Are we wearing costumes?’ If you want to come in a costume, we love that in Big Rock fans. But we also say, this is a night to support arts and culture and these budding filmmakers in our community.”
The 2015 Eddies Short Film Festival will take place Saturday at 6 p. m. at Calgary’s Theatre Grand Junction. The event is sold out.