Film festivals from your home during pandemic
At film festivals you’re always assured of new movie premieres, smaller films getting the big screen treatment and like-minded audiences mingling with one another while possibly meeting a filmmaker or two in process.
With most in-person gatherings simply not feasible during the pandemic, you might think fests would simply throw in the towel this year. But in happier news, an indomitable spirit has prevailed and many of Chicago’s annual events are pivoting to a streaming lineup this fall. Upcoming fests include the LGBTQ+ fest Reeling, the Palestine Film Festival, the Chicago Latino Film Festival, the South Side Film Festival and Black Harvest.
“Canceling never occurred to me, to be honest with you,” said Reeling founder Brenda Webb. “It was just, how are we going to pull it off? What are the costs? What are the risks?”
Though many movie theaters in town have reopened, the Siskel Film Center still remains closed. Even so, it was important that Black Harvest — which spotlights Black indie cinema — not skip a year, especially when issues of racial justice are front and center. “We never considered not having it,” said Jean de St. Aubin, who heads up the Siskel. The cinema also hosts the Palestine Film Festival, and while most of the lineup will be streamable, some films will screen at local drive-ins in Pilsen or Bridgeview (details are still being worked out).
The Chicago Latino Film Festival was originally scheduled for the spring. “We had everything ready to go, so canceling was heavy,” festival head Pepe Vargas said. “Money alone, we probably lost $200,000.” But he also sees moving forward with the fest as an act of resistance: Featuring Spanish-language films from all over the world, the fest plays a vital role — especially for a city that is 30% Latinx.
Lex Curtis is assistant producer and director of the South Side Film Festival and said going virtual posed all kinds of questions: “Could we stream in a polished way? In an easily accessible and straightforward way? So we decided to explore every option before calling 2020 a wash. The South Side is such a huge, vibrant, diverse part of the city and we weren’t really seeing it represented (by the local film fest community).”
This switch to streaming is trial and error for everyone. The logistics (and expenses) are a lot to work out. Festivals are saving money by not renting out movie theater venues, but budgets across the board are smaller for obvious reasons; fewer companies able to offer sponsorships.
“The big unknown factor is: Will people buy tickets?” said Webb, echoing the words of each fest organizer.
And there are other costs and complications. Who is going to provide the streaming platform? And who is going to handle the financial transactions? Here are some of the basics:
How to stream?
“There are several platforms that have emerged,” said Reeling’s Webb. “The one we’re using is called Eventive, they’re both a ticketing system and a streaming platform. The biggest consideration that filmmakers and distributors have is about piracy, so we wanted to go with a platform that had all these security procedures in place.”
Webb estimates Eventive’s cut will be around 25% of Reeling’s ticket price.
“We are still learning how the platform works,” she added. “And we’re trying to figure out how to explain all of this to the audience; we’ve seen some festivals that have FAQs and video tutorials where you have to spend some time figuring out the system; we don’t want something that complicated.”
Most local festivals are using Eventive as well. But the South Side Film Festival is using a streaming platform provided by Seed & Spark. “They are a godsend,” said Curtis. “We’re not the size of Sundance or South by Southwest, so Seed & Spark stepped in for the little guys.”
Geoblocking and audience caps
Just because these films are streaming doesn’t mean everyone everywhere will have access. Distributors (as well as filmmakers still seeking distribution) are asking festivals to geoblock, which means offerings from Chicago fests will be limited to viewers in Illinois. Distributors are also imposing an audience cap, usually between 300-500 total views, which correlates to the number of tickets that might have been sold for an in-person screening. It’s a business decision meant to protect a film’s value when a distributor goes to release it on PVOD (theatrical is still an iffy proposition) and ultimately makes a deal with a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu.
Q&As
The post-show conversation is often a draw for film fest audiences and most festivals are doing some version of Zoom panel discussions. “This year we’re really going to amp up our conversations at Black Harvest,” said de St. Aubin, including the annual panel called “How to Get Your Movie Made.” The Siskel is also planning a virtual networking event for new or aspiring filmmakers.
Where audiences will be able to find those videos is a detail most festival directors are still working on. Your best bet is to follow the social media accounts for each fest and check their main website periodically.
Here’s a quick glance at some upcoming titles that look promising:
“Between Heaven and Earth”: In writer-director
Najwa Najjar’s 2019 feature, a young Palestinian couple decide to end their marriage, but in order to do so they must get certain documents required by an Israeli court. The film follows their travels from the West Bank to the Golan Heights. At the Palestine Film Festival via the Siskel Film Center (Sept. 14-22; https://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/CPFF2020)
“Days of Light”: Six filmmakers (each from a different Central American country) tell six interwoven chapters in a story about the aftermath of a solar storm and subsequent power outage. Variety describes it this way: “As power is shut down, taking with it all modern communications, the characters are forced back to the essentials of life. Ultimately the film is about Central America’s shared culture and beliefs.” At the Chicago Latino Film Festival (Sept. 18-27; www.chicagolatinofilmfestival.org) “Pier Kids”: A documentary from filmmaker Elegance Bratton about LGBTQ young people (some houseless) who have found and formed a community around Manhattan’s Chelsea Piers. The Hollywood Reporter calls the film raw and affecting. At Reeling (Sept. 24-Oct. 4; www.reelingfilmfestival.org/2020)
“No Lye: An American Beauty Story”: A documentary from filmmaker Bayer Mack, the film is a portrait of the history of the Black haircare industry, with a focus on companies that were based in Chicago including SoftSheen and Pro-Line. At the South Side Film Festival (Sept. 25-Oct. 4; www.southsidefilmfest.org)
Note: The Siskel has not yet announced the lineup for the Black Harvest Film Festival; it is scheduled for Nov. 6-30.