By Jack Moe
As film festivals go, the Twin Rivers Media Festival doesn’t
fit the classic mold of a Sundance, Cannes or even Slamdance. You won’t find one big-name Hollywood star. No red carpet. No starlets walking around in revealing gowns. Or fancy screening venues and cocktails parties.
To experience Twin Rivers, you walk down a flight of stairs to the Courtyard Gallery on Walnut Street in Asheville, seek out one of the many chairs or a sofa seat in the basement gallery or outdoor courtyard screening room and watch an entry unfold on large portable screens especially designed for cinema viewings.
What it may lack in glamour and glitz, Twin Rivers easily makes up in substance. It attracts high-quality entries, 400 to 500 from all over the world, featuring some of the best original work currently being done in independent feature films, short drama and documentaries. Plus, it provides considerably more depth by offering categories in all types of media besides film, including CD multimedia, audio, commercials, Internet media and websites. And there are special categories such as “Made on the Mac” and those that recognize outdoor, conservation and environmental issues.
The selection process starts in March and April and continues right through the festival’s official dates, during the first weekend in May, where finalists are screened in two hour segments throughout both days. Traditionally, the festival draws around 150 people at each screening and 1000 or so overall and this year was no exception with screeenings viewed by capacity crowds.
“Twin Rivers allows audiences that really appreciate media arts to see some of the best being produced anywhere. We get entries from many different countries each year. You’ll see some of the best animation from Poland, Czechoslovakia or Russia, and the best documentaries, short films and feature films being produced in the world. The quality of entries is really phenomenal,” says Carlos Steward, founder and driving force behind the festival.
The idea for a grass-roots film festival had its beginnings when Steward was a student in film art at Florida State University, and later in Mexico, where he helped produce documentaries throughout Central and South America. “That really got me started thinking about getting product out and how difficult it was to get people to watch documentaries that were politically and socially important. It was extremely hard in those days to get anything into theatres and film festivals were one mechanism to get this additional exposure.”
Steward also wanted to do more for the independents creating impressive work in other media besides film. And, he wanted his festival to be inclusive, open to anyone working in the media arts, on any level, anywhere in the world.
As Carlos sees it, “Film makers and media artists need audiences to appreciate the enormous work that goes into their projects. Some of these projects are labors of love that take eight, ten years to make. Being able to bring these products to an appreciative audience is really a wonderful thing to see.”
True to his ideals, Steward started a festival in upstate New York in the early ’80s and hasn’t looked back since. He’s been involved in festivals in Cleveland, Western North Carolina University, Bryson City near the Tennessee border and most recently, Asheville, where he plans to stay and expand and refine Twin Rivers. “We chose Asheville because it’s a great town for media. People really appreciate the media arts and there’s a great audience here. It allows a really good exposure in this area for film makers in the U.S. and other parts of the world.”
Asheville also offers another major advantage: while international in scope, everything from festival production to judging is done with local talent. Film judges belong to and are credentialed by MAP (the Media Arts Project) of Western North Carolina. Judges for audio and screenwriting come from various professional studios in and around Asheville.
As Steward notes, Asheville is an amazing town with an incredible pool of talent that he wants to tap into and involve wherever he can in his festival and other creative projects.
Over the years, Twin Rivers and its predecessors have become extremely popular with independent artists on the West Coast and in film schools. A majority of the US entries come from California, followed by film schools such as NYU and Florida State, then the Southwest.
He often invites accomplished film makers and media artists to talk about their work and hold workshops; education is major draw at the festival, especially among students and budding local artists. He wants his festival to be a place where film makers and media artists can network and talk with other people, find out what each are making and how.
The reasons for choosing Twin Rivers vary with an entrant’s ambition and expectations. Some enter because their category is not as competitive as in other festivals. Carlos often fields calls from entrants who ask what the festival’s least competitive categories are in hopes of reaping an award. Others want to enter the highly popular and competitive film categories — short drama, documentaries, and feature film. They love the competition and want to see how their work stacks up against 100 to 200 considered to be among the best in the world. The top placing winners receive a unique hand-made trophy or plaque made by Mexican artist Cynlos.
Steward is a principle in the Courtyard Agency and Gallery, a full-service design studio. He provides marketing and filmmaking for everything from shoe stores, outdoor adventure destinations in South America to UN agencies in Ireland, Boliva, and Africa. And while a labor of love, Twin Rivers consumes most of Carlos’ time from March to early May. Yet it’s well worth it. “Getting a really outstanding entry from an unknown film maker just blows everyone away. This year, one of these was “Rabia” a student film by Muhammad Ali Hasan, about a young Islamic women that straps explosives around her waist and then shows her previous life in flashbacks. It is an amazing little film.”
With 102 World Premiers and 8 North American premiers, the Twin Rivers Media Festival provides some of the best independent screenings to be found anywhere. Some of my favorites this year were the winning Feature Film, “Fix” a first person narrative about the filmmaker’s brother who needs to get into rehab by the end of the day, directed by Tao Ruspoli. The best Experimental films for me were “Hollywood Jerome” by Frey Hoffman and “Ancestor Eyes” directed by Kalani Queypo, a Native American filmmaker from California. Animation was particularly strong this year and “Dinner Table” by Song Kim, “24 Frames” by Brad Pattullo and “Laura in Action” by Laerke Drews of Denmark were among the best. There were so many great Short Dramas that it is hard to pick a favorite. “Rabia” by Muhammad Ali Hasan would top most lists, other favorites included “Double Talk”, by Julien Ezri of Switzerland and “Extreme Me” directed by Mathew Blayney from Ireland.
Of course, my favorite category is the Documentary and Outdoor films and the reason my editors foot the bill to Asheville each May. The best were,”Camp Woz” by Jarrad Kritzstein, “Karearea, The Pine Falcon” Sandy Crichton of New Zealand, “On the Down Low” a great kayaking film by Thomas Oliver of Asheville, and “Garden Insects” educating the audience about the importance of the insect community living in our home gardens, by Chris Korrow from Kentucky.
Many filmmakers were in attendance and were available for questions. Steward also screens independent shorts and features every Friday night at 8pm throughout the year at his World Cinema Series event. The Twin Rivers Media Festival is the first weekend in May every year. Another plus side is that is takes place in Asheville, NC!
Asheville is home to the Smoky Mountains, whitewater rafting, outdoor adventure, and is the literary and art center of the South. Take a sightseeing tour of Asheville, visit unique businesses to view or sample organic clothing for children, organic candy bars, muscle car transmissions, creative and unique urns, art galleries, green producers, web site design firms, great shoe stores, or art districts that include studio tours.
Next year is Twin Rivers Media Festival’s 15th season. If you love independent film—Mark your calendar now!