The Story
An Audience Endeavor: Festival Cult Voting
Interested in the Beatles first feature film? What about the wanderings of a transsexual punk rock singer? A Japanese horror musical? Singing Nazis? A rockumentary? If these fine films spark your interest, cast your vote! Planning commenced for the College’s 2010 Global Film Festival, and this year, the College wants to hear your voice.
The 3rd Annual William and Mary Global Film Festival rocks out this year with the theme of Global Film and Music. During the weekend of February 18-21, the Kimball Theater in Williamsburg will be hosting a series of global films that incorporate the magic of music. While a slew of renowned performers and films have already been booked, the prime Friday night slot is open for audience participation.
The festival has traditionally taken place at Colonial Williamsburg’s Kimball Theater, just a hop away from Ancient Campus. This central location has attracted both the College’s students and the non-student population throughout Williamsburg. In this way, the Festival serves as a bridge between the College and town, all participants celebrating in love of film. The festival is expanding however, and experimenting with new forms of audience participation. That is why, this year, the Festival is including a balloting system for the Friday night, cult film slot.
“For this year's festival we wanted to try something new that would give students the chance to set part of the schedule,” said Professor Tim Barnard, Festival Director at the College. “Also, there are so many great and fun "global musicals" that fit the bill for a late night cult screening, we wanted to have popular demand make the selection for us. We also hope this will start to get students fired up for and invested in what we are working hard to make a really intense and exceptional weekend film and music event.”
While a myriad of cult film choices were thrown around (no, Rocky Horror wasn’t one of them), AMP and Barnard eventually cut down the ballot to 5 films, and a slot for write-in choices. These films include Katakuri-ke no kôfuku/The Happiness of the Katakuris (Takashi Miike 2001) (Japan) (113 minutes), A Hard Days Night (Richard Lester 1964) (United Kingdom), The Sound of Music (Robert Wise 1965) (USA), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell 2001) (USA), and the double feature of This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner 1984)(USA) & Anvil! The Story of Anvil (Sacha Gervasi 2008)(USA).
These films, of course, were chosen not only for their cult followings, but for their incorporation of musical and global themes. Professor Barnard has expressed hope that the students of the College, and cinephiles in the Williamsburg region, will respond to these choices, not only through the voting process, but by participating in the actual screening.
“We've spent time this semester studying different kinds of film festivals around the world, and one thing we are committed to for our own is that it remains a festival *for* the audience,” Barnard said. “This cult film balloting--along with other audience participation events and student filmmaking projects and contests--also make it a festival *by* the audience.”
There are several ways in which you can cast your vote. AMP has created an online voting system which you can access through the public link on Student Happenings, or through the Festival’s website (filmfestival.wm.edu). The festival website also provides a description of each film, and a direct link to trailers. If you’d rather fill out a physical ballot, look out for the ballot boxes stationed at the Kimball Theater and Swem’s Media Center. There will also a third, roaming ballot box stationed around campus (look for it at the Tables in the Sadler Center).
Voting for the cult films ends on Sunday, December 6. If you have any questions, check out the Festival Website at filmfestival.wm.edu.