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08/03/2006'Counter' festival is a no goBut co-founder won't rule out an eventual return
Genie Aldrich, organizer of the Traverse Bay Freedom FilmFest, at the Park Place Hotel in July 2005. TRAVERSE CITY — When the Traverse City Film Festival opened this week it was with one conspicuous absence — the "counter" festival it inspired last year. Spearheaded by Suttons Bay resident Genie Aldrich and sponsored by the Dallas-based conservative film promotions company American Film Renaissance "in response to Michael Moore," the Traverse Bay Freedom FilmFest took place July 29-30 last year, sparking a public debate by supporters of both festivals. But the Freedom FilmFest is not returning this year, at least not this week, said AFA president and co-founder Jim Hubbard. "We're a new organization, and we don't have the support of corporate Hollywood like Mr. Moore," said Hubbard. "But we're not going to rule anything out." Last year's festival, which organizers said presented the flip side to the film festival co-founded by Moore, featured nine old films, as well as new politically conservative independent features, and opened with a rally celebrating the festival's tagline: "Faith, family and freedom." About 150 attended the first screening, the documentary "Confronting Iraq." Other films included "Top Gun," "America's Heart and Soul" and "In the Face of Evil," a film about former President Ronald Reagan. Hubbard said the festival, held in four cities since 2003, still is going strong. It held its biggest — and first — Hollywood event at Mann's Chinese Theatre January 13-15 with a dozen films, including Anthony Hopkins' "The World's Fastest Indian" and a documentary narrated by Oprah Winfrey, and has plans for events in other places. He said it is not returning to Traverse City this year in part because the event became focused on politics and the 2004 election "and that's not what our organization is about." "Part of our decision not to come back this year is that it was so contentious last year and a number of our people received threats to their lives," Hubbard said. "The Park Place Hotel and the theater chain by the mall both were inundated with protests and demands, and we feel there was an organized effort to run us out of town. Some of the more ardent left-wingers went after us tooth and nail. We want to come back in different circumstances." Aldrich did not return calls Tuesday or Wednesday, but a phone number listed to her plays a recorded message for last year's festival. Petoskey disc jockey Greg Marshall, who emceed last year's event, said it has been many months since he talked to festival organizers. He said he would be interested in working with the group again if the festival were to come back. "I think there was a hole for it there," he said. "That's obvious from the number of people who are coming to Michael Moore's festival." Marshall said he believes the Freedom FilmFest has the potential to grow in Traverse City with more advancement. "That festival was thrown together in a matter of weeks," he said. "With the proper promotion I think it could be very successful, not as a competing festival, but I like to think it would bring a different audience to Traverse City. There are a lot of people with a conservative bent that are not happy with Hollywood. And I think those are the kinds of people the festival was trying to reach." Traverse City Film Festival co-founder and author Doug Stanton said the "anti-Traverse City Film Festival" was a "non-issue" last year and that its absence this year has no impact on the existing festival. "The people spoke last year and they're speaking this year," he said. "It's not about politics, it's about storytelling." For daily video reports from the Film Festival, see our "Film Festival Dailies" page.
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