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08/05/2007
Thumbs UpFilm Festival gets good reviews from film-goers
Crowds line up outside the State Theatre to see "Once," on opening night of the Traverse City Film Festival, which ends this evening. TRAVERSE CITY — Passing each other on Front Street for what seemed like the hundredth time, bus drivers Doris Morgan and Ray Bays exchanged a friendly wave from behind their windshields. The pair have driven circles around each other all week while shuttling film-goers to and from the Traverse City Film Festival, and it was standing-room only on Morgan's 15-seater. "This is as busy as I've seen it,” she said, as she surveyed the passengers headed for the 4 p.m. round of films on Friday. The third annual festival ends tonight, and so far it's getting two thumbs way up from film-goers. Of the 98 screenings, approximately 75 to 80 percent of the tickets will be sold by the time it's over, estimated festival manager Deb Lake. "It's better this year. There's more variety,” said Jan Morrison of Traverse City, who planned to see nine of the 60 films. "You had to make your list you were going to buy for sure, then your 'maybe' list. Then you tried to stretch it.” Despite the heat, Morrison said the mood has been upbeat, with film-goers queuing up early and happily comparing notes while waiting for events to start. On her bus, some passengers have even cried while talking about films that moved them, Morgan said. "All you have to do is say, 'What movies did you see?' and people start talking,” Morrison said. "I've talked with people who have missed their family reunions for this. They've said, 'Go without me. This is my week.'” "I think there's as much camaraderie between people as there was the first year, which is the coolest thing to happen,” said part-time Traverse City resident Lil Ostendorf, who is attending 11 films this year and sponsoring one with her family in memory of her late parents. "But they need to give more notice about the films. Twenty-four hours (for sponsors) isn't enough time to pick movies.” At least one organization has been taking advantage of festival crowds to advance its cause. Volunteers and others affiliated with the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care have been gathering signatures all week long in an effort to get a medical marijuana initiative on the statewide ballot in 2008. "This is like shooting fish in a barrel with a shotgun,” said one petitioner, as he worked his way along a line waiting to get into the City Opera House. For some, the festival is about more than entertainment. "I feel like I'm getting an education,” said Linda Ackley-Eaker, whose husband's Longview Winery in Cedar sponsored Friday's panel discussion on documentaries. "The amount of expertise that goes into these films, documentaries in particular, is amazing. And we're lucky enough to see the results of years of research.” Morrison, who lives in town and can walk to events, attended all five panel discussions this year. "I'm third in line every day,” she said. "Because how many times do you get to sit down and hear producers and directors talk? And on top of that, you get to ask them questions.” But she said she'd like to see the festival involve more young people by incorporating films by junior high and high school filmmakers into its programming. "They could just have them as shorts before each film, so it would be a bridge connecting young students and older audiences,” she said. Carol and Howard Cousineau are among hundreds of film-goers taking advantage of this year's new shuttle route, said Ed Burdick, operations manager for the Bay Area Transportation Authority. The Spider Lake couple park in the downtown parking deck and use the shuttles to go between venues. "It's much more organized this year,” said Carol Cousineau, as she waited for a shuttle to new venue Lars Hockstad Auditorium. "They're working out the bugs. I've been pretty impressed.” As many as 180 people have used the buses during the busiest shifts, Burdick said. And while some shuttles were running up to half an hour late Friday because of weekend traffic and a blocked-off Front Street, "We've been quite pleased with the results,” he said. At the State Theatre, which boasts a much-talked-about new popcorn machine and popcorn taste-tested by festival officials, reviews of the snack have been mixed, said concession supervisor Mark Nelson. "It's good, it's bad, it's too salty,” he said. "I guess it's a personal preference.”
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