"The Ashland Independent Film Festival celebrated its 25 th anniversary late last month, a nice round number to celebrate and a good excuse to take stock of the way the event has rebounded from tumultuous times. Those tumults, as were so many endured by film fests and other arts organizations, derived largely (but not entirely) from the coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns, and AIFF's future was, at times, seriously in doubt."
"As usual, the majority of the screenings took place at the Varsity Theatre, and by the time I arrived in town on Thursday, April 23 rd, the schedule grid posted in the window of festival headquarters was already thick with Sharpie lines indicating sold-out shows. Rush lines for unclaimed tickets were commonplace (and not unpleasant to be in, considering the sunny spring weather that predominated)."
"Other venues included the nearby creative workspace White Rabbit and artist John Pugh 's Big Dog Studio, each of them no more than a 15-minute walk from the other. With a main program including 22 features (fourteen documentaries and eight narratives), dozens of short films, and several specially curated sidebars, there were usually a few worthwhile alternatives if one's first choice didn't pan out."
"And the festival's special guests and honorees, including a trove (that must be the correct collective noun) of archivists, embodied what Director of Programming Aura Johnson called the "moxie and boldness to do things their own way," from indie-film stalwarts Cheryl Dunye and Alex Cox to re-imaginers of the documentary form such as Sam Green and the duo Soda Jerk."
The Ashland Independent Film Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary and reflected on how the event rebounded after pandemic-related turmoil. Screenings largely took place at the Varsity Theatre, where the posted schedule showed many sold-out shows and rush lines for unclaimed tickets were common. Additional venues included White Rabbit and John Pugh’s Big Dog Studio, both within a short walk, offering alternatives when preferred screenings were unavailable. The main program featured 22 features, including fourteen documentaries and eight narratives, along with dozens of short films and curated sidebars. Special guests and honorees included archivists and filmmakers known for independent approaches and documentary reinvention, described as having moxie and boldness to do things their own way.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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