Event director '100 percent positive' momentum will carry into next year
By Adam Parker
The Post and Courier
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Nothing, it seemed, could spoil the good vibe at the second evening of the first Charleston
International Film Festival.
Moviegoers were dressed up and raring to go. They filed into the Terrace Theatre, happy to
check out untested short and feature films and hobnob with actors and directors.
Terrace owner Mike Furlinger took tickets and smiled. When Summer Spooner approached
him last year with the idea of a film festival, Furlinger was cautious.
The inaugural Charleston International Film Festival continues through Sunday at the
Terrace Theatre. The screening schedule is broken into blocks, with a ticket price of $8 per
block. Passes, tickets and a schedule of screenings are available at the Terrace Theatre box
office or online at charlestoniff.com, which also offers individual film synopses.
"Hosting a festival means not showing something else," he said. But Spooner and her
partner, Brian Peacher, brought lots of experience to the venture, and Furlinger soon was
persuaded.
So on the second evening of the festival, what was his assessment? "Crazy," he said.
The 4 p.m. screening of Rick Bieber's film, coincidentally called "Crazy," was a near
sellout. And everyone stayed for the Q&A that followed, Bieber said.
"I've been really impressed," he said, praising the idea of combining short and feature films
into viewing "blocks." It means that short movies are seen by many people who otherwise
would never get a chance to enjoy the genre, Bieber said.
Todd Wolfe, who co-directed and edited "Left/Right," a film written by and starring his
brother, Matthew Wolfe, which had its world premiere Friday evening, said this was his
first film festival. Such events are essential for independent filmmakers hoping to achieve
success, he said.
The theater filled up for the 7 p.m. feature, which was introduced by the Wolfe brothers.
The short film "Nosebleed," starring David Arquette, was supposed to screen first, but the
reel was wound backward. The film began with the end credits, upside down. No worries.
Furlinger simply started "Left/Right" right away.
Virginia Friedman is psyching up for today's 2 p.m. screening of "Saint of the Zuiderzee,"
a short film she produced and co-wrote, based on her short story "The Saint of Fresh
Kills." Friedman teaches at the College of Charleston's Center for the Documentary.
Another local, Grainger David, makes his Charleston film debut at 6 p.m. with the funny
and poignant five-minute short film "George and Karl." David attended Porter-Gaud. He is
finishing up at New York University's graduate film program.
Spooner said she is thrilled about the way things are going and "100 percent confident" that
things will keep on going in Charleston for years.
"It's like I gave birth to a baby," she said of the festival. "I have a feeling, come Sunday
night, I'll be going through withdrawals."
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