As a rule, independent filmmakers face an uphill battle to get their work seen; even more than musicians, film requires a very particular set of circumstances to both screen and be seen. Fortunately, Boston has seen an increasing amount of grassroots festivals for locally produced film and video. One of the newest and most exciting of these is the Weird Local Film Festival (WLFF), which presents its third round of films tonight at Somerville’s Warehouse XI. We spoke to WLFF founder Peter Levine about the excitement and trials of organizing a film festival from the ground up, and what the future holds.
BOSTON HASSLE: How did the Weird Local Film Festival come into existence?
PETER LEVINE: The whole thing came together pretty naturally. My brother and I had just finished a web series, and we wanted to do a live screening as opposed to just throwing it up on youtube. I asked a few friends who had recently completed short films to present with us. We were going to have the screening on an off-night at the TV studio where I work, but another friend who coordinates events for a warehouse space (Warehouse XI) told us she could help us book it there. I, pessimistic as I am, expected a meager turnout. But with next to no marketing a lot of people showed up, and it was incredibly fun. The energy was so positive and encouraging– such a welcome contrast to how heavy things feel as of late.
After the show, all of us were really excited, and wanted to do it again. So we opened it up to any filmmaker within driving distance to Somerville, and are now on our 4th event (3rd under the Weird Local Film Festival moniker).
BH: What has the reaction been like so far?
PL: People have been very enthusiastic and warm. Each WLFF has had more people than the last, so hopefully we’re doing something right. The event is focused on short– very short– films, which is nice because not only do we have a large variety of styles/aesthetics, but if an audience member isn’t into a particular film, they just have to wait a few minutes. The word of mouth has been really wonderful and we get better and better crowds and submissions each time.
BH: How would you describe the filmmaking scene in the Boston area?
PL: Understated, but pretty great. There are many amazing events such as Boston Open Screen and BUFF. We’re lucky to now be a part of that landscape. Also, Massachusetts is the best state in the country for community media, with hundreds of great public access stations and resources. I think that built-in media infrastructure and support creates a really special community.
LA and NYC can often seem like the places to be, but there is a ton of talent and opportunity here. Because Boston is not Hollywood, a lot of unique products are created here, and I believe that is a major asset.
BH: What are some of the challenges in putting on a regular public screening series?
PL: Growing pains… As we’ve grown, we’ve had to jump through more hoops to be compliant with the city, etc. Also, for this event, we are expected to hit capacity at our current venue, which is really cool, but also, shit! Haha, we may have to start looking for larger spaces that can accommodate our needs. Also, funding is a challenge. We have been lucky so far and have been breaking even, but we will definitely need to be more strategic for future events.
BH: What’s the weirdest film you’ve shown so far?
PL: Not to cop-out here, but it’s really hard to pick. We’ve had a nightmare newscast, an instructional video for a made-up board game, an alien weather report, soundless video art, fake public service announcements, and many others that are even more difficult to describe…
I can’t wait to see what we get next time.
Weird Local Film Festival #3 premieres at Warehouse XI in Somerville tonight at 7:00. Suggested donation is $5