The annual Virginia Film Festival, which ended its four-day run Sunday, saw a decline in attendance this year but still managed to exceed the expectations of the event’s artistic director, Richard Herskowitz.
Herskowitz explained that the festival, which is hosted by the University and was based this year on the theme of “Aliens,” put its focus on featuring filmmakers from all around the world.
“My main goals were really to satisfy the broadest audience with the programming, and based on the responses I received from a wide range of people, I’m very satisfied with the results,” Herskowitz said. “I think one of the biggest things was that we wanted to have a truly international festival this year and to bring filmmakers from all over the world.”
Herskowitz cited the enthusiasm of the audience members as another highlight of the festival, noting they “were so appreciative of the vitality and brilliance of these directors in their commentaries after the films.”
Still, the number of audience members was down from previous years, Herskowitz said. The festival faced initial attendance challenges that Herskowitz said he felt resolved themselves better than expected.
Virginia Film Festival publicist John Kelly noted both the uncertain U.S. economy and the 37 percent attendance decline in movie theaters across the country over the last year in explaining the decrease in attendance this year.
“That [attendance declines] was something we were terrified about this year,” Herskowitz said. “Ours were down 20 percent from last year, but we expected even worse.”
The festival sold about 7,800 tickets this year, and Herskowitz said walk-up sales during the weekend of the festival accelerated, noting that the theaters “never felt empty.”
Despite concerns about ticket sales, the festival still sought to provide innovative experiences for attendees.
“Another thing that was a big innovation this year that I was very nervous about was our introduction of Skype video chats with directors in Paris and LA,” Herskowitz said. “We had really considered experimenting with this for several years but the technology wasn’t adequate.”
The festival put on one Skype video chat in Newcomb Hall and a second at Regal Downtown 6 theater at the Downtown Mall. Both sessions “ran flawlessly,” Herskowitz said.
“The audience really seemed to love it,” he noted.
Third-year College student Ryan Gruntz, one of five undergraduate publicity interns for the Virginia Film Festival, also said he felt the event was a success, especially, “considering that it was the weekend before the election, and all the alumni were in town for the football game, and it was also Halloween ... we had a lot of competing forces for time and attention, and I think the festival overall was a success.”
Some changes to the Virginia Film Festival, however, could still be on the horizon. Patrons of the festival next year will experience the event under new management, Herskowitz said, as 2009 will be the first year in 15 years that Herskowitz will not serve as artistic director. Having accepted a position at the University of Oregon and at a new film festival in Houston, Herskowitz said the search for a new director is “just beginning.”
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