More Independent Than Ever

Independent films are hard to come by in the Ozarks.

Fans have to scour the bins of DVDs at the public libraries and flip past many features they've already seen, waiting for the day of new arrivals. They drive to film festivals around the state and sit through other categories to get to the one or two prized indies. They often return to Netflix.

But this weekend, fans of indie films have struck proverbial gold. The second annual Eureka Springs Indie Film Festival began Wednesday at the Fresh Bistro, followed by a two-hour screening. Over the course of four days, it will show 46 films at the City Auditorium.

The productions were made by 38 filmmakers who hail primarily from Arkansas but also come from around the country with a handful from France, the United Kingdom and Sweden.

"We're really excited about being a part of the growing film scene and digital production scene going on in Arkansas," says Sandy Martin, co-founder of the Indie Film Festival. "It's exciting, the way that these filmmakers tell the stories, and there are so many great ones; from comedies to documentaries, they are outstanding."

Those moviegoers who made it to the first festival have a lot more to choose from this time around.

Last year, the founders and judges had 35 submissions to peruse before settling on 22 to screen. The 2015 festival had 90 submissions. The final contestants include exciting narratives in categories new to the event, such as science fiction, foreign films and "made on mobile," a category of films made with smart phones, tablets and drones.

"Things are moving that way [to mobile]," says Teresa DeVito of DeVito's Restaurant, co-founder of the festival. "It's an especially appealing category for students who can't afford expensive equipment but have an iPhone or iPad and can edit with iMovie."

The homespun, makeshift nature of independent films is just another part of the appeal and creativity. In some respects, Martin says, it takes more talented and dedicated filmmakers to produce something that's at once quality film and entertaining.

"The fun thing about independent film is that the smaller crews have to be more stealthy and more talented on a variety of production aspects," Martin says. "That's the fun thing. They usually start out by themselves and have a story and develop it from there. They've learned technology and tools and can really accomplish a lot by [themselves]."

Indie film festival participants will have the option to attend workshops on the use of mobile devices and drones for filmmaking, production resources and even a 30 minute music-in-film workshop by Joel C. High, a music executive for Tyler Perry's films as well as "Weeds," "Saw" and "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Arkansas Film Commissioner Christopher Crane coordinated High's arrival, which DeVito and Martin value for many reasons, chief among them the importance of music to a film's success.

"It's a heavyweight [of film]," Martin says. "It's the little nuances, how it's mixed and how it sets the tone. It taps into your emotions."

Bringing in a high caliber music executive is a nod to investing knowledge in the things that will make or break a film. A few of the Indie Film Festival filmmakers composed and recorded original music scores for their productions, and Martin has seen increasingly more producers head in that direction.

Having more accessible equipment and at-hand tutorials for the trickiest parts make it more inviting for others to give filmmaking a shot. After doing some research herself, DeVito tried it too and made a film on her phone, which will be shown but not submitted for judging.

"I had never edited before, but I gave it a go," DeVito says. "I looked at tutorials online and taught myself. I ran into a few issues ... but it's so easy that almost anybody can do it."

NAN What's Up on 04/24/2015