A new cultural event took place Saturday, October 25th that evoked interest and created awareness regarding local independent filmmaking. This auspicious debut took place in Wood River, Illinois and was the first installment of The Piasa Film Festival. The festival was professionally produced by Scott Stoltz of SCS Studio Filmz, co-produced by James Knapp and Kerri Stoltz, and worked in collaboration with Fly Vision Entertainment. The inception of this festival was received well by moviegoers with more than one hundred in attendance at the cozy and historic Midtown Theatre.
The festival started with a variety of movie previews, followed by twelve diverse movie shorts, interspersed with an intermission and an awards presentation, and then finished with the Illinois premiere of �Shadowland� by Pirate Pictures Entertainment. The shorts ranged from comedy to science-fiction and from action to art house. The awards were presented for various categories with a few directors earning more than one award for their feature, namely director Dan Allen and his short �101 Damnations� collecting three awards overall.
The Illinois premiere of �Shadowland� complimented the evening with a stylized action picture that was shot in the greater St. Louis, Missouri area and featured local actors as well. The motion picture was sharp with excellent camera angles that captured the beauty and architecture of the region. The story follows the life of a woman who physically and consciously bounces back-and-forth between memories and decision.
�Shadowland� director Wyatt Weed, producer Gayle Gallagher, and executive-producer Robert A. Clark fielded questions by curious filmmakers after the feature presentation and were available to the audience also. This opportunity to shake hands and ask questions with filmmakers embodies the emerging theme of this year�s festival, that being growth. Whether in the Piasa Valley, in the film industry, or in the reach that the Piasa Film Festival accomplishes it will be growth that truly informs local citizens of the talented neighbors that they share their community with.
The festival will be an annual event that will travel to a new city in Illinois each year, thereby spreading awareness and hoping to create interest in local independent filmmaking. Edwardsville, Illinois will play a key role in the growth of the film festival as the host city for the second year of the Piasa Film Festival. The event will take place October 1stthrough October 3rd, 2009 at three separate venues with a gradual build to end the weekend with awards and the main premiere.
Overall, the festival was widely considered a success and a much-needed cultural event for the Madison County area. A resurgence of diverse cultural activities have been taking place in Madison County and the immense age range of attendees at the festival attests to the desire for entertaining and informative options for those interested. For those who want to support local independent filmmaking and moviegoers alike, attend the 2nd Annual Piasa Film Festival October 1-3, 2009. For more information regarding upcoming Piasa Film Festival events you can visit piasafilmfestival.com. The website provides a monthly revolving independent film showcase, a weekly feature film and DVD pick of the week for viewing, and updates about the direction of the Piasa Film Festival.
�Shadowland�, the feature movie of the Piasa Film Festival, will also be showing during the upcoming St. Louis International Film Festival at the Tivoli Theatre at 10:30pm. Tickets for the �Shadowland� screening on Friday, November 14th, 2008 can be purchased at landmarktheatres.com.
Awards presented at the 1st Annual Piasa Film Festival:
Best Lighting � Brent Madison, �House Rules�
Best Comedy � Mary Lowhorn, �Extreme Sitting�
Best Science Fiction � Ryan Doris, �Push Me�
Best Action � Dan Allen, �101 Damnations�
Best Drama � Scott Stoltz, �River for Katherine�
Best Cinematography � Brent Madison, �House Rules�
Best Film � Dan Allen, �101 Damnations�
Best Director � John Richter, �Booth�
Piasa Award for Artistic Imagery � Chris England, �Meditation on the Art of Bowling�
Audience Choice for Best Trailer � Ben Karson and Jamison D. Sweet, �Small Town Boy, Real American Hero�
Audience Choice for Best Short � Dan Allen, �101 Damnations�
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