The Annapolis Film Festival is back "in the ring". After months of being "on the ropes" we are emerging as we fight through a pandemic and the issues that have arisen from this new reality for all festivals around the world. As we carve out our vision for 2021's AFF experience, we are looking to bring a new season of artistic and cutting-edge films for our viewing audience.
It’s not easy to make room for cinema in the midst of being “webexed” or “zoomed out,” to preserve a sense of the specialness of the art form and the cultural experience it represents. With the movie industry in turmoil, recently providing little to no new content, we are happy to say -- there is hope on the horizon. The film business has also had to pivot and re-position itself, and we are delighted to inform you that movies will start production soon, with many new safety features in place to protect all involved.
We remain aware of the complicated and sensitive issues ahead. Programming the festival will be tricky as we are dealing with lots of moving parts. But our goal is to find compelling new films that will move you, both dramatically and comedically. Some films might wake you up to the new world around us and some will explore the culture and heart of other societies. Others, for sure, will just be pure entertainment.
We are particularly proud of being one of the first film festivals in the world to pivot post-COVID-19. It was a heavy lift to make it happen in nine days, yet, not to disappoint our loyal supporters, we delivered a version of our planned festival. Today almost all festivals are online for most of their viewing and the audiences seem to be accepting it as a new normal--for now. AFF will also be virtual this year. But as we navigate through the rough seas, we are trying to work toward a hybrid model. One where there might be other options such as a Drive-in opening night (maybe a few other drive-in movies as the weekend progresses.) Also, we are looking into using the Bowen Theater at Maryland Hall for a few socially distanced and sanitized events, and maybe a film society screening. This will only be possible when clear-cut safety regulations are in place for all
SAVE THE DATE!!!! April 8-11, 2021 will be our 9th annual film festival. The Annapolis Film Festival & Film Society’s brand-new ticketing and virtual platform, Eventive, is available via any web browser and also can be added to your home Roku or Apple TV. Now that we have time to set it up, our goal is to make viewing at home an enjoyable and user-friendly experience.
We’re excited by the opportunity to share another smashing film program with our community and beyond. A portion of our feature program will be geolocated to Maryland, D.C and Virginia. All of the Shorts will be available nationwide. Many filmmaker Q&As will be hosted by our AFF host and film journalist, Joe Neumaier, who will lead these carefully curated programs following many of the films.
We hope you embrace the festival this April. It’s so important for the ARTS to stay alive and vibrant through this period. We intend to bring much excitement and lots of movies-- so stay tuned!!!!
With Arms Wide Open,
Patti & Lee
Festival Directors, Annapolis Film Festival
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