Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts. 

FLEFF blew me away.

I guess it’s my own fault for not really knowing what to expect, but to be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  The best things are the ones we don’t expect, right?

I never dreamed that FLEFF would be the intellectual, innovative, and global event that it was. 

FLEFF was the first film festival I’ve ever attended and I know that no other festival will be like it.  FLEFF, in itself, is a microtopia.  It is a microtopia that cannot be replicated in any other environment.

Personally, I had a ton of fun.  I saw great films, met amazing people, and immersed myself in all forms of media.  But the most important thing is that I learned something. 

I’ll be completely open about the fact that I’m a nerd and that I like learning, and everything I learned at FLEFF was not forced upon me.  FLEFF was a natural environment, where every aspect was fully integrated into a larger whole.

I had a great time at FLEFF, and I can’t wait to partake in next year’s festival!  I wonder what the new theme will be… any ideas?

Blog posting written by Isabel Galupo, Cinema and Photography '14, Towson, MD

Jon Reis, a local Ithaca photographer, visited our FLEFF class tonight to discuss the local financial considerations behind hosting a film festival. 

While he told us about his personal passion for supporting local artists and gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the local finances behind FLEFF, he indadvertedly gave us an invaluable piece of advice: always do what you love. 

At the beginning of his talk, Mr. Reis told us that he was a Sociology major in college...but he always loved photography.

In order to break into the the photography field, he got a job at the local paper. He admitted that the minimum wage pay wasn't that great, but he didn't mind because he was lucky enough to get a job doing what he loved.

Now, as a professional photographer, he has married these two interests and takes photographs that serve as visual social commentaries on American culture. 

Mr. Reis-- along with many of the filmmakers, musicians, and intellectuals involved with FLEFF-- has managed to find a way to integrate his multiple, seemingly conflicting interests into his livelihood. 

FLEFF is a space-- a microtopia, perhaps-- that brings together passionate, dedicated creators to live their truths, much as Mr. Reis has. It is a space that can inspire other artists and thinkers to do the same. 

Are you doing what you love? 

Blog posting written by Kaley Belval, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Intern, Woodbury, CT. 

FLEFF was overall an amazing experience, and I learned a lot. 

As my first film festival, it was very special to me. I found that directors were much more approachable than I expected, and gave me amazing advice while being really interested in my passions. 

Every film that I saw gave me a new perspective on an issue or lifestyle, and I made connections between multiple films and ideas easily. 

The films that I saw-Putin's Kiss, Kissed By Lightning, Cotton Road, Veins in the Gulf, and Nanook of the North- and the Concert For Microtopias inspired me to look at my ideas and work in new ways. 

Dying to Live also had a powerful message, but the way in which it was presented was a little too biased for my taste. 

FLEFF gave me, and everyone that attended, a different environment. Yes, this is what it advertises, but it gave us an environment to intellectually discuss film, music, and ideas that I have never seen before. 

It was an unbelievable experience, and I cannot wait to be a part of the festival again next year.

"The sign of a true artist, whether you are an artist of music, words, paint, film, community or whatever, is the recognition and utilization of texture. Even the most unrelated topics become related, weaved together in lively and interesting way. It is the magic of FLEFF, stringing things together to make unexpected, but wonderful sense."

I said these words in a prior blog post before experiencing FLEFF. Never could I have realized how true they actually were. Everything about FLEFF was unexpected, but wonderfully insightful. I was able to wrap myself up completely in the warm, inviting, and colorful blanket of FLEFF. Microtopias are fragmented and yet can come together. It is a safe place to push boundaries, to question the preconceived and to create textures both vibrant and new. Each individual thread of the blanket by itself does not amount to much, but weaved together it becomes beautiful and creates a feeling of safety and comfort, but also wonder—wonder like that state of mind right before sleep hits, when you are straddling the line between reality and dream. To me, that in-between is where the best thinking happens, where boundaries are lost and where utopias and local microtpoias can be imagined. Then we wake up, shed our textured, woven blanket of conversation, and apply our newly gained concepts and perspectives to our local area. Microtopia.

Blog post written by Gillian Smith '12, FLEFF intern, Journalism, Harwich, MA

            Having the opportunity to intern with FLEFF has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. I was able to make some truly incredible connections, some with true employment potential, and learned to expand my view of the world to incorporate many new cultures and ideologies.

My favorite event this year was by far the multimedia concert at Hocket Recital Hall. I brought along a group of people and they absolutely loved the show. I thought the use of the voice actors in the beginning of the show was truly innovative and totally different than anything I have ever experienced. I truly appreciate when shows incorporate the audience in the performance, because it keeps us engaged and really helps us understand the messages of microtopias. 

The day after the performance, I kept hearing people walking around campus saying “micro…TOPIAS” “MICRO…toooopias” “MICROTOPIAS.” It was such a great feeling to realize that all the hard work we put into the festival was getting across to the campus community.

I thought the use of the camera was really awesome. I often found myself torn between watching the incredible performance and being totally absorbed by the VJ mixing the music and video. I have never seen a VJ work before, and I found it incredibly engaging.

Blog posting written by Kaley Belval, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Intern, Woodbury, CT.

Friday, March 30th, the choice between seeing Koch Brothers Exposed and Kissed by Lightning, a film by Shelley Niro, was an easy one. 

Although I thought that Koch Brothers Exposed would be interesting, I knew that the opportunity to see Niro's film, and be in the audience with her, was one of a rare occasion. 

The film was amazing; it was funny at times and sad at others and the audience seemed to interact with it as each piece of action occurred. The juxtaposition of contemporary life and traditional Mohawk stories was incredible and provided the audience with a new style that I, at least, have never before witnessed. 

There was such a community atmosphere, and everyone was truly engaged in the film's events. When it was over, the questions were thoughtful and it was revealed that the beautiful paintings shown in the film were the creations of Niro herself. 

After watching Kissed by Lightning, I felt inclined to watch more Native American films and I hope to start watching more in the near future. 

Blog posting written by Kaley Belval, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Intern, Woodbury, CT.

Who knew that one could learn so much in one day? The FLEFF Lab really surprised me with how much I learned in those few hours. 

First, I attended the session with Idrissou Mora Kpai. I was stunned at how many places he had traveled and how that affected his films. 

"Anything that people do has something to do with their lives," he said. 

It's very true. If you look at writers and filmmakers, they often write and create things based on their own experience. 

But what was also very interesting about the day was how the filmmakers and distributors talked about each film project. Each one, it seemed to me, was its own microtopia that they were trying to get discovered. 

Each person had their own perspective on their projects, their experience, and their role in the festival. All of the perspectives together truly made me excited about the possibilities within film festivals and helped me consider it as an area of the film industry that I may want to pursue.

Blog posting written by Kaley Belval, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Intern, Woodbury, CT.

Going into Putin's Kiss, the only thing that I knew about the film was that it was Russian. Leaving, I knew a lot more about the current political circumstances of the country under the rule of Vladimir Putin. 

The film has every element that I love; it is a documentary that follows government programs and corruption in the country with an investigative narrative. 

Basically, it is exactly the type of film that I someday want to make. 

Despite my crush on the film's structures and connections, the cinematography was stunning. It helped make this film my personal favorite at FLEFF. 

It had connections to a lot of different ideas; for people who love politics, the film is very politically oriented. For people who enjoy films about female struggle and eventual independence, there is some of that too.

For those who are interested in journalism, corruption, youth programs, nationalism...this film has something that everyone can find interesting, especially if they love film. 

This film was unbelievable, and truly inspired me when looking at the types of projects I want to pursue in the future. Not to mention, it won the Documentary Cinematography Award at Sundance. 

Those who have not seen the film should definitely seek it out; it's definitely worth the effort to find. 

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts. 

During FLEFF Lab Friday, I found myself amongst a group of esteemed professionals in the film industry.  Sitting in the audience, I was enraptured by the stories of Idrissou Mora Kpal.

Kpal brought his stories to life. He brought us to Europe as he detailed his studies there, and how he lived there without ever getting a visa.

We watched the trailer Arlit – deuxième Paris and were transported to Niger; amidst the swirling sands of the Sahara desert.

Talking Kpal’s film, Indochine: Traces of a Mother, took me to France, Vietnam, and to Africa.

FLEFF Lab Friday took place in Park 220, but that’s not really where we were.

We were in Niger.

And Paris.

And Cologne.

And Vietnam.

We weren't in Ithaca. We were all over the world.

Blog post written by Sarah Lockwood, Cinema & Photography '15, FLEFF Intern, Blairstown, New Jersey

Sunday, the final evening of FLEFF 2012, I found myself in theater number four at Cinemapolis, watching the film Beijing Besieged by Waste with two very special people.

To my right sat a fellow intern and friend, to the left sat my brother.

For the past eight months, my brother has lived and worked in China, this weekend being our first reunion since last July. It seemed only fitting that we should view a film about that very country.

Images of thousand-acre landfills and poverty-stricken citizens fill the screen. A small boy playing with items found in a trash bag, a man building a house among the garbage, ponds completely smothered by waste.

At one point, a middle-aged Chinese woman onscreen describes her life as a 'professional' garbage scavenger - a job her family does not know she holds.

She is cheerful but clearly impoverished, citing an amount of Chinese money and states that she is lucky - lucky - if she makes that much in a month. 

From beside me, my brother whispers, "That is forty-five American dollars."