This past week, I spoke with Phil Wilde, FLEFF producer, Internship Coordinator (my boss!), and coprincipal of Insights International. We talked about the unique atmosphere of the festival, the various interpretations of the term "Environment" as well as our shared enthusiasm for soul music. Phil has been active in the festival since its inception and expressed excitement for the upcoming events.   

Evan Johnson: What are some of your responsibilities as FLEFF Intern Coordinator and have their roles or responsibilities changed this year?

Phil Wilde: What we tried to do this year was to create some teams that would allow people a lot of flexibility. If someone has a class one night - someone else can pick up the slack. It's a task where assigning someone a job in Februrary that needs to be done in April is a very difficult thing to do so having a team that's assigned the project means there's a flexibility to get the job done   

EJ: Recently, you told me about the appeal of "the big city" and a much more rural environment. Could you tell me more about why they appeal to you? 

PW: It's not what they have in common, it's more of what's different between the two. The idea of the environment is really based on where you are. So a "city' person will have a different view of the environment than a "country" person and that's something that FLEFF really plays with - the different environments people find themselves in.

EJ: The interpretations of "environment" is something that FLEFF does a terrific job of analyzing. As the festival has grown in success and popularity, how has FLEFF changed its interpretation of the term?

PW: FLEFF was very much involved in activism and the green movement at Cornell. What's become unique about FLEFF is that the kind of people who are now helping the program have a very deep around the cultural issues around the environment. Not just if we have enough air to breath but what will get us there through cultural understanding.

EJ: As an organizer, what drew you to the festival?

PW: One of the reasons i gravitated towards working with FLEFF is that I'm very conscious of people's environmental perception. It's what I studied in college and what I studied in grad school. What I tend to make films about are people's perceptions of their environment. Whether it's a person in the disabled community, urban-rural issues, or farming, food and putting food on the table. I'm always interested in people's personal perspective and I try very hard not to prejudge. And that's what FLEFF tends to be.

EJ: What are some different perspectives audiences can expect this year at FLEFF?

PW: I think its very similar to previous years only in that the films are not typical environmental films. People would have a hard time calling some of the films "environmental films." But the perspective of the people who are programming it have brought a good enough explanation so that we'll understand those things.

EJ: Are there any long term plans you have for FLEFF outside of the Ithaca area?

PW: I really don't think there's a need to address that. If it grows in the same way it's been growing then I don't think it needs to leave the Ithaca area. Maybe something in the city that shows us off - but I think we're doing quite alot by having it here at Ithaca College.    

EJ: What is the best part about having FLEFF interns?

PW: It's absolutely their ethusiasm. I know what they're about to experience and how much they'll enjoy it. Some people have no idea what we're about to do - others have seen it last year or the year before but it's always an amazing event when it happens because people find a common bond after watching all these films.      

Blog posting by Shea Lynch, Documentary Studies and Production '14, FLEFF Intern, Glens Falls, New York

Things are heating up!

We have FLEFF mini-courses coming up after spring break and FLEFF Week is just around the corner. I interviewed FLEFF Internship Coordinator Ann Michel to give us further insight into the FLEFF community.

Why is FLEFF important to the student body and community?

"We hope it encourages you to think. I mean, your whole college experience should be about that but we hope that FLEFF, in a concentrated way, really gets your braincells activated in new ways that you didn't think could."

How do you like "team teaching"?

"I like it because it takes the pressure off me. Two heads are better than one. I think humans do very well in groups and that's one of the reasons we structured the class to have groups of eight or nine people. Those groups will come up with more than 45 individuals ever could."

What are some struggles in teaching the class?

"It's tricky to schedule people to come in to speak to the class and coordinating 15 classes to make sure that each of the classes is worth it for [the interns] is a challenge. I want everyone to walk out of this room saying, 'I didn't know that before'."

What about the future interns?

"Bigger and better. If [the current interns] are successful this year, [FLEFF] will be bigger next year because we would have sold out more shows, created more buzz, made more of our guests happier, and our brand will become better known, which means we will get more money, more sponsors, and more audience. Hopefully we will continue to be better."

Ann Michel has been with FLEFF for 5 years with her company Insights International, Inc. and this is her first year teaching the FLEFF Internship class, invited by FLEFF Codirector Patricia Zimmermann. Michel teaches alongside Phil Wilde and together they hope to inspire many creative minds and continue the FLEFF legacy next year.