Blog post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine.

My apologizes for such a late response to this week's event. The week before break was crazy busy with work and getting myself ready to leave. I miss Ithaca but I'm happy to be home for the week with my family and to wrestle up some much need relaxation.

The kick-off event had a beautiful turn out! The line to get into the theater ran almost all the way down the hall! People stood, talked and munched on popcorn, all anxiously awaiting the opening of the doors to Cinema 5 and the start of our kick-off event. I talked to one guest who's daughter was interning. He said he was very proud of her and that he was looking forward to seeing the films.

It was heart-warming to see parents there supporting their interns. I'm from Maine so it's a little more difficult for my parents to be physically present at everything I do but I know they always are thinking of me and wishing me the best.

Seeing all of my fellow interns moving around Cinemapolis in our FLEFF shirts was a lot of fun. We seemed to swarm the theater with black and white. Every where I turned there was black and white, like a sea of penguins.

After I had found my seat, my friend and I were talking about Becky Lane's film "Hens and Chick" and a woman in front of us, Alicia, said "That was shot at my bed and breakfast! Are you film students? If you ever need somewhere that looks like a house, let me know. It's called Amazing Grace Bed and Breakfast. And spread the word!" She proceeded to give me her contact information. I thought it was very cool that at my first film festival event I was already making connections.

When the films started to roll and I experienced a sort of Wizard of Oz moment: beautiful colors after all that black and white! (If you're not familiar with the movie, there is a point when the movie goes from black and white to technicolor and was quite a spectacle for the film world at the time.) The most important part of the night was finally here. As the films played on the screen, I thought about how lucky I was to be see the work of Ithaca professors and other community filmmakers who's films can have rather exclusive showings.

Featured filmmakers (in order of appearance on the program):

     Jason Harrington showing "My Mind" and "Tree With Lights In It"

     Vincent Grenier showing "Armoire"

     John D. Scott showing "One Art" and "Notes On Liberty"

     Arturo Sinclair showing "The Half-Century Song"

     Becky Lane showing "Hens and Chicks" and "Happy Hour: The Chanticleer"

The works were an interesting collection. Some danced on the screen and others made you laugh while still others took you for a wild ride. Like any good film, all of them made you think in such a way that trying to explain them here would not do them justice. 

The talk back after spent a lot of time focused on the filmmakers opinions on the film and digital and their thoughts on the digital conversion. However, this was to be expect as the focus of the night was a fundraiser for the Cinemapolis digital conversion. 

I really enjoyed hearing what the filmmakers had to say about this conversion. I first heard about the conversion from a friend of mine who is not a film major but works at a cinema and is definitely what you would call a film junkie. Now, since the transition is so close, it's interesting to see how the dialog as begun to penetrate my conversations at Ithaca.

Now that you've heard what my favorite part of the night was, I'm interested to know what your favorite part of the evening was?

Blog posting written by Dorothea Hinman, Cinema and Photography, '15, FLEFF Intern, Rochester, New York. 

Art, in all its forms, is movement. I dare you to come up with one form of art that does not encompass movement.  

A hand needs to drag the paintbrush across the canvas. A singer needs her vocal cords to vibrate in order to create a melody. A movie needs a projector to crank the 35mm film fast enough to transform still images to a "moving" picture. A ballet dancer needs all his muscles to engage in tandem in order to soar gracefully through the air.  

Art is movement. 

It may never be clear what exactly I will do in my life. What I am moving toward. But one thing was always certain: art would be involved. Whether this be through FLEFF, which has given me a step forward in my professional path; whether it be the world wide influences such as the Fulbright scholars from Africa and Sarah Dupont with Amazon Gold that will be present at this year's festival, or whether it be the conversations I will hopefully be lucky enough to engage in with people like Kevin Lee from dGenerate films, movement will always continue be a part of my life. Just as art will always continue to be a part of my life.

What art form of movement do you engage in?

Blog posting written by Dorothea Hinman, Cinema and Photography, '15, FLEFF Intern, Rochester, New York. 

Greetings, FLEFF world!

I, Dorothea Hinman, am a sophomore at Ithaca College studying Cinema and Photography with a concentration in screenwriting. A theater minor is also in the works. I come from a small town outside Rochester, NY, and this is my first time on the FLEFF Blogging team! In fact, it is my first year of involvement in the festival, and I cannot wait to take the first step in my own personal FLEFF narrative. 

Speaking of movement, this year's theme is "mobilities." Not only is this theme pertinent to the films and environmental issues at the forefront of the festival, it speaks to me on a personal level. A large reason I am so excited to be involved in FLEFF is the professional opportunity it gives me. I see it as an open door into the professional world surrounding film festivals, conversation and networking. 

Beyond a personal prevalence, the theme of mobilities resurfaces in all of the aspects of this year's sixteenth annual festival. Whether this be our partnership with EngageMedia or the Dérive app, an innovative urban exploration application, or flash mobs, (coming to a food court near you!) FLEFF is about creating a movement of conversation about environmental issues in Ithaca and around the world. How will you help progress the FLEFF movement forward?