Our mission here at the Majestic Theatre has been, and always will be, to provide a spotlight for all forms of arts and culture. To celebrate the local arts and to elevate them to heights that they may otherwise be unable to reach on their own. After throwing light on everything from chamber music to improv comedy, it’s time we give the focus to an artform that, it may surprise you to find, is thriving in Corvallis. Filmmaking.
That’s why here at the Majestic Theatre, we thought it was time to bring our Corvallis family together to celebrate the cinematic arts with the 1st Annual Majestic Theatre Community Film Festival.
Running for two consecutive days in February, Feb. 6th at 7:30 pm and Feb. 7th at 6:30 pm, this inaugural festival looks to not only bring Corvallisites together, but to celebrate their filmmaking accomplishments as well. Each film submitted and screened at the festival is completely homegrown. Local filmmakers of all levels submitted films of varying genres (drama, documentary, comedy, music video) and are more than ready to share their works with the greater community.
For just $15, you can grab tickets to both nights of the festival, but if any particular film or day calls out to you, $10 will get you a ticket to just one day of the festival.
Attendees can expect to have full access to each film at the festival, unlike the picking and choosing that has to be done at the larger festivals. The lineups for both nights are available for your perusal down below!
On both nights, the films will be shown straight through with an intermission to break them up. Different filmmaking groups will be tabling in the main lobby, including Corvallis Community Access Television, who will have a very special green screen photo booth that will no doubt place attendees in locales they’d otherwise never be able to find themselves in. And of course, what self-respecting film festival would be complete without popcorn! Tons of popcorn will be available for attendees on both days.
We spoke with the co-organizers of the event about everything from the event’s inception to their thoughts on the local filmmaking community.
Ygal Kaufman, local film connoisseur, writer, and co-organizer of the festival, approached Theatre Supervisor Jimbo Ivy with the initial idea and Ivy’s response was exactly what he was looking for.
“Well it was sort of my idea to put one on, though I think [Ivy] had already been thinking about such a concept,” recalled Kaufman. “We had a meeting where I pitched several film-related ideas and this was the obvious one that he instantly jumped on and said ‘done deal.’”
Once the idea was green-lit, Kaufman looked to the community to populate the festival’s schedule.
“I think Corvallis happens to be busting with art creators, and I was noticing a critical mass of locals looking for outlets to exhibit their work,” said Kaufman. “I think it’s a really unique festival because almost no festivals feature strictly local entries, certainly not outside bigger cities or large campuses with big arts programs. But Corvallis is just such a unique place where it seemed there were plenty of local filmmakers – professional, amateur, and every level in between.”
Trev DeTal, Majestic Theatre house manager and film festival co-organizer, echoed Kaufman’s sentiment about the growing population of filmmakers in Corvallis and hopes that the event will prove to be a connective force for the filmmaking community.
“More Corvallis people than folks realize are interested or involved in filmmaking,” said DeTal. “I think this event is going to be a great opportunity to get some of those people in communication with each other and to raise interest in general. Unlike a lot of film festivals, the emphasis is not on pitting these pieces against each other. It’s about presenting and celebrating all of the different work that people are doing in the community.”
DeTal went on to detail the types of films a viewer can expect to see at the festival, citing his excitement for one particular genre being showcased at the festival.
“The submissions are as diverse in focus and style as the citizens of Corvallis themselves,” said DeTal. “We’ll be showing a number of narrative shorts, but we also received a large amount of documentary material. That stuff excites me – not only is it produced by local filmmakers, but it’s a chance to learn something new about the people around us and the things they do. For instance, there’s a piece about a bipedal robot that’s being developed at OSU.”
Kaufman’s follow-up definition of the festival can be summed up with just one word. Perseverance.
“It takes a heck of a lot to make film in the Willamette valley,” explained Kaufman. “The challenges are everywhere, but these filmmakers wouldn’t stop until they had achieved their goals. Both myself and the Majestic crew have a ton of admiration for that.”
That endless creative perseverance will be given the brightest of spotlights at the Majestic Theatre and we hope that everyone will come out to support the fantastic community of filmmakers that is constantly growing in our humble little town.
Maybe you’ll catch the bug and start making films yourself.
Majestic Community Film Festival Line Up
Saturday 7:30pm Line Up:
Whistle // Austin Hodaie & Perry Jay Grone
The Crescendo Show – “Volcanoes” // Yancy Simon
Waldo Gets Fight // Forrest Fenske & Galen Molk
A Pulley // David Anderson
Thin Edge of Dignity // Jeff Silverman
Intermission
Scent of the Sasquatch // Joe Sherlock
Dharma Center in Corvallis: A Place of Stillness and Social Action // Susan Salveson
Snow Globe // Gabriel Surley
Bernard Malamud – The Natural // OSU Interactive Communications
Containment // Christopher Hawkins
Spring Swarm // David Anderson
Sunday 6:30pm Line Up:
A Day in the Park // Joe Sherlock
ATRIAS: The Next Step // OSU Interactive Communications
Clackamas Complete & Bringing Back the Brooks // Freshwaters Illustrated
Some Perfect Place // Trev DeTal & Karla Badeau
Intermission
The Sea, to Live // OSU Interactive Communications
Between the Tides // Bud Laurent
Fin