Photo by JR Melton
This year's Artistic Achievement Award recipient, Bill Plympton speaks to the audience about drawing caricatures during his "Animation Live" demonstration at the Historic Armory on Saturday, April 4.

From the people to its events, Ashland is a mixed plate of culture and lifestyle.

One such diverse event– the Ashland Independent Film Festival – brings visitors from all walks of life annually, featuring more than 90 films. The Eighth Annual AIFF kicked off last Thursday.

“Our strongest goal is to have good films,” said Wendy Conner, Operations Manager for the AIFF. “Good films with strong messages with a variety and also to have a smooth festival experience for everyone,” she added.

Opening Night

The night started with its opening night film, “Wendy and Lucy,” starring Michelle Williams, at the Varsity and ended with the Opening Night Gala at the Ashland Springs Hotel.

“I’ve had films show in 16 festivals; made it to ten and this has to be the best,” said filmmaker Ray Robison. “You hear about the ones in L.A. and N.Y. What makes this one different is the audience. They ask about the heart and soul of the film and the subjects, not about the equipment and other unimportant things,” added Robison.

The gala, dubbed “Savor the Rogue” paired Rogue Creamery’s award-winning cheeses, gourmet meat, chocolate and fruit along with local wines and beers.

With Dúo Flamenco playing throughout the night, party-goers enjoyed the appetizers, drinks and conversed with filmmakers from this year’s festival.

Locals and Forms

The festival appears to be another great hit, as the party continued on to the Black Sheep for the “afterLOUNGE,” where filmmakers were on hand to speak about their films and talk with people who had seen the films or simply wanted to chat about their experience on the festival circuit.

While the festival has its fair share of screenings and festival parties, it also incorporates free and fun entertainment in the form of programs geared towards students, families and those interested in the films and filmmakers.

One example, the Locals Only program features documentaries, shorts and feature films.

The “Launch Regional Student Film Competition” was featured during the Locals Only program and included submissions from filmmakers aged from elementary school through college years.

This year, Southern Oregon University students Evan Sorlien and Scott Ash had their film “Community TV” featured in the Locals Only Program. The film is a mockumentary similar to “The Office,” but focuses on a college video production and local programming.

“I think it’s great,” said Sandi Risser, a festival attendee who, with her grandchildren, attended the Family Program at the Varsity, which featured various shorts.

“It’s a boost to our local economy and it’s great to just come out and have a nice time in town,” she added.

Another program, the Filmmaker “TALKback” forums, was free but required tickets due to limited seating. It featured a panel of filmmakers over the weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, AIFF featured three forums with filmmakers from this year as panelists.

“What’s great about this festival is the audience members typically ask about the issue during the Q&A sessions, which can go on for a very long time, which is great,” said Magdalena Hutter, producer for “Upstream Battle.”

Adding to Hutter’s statement, Johnny Symons, director and producer for “Ask Not” said, “As a filmmaker, it’s great to see a full theater with audience members genuinely interested in your work, because you work so hard on the film.”

Special Features

Art cars were the central theme at the First Friday Art Walk, as Harrod Blank featured photography from his book “Art Cars,” which happens to be the subject of his film “Automorphosis,” a film featured this year.

Along with his photography, Blank rolled into town with his very own creation, the Camera Van. The van featured TV monitors on the passenger side of the vehicle and more than 2,000 cameras mounted on the van, some of which captured the reactions of those passing by the van on the street.

For many, the films screened during the five-day long festival were a great opportunity to become familiar with the world of film, learn about the filmmaker’s process and about their thoughts on the variety of film genres.

The festival featured special guests Bill Plympton and Elvis Mitchell. Plympton was honored with the AIFF Artistic Achievement Award and Mitchell was honored with the Rogue Award during the Awards Celebration.

As an award-winning animator, director, producer and writer, Plympton has made a career out of film, through various types of animated shorts, a commercial for AT&T and a music video for Kanye West.

Plympton presented animation demonstrations and clips of his personal work. He also created individual animation drawings for each person who attended the event.

One of the country’s foremost film reviewers, Mitchell has been featured in the New York Times and hosts “Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence on Turner Classic Movies,” which features his interviews with guests in the film industry.

Mitchell gave his view on cinema now and what it may look like in the future. His documentary films “Black List: Volume One and Volume Two” were screened as well.

As the festival wrapped up on Monday, April 6, the AIFF showed 90 films, featured community discussions in the form of filmmaker TALKbacks, hosted an opening night gala, award celebrations and had more than 100 volunteers work during the five-day festival also creating a unique and unforgettable experience.

AIFF promises to be back next year, as always. The festival will also host other events they have throughout the year. For more information visit www.ashlandfilm.org or call (541) 488-3823.