Festival 2016 Impressions by Sam Wang

Continuing our series of guest articles, here is a festival report and review by teen festival-goer, Sam Wang.

The Festival Where You Can Meet and Mingle With Filmmakers

Sam Wang

Festival-goer, Sam Wang asks a question during a filmmaker Q & A.

The Oakville Film Festival’s second year was a charming local event, with the galas taking place at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts and the rest of the festival screenings taking place at Oakville’s independent theatre, film.ca.  The crowd of guests comfortably filled up the theatres during the busy hours. At quieter times I did not have to wait in a queue or hear the buzzing of conversations talking over each other. As a young movie lover it was nice to be able to stretch my legs without bumping into anyone. Filmmakers and cast members could be found in the main hall if you wanted to strike up a conversation, and the festival’s board of directors often appeared between showings.

Small town charm does not, however, make for a high budget experience. The staff were all volunteers. They were friendly but often times not organized or available when and where needed. I saw technical issues in the theatres. It became an expectation to see the projector’s main menu at some point. The short films that played before every movie got the worst of the technical hiccups – usually affecting the audio. The only videos that never had a technical hiccup were the self-promotional videos that played before each movie. As the Oakville Film Festival matures I hope to see less time wasted by technical issues.

My favourite part of the festival was the great accessibility to filmmakers and I want to see even more priority given to this next year!

by Sam Wang, film festival fan

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