The Station Agent kicked off the Athena's Art Film Festival for Winter Quarter Jan 10.
The film festival started Winter Quarter 2003 to bring more art films to the community. Matt Fields, manager of the Athena, 20 S. Court St., said the Athena gets requests for art films in general and wanted to bring some to Athens.
We get a lot of requests for those types of films and this is a way to show some of the smaller
more off-beat movies that we would not normally have an opportunity to play but maybe there is an audience for said Fields.
He worked with Ohio University's film school in the selection of the films. They tried to pick films that were less well-known or less advertised. They picked several films that were critically acclaimed, yet not well known, said Ruth Bradley, director for Athens Center for Film and Video, 75 W. Union St. Room 407.
Keith Harris, an assistant professor in the school of film, said art films are usually more independent, lower-budget or
European films, whereas mainstream films try to attract an as-large-as-possible audience.
The mainstream films are usually films that are designed from the production to the casting to the storytelling to cater to the largest possible audience that there is
Harris said. That is a different kind of production style and that's a different kind of aesthetic agenda as well.
Two major differences between mainstream and independent films are the distribution and advertisement, said Jennifer Granville, a professor in the film school. She said when studios invest in a movie they invest in advertisement to ensure that enough people will watch the movie to make a profit. Smaller, more independent films do not always have the benefit of studio backing, nor advertisements. Even if a distributor invests in a film, the movie will not necessarily receive the same publicity as a huge commercial film.
Another difference is mainstream films tend to follow formulas whereas art films tend to be more original and can be more issue-oriented, Bradley said.
They take on more controversial content or less mainstream content
she said. They are more apt to be involved in political issues or gay issues. Stuff that you're not going to get a G rating and take the kids to.
To continue the diversity of films, Granville said they need to be supported.
If people want the arts in the community
they have to support it
Granville said. It pays off because you see things you never would have seen otherwise. And it's wonderful. It's exciting. I saw so many good films last time that I never would have seen otherwise.
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Cynthia Becker
