By Brian E. Clark
WisBusiness.com
MADISON – It’s not Sundance or Cannes, but the Wisconsin Film Festival is growing in importance in Midwestern arts circles.
Last year, the event screened more than 140 films from 26 countries, including 45 by filmmakers with Wisconsin ties. Moviegoers bought 24,000 tickets, up from 21,000 in 2003.
And, with a cash and in-kind operating budget of $614,000, the four-day festival is of no small economic impact to the capital city.
This year’s event will run from March 31 to April 3 and feature experimental films, documentaries, shorts, independent works and productions by many Badger State filmmakers. Tickets will go on sale Thursday, but the full lineup and schedule will be announced Wednesday.
According to Mary Carbine, festival director, 2004 film patrons spent an estimated $276,000 on lodging, food and drink in downtown Madison, an increase of nearly 14 percent from 2003. When combined with operational direct spending, the event generated nearly $400,000 for Madison and Wisconsin.
She said the festival is especially popular with "indie" movie fans, many of whom gobbled up tickets on-line.
Highlights from 2004 included the opening night Midwest premiere of "The Yes Men" with Milwaukee filmmakers Chris Smith, Sarah Price and Dan Ollman in person.
Danish filmmakers Lone Scherfig with "Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself" and Anders Thomas Jensen with the premiere of "The Green Butchers" also made appearances.
And the festival hosted the Wisconsin premiere of the award-winning documentary "The Corporation" with co-director/producer/writer Mark Achbar and co-writer Harold Crooks in person.
Filmmaker Mark Moskowitz presented his acclaimed documentary "Stone Reader" and told audiences his distributor encouraged him to participate because "the Wisconsin Film Festival is one of the best film festivals you’ll ever go to."
Carbine said revenues from ticket sales and merchandise offset only 40 percent of the festival’s budget, with the majority of funds for the non-profit event coming from grants, companies and foundation sponsorships.
"We couldn’t do it without Madison businesses that donate so generously," she said. "But it’s also the kind of event that many companies like to have their names associated with."
One long-time sponsor is Steep & Brew, which is sponsoring the festival’s new audience award.
"We’ve been part of the Madison and southern Wisconsin coffee and arts scene for 25 years," said Mark Ballering, master roaster at Steep & Brew.
"We’re proud to support something that has regional and even national stature," he said. "Our customers like movies and if people associate our brand with the Wisconsin Film Festival, that’s a fine thing, too."
Carbine said the event started in 1999 as a collaboration between the state film office and UW-Madison, with two students coordinating the programming. The festival drew 3,000 people that year.
The next year, with more venues, paid advertising and Carbine as the director, attendance rocketed to 12,000 and has been growing steadily ever since. Carbine says she is predicting 25,000 tickets will be sold this year, up slightly from 2004.
"I prefer to under-predict and over deliver," she said with a chuckle. A new venue this year is the Monona Terrace, which should increase ticket sales.
Carbine said she tries to model the Madison event after Sundance, but also the Toronto Film Festival, which she described as the "defining" North American film festival.
"They both have strength and are well organized," she said. "We aspire to do as well as they do."
Unlike Park City, Utah – home to Sundance – room rates don’t double during festival time. In fact, thanks to spring getaway packages coordinated by the Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, there are good deals on hotels.
Mary Straka, spokeswoman for the bureau, said out-of-town visitors were up in 2004 by 8 percent over 2003.
"We love the film festival, which is drawing people from all over the country and even abroad," she said. "It’s a big deal for us."
Last year, she said film fans came from Europe and Canada, as well as U.S. cities such as Boston, Las Vegas, West Hollywood and San Francisco.
Carbine said it isn’t too difficult to draw filmmakers to Madison, which has a reputation for being both hip and progressive.
"We’re gaining a reputation as one of the top regional festivals because this is a filmmaker friendly environment," she said.
"Audiences here are intelligent, enthusiastic and inquisitive here," she said. "We get some very good filmmakers, some of whom have gone to bigger and better things."
For more information on the Wisconsin Film Festival, go to www.wifilmfest.org.
