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About Our Festival
Film Festival Mission Statement
The Great Lakes International Film Festival is owned by the
Great Lakes Film Association, a 501c(3) non-profit organization
and is dedicated to showcasing independent films in the digital
medium and to presenting the works of independent filmmakers and
outstanding achievements in cinema.
Founder’s Vision
It was not without reservation that we set out to make a reality
of our dream. We set out to establish an independent film
festival that would celebrate the characteristics that we held
central to the ultimate truth of the cinematic arts.
We did not know who would attend, but we knew what type of
people we wanted to attract. We wanted to share the cinematic
marvel with people who loved films for the same reasons that we
do. Films have the ability to tell a story that expresses the
artist’s vision in a way that no other medium is able to offer.
Filmmaking shows the ultimate truth in a way that words could
never achieve.
Film is the one medium that has the ability to move us to tears,
laughter, fear, exaltation, and countless other emotions all
within the span of a few moments.
We’re just glad to be apart of it....
It is with all of these values in mind that the Great Lakes
International Film Festival continues its mission and always
striving to improve not only our festival, but also the
cinematic arts.
About the Film Fest
Considered among the top 100 most popular film festivals in the
world, The Great Lakes International Film Festival will take
place the last week each September.
From the feature narrative genre to documentary to animation;
experimental; horror; Spiritual; “film", the Great Lakes
International Film Festival celebrates the film arts in dynamic
transition. As emerging technologies continue to redefine the
form, filmmakers from the Great Lakes, across the country and
around the world express the common and the diverse through the
age-old tradition.
-- The art of the story.
Cutting- edge Technology
In 2002 the Great Lakes International Film Festival was the
first film festival, world wide, to be on the cutting edge of
film presentation, completely utilizing the DLP™ technology by
Texas Instruments.
The Great Lakes International Film Festival has taken steps
since its inception to make itself better each year. In 2009 the
festival broke new ground by being the first in the world to
offer all of its films, including full feature lengths, online
in a completely secure setting.
We reached a global echelon by allowing independent filmmakers
and fans to watch and enjoy the films world wide on the go, from
work and from the comfort of their own homes. In this
technologically advanced world we live in, where communication
and convenience MUST be at the tips of our fingers, we knew this
was the next evolution in film festivals.
Since launching our fest online we have gained even more
popularity among the film viewing public and filmmakers, not to
mention production houses and distributors because they no
longer have to travel to find the next film that will make
Hollywood sit up and take notice. In this day and age,
convenience is the name of the game, especially for the
independent film industry.
Much like most other festivals, ours was limited by time in how
many films we could screen at the fest. Simply put, if a film is
good, it will be accepted and screened without time constraints.
Films will not be available for download, but shall be presented
in a video on demand system that will allow users to watch the
films. The V.O.D. system will be secured and can be viewed from
any computer.
Unlike other festivals streaming films online, films in this
festival cannot be downloaded, the films HAVE NO EMBEDDING CODE
and our HTML code if copied and pasted, the films will not play,
therefore they CANNOT be placed on other websites.
The only time and place they can be viewed is in our festival.
In short, we have gone to great lengths to set this system up to
protect the safety and security of each filmmaker's film always
keeping the filmmaker in mind. Basically, it is just as secure
as a brick and mortar theater screening, only much better.
You hear so much about the environment and global warming it got
us thinking. When you realize how much power is used during the
film fest – electricity for the building, natural gas for heat
and the gasoline the people use to get to the fest it left one
hell of a carbon footprint. By doing the whole festival on line
it actually helps cut down on greenhouse gases.
Our History
Awarding outstanding filmmakers and script writers for Best
Script; Best of Genre; Best of the Fest; Best Cinematography;
Best Director; Best Actor; Best Actress, and more, the Great
Lakes International Film Festival is an excellent stop on the
fest circuit for filmmakers interested in having their film
presented to a very warm and welcoming audience, meeting
celebrities, parties, and networking with phenomenal filmmakers
from across the country and around the world to the award
ceremonies, industry professionals, and much more.
For the filmmaker that is looking for a bit more, the Great
Lakes Independent Film Festival is also a great place to get
your film noticed. Our film festival has showcased nearly 1,000
films over the past 10 years including numerous films that have
been aired on HBO, PBS, and the Sundance channel. In October of
2004 we were proud to present the North East United States
Premiere of “SAW”, Lions Gate Films' gripping psychological
thriller starring Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter and
Leigh Whannel, and with "The Collector of Bedford Street" having
been nominated for an Academy Award after being screened at our
2002 fest, we certainly bring the best and the brightest to the
shores of Erie Pa.
Most recently "The Derby Stallion" was released with Echo Bridge
Home Entertainment and Director Joel Miller's film "The Still
Life" has received distribution through Warner Home Video. Both
films were proudly screened at our 2006 film festival.
The association has also been host to such filmmakers and
special guests as actor/director/producer Dirk Benedict (Battlestar
Galactica and A-Team); writer Erick Rodgers (Writer of NYPD
Blue); director/producer Harri James (script supervisor "Alias",
Tremors II: Aftershocks, Tremors 4: The Legend Begins); producer
Otto Felix ("B.J. and the Bear" & Up in Smoke); award winning,
best selling mystery author Jamian Snow (Shrouded Insanity);
actor/writer/producer Bill Hinzman (Flesheater & Night of the
Living Dead); director Lloyd Kaufman (Toxic Avenger films, Pot
Zombies, & President of Troma Films); actor Gunnar Hansen (Texas
Chainsaw Massacre); actor/ director Mark Borchardt (American
Movie & Coven); director John Hancock ("Hill Street Blues", "The
Twilight Zone", & California Dreaming); actress Debbie Rochon
"Scream Queen" (Blood Relic, Vampyre Tales, & Lord of the
Undead); producer/director Bobby Logan (Meatballs 4 &
Repossessed); Joel Miller; WWE and ECW wrestling superstar The
Blue Meanie, and in 2002 we had the unique opportunity to
present Keith Carradine with a special award for artistic
excellence, award winning director Joone, award winning actress
Jesse Jane, and local actress Marie Madison.
The legendary Terry Moore who was our special guest of honor in
2006 was presented with a lifetime Achievement Award for her
amazing accomplishments in film over the past 60 years.
In 2007, we had the pleasure to have Guns 'n Roses Super Star
Dizzy Reed make a special appearance at the festival and perform
with local icon band Hammerd.
Our Philosophy
Festivals are like a family. They allow those in the cinema
world to meet in one place with the same experiences and similar
goals, to mingle and interact with others, getting feedback on
what they already accomplished and what is yet to come. Each
year, filmmakers come together for five days, making friendships
and bonds that will last a lifetime.
Film Festivals are not just for the wealthy, red carpet type of
people but also for the guy that lives next door to you with a
wife and 5 kids and wakes up every morning to head off to the
steel mill, automotive plant, or the rubber plant. Film
Festivals are here to open minds to what can be achieved in a
short time period and with the smallest of budgets.
Films can range from 30secs to 8hrs and does not need the
Hollywood seal of approval to be astonishing. All of us that are
behind the Independent Film Festivals are here to bring people
in to showcase their films but not to profit off another’s
accomplishments. We are here to help others achieve their goals
and to go beyond where they thought was possible doing it all on
their own. We do not succeed if we have not helped filmmakers
reach their goals partially or entirely.Every year we get new
filmmakers and each year those filmmakers come back with a new
project and its unbelievable to how much they have learned and
their work has advanced in a year’s time.
Our City
One of the unique things about the Great Lakes Independent Film
Festival is its home, Erie, Pennsylvania. Our forty-mile slice
of Lake Erie waterfront bears no resemblance to the major urban
centers of Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, being entirely low-rise
and extremely leafy; indeed you hardly realize you are downtown
until you find yourself in the shady park-like town square, on
6th Street between the main thoroughfares of Peach and State
streets.
There are several places of cultural interest in the city, all
within walking distance of our festival, several museums devoted
to history, art and science; among these, the Erie Maritime
Museum has a fascinating display on the geological and
ecological development of the Great Lakes and also focuses on
warships of different periods; the elegant US Brig Niagara is
usually moored outside and is part of the museum.
Undoubtedly, Erie's main attraction is the elongated
comma-shaped peninsula of Presque Isle State Park, which bends
east from its narrow neck three miles west of downtown until it
almost touches the city's northernmost tip. The park is
maintained as a nature preserve and has wide sandy beaches good
for swimming, backed by thick woods offering a series of trails.
Erie is perfect with all of its historic and picturesque
locations, it is also ideal for filming, able to give the real
look of any location around the world at a much lower budget
cost for the struggling filmmaker.
The Great Lakes International Film Festival continues to seek
out the best and brightest of independent film and filmmakers.
Please check back often for updates or sign up for our Mailing
List to get the latest news and information on upcoming GLFA
shows and events.
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