While I'm in the process of closing down the festival, there's still much work to be done this season: mailing certificates, posting pictures of the event, editing the footage, and sending out thank-yous.
30+ years ago I began this festival when there was nothing else going on for local filmmakers. Back then, in 94, filmmakers would set up a portable projector in a coffee shop and hoped people would pay attention. Now, there may be more festivals in Wisconsin than in Illinois, and they are a major hub. I've been told that I built a community, but I think I grew with the community as it grew itself.
While everyone associates the festival with me, I've had some help over the years. Tony Myers was there twenty years ago, it was his idea to make an annual event, and he occasionally returned to host. Other hosts who came back frequently were Robert W.C. Kennedy, Anieya Walker, John Van Slyke, Jon Adler and Sammy Aumend. David Rogman and Laura Rhaney helped our transition from the Times to the Art Museum as the venue, and Laura was essential in building our base and getting us noticed in international markets. William Quirmbach has been with the festival since 2010, you've met him if you attended, he checked you off at the filmmaker table. He's retiring as well, and Glen Popple is retiring from events too. He was the content manager who assembled all the program blocks for the past ten years.
There's so many to thank for the past 30+ years, Justin Kruger, Justin Bosar, David Overbeck, previous photographer, Katie Wash, current photographer, Troy Freund, past poster artists, Stacy Callies, Whitney Salgado and current poster artist, Ashley Altadonna, past marketing director, Krystal Hardy, our volunteers Julia Teeguarden and the late Jeffery Holub, and all those who came to help out as well. One is my sister, Char Burtt who has been essential in keeping the festival running while I've been dealing with health issues. And our sponsors that stayed with us over the years, without them there would not be a festival. Another person to thank is Jelani Nation, we were at his venue for years four and five, and he had pressure on the day of our event to cancel, yet he stood his ground.
A big thank you goes to the people at the Avalon. We’ve been there for five years now, and we hope Voices Heard can continue there as well. That brings me to talk about Voices Heard, a program I created 11 years ago, and asked Rubin Whitmore to curate the first two years. Even now, in this state, if you’re a filmmaker of color, you might only see one or two films from your community programmed at festivals. And when there is a program focusing on filmmakers of color, most of that work tends to come from out-of-state creators. For 11 years, Voices Heard has proven there are far more filmmakers of color here than the small number typically seen at other events. The committee— Sammy Aumend, Brandon Cole, Shun Powell, LaRheatra Cole, and myself—still plan to keep the program going and hold it in the MKE INT Short Film Fest calendar spot.
With more film festivals in Wisconsin now than ever before, I believe Voices Heard can stand apart from the Short Film Fest, and other festivals in Wisconsin and have a chance to grow.
Thank you all, and for anyone that I may have missed you were appreciated as well.
