Gig Harbor film festival opens with a Sonics boom
In 1960, a hard-edged garage rock band was formed on the far edge of the world: Tacoma, Washington.
The Sonics soon the most popular rock band in the Pacific Northwest, making top-40 playlists across the country. They even had a following in Europe.
A documentary, ‘BOOM: A Film About the Sonics’ will be featured on opening night at the 2019 Gig Harbor Annual Film Festival.
Melanie Kerr, communications coordinator for the film festival, said she is ecstatic to have the Sonics documentary featured on opening night.
“It’s about the longevity of their sound and of course the local pride everybody has,” Kerr said.
This festival runs over four days and will show over 100 independently-made films, ranging in length from a minute to two hours.
The festival is held from Sept. 26-29 at the Galaxy Uptown Luxury+ IMAX theatre, 4649 Point Fosdick Drive Northwest.
BOOM Filmmaker Jordan Albertsen will be at the 6:30 p.m. opening show, along with some of The Sonics band members, to watch the film, answer questions and sign autographs. At 5:30 p.m. the red carpet for the opening night is rolled out.
And that is just the beginning.
Over 100 independently-made films will be put on display in the four day time span, ranging from locally made films to foreign films.
Kerr said there are films made in China (and the Chinese filmmakers will be present), Kosovo, Germany, Iran, Russia, Canada and France featuring over the weekend.
“There is a great set of unique films you wouldn’t see anywhere. It’s fun to celebrate that with people and celebrate how cinematic arts can bring people together,” Kerr said.
She said many of the filmmakers will be in attendance during their showings.
“The first time I went to a film festival, I was watching a film and really enjoying myself,” Kerr said. “Thank goodness I didn’t say anything stupid because at the end of the film when the Q&A started the person next to me stood up to answer the questions.”
One filmmaker who will be in attendance is Philip Plowden, the director of ‘Range Runner.’ This survival thriller is set on a wooded hiking trail, where a woman is attacked and left for dead by two criminals hiding in the woods.
“She has a choice to go back to the trail for help or go after them, and she obviously chooses to go after them,” Plowden said.
This award-winning film is an hour and 51 minutes long and will be shown at 4 p.m. on Friday and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. This is the sixth film festival displaying ‘Range Runner,’ a film made in 2018.
Plowden said film festivals such as these gives independent filmmakers a rare opportunity to experience a theatrical setting for their film.
“It’s really incredible as a director to be in a crowded theater where no one has seen the film and watch their reaction of what you put together on the screen,” Plowden said.
He said film festiivals like this one are a source of support and connections between filmmakers.
“There’s a huge networking opportunity for a lot of us to get together to support each other as independent filmmakers and encourage each other to make more things,” Plowden said.
Films are split up into blocks, ranging from multiple short films to one feature-length film. People can purchase tickets that are good for one film block.
“You buy a ticket and then choose which film you want to go see,” Kerr said. “If it is really popular, seating is first come first served. If you really want to see it, you got to go line up early and make sure you get in there.”
VIP tickets are available as well, giving early entrance to all films throughout the four days, including the opening night. VIP tickets also give holders a pass to the parties after each night, including the opportunity to be on the Seattle Seahawks ‘Beast Bus,’ during the Saturday night party in the parking lot of Galaxy Theatre.
“It’ll be like a lounge,” Kerr said. “It will be adjacent to the beer garden in the parking lot.”
At the end of the weekend eight awards will be given to filmmakers and actors who participated in the event, voted upon by a panel of judges and viewers.
These awards include:
▪ Director’s Choice Best Feature
▪ Director’s Choice Best Short Film
▪ Audience Choice Best Feature
▪ Audience Choice Best Short Film
▪ Best Actress
▪ Best Actor
▪ Best Made in Washington
▪ The Gig Award (for the film that most inspires a better world for all).
For tickets, visit https://filmfreeway.com/GigHarborFilmFestival/tickets.
This story was originally published September 25, 2019 at 12:00 AM.