By: Connor Gerraughty, Bates Class of 2026
The “Film Festival Studies” (RFSS 391) seminar here at Bates College has kicked off with a bang in its first week. We have already screened 2 potential documentary films, pondered our mission statement, deliberated on potential panelists and guests, and more. Among all of these budding developments, we have been balancing the delicate relationship between what is feasible, and unfeasible, given our timeframe, budget, and vision. All of these elements have contributed to outlining what it truly takes to run a film festival.
“We have spent much class time discussing and debating potential visions for the festival, which has generated some of the most interesting discussions thus far.”
As a class we have acknowledged that while much planning, fundraising, and communication have been made prior to the start of the seminar, there is still so much to be done in the next 3 months. We have 3 months to work down the short list, program the festival, find panelists, etc., so we need to make it count. This is reflective of the efforts we have put in so far. We have already started voting on which films to pursue, hold, and forgo. Even in the first week, we have already made substantial progress towards producing the festival. We’ll need to keep this energy up throughout the semester in order to make the festival as good as it can be.
In terms of the budget, a lot of work has already been done by director Jon Cavallero who has secured almost ⅓ of our necessary budget. This gives us a substantial leg up in terms of funding, especially as we gear up to start soliciting potential sponsors and other funding sources for the festival. While our focus hasn’t primarily been on funding just yet, it will be soon. Expect to hear more in the coming weeks!
Finally, we have spent much class time discussing and debating potential visions for the festival, which has generated some of the most interesting discussions thus far. What do we want this festival to look like? What should we include? What theme(s) do we want to connect everything together? Who should be invited? Which voices do we want to highlight? What story do we want the festival to tell? What is important today? These questions have come naturally through our discussions of the first two films we’ve viewed and have generated really insightful commentary from my peers. In today’s uneasy world I believe we have all recognized the need to carefully assess the vision that we will ultimately go with for the Bates Film Festival, making sure that the stories and narratives we choose to share are not only meaningful and impactful, but are also not redundant or dated. It will take more film viewings, opinions, and class time to fully flesh out our vision. Stay tuned as we work towards the 2026 Bates Film Festival!
