The East Lansing Film Festival began with big bursts of ambition.
“We were trying to imitate a major festival,” recalled Susan Woods, its founder.
Then, of course, it changed. It became longer, quieter, more comfortable. Its 28th season will look both forward and backward.
The opening-night film should feel fresh and current. “Souleyman’s Story” (7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6) follows a young man from Africa, making his deliveries by bicycle while his asylum application awaits. It swept three key awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
But the closing films will look back. A poll asked people to pick all-time ELFF favorites. They chose deeply emotional documentaries — “Searching for Sugarman” and “My Octopus Teacher” (6:15 and 8:45 p.m. Nov. 13).
In between, there are eight more feature-length films (four of them documentaries), plus four packages of shorts. Each film or package will be shown twice; it will be comfy and orderly … a jump from the early years.
Copying the big festivals, the first ELFF had four films showing simultaneously in Michigan State University’s Wells Hall. Filmmakers answered questions and mingled in the “green room,” which for years was a busy spot. “We had a place where everyone could hang out all day,” said Sherri Hillman, a longtime volunteer. “I really liked that.”
Then the changes came. The festival became longer (eight days, instead of four), with only one movie at a time. It became less hectic and more cozy.
Now it’s in the Studio C theaters, at Meridian Mall.
“There’s no more sitting on those hard seats at Wells Hall,” Woods said. Instead, there’s the full movie experience — crisp sight and sound, with lots of food and drink on sale. The audience will be older; the films will be more varied. “It seems to be very international now,” said Cathy Allen, another longtime volunteer.
“Souleymane’s Story” is one of two features from France; there are also two from Israel, plus shorts from all over.
Back in that first year, Allen was the one-person shorts committee. She recalls some quirky gems, including “George Lucas in Love” and “Andre the Giant Has a Posse.” Since then, she said, the quantity has grown. “What surprises me is just the range and the quality.”
That’s also true of the feature films, Hillman said. Emerging was better equipment and a visual generation. “It’s easier now to make small films on an independent budget.”
But it also became easier to ignore theaters. “The students all had their phones,” Woods said. A few did discover the joy of communally discovering a film on a big screen; but mostly, the audience kept getting older.
The ongoing force in all of this is Woods, whose specialty is bringing people together. Bettina Devin, who stars in a richly involving short called “Lox” (1 p.m. Nov. 10 and 12), happened to know her in high school in California. “She was just a fun girl,” Devin said. “She threw Super Bowl parties that people raved about.”
For the early festivals, Woods lured guest speakers with Michigan ties — Michael Moore, Bruce Campbell, Tim Busfield, Melissa Gilbert, studio boss Bill Mechanic. She received films that were submitted and scouted new ones. That included the Toronto festival and the Traverse City one, where she saw “Searching For Sugarman,” the true story of a musician who has an international following, but was an unknown in his home turf. “Your heart just jumped,” she said.
Now the Traverse City fest has folded and there are no celebrity visits at ELFF. But there were 336 films — long and short — submitted from around the world, with a few others recruited. Many have fresh talent; one — “My Last Best Friend,” 8:45 p.m. Nov. 8 and 10 — has Eric Roberts in a double role.
Audiences will discover some things that are new and maybe eccentric; they’ll also re-discover the power of “Searching For Sugarman” and “My Octopus Teacher.”
East Lansing Film Festival
When: Thursday, Nov. 6-Nov. 13.
Where: Studio C, Meridian Mall
Tickets: $15 for the opener; others are $12 in the evening, $9 for seniors, $8 for matinees.
For information: www.elff.com.
FEATURE FILMS (scripted): “Souleyman’s Story,” 7 p.m. Nov. 6; “Familiar Touch,” 6:15 p.m. Nov. 9 and Nov. 12; “Heaven and Earth,” 6:15 p.m. Nov. 10 and 8:45 p.m. Nov. 11; “Holy Cow,” 6:15 p.m. Nov. 8 and 3:30 p.m. Nov. 12; “My Last Best Friend,” 8:45 p.m. Nov. 8 and Nov. 10.
FEATURE FILMS (documentary): “Ali Eats America,” 1 p.m. Nov. 9 and 3:30 p.m. Nov. 11; “Keep Quiet and Forgive,” 8:45 p.m. Nov. 7 and 3:30 p.m. Nov. 10; “The Little Things That Run the World” (including insect experts from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan), 6:15 p.m. Nov. 7 and Nov. 11; “The Shoshani Riddle,” 3:30 p.m. Nov. 9 and 8:45 p.m. Nov. 12. Then ELFF closes Nov. 13 with its fan favorites, “Searching for Sugarman” at 6:15 and “My Octopus Teacher” at 8:45.
SHORTER DOCUMENTARIES: “Space Chasers” (52 minutes) plus “Ada Falasteen” (6) and “Call to Serve” (18), 3:30 p.m. Nov. 8 and Nov. 13.
ALSO: “Short Films 1,” 1 p.m. Nov. 8 and 8:45 p.m. Nov. 9; “Short Films 2,” 1 p.m. Nov. 10 and Nov. 12; “Short Films 3,” 1 p.m. Nov. 11 and Nov. 13. Each has nine films, totaling about two hours.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: East Lansing Film Festival stays fresh, still celebrates old favorites
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