Q&A with Mary Blackwood, creative director for Landlocked Film Festival

My conversation with Mary Blackwood, 52, of Iowa City, creative director for the Landlocked Film Festival coming to downtown Iowa City from Aug. 27 to 30. For more information, go to www.landlockedfilmfestival.org

DIANA: Now that we have several film festivals in the region, what makes Landlocked unique – what's its niche?

MARY: We think of ourselves as the most comprehensive; we run multiple venues. We also have several workshops and panels, networking events and try to bring in extra things like LA filmmakers, the premiere and we've also got our international filmmakers.

DIANA: How many people are involved in planning the event?

MARY: Not counting volunteers at tables, 30 people including panelists and workshops. We have 20 people who are strong staff people.

DIANA: When do you start planning next year's event? Other film festival organizers have told me “the next day.”

MARY: That's very true. On the one hand, we can breathe a bit when the festival is over, then start planning the next one. The call for entries has to go out early. If we've got someone special we want to invite, sometimes they have difficult schedules to accommodate. Plus, everything you can get done early saves you a ton down the road. We take a little breather, but not much. With fundraising, we  have to get cracking on that, and a great time to do it is when you're hot off the festival.

DIANA: The other area festivals are located in one place – but you're spread over several sites. Is it tough to coordinate?

MARY: It definitely takes coordination. We've got some strong relationships built up, but there's a reason we need a lot of people. We're in the Englert, Sheraton, the public library, then there are so many other things, like the VIP party in the (hotelVetro) penthouse – that's another set of people. It takes a fair amount of time to coordinate. It's so much fun, with everything going on. Things are really happening with us because we're doing them all over the place.

DIANA: What are some of this year's highlights?

MARY: (“16 to Life” actress) Theresa Russell is working on (getting here for the film's Iowa premiere.) She has a job on a serial in Vancouver, but don't give up hope yet. One really cool new thing is Thursday at 7 p.m. with “Garbage Dreams.” The  College of Public Health at the UI having its 10

^th

anniversary. Some of their people watched our documentary, and after the showing at the Englert, the faculty will lead a Q&A about public health issues.

Our first international guests have made it here right off the plane from Copenhagen. … We want to show them the best Iowa City has to offer. We've had international films that have come in with entries, like Spanish films from a distributor. But this is the first with three hours worth of Danish films no older than two years, with some animation, some shorts. A lot of European countries have more support for their artists than the U.S. It's great to get a sense of what's happening in Denmark in the film industry; it's great to hear their point of view. I'd love to do this yearly -- work with other countries. It's really fun doing this.

I expect the filmmakers will be running all over the Ped Mall. They will be wearing name badges, so feel free to talk to them. Who knows -- maybe they'll go back and make a crazy film about us!

DIANA: You have admission charges to some events, but not all?

MARY: Friday and Saturday (Aug. 28 and 29) night at the Englert, it's $5 for two narrative features; if you come for the late one, you may get discount. (Charging admission) helps us to have the money to put this festival on.

Friday night at 8:30 we're showing “Route 30.” The director is coming -- John Putch, an actor in Hollywood and director who likes to make ultra low-budget comedies and directed the latest “American Pie” franchisee.

Everything else is free.

DIANA: How has the festival changed in its three short years?

MARY: We had a lot more people attend the second year than the first. We  hope that increases with the knowledge that it exists. We're trying to educate people about what independent film means. Next year we'll try hard to increase entries from other countries. The quality of films is definitely improving – it's competitive.

At 6:30 p.m. Friday (Aug. 28, at the Sheraton), we're going to have a panel on “The Iowa Film Incentives at Work.” Lots of film productions coming to Iowa are taking money out of the tax base, so this will look at what it's done for Iowa. Tom Wheeler from the  Iowa Film Office; Becky Smith (“16 to Life” director); Kent Newman with the Iowa Motion Picture Association; Mark Davitt, former Iowa Representative is going to be there -- pro-film incentive people. (The festival's updated Web site also lists Terry Trimpe, executive producer of “16 to Life” and associate producer of “The Final Season” as a panelist.)