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August 7, 2005Traverse City still giddy over Film FestivalOrganizers want to keep it 'grass roots'ByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - There may have been other ways to spend her advertising dollars in July, but none appealed to Laurie Wildman as much as the Traverse City Film Festival. Wildman, owner of the downtown Traverse City woman's boutique Le Fétiche, donated $2,500 to sponsor the festival's closing film. "I feel it kind of gave a new life to downtown," said Wildman, whose store is affiliated with Chicago fashion designer Bynum and Bang. "When you get to Cherry Festival, it's a tiring time. It does bring people downtown but it's not really our clientele base." The film festival felt different to her. "People were dressed up more and there was stuff going on day and night. It brought energy to our store, our clientele and ourselves because it was something new and exciting." A week after its final credits rolled, the festival's impact is still being measured. According to founder Michael Moore, the event generated 50,000 admissions, pumped at least $1 million into the local economy and put Traverse City on the national film map. Already publicists for some films that premiered or won awards here are adding Traverse City Film Festival credits to their press materials, he said. Thanks to nearly $250,000 in free labor and donated services, Moore expects the festival to come out $2,000-$10,000 in the black. That money will be used to purchase DVD sets of the festival films for three area library systems, he said. The July 27-31 festival spotlighted downtown Traverse City, and in particular the historic State Theatre, which was brought out of retirement and partially renovated to serve as the event's anchor. "This was a five-year urban renewal project that took place in five days. It had that kind of effect," he said. "Before, you came to Traverse City and were greeted by a big hole in the ground and a boarded-up theater. It sent the message that something's wrong here." It's too early to tell how the festival's impact on the City Opera House and Old Town Playhouse, two of the other film venues, but one thing is clear to Gerie Greenspan, executive director of the opera house. "The results of the film festival have finally put to rest the notion that this community can't support multiple theaters," she said. "That has always been the question in any campaign downtown." Bob Bahle, owner of the Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay, said the event helped raise the profile of specialty films and will make it easier for them to play at his own theater and elsewhere in the region. "It's hard to imagine a festival being more successful in its first year," Bahle said. "The programming was just dynamite, the presentation was done very professionally and the community showed the kind of support that would lead one to believe there is support for more of these kinds of films to be shown. What more could one ask for?" Festival organizers estimate that 70 percent of those who attended the event were from northern Michigan. The remainder came from downstate, Chicago, Ohio and Canada. The average festival-goer saw one to two movies. As word spreads, the festival undoubtedly will attract more people, but founders want to keep the local, "grass-roots" flavor of the event. "We're going to keep this community-based, we're going to keep this volunteer-based," Moore said. "You're not going to see any big inflatable blow-ups of Pepsi or Budweiser cans on the Open Space." The festival committee already has met to hash over this year's event and start planning the next. While some changes are in store, including hiring a small paid staff to help coordinate the festival, one thing that probably won't change is the time it will take place. "I know a lot of hotels and merchants would rather have it another time of year," Moore said. "But there's a reason people come to northern Michigan in July and August. It's the same reason people come to Sundance in the winter." Most of the changes for next year will revolve around getting the bugs worked out. "The general feeling on the committee is don't mess with success," he said. "This thing came off so beautifully that the main lesson we take from it, and from the people involved, is do it again next year. And do it the way we did it this year." However, he cautioned that a repeat festival will take place only if the State Theatre is the anchor again. It's his "supreme hope" that the parties involved in its renovation - the State Theatre Group, Interlochen Center for the Arts and Rotary Charities of Traverse City - will agree. As for the long-term outlook, Moore wants to see the festival grow slowly. If done right, he believes it could eventually have the kind of critical and financial impact on Traverse City that the Sundance Film Festival, which generates $42 million in economic activity for the state of Utah, has on Park City. "Is it possible for this area to get $15 million within a couple of years? Absolutely," he said. "And that will bring jobs and culture and art to the community - and lots of good will."
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