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July 2, 2005Moviegoers rush to buy event ticketsBen & Jerry's signs on as first national sponsorByRecord-Eagle staff writer  Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner During a press conference about the Traverse City Film Festival, filmmaker and festival founder Michael Moore takes questions from the media about the schedule. Filmmaker and festival founder Michael Moore greeted the first few ticket buyers at 10 a.m. Friday at Bravo!, an arts store owned by Interlochen Center for the Arts. Interlochen is one of the festival's main sponsors. Moore shook hands with Mimi Bruder of Traverse City, the first in line, as she bought tickets for the opening movie and the opening night party. "In true Michigan fashion, you want a party ticket, too," Moore said with a laugh. Bruder said she's a movie fan and a Moore fan, and is enthused about the festival. "I'm really here to support a wonderful event for Traverse City," she said. Later, Moore announced that Ben & Jerry's ice cream has signed on as the first national sponsor. The Vermont-based company will give $15,000 to the event, joining about a dozen local businesses so far that will sponsor individual film showings, Moore told about 75 people who gathered outside the State Theatre. "I think it's safe to say that we're fans of Michael Moore and that we share his progressive values," Ben & Jerry's spokeswoman Chrystie Heimert said. "The festival gives folks an opportunity to see films they might not otherwise see, and we're happy to support that," she added. Bravo! sold about $2,500 worth of tickets in the first hour and 500 tickets in the first two hours, Interlochen spokesman Paul Heaton said. The store had to hand out some IOUs for tickets to the festival's opening and closing movies, since early sales for those shows exceeded the number of tickets printed, Heaton said. The festival opens July 27 with "Mad Hot Ballroom," a documentary about New York City fifth-graders learning ballroom dancing. The closing movie, screened before festival award winners, is "Broken Flowers," a comedy by Jim Jarmusch starring Bill Murray and Sharon Stone. See Related Stories: Michael Moore announces TC Film Festival lineup - July 1, 2005 Moore deilivers for first Traverse City film extravaganza - July 1, 2005 Michael Moore hopes actors will visit Traverse City Film Fest - June 16, 2005 TC Film Festival: Residents share noise, crowd concerns - June 8, 2005 Coming soon: Classics; Michael Moore backs TC film festival - June 4, 2005 See Related Editorial: TC Film Festival plans a great fit for the area - June 12, 2005
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