Outside Looking In at Film Festival/Film Repertory Theater Misbehavior
I attended only a handful of Cinefamily events; I wasn't a member so I was unaware of anything more than a certain hipper-than-thou vibe like the one I can remember at West L.A.'s Nuart Theatre in the 90s (the era of black berets and/or Kangol hats).
I never went to the original flagship location of Austin's Alamo Drafthouse in the early 2000s when I was in the city for its annual poetry festival. At that time, I imagined how strange it would be to eat dinner while watching repertory film programming. Nowadays, I'm used to occasional nights out with my wife at the Studio Movie Grill a few miles away.
I do remember reading Ain't It Cool News in its early days. Certainly Harry Knowles and his platoon of fanperson writers played a part (along with globalization) in ensuring that the bulk of big Hollywood film releases had to be Presold Fantasy Events and not much else.
But I'm not writing this to be above-it-all. From my limited volunteer experience with film festivals in Santa Fe and Los Angeles, I can recall how, even at a remove, how intoxicating it is to have proximity to filmmakers, early screenings of now-classic features, and even the rare Jack Nicholson sighting.
That's why I feel for the young men and women desiring to advance their careers and network with others (or merely participate because they love movies)--and who are receiving verbal, physical and/or sexual abuse from people who brag of their progressive values around peers while degrading the paid and unpaid help.
And it's also why I have no desire to visit the Downtown L.A. Alamo Drafthouse once it finally opens.
