One of our new features is interviews with filmmakers involved both in the independent and Hollywood systems. Our first interview comes from the independent world. He's Chris LaMont, filmmaker and Program Director of the Phoenix Film Festival. Chris may be best known for directing the short parody film, Film Club which is currently playing at MediaTrip.com and can also be seen on the George Lucas In Love DVD. To read the interview, click below.Filmmaker.Com: What do you want people to know about the Phoenix Film Festival festival? Or put another way, what's the big deal with yet another festival?

Chris LaMont: (laughs) Anybody can put on an "independent" film festival. Everyone calls themselves independent. But we decided that the real way to be an independent filmmaker is not to have a lot of money, a lot of big names in your cast, or some actor deciding they want to be a director. We felt that true independent filmmakers are moviemakers who are able to work with a limited budget. Anyone who can make a feature for less than a million dollars in our opinion is a hero. So we decided to create a festival that expressely showcases low-budget, independent filmmaking.

FMC: And you would know all about this having produced a film yourself.

CL: I've produced and directed several low-budget films that have been turned down by many of the larger festivals simply because we didn't have millions of dollars and Parker Posey. Especially as the DV revolution, which will allow anyone who has the passion to tell a story, provides filmmakers with the technical opportunity to make movies without having to mortage the house, like I've done.

FMC: Now, how about some details about the festival itself.

CL: The actual festival runs from February 9th to the 11th in the year of our Lord 2001. It's being held at the beautiful AMC Arizona Center 24 Cinemas located in downtown Phoenix. Parking is free. Aside from the film screenings, we'll also be hosting free seminars on digital filmmaking, Internet movie sites, computer animation, and low budget independent filmmaking for the general public, whether or not they've purchased festival tickets. But the tickets themselves are extremely cheap. Student one-day passes are thirty-five bucks. We specifically wanted to make it accessible to students.

FMC: People reading this interview include filmmakers from all over the world. What are you looking for specifically in the submissions...and why should they care?

CL: That's a good question. Most festivals do not encourage low-budget production. This is because they don't usually have the production value normally associated with Hollywood-type films. Our philosophy is the exact opposite. If you can tell a good story, make it technically interesting, and most importantly make us care about the movie and the characters, we don't care what you spent. The point is to celebrate the fact that you've been able to accomplish what you've done at such a low cost.

I should add that this is a competitive festival, with awards and recognition.

FMC: Many readers who visit this site are aspiring filmmakers and have to pick and choose carefully between film festivals If their film does well, what can they expect to get out of it in terms of their careers?

CL: First of all, our entry fees are extremely low. $5 for student shorts. $15 for professional shorts. And $25 for features. We're not looking to make money off of the filmmakers, we just want to showcase good work. And becuase of our parameters regarding the productions, you're not going to go up against Mirimax's latest Ben Affleck-directed feature. Also, if you are an out-of-town feature filmmaker whose film gets elected, we have sponsorships set up to fly you out here and put you up for free during the festival. You have the opportunity to be on panels and have your work appreciated on the silver screen.

We've created a non-profit film foundation to create a community of filmmakers in Phoenix, and this is a great opporunity for filmmakers not only in Phoenix but from across the world to see what a excellent venue Phoenix is for filmmaking. Location fees for Phoenix are $100 a year. That's it. Arizona is a right-to-work state, so you can contract with talent and crew at less than union rates, and we're an hour's flight away from Los Angeles. Arizona is a great alternative to Canada for out-of-state production. Eight perfect months of shooting weather in the southern state and four perfect months in the north. So one of the things visiting filmmakers will get is an appreciation of what the state has to offer.

FMC: You're gonna have speakers too, right?

CL: Yes, and we'll be honoring several independent filmmakers with retrospectives including a midnight independent classic with such fare as Reservoir Dogs and El Mariachi.

FMC: Any last words?

CL: We don't care when you made your movie-- Thirty years ago, back in college, or yesterday with your home video camera. If you have a story, and you spent your time and your hard-earned money to bring it to life, we want to see it. This is the first of what will be many, many festivals. We're hoping to become the new Sundance, period.

The deadline for entries is December 31st. We want to show everyone that you can make a great film for less than what Hollywood normally spends. Help us show what talent really exists in the independent filmmaking world by sending us your best stuff.

We'll be announcing our slate on-line at http://www.phxfilm.com. That's also by the way where you can find film entry forms and ticket orders.

FMC: Thanks for talking with us, and good luck.