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    Studio 35 Hosting Comedy Film Festival

    They have all the best beers, they have a devoted throng of moviegoers, they have a variety of independent and mainstream programming, they have fun art in their bar – hell, they have an Avengers pinball game. Is there anything Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse doesn’t have?

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    If you said “a film festival,” well, they can mark that off the list now, too. Running from Thursday, April 23rd through Sunday the 26th is the first ever Studio 35 Cinema Comedy Film Festival.

    Love child of theater owner Eric Brembeck and festival programmer/local filmmaker Tim Baldwin, the festival is an old idea that finally blossomed.

    Says Baldwin, “The idea to do a film festival at Studio35 is long brewing (see what I did there?). Eric and I have thrown the idea around a lot, but never could make it happen. So last year, Eric said ‘If we’re doing it, let’s do it.’”

    “At first it was going to be beer themed,” says Brembeck. “But that was pretty narrow, so we thought, why not comedy?”

    “We picked a theme that goes with beer drinking, and started mapping out dates,” says Baldwin. “I wanted to see some indie shorts and features that I otherwise wouldn’t, and I wanted the Columbus area to see them as well. There’s a lot of creative, fun, funny, and amazing short films out there, that I think people should see, and hopefully we’re bringing a taste of that to Columbus.”

    Brembeck says their goal was simple: to have fun. Ideally, he hopes it will be interesting enough to do again, but he primarily wants to be entertained. “We want to showcase some comedies, eat some food and drink some great beers – all right before the biggest movie of the year comes out next week.”

    Baldwin fielded hundreds of shorts and features from all over the world to come up with the final list of contestants – enough to run 9 features and four separate programs of short films. A first time festival programmer, the effort has given Baldwin a new perspective.

    “Being a filmmaker myself, I have a new appreciation for the organizers and program directors,” he says. “Having my own film in festivals makes me realize that every film is someone’s hard work. Every film needs to be viewed with respect and given a chance.”

    Local filmmaker and juror John Whitney agrees.

    “I had a lot of fun watching the entries,” he says. “Now that I’ve judged, I have a new appreciation for how difficult it is to pick the films that will compete. In this festival, some of the choices were easy and some were difficult. I now can see why films are chosen and why they are rejected. I think an “inside” knowledge of a film festival has helped me as a filmmaker.”

    “The day I sent out rejection letters was rough,” admits Baldwin. “But on the flip side of that were the acceptance letters, and the responses from filmmakers who were so excited to have their work shown.”

    “If I were to give two pieces of advice to filmmakers looking to produce something that could do well in the festival circuit, I would first tell them to lead with your best foot,” says Whitney. “If your film doesn’t start out strong, you run the risk of a judge tuning out and losing interest. The second is, never make a film that you think a group of judges would like. Make the film that you like, a film that moves you, a film that exhibits your unique voice. If the judges don’t like it, fuck ‘em.”

    Brembeck thinks the festival gives Columbus moviegoers a unique opportunity. “People should come out to see some funny stuff that they wouldn’t get a chance to see normally,” he says.

    Whitney concurs.

    “There are great films that you will not have an opportunity to see anywhere else – international films that are edgy and fantastic, US entries that don’t disappoint,” he says. “This is the first year for this, so be a part of something special. Wouldn’t it suck if you missed the festival and all you hear about from your friends is how that German film blew everyone away? Wouldn’t it suck if you miss that feature with heart and soul that everyone is still thinking about it? And the icing on the cake is having Studio 35 as the venue. Great brews, and great films. What else do you need?”

    “I want the festival to become something huge and worthwhile to filmmakers,” says Baldwin. “I want it to be a destination as well for filmmakers to come and visit Columbus, to see what our city has to offer. Mostly, I want to have fun with it, and I want people to have fun there.”

    “Do yourself a favor,” recommends Whitney. “Don’t suck… Come to the festival.”

    Tickets are just $5 for a full day of festival viewing. For more info, visit www.studio35.com.

    The complete line-up:

    THURSDAY, APRIL 23
    6pm – 8pm Party and Gathering – $10 for movie and food catered by City Barbeque
    8pm The Late Bird and The Last Supper directed by Param Gill
    10pm After Film Party (doors open to public around 11pm)

    FRIDAY, APRIL 24
    7:30pm Actor for Hire, (USA) directed by Marcus Mizelle
    9:30pm Australiens, (Australia) directed by Joe Bauer
    Midnight Quad X: Rise of the Beaver Slayer, (USA) directed by James Christopher

    SATURDAY, APRIL 25
    2pm Shorts Program #1
    4pm Shorts Program #2
    7pm Light of Day, (Ireland) directed by Eoin O’Neill, Amy Carroll, Conor Dowling
    9pm Tasmanian Tiger, (USA) directed by Michael Paulucci
    Midnight Eddy & Cody, (USA) directed by Jeroen Annokkee

    SUNDAY, APRIL 26
    Noon Shorts Program #3
    2pm Shorts Program #4
    4pm Present Company Excluded, (USA) directed by Jenny Hatchadorian
    6:30 A Raven Called Poe, (Germany) directed by Torsten Lenz
    8:30pm Awards: Best Feature and Short

    Full disclosure: Hope Madden is a juror for the Studio 35 Cinema Comedy Film Festival.

    A full slate of movie reviews is available on my website at MADDWOLF. You can also follow me on Twitter @maddwolf, like me on Facebook at MaddWolfColumbus and listen to weekly FRIGHT CLUB podcasts.

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    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
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