The Other Paper wrote
Mid-life crisis
By Chad Dull
Published: Wednesday, September 24, 2008
For years, the Columbus International Film and Video Festival was an uncontroversial set of screenings that culminated in the doling out of the “Chris Awards”. This year, however, it consists of several weeks’ worth of films that begin with three documentaries all focused on the same prickly topic: the charge that someone’s been stealing our votes, and they’re doing it right here in Ohio.
According to Executive Director Susan Halpern, the festival is undergoing a change that’s partly the result of circumstances beyond its control and partly the result of a feeling that it needed to boost its public image.
Launched in 1952, the festival has enjoyed world-wide recognition from independent filmmakers as a vehicle by which their works could gain wide distribution. On the other hand, it’s largely been a secret among non-filmmakers even in its own hometown.
Related Story: