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    Comedy Film Festival Returns to Studio 35

    The second annual Studio 35 Cinema Comedy Film Festival kicks off this Friday, April 29, running all weekend and showcasing unseen comedy shorts and features.

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    Festival programmer Tim Baldwin says he’d long wanted to do a film festival at Studio 35

    “I always thought I could do one, and Eric Brembeck, owner of Studio 35, wanted to do one as well,” says Baldwin. “So here we are, the second year.”

    From the beginning, Baldwin and Brembeck agreed that comedy was the best fit for Studio 35. 

    “When we were trying to come up with a festival, we realized that at Studio 35, comedies work the best,” Baldwin says. “You’re drinking, eating pizza, and watching a comedy. The genre fits the theater.”

    How are things changing for the sophomore year?

    “We’re making the opening night very comedy driven,” he says. The planned schedule includes one feature, one short, and some live comedy.

    “We’re bringing in #Hashtag Comedy Improv for Friday night,” he says.

    Baldwin says he attempted to make the program tighter and more accessible, and hoped to make the event more filmmaker friendly as well, but his own basic objective hasn’t changed.

    “My goal is to try and bring films to central Ohio that we might not otherwise see – especially the shorts,” he says.

    Also returning for a second year is festival juror George Wolf. Last year, he was part of a team of judges looking solely at shorts, while this year he’s moved on to judging features, and he has tremendous respect for the festival’s set of candidates.

    “Comedy is very hard,” he says. “Opinions on what is and isn’t funny can be more fiercely held than political beliefs, and appealing to a broad section of senses of humor is a tall task. Plus, there are so many approaches – satire, parody, slapstick, rom-com, etc. – that finding your voice can take time.”

    He likes what he’s seeing in the field.

    “I’m always impressed by the creativity,” he says. “Even if the film doesn’t necessarily work, it’s a product of ideas, passion, and hard work. That is to be commended.”

    What is he looking for in a film?

    “Besides the obvious – humor – I’m interested in character development, and how the plot ideas flesh out,” Wolf says. “Does the writing offer any fresh perspective? How does the directing guide attention and pacing? Then you begin looking at acting and some of the production values. Any filmmaker that pays due attention to sound editing and mixing gets extra points from me – that’s an area that is so often ignored. But, ultimately, if its gets me laughing I can forgive quite a bit.”

    Baldwin is again excited and honored by the number of filmmakers entering the festival, and is especially impressed – for the second year – by the quality of the foreign language contestants, though he quickly clarifies that they’re getting some excellent American films as well.

    “We’re getting submissions from all over the world, which is great,” he says. “The international shorts and films have been outstanding with amazing quality.”

    Program stats:

    • Runs Friday, April 29, to Sunday, May 1
    • Opening night begins at 6pm. $10 ticket price includes movies, food, non-alcoholic beverages, and #Hashtag live comedy.
    • Saturday and Sunday program, $5 apiece all day. Saturday opens at 4:30 with a shorts program, followed at 7pm by OHIO Shorts Program. At 9:30, the festival feature screens, and a Late Night Comedy Classic unspools around 11:30.
    • Sunday’s festivities begin at 4pm with a festival feature, then a shorts program at 6pm, and another feature and Q&A with actor Adam Young.

    “It’s exciting,” says Wolf. “Columbus has so much to offer as a film community, and I’m honored to be a part of that in whatever small way I can.”

    “Please come out and check out some outstanding short films and features from around the world.” Baldwin says. “Captain America: Civil War opens the next weekend, so this weekend, see some independent film and have a great draft beer as well. We’re a great place to watch a movie.”

    For more information, visit www.studio35.com.

    Read more from Hope at MADDWOLF and listen to her weekly horror movie podcast, FRIGHT CLUB.

    Looking for more film events in Columbus? CLICK HERE to visit our Events Calendar.

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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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