From LA to DC to RB. That’s the route Joe Bilancio took to get to the
Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival and he loves where he’s
landed.
One morning last week, just a few weeks
before the start of our hometown film festival, the new festival office
at Midway was buzzing as Joe talked excitedly about his new job with the
festival and the films and fun he has planned.
“Not only do we have great films coming
up, but we’re expanding our reach,” he says. Along with the diverse
titles and tastes the festival usually highlights, Joe says this year
will be more social and more event-oriented.
“We’ll have a huge heated tent with a
floor, behind the theaters, with an equally huge box office this
year,” says Joe. “The box office and lounge area will be four times
the size it was last year, making it faster and easier for filmgoers to
get their tickets. Not only that, but we’ll be opening an hour earlier
for members.”
While many festival goers will be
thrilled with the news that film society staff and volunteers have
worked all year long to refine operations and insure easier access to
the box office, what we really want to know is what kind of festival
will the Nov.6-10 event be.
“Well, we really will have something
for everyone. Some of the things I’m very excited about include a
Shock it to Me series of four films that are dark and scary and shown
late at night; two campy classics, Harold & Maude and Boom with
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and a U.S. premier for a film
called Walking on Water which was an award winner at the Berlin Film
Festival.”
In addition, says Joe, there will be a
new kids day, where youngsters can see films and interact with them, as
well as family films, many wonderful documentaries and of course, a good
selection of films of interest to the gay and lesbian community.
Some of those films include All the
Queens Men, a comedic drama inspired by a true World War II story,
Between Two Women, about a forbidden romance in mid-1950s industrial
England, and Happy Birthday, Audience Award winner for the Best Film at
the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. A much
anticipated title is P.S. Your Cat is Dead, Steve Guttenberg’s star
and directorial turn about two desperate men playing a wild game of wits
when they are thrown together one New Year’s Eve.
According to Joe there are some wonderful
lesbian short films and many movies that join straight and gay
characters in engaging film adventures. There will be a series of
archival films, bringing back classic independent cinema as well as
workshops and behind the scenes discussions about movie making.
“This year, Sony has come onboard as a
sponsor and will be bringing us some of their big equipment to look at
and study.”
Okay, so it’s going to be a huge and
awesome festival, with fabulous films and a wonderful new box office to
make things run as smoothly as possible. So how was it our new Festival
Programmer wound up here, anyway?
“I was living in LA and working behind
the scenes in the movie business,” says Joe, “and while I liked the
business, I didn’t necessarily like everything associated with it.”
He was freelancing in sports and
entertainment marketing, while working with Outfest, the Los Angeles gay
and lesbian film festival. “After a while, LA got very old,” he
says.
So he decided to move to DC, continuing
his sports and entertainment marketing. In DC, Joe also indulged his
love of independent film and got involved as programmer for Reel
Affirmations, the DC Gay and Lesbian film festival.
On vacation in Rehoboth, he heard that
our local film festival was looking for a programmer for a short term
job and, to use one of his sports marketing phrases, he stepped up to
the plate.
Now, Joe is here working on a contract
that will continue past the festival to the end of the year. Since Joe
moved here full-time in July, he’s hardly had a minute to catch his
breath.
“It’s hard to describe the
environment, but there’s a real pressure to perform here. Expectations
are very high,” he says. “But I think we’ve really got an exciting
line-up.”
And what does he think of his new
hometown? “It’s funny,” he says, “but everybody says that living
here is so different from just vacationing here. But the odd part is
that I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to experience it yet.
I’m kind of excited about the ‘post season’—after the film
festival.”
Calling himself a “behind the scenes
person,” Joe has already had a taste of small town Rehoboth. “People
recognize me in the grocery store and it’s kind of a weird experience
for me. But I’m getting used to it!”
At this point in our discussion, the
phones started ringing off the hook with folks inquiring about tickets
and Joe had to take a call about the routing of a film, so I just packed
up my reporter’s notebook, and told Joe we’d do “part two” of
our discussion after the festival.
And from my first glimpse at the festival
schedule (you can see it at www.rehobothfilm.com, it looks like we’ll
have a whole lot of great things to talk about!
General Festival Information:
Theaters—All films will be screened at
the Movies at Midway complex, in the Midway Shopping Center on Highway
One, just north of Rehoboth Beach, across from the Super Fresh.
Ticket Prices: Tickets for all shows are
$7.50. Tickets for seniors (60 years of age or older) and children (11
years old or younger) are just $5.50. A separate ticket must be
purchased for each film.
Tickets for the Opening Night Gala at the
Bay Center in Dewey Beach on Wednesday, November 6 are $35. Tickets for
the Closing Night Party at Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats in downtown
Rehoboth Beach on Sunday, November 10 are $20.
Discount Tickets: You may purchase
the Cinematic Six Pack for $40 or the Reel Deal 10-Pack for $65. These
offer you great savings on our already low ticket prices. There are a
limited number of these discount books available. Each of these ticket
vouchers must be traded in at the box office for a ticket for the
specific show you wish to see. Do not order these discount books if you
are 60 or older, as your tickets are even less than these special rates.
Purchasing Discount and Opening/Closing
Tickets can be done by stopping by our office at 102 Midway Village
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays or calling 302-645-9095.
Purchasing Individual Film Tickets: All
tickets must be purchased at the Film Festival Box Office, located in
the Big Tent. The Big Tent will be behind the Midway Shopping Strip.
Access is from the parking lot behind the
stores, or via the “cut-through” between the Duron Paint store and
J@v@Byte C@fe.
General Public: Tickets for each
film may be purchased on the day of the show only.
RB Film Society Members: All RBFS
members may use the “Members Only” line for quick service. Your
membership level determines if you can purchase your tickets in advance
or on the day of the show. Please have your membership card with you.
Not a member? No problem! You can
register as a member on the spot, and you can start enjoying the
benefits of your membership right away.
And don’t forget the Shock-It-To-Me
Cinema bringing late night entertainment to Rehoboth Beach. A few are
shocking with intense subject matter and graphic violence, blood, and
gore, others are shockingly schlocky, silly, campy and just plain fun.
The bottom line is that these films will not appeal to everyone, but
they still should be seen. So take your naps and get your caffeine and
join us for the return of late night programming...even if it is not all
that late. Pajamas are acceptable attire!
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