LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
New Programmer Bilancio Announces Exciting Film Fest Details! |
by Fay Jacobs |
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: TheatersAll 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! |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 14, October 18, 2002. |