Reviews
From BIFF 2007:Courier Journal Editorial, Sept. 11, 2007: La Grange film festival
A salute to the organizers and sponsors of the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival(BIFF) held last weekend in La Grange. Tamara Lee Fulkerson and her collaborators did a remarkable job showcasing an eclectic variety of quality films as well as serving as arts ambassadors for the state of Kentucky. MORGAN ATKINSON If you wanted treated like royalty, then this is the festival for all filmmakers to attend. Free Limo rides/ after parties/ drinks/film maker lounge/ and admission to see the films were all the perks giving to the film makers. The community is very nice and the whole town knows and supports the festival. It’s truly a community effort to put on this great festival. Very well organized. Anthony Scalmato Just returned from the beautiful state of Kentucky and the hospitable town of La Grange in Oldham County where the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival was held this past weekend. Just want to take a moment to brag about how awesome this festival was for me. This was my premiere, and I couldn't have been treated any better. Tamara, Kim and Nita far surpassed anything I could have expected. Besides having the most organized festival I've ever been to (and that includes some top ten I've attended in the past), they treated the filmmakers like rock stars. Limo rides to and from venues and airport, parties in amazing locations, a beautful filmmakers lounge stocked with all kinds of edible goodies where I met some of the coolest people, even a tour of their historic town for those of us who came in early...this was the best experience. Everything ran on time, and they bent over backwards to make all the filmmakers feel special. They even greeted us opening night with two marching bands!!! What a wonderful way to premiere, and I do hope that other festivals take a lesson from these ladies. They are the TOPS! For any of you filmmakers submitting next year, I highly recommend this festival. You will NOT be disappointed. And I hope to return year after year to a place where some of kindest people live who have a clear passion for films and a true love for filmmakers. I can't thank these ladies enough (though I will certainly try.) Decker I wanted to let you know how impressed I was with the Festival this weekend. Everything was first-rate! As a Kentuckian I was quite pleased with the impression our state made on the filmmakers. You have no idea what an impact BIFF has had on our film program here at Somerset Community College. The inclusion of our short film, “The Stronger,” in the Festival has given our program some impressive credibility on the local level. I’ll be able to justify some upgrades to the program because of our participation and the publicity that came with it. After we got down there and saw the remarkable films you had on your roster, we were doubly honored to be included. From the tour of Oldham County to the final awards ceremony, the Festival was an unqualified success! I look forward to attending next year. Steve Cleberg - “The Stronger” I just wanted to thank you for the great festival experience. You truly have something special working there and I hope you are able to maintain that for many years to come. It was a great joy to be accepted in your screenings for this past festival and I hope to some day make another film and return. Thanks, Benjamin Keith Mitzelfelt I just wanted to let you know how thrilled and honored we are to have won
Ron Beck From BIFF 2006:Southern Hospitality at Bluegrass Thanks so much for putting on a great festival! Chris and I really enjoyed ourselves! You guys did a really good job for just being in your second year. It's hard not to have a good time around such wonderful people, and I really mean that. The party's were flawless, and I wouldn't change a thing. I hope you can keep having the opener at the Yew Dell Gardens. That place was incredible. And the limo service was just perfect. Tell Nita she did a great job. Please keep in touch and let me know how things are going out there. It was really nice meeting you and I hope we have a chance to come to the festival It is with enthusiasm that I encourage other filmmakers to apply to BIFF. The 2006 festival was an absolute blast, and the filmmakers were treated with unabashed southern hospitality. There were limo's provided for all the events and screenings, the parties were held at beautiful locations and the people involved were professional, enthusiastic and top notch. Well done Tamara et. al, this festival is well worth attending, as a filmmaker or simply as an audience member. From BIFF 2005:"I just had to let everyone know what a fantastic job they did at the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival. They took care of their film makers. They provided unbelievably prompt limo service anywhere we needed to go. All of the parties were well run and alot of fun. I thought they had a really great cross section of films. And they were great to deal with. A class act. "I would also like to agree with the above. The festival was a lot of fun, and well organized. I thought the festival did a great job of bringing in a diverse field of films of high caliber. And, somehow, our movie got in their as well. I hope Jay, and the many other volunteers, will continue with the festival. I also want to thank all the filmmakers who came in from out of town (as far as LA and NYC) - after all, what's a festival without the filmmakers?" As a first time writer/director who toiled for 12 years to get my family's story told, I was thrilled by the warm and genuine reception given to us at the Bluegrass Int. Film Festival. The profesional operation and organization of the fest was outstanding. There are always bumps in the road with any event and those bumps were few and well handled by Jay Broder and his great staff of volunteers. The audiences were comprised of real movie goers and not a bunch of artsy-fartsy film snobs which made the appreciation of our movie something we will always treasure. The Bluegrass Int. Film Festival is what festivals are supposed to be. Filled with pride and passion for the art of filmmaking and not a showcase for multi-million dollar trash that already has distribution. If the opportunity comes up to shoot a movie in the Lousiville area, I will jump on it. High fives to all the staff and volunteers for a job that was very well done. "I showed my film, OUR VERY OWN, at the Bluegrass Film Festival and was fortunate enough to win the "Best Feature Film" Award. I have to agree with all of the above kudos and praises. It was extremely well orchestrated and executed for a first time event. They really took care of the filmmakers and treated everyone with such respect and with wonderful Kentucky hospitality. The films were diverse, the screenings were on time, and the audiences were extremely receptive and responsive in the talk backs. And the parties were fantastic! I want to thank and congratulate Jay Broder and his magnificent team for a job well done. I highly recommend this festival to other filmmakers." |
