Coming Soon To A Theater (or Bar or Campus) Near You

By Richard Price

What does Worcester have in common with Sundance, Telluride and Cannes? Answer: a film festival.

A newly formed Central Massachusetts Film Festival is being developed for a September, 2013 launch. But don’t be discouraged by the far away date, there will be (and already have been) plenty of free movie nights before then. This new independent venture will sponsor monthly lead up “happenings” throughout Worcester by screening ~ in some of the area’s hottest spots ~ local films made by local filmmakers.

“We are looking for local filmmakers that shot features in Central Massachusetts,” said Dee Wells, one of the organizers of the festival. “These monthly events will create some buzz,” he said, and his words have proven true. The October showing of The Muse has already gotten press from a number of different media outlets.

On November 17, the festival will preview the documentary Agro Fuels and the Dirty Truth about Coal at the Cantina Bar & Grill, 385 Main Street, Worcester, at 7 p.m.

Indeed, a local film festival seems overdue, especially one with a mission to “…change how young filmmakers will interact with the film world, how movie-lovers in the area explore new titles, and how important stories are shared to our communities.”

The September ’13 festival will be held all over Worcester, in various watering holes and college/university campus locations. “They will be places that people drive by frequently but never go into,” Wells said. What can we expect to see at the festival? 15 to 20 short films and up to 10 full length features will be part of the final line-up.

The goal of the festival is to encourage local talent and to create a place for these filmmakers to show their films to a new audience. “I’ve seen some phenomenal films in the past,” Wells said. “And it is astounding that very few people have seen them. It’s amazing the amount of time, effort and money they poured into it.”

For more information, please visit facebook.com/CentralMassFilmFest. Be sure to “Like” the page so that you can stay informed on new details of next year’s festival as they become available.

If you are a Central MA-based filmmaker or would like to learn how to become one, visit futurefocusmedia.