By Alana Gordon

Bringing steampunk to Worcester feels like a dream come true for me; doing it as part of the Central Mass Film Festival feels like winning the lottery. I’m Alana Gordon, and as a local photographer in the Worcester community, I’ve always found myself gravitating toward the arts. Film, music or photography ~ they’ve all grabbed my attention. That’s why I’m so proud that we’ve found a way to fuse them all together in a three-day festival.

The Central Mass Film Festival was established more than a year ago by Future Focus Media directors, Dee Wells and Matt Feinstein. They have since been joined by Kristen Lucas, Surya Saraswathi, James Lewis, Scott Fair and myself. The film festival’s mission is to provide artists with unique platforms to expand the audience for their works and to broaden the access point for consumers to experience independent film and media.

The weekend of May 31-June 2, we will be doing just that by holding the June edition of the Central Mass Film Festival in the Canal District in Worcester. While the final location hasn’t been determined yet, we do know we’ll be going with a steampunk theme and teaming up with 11th Hour Farming Artists and Schmeldt Productions.

What’s steampunk, you ask?

Steampunk is a genre of fashion, music, film and art currently taking the world by steam-powered storm. It melds the stylings of Victorian-era fashion with the futurism of the industrial revolution ~ think the 1999 movie “Wild Wild West,” starring Will Smith.
Angela Faneuf, co-creator of 11th Hour Farming Artist said, “[We] are very excited to be part of such a distinguished event. We feel that the intriguing world of steampunk culture perfectly complements this eclectic celebration, which blends local Worcester history with a collective, creative expression of modern-day life through the mediums of film, fashion and music.”

During the film festival, you will be captivated by a myriad of live entertainment: There will be fire dancers, live musical acts and a steampunk fashion show featuring the work of Redfield Design.

“Fashion and movies go hand in hand. It’s only fitting that a fashion show and a film festival should work together,” said Kathryn Paterwic, of Redfield Design.

Topping off the festival, you will have the privilege of watching some short films, movies and documentaries ~ all from local movie-makers.

The best part: Screening of the films is free!

So, feel free to don your best steampunk attire and come join us for the festivities!

For more information, including the final location of the film festival, check out facebook.com/CentralMassFilmFest or cmf2.org.

Photo by Alana Gordon.