Community members searching for their local art fix were found at the Pioneer Place on Sunday at seven o’clock, watching a showcase of short films submitted by short filmmakers in the St. Cloud area. A healthy crowd turned out to watch the compilation of videos that spanned 90 minutes. There was a variety of genres ranging from horror to experimental to action.
“The idea was to connect the art and film community,” said Judy Barth, an organizer of the event.
There is a considerable art community in St. Cloud, she continued, but there have been problems finding places to showcase artists’ work.
“I made a short film and I wanted a place to show it, so I got in contact with the people that ran it before,” said John Scott, another organizer. His film was a mockumentary about a man trying to create the world’s largest sandwich.
The St. Cloud Times put on a similar festival last year, and they were planning on doing another showcase this March, but it ended up falling through. The showcase this Sunday was put on by an independent community of artists.
“I guess you could say this is the second year this has happened, but it’s the first time it’s been put on independently,” says Scott.
There were a few crowd favorites. The film that got the most reaction from the crowd was about a dog that has his own adventure when his owner is gone for the day.
“August Edge”, the longest film of the bunch, involved a man chasing down the memory of a girl through the winter woods. Local musical artist Mod Con showed a music video that showed during the festival entitled “Mod Con One”.
After the showcase, viewers gathered in the bar outside the theater to drink craft beer and share their thoughts about the films.
Many were happy enough with the entertainment because it was free.
“It was a good excuse to get out of the house,” said one patron.
There will be another film festival coming in the fall or those who missed out. The festival will run from September 17-21 at Pioneer Place and The Paramount. They are still accepting submissions.
For more information about the September festival visit http://www.stcloudfilmfest.com/
