Traverse City Film Festival – That’s a Wrap!

I’m still recovering from the Traverse City Film Festival, which ended last night with the final film, Encounters at the End of the World, a fantastic documentary by Werner Herzog. I’ll continue posting reviews for the films I saw over the next week or so.

Overall, the film festival organizers did a superb job. Everything from the volunteers to the film selection was great. It’s amazing that there’s only one paid staff, executive director Deb Lake. She must have some kind of internal meditation going, because you’d see her here and there at the venues, and she always seemed calm, cool and collected.

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I never had a problem parking, and the volunteers were always respectful and helpful. The Dennos Auditorium at Northwestern Michigan College is a great addition to the venues.

One thing I heard from others is that the kids’ movie on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. should have been rated G or PG. While the film, Terra, was great, it was rated PG-13, and a bit too violent for the youngsters in the audience. Yes, the rating was posted, but that particular time and venue was made to seem like a kids’ movie.

Also, it would be great if the media credentials were organized and released before the first day of the festival, as was the case this year. That would give us more time to plan and schedule things.

Aside from these things, though, great job by all! Next year’s festival — the 5th Annual — will be held Tuesday, July 28 to Sunday, August 2, 2009.

Image: Jane Boursaw, 2008