Comedy film festival at local theaters encourages audience interaction

On Jan. 29, Emagine Theatre of Rochester Hills hosted the Laugh Out Loud Short Film Festival.

The film festival allowed viewers to text their vote to choose which film won the Audience Choice Award. Once all of the films were over, instructions appeared on-screen telling the audience how to cast their votes.

Films in the festival also had the chance to win another award. A panel of six film industry professionals were on site to determine which film would win the Best Short Film Award.

“Providing an audience for independent filmmakers’ work is a main aspect of  the festival,” Joe Edick,  director of the LOL Film

Festival, said. “The film festival (gives) filmmakers a chance to have mainstream America see their film (in) the best film

exhibition venues available. That’s not always the case with traditional festivals.”

Edick is the director of the LOL Film Festival and is also the president of Pelican Productions Inc. in Muskegon, Mich.

For the 2012 LOL Film

Festival, there were 17

independent films created in six countries. Many of the short films being shown already have awards to their names.

The films being shown at this year’s festival had a variety of plots and running time. The films ranged from a 26 minute short about a morning talk show gone wrong to a one minute, 35 second animated short about a magical genie.

But festival goers can expect to spend the same amount of time at the festival as they would at a traditional movie. All of the short films are shown in just under two hours.

“(The audience will) get to see some really funny short

comedies that they would

otherwise never get to see,”

Edick said.

According to Edick, providing the audience with the film festival experience in a two hour block is one of his favorite aspects of the event.

The event opened on Jan. 27 and will only be in theatres for a limited time. The festival is not limited to just Emagine Theaters though, it

will be held in 27 venues across five states.

Although the festival will close its curtains on March 26, it is currently accepting films for the 2013 LOL Film Festival.

Edick understands the difficulties independent filmmaking can pose.

“It is very difficult to make a quality independent film,” Edick said. “It is even more difficult for a filmmaker to make any profit with a film. It’s about trying to get in a position to make a mainstream feature film.”

For more information regarding the LOL film festival, visit www.lolsff.com

 

Contact staff intern Natalie Popovski via e-mail at [email protected]