Symi International Film Festival
Here’s some new on the new Symi International Film Festival, and some of my own thoughts: “The festival has received 15 submissions (all but one is under 20 mins). The website address is www.symifilmgroup.com The Festival website has a link for anyone who wishes to submit a film. The cost of entering a film is small, ranging from nothing for a film on or about Symi entered by the end of July, to a maximum of $20.00 US for a feature film entered in Late August.”
Just imagine what this festival could lead to. There are literally thousands of filmmakers out there with brand new films who are desperate to find prestigious looking screenings and who want to collect laurels for their artwork. The festival is also a great way of getting interesting brand new films totally free of charge that can be Greek subtitled. We could be seeing loads of interesting new films that will never otherwise be able to be seen by people on Symi (they won’t be on Greek TV ever).
Over time, this could build into a really prestigious event for the island and could well start attracting lots of filmmakers and ‘creatives.’ I can see that some filmmakers might want to rent villas in due course, for the festival, especially if they knew there were going to be other filmmakers visiting. It could be gradually built up with extra events like public interviews and talks and so on.
Think of it… It could be possible to generate loads of income in submission fees each year – enough to pay a person or a small team of people to be administrators and really get things organised regarding events, accommodation, promotion, tourism. It might also be possible to get grants from the government to support all this. If worked into the fabric of the already existing festival, the Symi Festival and International Film Festival could become a great cultural event.
It could even include some of the young, energetic people on the island who could help with things like selecting films and getting ideas moving. It’s something people could really feel part of. From my point of view, there could also be a special award for scriptwriters and the event could attract writers to the island for talks and interviews, etc. Maybe I should sponsor an award for best screenplay?
Anyway, I’m not telling the festival organises what they should be doing here, I’ve only ever been to one of these things. I’m just letting my imagination run a bit wild. But this could be a great opportunity for the island to attract more visitors, giving a much-needed boost to the tour operators, property owners, businesses and… well, everyone. Keep up the great work folks!
To find out more about the Symi International Film Festival, go to their new website here.
