Film festivals have had varied and complex histories starting with Benito Mussolini's invention of the form in Venice in 1932. Since then (and too often) festivals are thought of in terms of Hollywood's film industry. This text is a celebration of all things un-dependently cinematic. The essays contained in this volume explore the cultural value of alternative film festivals from a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
Contributors to this book include Gene Youngblood, Sasha Waters Freyer, Roger Beebe, Michael Betancourt, Charles Lum, Caryn Cline, Alexie Dmitriev, Clint Enns, Leslie Supnet, Chip Lord, Ben Popp, Kristen Lauth Shaeffer, Tina Wasserman, Gerry Fialka, Kamila Kuc, Steve Polta, Bryan Konefsky, Caroline Koebel, and Bart Weiss.