FARGO-The Fargo Film Festival got rolling Tuesday with an evening of animation. The colorful works-and all of the other selected films-aren't child's play.
"It takes a lot of love and hard work to kick off the Fargo Film Festival," said Emily Beck, during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
The executive director of the Fargo Theatre says the annual event enlists 65 volunteers during the five-day festival. More than 300 movies were submitted and 103 were selected from 23 countries.
A number of filmmakers will be visiting from various locations, the furthest away being two members from the crew of "Gratus" coming in from Sydney, Australia. The film, which shows Thursday evening, won for Best Experimental Film.
Tuesday night's screening was dubbed Animation Celebration and featured a variety of styles from three animators, including two shorts from special guest Cable Hardin. The filmmaker from Brookings, S.D., won Honorable Mention for his animated short "White Out." He brought some of the figures he used for the stop-action film and displayed them during the talk.
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"It's fantastic to be included in a festival that's been strong for a while and getting stronger," Hardin said.
Tuesday night ended with the local premiere of "My Life as a Zucchini," a Swiss and French-made stop-action film that features the voices of Will Forte, Nick Offerman and Ellen Page for the American release.
Today is the first full day of the festival, with films rolling starting at 10 a.m. on both Fargo Theatre screens. The day wraps with "The Other Kids," a narrative feature about six small town teens leading up to their high school graduation. Filmmaker Chris Brown will be on hand to discuss the movie some have dubbed a fic-umentary for it's realistic approach.
Beck said that the festival is the Fargo's largest annual fundraiser. Last year's event brought in more than $64,000, though more than $33,000 of that was used to cover festival expenses. The 2015 fest saw the biggest crowds with more than 7,100 attending, though some of that was due to a separate ticketed event with filmmaker and storyteller John Waters to close out the event.
"Whether you buy a ticket or a bag of popcorn, they're directly supporting the Fargo Theatre," Beck said.
If You Go
What: Fargo Film Festival
When: Today - Saturday
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Where: The Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway
Info: Admission ranges from $5 for a single session student ticket to $100 for an all-access pass. For a full list of films and screening times, go to fargofilmfestival.org (701) 239-8385.
