Ann Arbor Hosts 63rd Annual Film Festival
The 63rd annual Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) returns with another dynamic lineup of cinema installations from March 25 through 30. An opening reception on Tuesday, March 25, featured cinema productions, a New Voices student screening room, and a live scoring performance by Joo Won Park.
Throughout the week, festival attendees will be able to enjoy short films and features in competition, special programs not submitted for competition, “Off the Screen” workshops, presentations, art exhibits, and live performances.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Leslie Raymond, the festival’s executive director, reported that the festival received more than 2,600 film submissions from more than 90 countries. Founded in 1963, the AAFF is one of the “longest-running, avant-garde experimental festivals,” focusing on films outside the mainstream media and exploring film mediums in new ways.
Raymond noted that the AAFF focused on community involvement by including individuals’ perspectives in the film selection process. What began as group discussions to review film submissions morphed into screening groups that included professors and students from the University of Michigan. Additionally, screening salons hosted community members. These experiences promoted community discussions, viewings, and scorings going beyond the filmmaking community.
AAFF Operations Manager Kailey Radwan said the public is encouraged to attend even if they have no previous experience with experimental film.
“Instead of letting that be something that holds you back, let that be something that you lean into,” Radwan said. “That’s kind of the whole point of coming here to (the) experimental film community because once everyone exits the theater and goes out into that lobby, (there are) conversations all about what you saw. And it could be completely different perspectives, but that’s the joy of the art community.”
Learn more about the festival and its programming on the AAFF website.
