This week's Insider is all about the SNOB Film Festival, taking place Sept. 15-18 in a variety of Concord locations. For an overview of what's going on at the festival, we turned to SNOB communications director Matt Fixler to break down the events day-by-day. Take it away, Matt.
Thursday, Sept. 15
Snob 2011 kicks off Sept. 15 at Red River Theatres at 5:15 p.m. with the first two film blocks showing shorts. One block will feature some of our more artistic offerings with darker tones, and the other will feature a mix of more light-hearted fare. Several directors should be in attendance, and a short question-and-answer forum will follow the light-hearted film block, giving directors a chance to share a little bit more about their films and audiences the opportunity to ask questions.
At 6:45 p.m. “Death by Medicine” will screen at Red River Theatres with a panel to follow. This documentary takes a hard look at the pharmaceutical industry and the influence that is applied to the practices of modern medicine. A panel of medical professionals, including advocates of wholistic approaches to health care, is currently being assembled to follow this film.
“LEAVE” is showing at 9 p.m. Thursday, and we are excited to have the writer, director and one of the actors coming in from California for the festival. This late film will be a strong contender for a SNOB Award and is worth staying up for. Besides seeing a great film, this will be a rare opportunity to meet some of this highly successful production staff (and maybe grab some drinks afterward). This will be a memorable and interesting highlight event in this year's festival and ought to be on your “don't miss” list.
Friday, Sept. 16
Start your Friday off right at the crack of noon with lunch at the Barley House where the TVs will be tuned to ConcordTV for an hour of shorts and trailers for films to appear at this year's festival. If you can make it to The Barley House for a SNOB-Burger, all the better, but you can also tune in wherever you are for this free preview event. You will need that SNOB-Burger for fuel, because Friday is one packed day of film blocks and events.
There will be a strong SNOB presence at The Barley House all afternoon and late into the evening on Friday as we will transform the tavern downstairs into a prime location to see a variety of films and enjoy The Barley House's extensive selection of brews. Pull up a chair or a couch and settle in for this one. Food will also be available, as always, and directors will be in attendance to hang out and answer any questions you may have. Think of it like having a movie-watching party in your living room, except with the filmmakers sitting on the couch next to you, and a top-notch bar, a great kitchen and staff on hand, and a live musical performance (to follow the showing of “Kevin” at 9:30 p.m.). So, unless your living room is exactly like that already, you won't want to miss this event.
Just down the street, Red River Theatres will be showing two family-friendly film blocks starting at 3 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. to be followed by a special benefit event. Beginning at 6:45 p.m., this film block features six films by six different directors, all of whom wanted to show their work to benefit the Friendly Kitchen. So, with the gracious support of Red River Theatres, all proceeds from this block will be donated to the Friendly Kitchen. SNOB is pleased to host this event and support this effort.
If you like your film a tad twisted, don't miss our Twisted Tales film block Friday night screening at 9:30 p.m. at Red River Theatres. This showing is scheduled in the Screening Room. However, this block may be moved to a larger theater if needed. The Red River staff is unofficially adopting our Twisted Tales block in the hugely popular Xtreme Friday Night Film Series that has been showing this summer.
Although we are not sure our films all fit the grindhouse criteria, they are definitely more on the twisted side and not for fans of the feel-good vanilla sort of independent film. Consider yourself both warned and invited. We expect several directors to be in attendance that night to see their films. Join us for an after-party following this block over at The Barley House to wrap up the day.
Saturday, Sept. 17
Saturday will feature film blocks all day in the two full-size theaters at Red River and afternoon panels in the Screening Room with special guests from the New Hampshire Office of Film and Television and Granite Society of Female Film Artists.
New this year, films will be shown downtown at the Main Street / CAPS location. Chweck in at Red River Theatres or check snobfilmfestival.com to find out exactly where this location is. The facility offers extremely comfortable film-viewing accommodations and a theater experience complete with digital video and sound. Outside food and beverages are allowed, so please feel free to take the opportunity to walk down Main Street, enjoy a little fall air and support some of our local businesses. As you walk or drive around Concord, be on the lookout for the red SNOB sandwich-boards outside our venues and our sponsoring businesses. If you stop in, please let them know SNOB sent you! Our sponsors make it possible every year to have SNOB in Concord and without them, we would not exist.
Saturday night is the culmination of the audience voting over the festival and the Best of SNOB Awards will be handed out to those lucky chosen few. The SNOB Award Event will begin at 7:30 p.m. sharp at the Concord CityAuditorium and no other film blocks or events are scheduled at that time. This event will feature the all directors who can make this year's festival in attendance. We are working on putting together an intermission food and beverage tasting event to make this a film and food event to remember!
The Awards Event will also be a film block, of sorts, as we will show on the Audi's big screen as many of our award-winning films as possible. Shorts will be shown in their entirety, while longer films receiving awards will be represented by their extended trailers (catch the full-length award-winners on Sunday at NHTI). That is all we will release for now, but there are some surprises in the works. Admission to this event is included in your Festival Pass, but not included in Day or Block Passes. However, admission will be discounted for patrons who have purchased any other form of ticket to the festival and as always, our pile of discount options available apply. So, make it a date, and don't miss the SNOB 2011 Awards at the Audi.
Sunday, Sept. 18
Films on Sunday will be shown at NHTI in Concord.
For longtime fans of SNOB, this will be familiar territory. SNOB frequented the NHTI Theater venue in its early days and even in the not-so-distant past. We will be showing all of the Best-Of films chosen this year all afternoon and into the evening. The advantage of running one screen at NHTI is you won't miss a thing. So if you had to make a tough choice earlier in the festival, or haven't seen that film everyone was talking about, this is your last chance!
The Sunday Best-Of SNOB at NHTI will feature SNOB-Gear giveaways and should be a nice, laid-back event. After three days of after-parties and solid blocks of film, it will be the perfect way to close out the festival. So, even if you don't get to anything or saw almost everything, come to NHTI Sunday afternoon, first film is at 1 p.m. and who knows, maybe you'll win some free SNOB-Gear, but you'll definitely see some great independent film.
