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NAME:
Helen Gramates
TITLE / ROLE:
Programming Director,
Chicago International Film Festival
WEBSITE:
www.chicagofilmfestival.org
CREDITS:
Facets
Women in the Director's Chair
LIVES:
Andersenville, Chicago
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(Continued from Page One)
It's your 40th Anniversary – how are you guys celebrating?
Well, we're doing a special section of the festival, which is a retrospective highlighting films and directors that have been particularly important to the festival's 40 year history. It's a 12 film program, and we're screening films like "Who's That Knocking on My Door," "Trash," "Sheer Madness," and "Those Who Love me Can Take the Train"... It's a little extra work to assemble, but it's a program I think our audiences are going to love.
One of the biggest strengths of this festival is its truly international composition, with representative films from all corners of the world. Is there any one country where you think the cinematic traditions are lively or really growing?
Well, let's see, we of course always have really strong representation from France. Germany actually is pretty vibrant as of late. We have more films than usual from there. There seems to be a lot of young new talent coming from Germany and we seem to have really tapped into that at the festival this year. Of course Argentina, at least for the past three or four years, despite what's economically been going on from that area, seems to be producing also many good filmmakers who are rising above whatever constraints they may have. Those are two countries right now.
We also have four films from Iran and three of the films actually are dealing with the political turmoil going on there with Iraq and Afghanistan with the refugees, whether its refugees fleeing a war-torn area or the war itself. That area has always been producing great filmmakers, but it seems like the filmmakers are now more focused on the political climate there.
This is the first year you guys have done screenings at the River East 21. What was behind that decision?
We already had good representation with Landmark in the North part of Chicago and we wanted to be bring some films back downtown. It had been since 2000 that we had done screenings in that part of the city and we just wanted serve a different audience. We're hoping that people who work downtown will want to stay and catch a film in the evening, and this will make it more convenient for them. We also like AMC's state of the art facilities. Good sound, stadium seating – we're looking forward to good screenings there.
You have a hell of a closer from a commercial perspective with Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis. How did you bring that together?
Well we wanted to honor Robert Zemeckis because of the Chicago connection and the festival really admires his films and it just seemed like a good time to bring him in, especially with his new film "Polar Express." He also happens to have a great relationship with Tom Hanks. Our goal was to honor Robert Zemeckis and it was just great luck that Tom Hanks was willing to come with and help out with the celebration.
Any advice for all those rabid cineastes out there that would kill for a job like yours? How does one become programming director of an esteemed film festival exactly?
Well, when I first came here in "93, I actually sold tickets. I remember hearing people talking about how "this festival office is so small" and "you'll never get in there" and I fully believed that advice. But I kept doing it anyway because I enjoyed what I was doing and not really for any ulterior motive. If I had any advice it would be involve yourself in what you love and if luck happens you'll find yourself in a good position. I just kept doing what I wanted to do within the organization and it ultimately evolved into this.
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Written by Richard Sharp
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009: Helen Gramates
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