Doug Anderson is artistic director of Town Hall Theater in Middlebury, and he says for years, the local community wanted a film festival in town.
"But we never had anybody with the expertise to pull it off," Anderson said. "And then one day this unique individual sticks his head into the office and he says, 'I want to start a film festival.' And we’re like, 'Yeah, right.' And so we sit him down and 15 minutes later we greenlighted the project. We said, 'We are completely in.'"
"And it’s not only because of his experience in Los Angeles and the industry with the Disney Corporation," Anderson said, "but also clearly he was a maniac, and I mean that in the best possible way. 10 years later we have one of the most respected film festivals on the east coast, if not the entire country.”
Anderson is talking about Lloyd Komesar, the outgoing executive director of the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival. The festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary and kicks off Wednesday.
Vermont Public's Jenn Jarecki met up with Lloyd Komesar at Town Hall Theater, and she opened the conversation by asking how he's feeling about a decade of Middlebury New Filmmakers, as he calls it — his last as executive director. This interview was produced for the ear. We highly recommend listening to the audio. We’ve also provided a transcript, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Lloyd Komesar: I was so busy prepping for our 10th anniversary that I really haven't had a lot of time to get emotional. When Caitlin Boyle, our new executive director, assumes this mantle in September, she'll be working with an organization and an entity, if you will, that has a reason to be. From the beginning, we felt that first and second time filmmakers from around the world needed a showcase, a place that they could call their own, where there wouldn't be distractions by super high-budget films, by tons of celebrities. We're in little Middlebury, a town of 7,500 people. So, we wanted to focus on building film culture, on engaging the community and giving filmmakers a chance to essentially showcase their beautiful films at a festival that was really all about them.
I don't know what my next act will be. I have not thought about it, really — and people say that in a cliché way, "I haven't given any thought to it." Most of the time it's like, no, yeah, man. But in my case, I'm just trying to get over the finish line with our 10th anniversary. I'll be staying on my board, I will be going nowhere. I love my time in Vermont, and I intend to — with the support of the board — continue to do the things that I've always enjoyed doing. I will fundraise, I will meet the community, I will have endless coffees, all to help Caitlin sort of transition in a way that is organic and sets her up for a very successful run as our next executive director.
Jenn Jarecki: Well, there's a lot in there that I want to talk with you about, but you did bring up two questions I've always wanted to ask you; Why new filmmakers, and why Middlebury?
Lloyd Komesar: It always struck me, especially in big city festivals, that new filmmakers — unless they're at a place that's designed strictly for them, and there are very few festivals that concentrate exclusively on new filmmakers — they don't really get much attention, especially if they are lumped in with films, say that a director is now offering his sixth or seventh or eighth or ninth film. And the budget for some of these large films could be $90 million, $100 million, $200 million. And if you compare that with the typical budget for a new filmmaker who makes a feature, even a good short, you're talking somewhere, maybe no more than $250,000. Our thought was, let us not introduce all these high-budget films. You know, if someone has directed their fifth or sixth feature film, they don't need us. They really don't. They're launched. So, for new filmmakers, it was an opportunity, it was a level playing field and a sense of community that we could build around their work. So, I basically think new filmmakers need a break, they need a chance, they need an opportunity, they need to showcase.
As to why Middlebury. I live half the year in Pasadena, California, and back when I was sort of figuring out what my next chapter would be after I left Disney — I worked at Disney for 25 years — my thought was maybe it would be good if I did something in film, but my wife was very instrumental in pushing me toward volunteering for a film festival, a startup in Pasadena, which I did. And afterward, she said, "You know what, you'd be good at that. Why don't you think about doing a film festival?" And immediately my thought was, "[Los Angeles], no, LA has got 40 film festivals. Who needs another?" But Middlebury, where we had been coming already for years, Middlebury had zero. And so I just set about a plan to build a film festival here around the theme of new filmmakers. And I was really fortunate to be connected to Jay Craven, and he became my artistic director. And the two of us, sort of in a very good sort of ensemble way, built this concept into something that we could make real. And I think that was the right decision.
Jenn Jarecki: You've got 120 film screenings, multiple events across town, Q&A's with directors and producers, and that is without me name-dropping some very famous recipients, award recipients this year. What can folks expect from this year's festival?
Lloyd Komesar: I will tell you that we have now reached 131 films. 120 would have been fine, by the way. So, what to expect about this year's festival? You mentioned, yes, Oliver Stone will be here, and John Patrick Shanley will be here. Paul Tazewell will be here, Gary Farmer. We're honoring two of the greatest Vermont filmmakers, Bess O'Brien and Andy Mitchell. We have special guests who will be doing panels and presentations. But moreover, I think that with almost 90 filmmakers here and a really large community embrace of the 10th anniversary, you're going to see a huge joy factor. You'll see people moving about from one venue to another. You'll see them congregating at happy hours and evening parties. They'll be attending panel discussions, and I hope, enjoying what I consider to be our greatest lineup ever. I think Jay would back me up on that.
There truly is something for everybody to see here, whether it's documentaries, whether it is narrative drama or comedy, whether it's the brilliant shorts that we typically put right in front of our features, so there's a sense of discovery, like, "Wow, I came to see this feature, but the shorts that you put in front of them, that is awesome. I didn't expect that." It happens every year by the way. A 10th anniversary is a special event. It's a special time, it's a milestone, and we want to program this and execute this in a way befitting a 10th anniversary celebration.
Jenn Jarecki: Caitlin Boyle was recently announced as the festival's newest executive director. Lloyd, can you tell us more about Boyle and why you're glad to have her at the helm?
Lloyd Komesar: We are, I think, fortunate to have someone of her caliber, her talent, her commitment, her passion for this business, be here in Vermont now. She left New York City, where she'd had a very long career, came up to Vermont, where she's living now. And I am kind of jazzed about what the next decade could look like with somebody who knows how to get movies done, how to relate to filmmakers, how to sort of connect with the community, how to raise funds, how to grow an organization. These are all the very key elements of pushing this festival into another decade, and I feel pretty confident that Caitlin is going to just pick this ball up and run with it — not walk with it, she'll run with it.
Jenn Jarecki: You founded this festival with Jay Craven, as you mentioned, who called you an octopus, and he said that he is deeply grateful for your support and will miss you. What will you miss?
Lloyd Komesar: Everything about this, because it's homegrown, because we built it from scratch, because I put 10 years not only of hard work, but it's like, emotional sweat equity, if you will, right? But I intend to remain active and be able to see what's going on with us from just a slight remove, not from some huge chasm, but from a slight remove. And I think, you know, as they say, this will be what it will be. And I think I'll be just fine.
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