I really don't have any complaints. Maybe that will change in a week after the four days of chaos that is the festival, but in this moment, I'm in a little bit of Frank Capra in "It's a Wonderful Life" mode.
If you go
› What: Chattanooga Film Festival.› When: Today through Sunday, March 31 to April 3.› Where: Carmike Majestic 12, 311 Broad St.› Admission: Individual screenings and workshops are $10; daily wristband providing access to all screenings and events for a single day are $75; VIP all-access pass for the entire festival is $250.› Phone: 423-381-0502.› Website: chattanoogafilmfest.com.
What to see
A full schedule of showings for each day of the Chattanooga Film Festival is available at chattanoogafilmfest.com/daily-schedule.
After months of wrangling vendors, securing licenses and negotiating equipment rentals, it's hardly surprising that event organizers often feel emotionally drained by the time the gates open. Heading into the third iteration of the Chattanooga Film Festival this weekend, however, founder and director Chris Dortch finds his enthusiasm overflowing to the point of giddiness.
Success has a way of doing that.
"It's crazy," he says. "Our attendance doubled. We do our projections every year, and we try to keep our numbers on the low side, but even if we're looking at things on the low side, we're expecting 10,000 to 12,000 this year. Man, it just continues to grow.
"We're not giving ourselves too much credit here, but we're very excited about how our little baby is growing up."
Practically every aspect of the festival has grown by leaps and bounds over last year, he says.
Organizers sifted through more than 400 submissions produced by filmmakers around the world; in 2015, they viewed about 160. More than 85 filmmakers, actors and other special guests are slated as guests, versus 34 last year. Films will be shown on four screens at the Carmike Majestic, one more than in 2015 and double the inaugural year.
There are more entertainment options in the tent village outside the theater.
More films made by women, student and young filmmakers.
More encore screenings.
More music-centric works.
More. More. More.
"The quality of the stuff is higher, too," Dortch says. "Year one, there were a lot of regional submissions and local things. Now, it's insane how this thing has cracked the consciousness of even the film festival industry. We're getting a lot of things straight out of Sundance [Film Festival]."
This year's crop of 125 films - 50 feature and 75 short films - has been scheduled in themed blocks, such as a Tennessee Filmmaker Showcase, Laugh Track (comedic films), MES After Hours (horror/thriller), Sonic Cinema (music) and Truth Bombs (documentary).
All screenings will take place at the Carmike Majestic 12 today through Sunday, March 31 to April 3, with additional workshops and other events taking place across the street at the DoubleTree Hotel. The Hunter Museum of American Art will host the opening-night party.
Some of Dortch's personal highlights from the schedule include the opening-night screening of Tom Hiddleston-led Hank Williams biopic "I Saw the Light," home-brewed monster movie "Bad Blood" and Academy Award-nominated, Colombian-made documentary "Embrace of the Serpent."
"['Embrace of the Serpent'] is so good that after watching it, I felt like I'd seen a lost Stanley Kubrick film or something," Dortch says. "It's transcendentally good, and I'm really hoping people wander into that."
Planning the festival has probably given Dortch a few more gray hairs - "I'm 34, although after this year, I think I appear at least 79," he jokes - but seeing the festival filling an artistic void and being so well-received is more than worth the headaches, he says.
"I really don't have any complaints," he says. "Maybe that will change in a week after the four days of chaos that is the festival, but in this moment, I'm in a little bit of Frank Capra in 'It's a Wonderful Life' mode right now."
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.