For Cinema Columbus Festival Director Brett Reiter, the four-day festival is, in part, about letting audiences know that films are being made right here in central Ohio.
鈥淓ven years before Cinema Columbus began, people were making shorts and making films. All of this was happening in your zip code, and you may not have known,鈥� Reiter said.
Cinema Columbus features 45 shorts, features and documentary films. Sixteen of those were made in Ohio, Reiter said.
The festival kicks off Wednesday with a 7 p.m. showing of 鈥�False Positive鈥� at the Southern Theatre.
The documentary tells the story of Butch Reynolds, 鈥渢he fastest man in the world." Reynolds, an Akron native, went to The Ohio State University and set the record for the 400-meter dash, but his career was derailed by a botched drug test.
鈥淭his was made by an actor and filmmaker, and is about to come out on ESPN as a 30-for-30 documentary, which is an incredible feat,鈥� Reiter said.
Reiter joked that he鈥檚 biased and when he highlights films in the festival programming, saying he points to 鈥渁ll the local names.鈥�
The feature film 鈥淪ofa, So Good,鈥� was filmed and produced in Dayton and follows two cousins as they move a couch across the city. It鈥檚 showing at 7 p.m. on Friday at Studio 35 Cinema and Drafthouse.
Showcasing Shorts
The festival also features two blocks of locally made short films at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Drexel Theatre and 1 p.m. Saturday at Gateway Film Center. Two more showings highlight films made outside Ohio.
Reiter said that the shorts are 鈥渇ull of life and so uniquely interesting.鈥�
鈥淚 think shorts blocks and shorts programs really offer audiences a chance to get a taste of what it's like happening out there, versus seeing a 90-minute feature,鈥� Reiter said.
Often overlooked by average filmgoers, Reiter noted that short films are often filmmakers first opportunities to 鈥渟ink their teeth in and get their feet wet.鈥�
鈥淥nly when I started working in festivals did I understand, sort of, that they are the building block for feature films,鈥� Reiter said.
Meeting audiences where they are
Several years out from the pandemic, reports question whether audiences are returning to theatres to see movies. Reiter admitted that he doesn鈥檛 exactly know how to attract audiences, especially when the independent films at Cinema Columbus largely don鈥檛 have recognizable names attached.
鈥淪o, that's kind of a fun challenge for us at the festival to sort of start fresh with everyone's preconceived notions about what going to the movies means,鈥� Reiter said.
The three-year-old festival sprawls over half a dozen theatres across the city. Reiter said that provides the opportunity to meet audiences where they鈥檙e at 鈥� quite literally.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been fun to see what neighborhoods respond to what types of programming,鈥� he said.
For example, Reiter said, audiences at the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington aren鈥檛 necessarily looking for the same experience as those at the Drexel Theatre in Bexley.
"That's kind of a fun challenge for us at the festival to sort of start fresh with everyone's preconceived notions about what going to the movies means."- Cinema Columbus Festival Director Brett Reiter
Growing together
Columbus is home to a fairly robust filmmaking community, but it鈥檚 focused largely on producing commercials. Still, independent filmmakers do work on narrative and creative projects.
Reiter said that it鈥檚 his hope that Cinema Columbus and central Ohio鈥檚 independent film community can grow together.
鈥淪o, the film community brings their work to the festival and shows up to the festival, and the festival shows that work, and it's a cycle,鈥� Reiter said. 鈥淚've definitely sensed a growth and more eyes and attention turned to local independent film over the past couple of years.鈥�
As for this year鈥檚 festival programming, Reiter said there鈥檚 something for everyone.
鈥淚f you like horror, if you like comedy, if you like, you know, mockumentary. There's most likely something for you at this festival, and I sort of want it to always be that way,鈥� Reiter said.
The festival runs through Sunday, with showings at the Southern Theatre, Drexel Theatre, Gateway Film Center, Grandview Theatre & Drafthouse, McConnell Arts Center, Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse and Wexner Center for the Arts.
