12 North Shore Towers Courier n September 2016 Talking Pictures The 4th Annual SFF@NST (Short Film Festival at North Shore Towers) takes place this month in the Towers Cinema over two nights, Tuesday, September 13, and Thursday, September 29. Founded by Marilyn Chris Wallace and her husband, Lee, the event has grown to be a major player on the short film circuit, known around the world, as evinced by the international selections among this year’s slate of screen gems, hailing from such global spots as Russia, Israel, France, Spain and the UK. “We used to have to hunt down films and convince filmmakers to submit their work” explained Chris Wallace of the herculean task the SFF@NST committee—Marilyn and Lee, Fred Chernow and Robert and Marilyn Eagle—had to undertake to find the choice crop of movies chosen each year. “This year, we started getting unsolicited submissions sent to us.’ 686 films were reviewed for the 4th annual affair. Chris Wallace awoke at 5 a.m. and spent three hours each morning screening films. “There are some that you know after a few minutes, they’re not for us,” she said. “Brazilian hookers in a haunted house…” Chris Wallace replies to every submission, thanking the filmmakers. “99% of the time, I receive a ‘Thank you,’ from filmmakers for considering their film,” she revealed. “On the rare occasion, I get a, ‘What do you mean?’ if a film isn’t chosen for inclusion.” The SFF@NST has become the “hot-ticket” event of the year. Both evenings of last year’s affair were “Standing-room only,” with residents having to be turned away at the door. But the popularity of the SFF@NST didn’t quite set in for Marilyn until she began getting stopped in the Arcade. “Oh, I know you!” a resident would exclaim. “You bring class here!” The Filmmakers of the 4th Annual SFF@NST open up about their creations BY STEPHEN VRATTOS Photo by Stephen Vrattos Here’s what the filmmakers had to say about themselves and their work … Films Showing on Tuesday, September 13 APALACHICOLA by John Wakeford Francis—An oysterman’s daughter returns home to Florida’s Forgotten Coast after her final tour of duty in Afghanistan. Concerned by her father’s failing health and her brother’s depression, she delays a promising job opportunity to get her family back on their feet. In the process, she rediscovers herself, her family, and the coastal community she grew up in. How did you find yourself getting into filmmaking? I took a philosophy class in college, which used films as an avenue for teaching different theories. This way of watching films sparked my interest in filmmaking as an art form that could communicate larger ideas, rather than to simply entertain people. I dove further into cinema, discovering filmmakers like Jean Luc Godard, Wong Kar Wei, Lars Von Trier and Richard Linklater. I fell in love with the stories they told, and the feelings and thoughts they created in me. These filmmakers helped me find my voice, personally and artistically. They have inspired me to work through my own questions and conflicts through the same medium. What inspired you to make this film? The idea for APALACHICOLA came from my own struggle to find a balance between my responsibilities to my family and my desire to begin my career. Especially in rural communities, people are faced with the binary choice of staying in their hometown, where there isn’t a lot of opportunity, and saying goodbye to family and friends, so they can fulfill their potential. Leaving home can sometimes be seen as abandoning your roots, and I wanted to explore this tension. I’m not sure what the solution is, but a part of me feels like the choice doesn’t have to be so black and white. What do you hope to achieve with this film? I just hope people will connect with it in some way; perhaps identify with one of the characters, see their loved ones in the other characters. Hopefully it will help folks empathize with others. What’s next in your career? I’m currently writing a feature length script, which will be completed by January 1. I edit television for a living, so I will continue doing that as well. I enjoy doing the work, and it’s a good way to support my family—I’m a proud father of 3 young kids. SFF@NST Founder, Marilyn Chris Wallace
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