Film Fest Next Ferndale Tradition

By, Crystal A. Proxmire

(Sept. 15, 2009)

Ferndale resident Bruce Race in costume for the festival. photo by Crystal Proxmire

Ferndale put its best face forward the first weekend in September 2009, with the first ever Ferndale Film Festival.  The event, which grew out of the Detroit Film Club and their meetings at Dino’s Lounge 22740 Woodward, featured over 30 films at a dozen locations through the city, along with workshops and discussion groups.  Profits from the festival will benefit Ferndale Youth Assistance, Michigan AIDS Coalition and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, though it is not yet clear how much money the event brought in.

“We consider it a big success,” said Dean Bach, owner of Dino’s Lounge and one of the Ferndale Film Festival’s founders.  “All the viewing venues were well attended and we got a lot of compliments from businesses that were involved.”

Festival attendees screened both long and short films at a diverse mix of Ferndale locations.  The Magic Bag, Blumz, The Post, Go Comedy, Affirmations, Rosie O’Grady’s, Dino’s Lounge, AJs Music Café, The Elks Club, The Ringwalk and Comos all hosted events, while Movies Under the Stars showed films in the Library parking lot and on a giant inflatable screen at Martin Road Park.

Greg Russell, host of the Movie Show Plus movie preview and interview show on TV20, and member of the Detroit Film Club, helped organize aspects of the event-filled Labor Day weekend.  “Dino and I been friends for years.  He and Bill Urich spoke a year ago about doing a movie night up at Dino’s.  ‘A movie night?’ Dino said.  ‘Hell, let’s just do a film festival.’ And that’s how it all got started,” according to Russell.

They along with other volunteers gathered a “top secret” committee of local film connoisseurs who began reviewing films.  They organized all the businesses and found local experts to host classes.  At Como’s Clay Smith talked about eco-friendly set design and a panel gave a talk on The Secrets of Guerilla Filmmaking.  Keith Faycheck, makeup artist for Wolfman Mac Chiller Drive In, did a zombie makeup demonstration and The Theatrical Combat Network overpowered crowds at the Ringwald with their amazing feats of stage-fighting.

Though the Film Festival is over for 2009, Bach and the rest of the film enthusiasts of Ferndale are already making plans for more ways to build up the local industry.  Bach reports that members are active in helping to find extras for the upcoming film Highland Park, and their Thursday night networking group, The Detroit Film Club, continues to be a place where experts and those hoping to get more involved can meet and support each other while “building up infrastructure to support this industry,” as Bach says.

For more information on the Ferndale Film Festival or Dino’s Lounge go to www.dinoslounge.com.

Greg Pawlica hands out materials at the Gorilla Film Making seminar, photo by C. Proxmire