Published: April 23, 2008 03:17 pm            

Looking to third year

DUNCAN — It’s only been four months since the Trail Dance Film Festival was held, but preparation is already under way for the 2009 event.

Trail Dance Director Anthony Foreman said plans are in the making for an even bigger and better show.

The festival, only 2 years old, has already claimed national attention and was listed in the spring 2008 edition of Movie Maker, an industry trade magazine, as one of “25 festivals worth the entry fee.”

Foreman is more than ecstatic at the success the event has garnered during its early years.

“It’s very exciting,” he said. “It’s fun to see something that started as dream become a reality.”

But planning for an award-winning spectacle — the festival also claimed title to the 2007 RedBud award for Outstanding New Event — takes a little bit of time and money.

Next year’s theme, “Film is Magic,” will bring in a larger awards show than ever, with some top-notch Arizona magicians and maybe a Hollywood and Nashville star, should everything work out, Foreman said.

Anther push will be a focus on getting youth more involved in making movies. While the direction festival organizers will take is still undecided, they know getting more students interested is a goal they want to accomplish.

“We want to get local students involved in submitting films into our high school category because there’s that scholarship at stake,” Foreman said.

The scholarship helps the winner of the high school category offset the expenses of college in an effort to help him or her gain further training and education.

And, while rising fuel costs have had an effect on some travelers, Foreman said he’s not worried that the economy will keep people away.

“We’ve seen growth just in the past two years,” he said.

Besides dressing up next year’s awards show, filmmakers can expect a better meet-and-greet with one another and the festival’s founders.

“It just gives the filmmakers a chance to get accustomed to all the surrounding and each other,” Foreman said about the need to provide more of an interaction between entrants.

Though most of the festival is funded by state and federal grants, Foreman said they will still be looking for local donations to help with other expenses that will be coming up.

For information about the festival, call Foreman at 580-470-9330. A call for submissions will begin in June.

        

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