(Editor’s Note: This story was written by Ruchira Rajan ’12)
An array of provocative and entertaining feature and short-fiction films resulted in sold-out screenings at the second annual Hamilton International Film Festival held this past weekend.
The village of Hamilton was brimming with film enthusiasts from far and wide for the festival, which also included panel discussions with filmmakers, a charity walk to benefit the Hamilton Food Cupboard, and a dance party at the Palace Theater.
The Aug. 5-8 festival was organized by Slater Brothers Entertainment (SBE), which was founded by Grant Slater ’91 and his brothers, Todd and Wade. Their father, Terry Slater, was the head hockey coach at Colgate University for 15 years.
“At Colgate University, my friends would fondly call me a “townie.” Today it feels great to give back to the community in which my brothers and I grew up,” said Grant Slater. “It was a tough task selecting the films as there were many more submissions this time around. However, we feel proud to see that all the films we screened touched a chord with the audience.”
Filmmaker Joe Berlinger ’83 greatly moved the audience at the Palace Theater with his award-winning documentary Crude, which focuses on the infamous “Amazon Chernobyl” environmental lawsuit.
After Crude and the short fiction film Wednesday were screened, Mark McKay ’91 and his band performed, providing the final touch to a red-carpet evening.
“In just a year, the film festival has become bigger with more award-winning documentaries like Crude and Race to Nowhere, ESPN films and short-fiction films,” said Todd Slater. “The fact that we had to turn people away and had sold-out screenings is a big deal in the film festival world.”
Chuck Fox ’70, manager of the Hamilton Movie Theater, where a majority of the films were shown, spoke glowingly about the festival’s impact.
“The Hamilton community’s response to the films, as witnessed by ticket sales, has been great,” he said. “It has been a matter of great prestige for a small well-knit community like ours to host an international film festival.”