Monday hosted the first round of screenings for the 50th annual Athens International Film and Video Festival at the Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St., which was met with resounding success. The associate director of the cinema, Phoenix Lacombe, said that approximately 30 people attended each screening throughout the day.
“(That turnout) is really good for day one on a Monday, especially when the weather is beautiful,” Lacombe said. “People want to spend their time outside, but they’re choosing to spend it inside.”
Lacombe has been working at the Athena Cinema since 2018, with this being her fifth year working during the festival, and she has always enjoyed seeing the community response to the theater’s events.
“I love seeing the community members come out … and just seeing everyone smile,” she said. “I like seeing the lobby packed, it just brings a really good energy to the theater.”
Not only do Athens locals encourage the festival, but members of the film community also come out to show their support. Ari Gaub is a freshman film major who attended multiple screenings on the first day, and is planning on coming back throughout the week.
“I plan to come here everyday and watch some (films),” Gaub said. “My parents are coming so we’re gonna go see a bunch of stuff on Friday and the animation block on Saturday.”
One of Gaub’s films, “The Escape,” will be screened during the O-Hi-O block on Friday, an opportunity that she discovered while applying to Ohio University last year.
“It’s about these two brothers in a toxic home environment, and I’m using this running deer animation that I made alongside of it to represent how these brothers are trying to comfort themselves and also escape the toxic life that they’re living in, which is similar to how the deer is trying to escape global warming or habitat destruction,” said Gaub.
Gaub is not only excited to be a part of the festival as a way to further her career, but also to learn from the international representation that the festival promotes.
Another student with a film in the festival is Kat Frazier, a sophomore studying film who has been a part of festival staff for the past two years.
“I really like the culture that (the festival) builds, and it brings a lot of people in to see experimental film, which is not something you typically see,” she said.
Frazier feels that the Athena is the perfect location for the festival.
“I think that the Athena itself is really important to the student body since they host so many events and they garner such a community within the theater,” she said.
Frazier said that she is looking forward to both the Cecilia Condit event and the O-Hi-O block on Friday, along with the animation block on Saturday.
“I’m a filmmaker myself so watching other films inspires me and my work,” she said. “It’s always refreshing to see work I’ve never seen before and meet new artists when they come into Athens.”
The first day of the Athens International Film and Video Festival bodes well for the rest of the week's events, about which more information can be found on the festival’s website.
