It’ll be nothing short of an extreme makeover. Powell River Film Festival is being reinvented this year and organizers hope the state-of-the-art equipment at Patricia Theatre will give it a new feel.
The 2013 festival will run from Tuesday, February 19 through Sunday, February 24. Nikolaj Arcel’s 2012 film, A Royal Affair, will open the festival. It’s a historical drama about the court of mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark, and focuses on the romance between the queen and the royal physician Johann Friedrich Struensee.
Jan Padgett, festival organizer, said that to compensate for the smaller capacity at the Patricia, the festival will run longer than it usually does, more films will be screened and both the opening and closing films will be shown twice. Padgett promises that as always the festival will have “powerful documentaries to inspire and enrich.”
Organizers are retaining the Arts Mosaic, an exhibit of local art and artists, live music, receptions and community displays. They will be held down the hill from the Patricia Theatre at Dwight Hall.
Padgett said that while they are planning to run the same contests as they have in previous festivals, they are making small changes. The 5-Minute Film Contest, a competition for young film makers, has the addition of an under-15 age bracket. Winners of the competition will receive a discounted entry into the festival’s Adventures in Film Camp. Deadline for submissions is January 11, 2013.
Another change for this year’s festival is that organizers are limiting the number of festival passes to 75. Festival pass holders will be given reserved priority seating up to 15 minutes before the show begins. Because the Patricia’s capacity is quite a bit smaller compared to the Evergreen Theatre at Powell River Recreation Complex, Padgett is encouraging festival goers to purchase their passes and tickets in advance because they will sell out quickly.
“People are used to a 700-person theatre,” said Padgett. “We don’t want people to be disappointed.”
Passes are on sale at Breakwater Books and Coffee, Patricia Theatre and online for $85 each.
For more information about the festival or how to enter the contests, readers can visit the festival’s revamped website or call 604.414.9758.
