SELECTED Officially

Flagstaff International Film Festival premiere promises a platform for filmmakers around the world

MATTHEW HAYDEN

On Aug. 26 and 27, a collection of more than 50 short films from storytellers around the world will be debuted at the inaugural Flagstaff International Film Festival (FIFF). The event bookends a season of innovative art festivals that have brought in diverse voices with unique perspectives for a community that can’t get enough. It is the mission of FIFF to “provide opportunities to connect artists with our community by showcasing exceptiona works from filmmakers locally and around the world,” and if the founders’ sheer determination speaks at all to the future success of this film festival, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

For Brianna Frisbey, FIFF’s executive director being a filmmaker has always been a calling. With over a decade of experience running film sets, running a film festival felt like a natural transition. “It just felt like some- thing I gravitated toward,” Frisbey said. “Even when I left filmmaking, it felt like either I found my way back to it or it found me, and here we are.”

Over the years, Frisbey has lived and worked in states all across the west, but it was living back in Arizona where she met her creative partner and FIFF COO, Jamie Selestewa. Born in Flagstaff and raised in Tuba City, Selestewa has lived her n insp and g, entire life in northern Arizona, creating beautiful and dynamic art inspired by the landscapes of the Colorado Plateau her Native American heritage. Recently, she’s taken a deep dive into the world of filmmaking, and the two friends began considering what an international film festival based in Flagstaff might look like. “People from all over the world come here, the tourism, you have the university here,” Frisbey said. “We thought, Flagstaff is a place where this would be well received. We didn’t really know what we were hoping for, so we just kind of started.”

Starting meant finding a financia expert to head the festival’s business affairs, and through the ever-reliable Flagstaff friendship machine, the duo turned into a trio when they brought Bridget Bogle into the fold. Bogle has lived in Flagstaff since 1986 and for the last 20 years, she has done financial and operational management for real estate offices around town. When she isn’t working, she is engaging with the arts community, going to plays at Theatrikos supporting local artists at Art Walk and navigating the bureaucracy of starting a non-profit organization on a shoe-string budget with a tight deadline

Frisbey said usually, festivals like this take at least a year to get things organized; the FIFF team had 10 months. They had 10 months to find sponsors and a venue, 10 months to market their festival to the community and filmmakers around the world, 10 months to watch at mon ep do g- and curate their film selections and 10 months to execute every step of their plan on time, all while holding down their regular, to

The prospect of this challenge alone s enough to make some walk away, but Frisbey, Selestewa and Bogle, with their do-it-yourself attitude and “Years from jo pr one an yo se passion for film, looked at the task that was laid before them and said, “Watch this.”

From the beginning, they did things differently. Rather than paying their film-submission platform, FilmFreeway’s exorbitant marketing rates, they joined filmmaking groups online.

“We just joined like every Facebook group that had anything to do with film,” Selestewa said. “And then, locally, if somebody knew a filmmaker friend or whatever, we’d be like, ‘Hey, submit. Tell these people you know, submit your movie.’”

And boy, did they submit.

By the time their application window closed, they had curated 55 films out of what Bogle had described as “way more than 50,” which is enough to fill each day of the festival with stories from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and if that wasn’t enough, every film selected will be available to be streamed online from all around the world through their partner Filmocracy.com.

“We want to be known as a hybrid film festival,” Frisbey said, “and being able to offer these films virtually, it just benefits the audiences and the filmmakers because the filmmakers can get more exposure.”

“Also, they’re international,” Selestewa added, “so if somebody can’t make it here, their family wants to see it or whatever, they still have access to that.”

The wider movement towards hybrid film festivals demonstrates a concerted effort by festival administrators to democratize the film-going experience and make cinematic art more accessible in general. Another way that FIFF is leveling the playing field is by bringing in field professionals to teach their craft. This year they have brought in Erika Ervin, a renowned actress and advocate for the transgender community who is best known for her roles in American Horror Story, Hemlock Grove and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to lead a free acting workshop for all festival goers. This allages event, which will be held on Aug. 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., sets a standard that FIFF hopes to build on after their first year now – we want to work toward it – we want to become an institution like our icons at Sundance and be able to offer mentorship programs and grants to aspiring filmmakers so that they can make their passion project,” Frisbey said.

Selestewa continued, “We want to do more workshops and stuff like that throughout the year you know, like acting or writing, just for the community that has given so much.”

The three feel incredibly proud of their accomplishments and are grateful for the help they’ve received along the way from friends, family and local businesses. They acknowledge that they have more to learn but ultimately, they hope their festival gives filmmakers a platform to tell their stories and share their visions.

“Even with comedy and drama and science fiction films, they can still represent life and help people change society’s opinions and thoughts about things,” Frisbey said. “It’s important.”

TheFlagstaffInternationalFilmFestivalwillbe hostedattheOrpheumTheaterfromAug.26–27 Thefestivalstartseachdayat10:30a.m. andendsaround6:30p.m.Forthoseunableto attendthein-personscreenings,thefilmswill beavailableonlineatFilmocracy.comfromAug. 26–Sep 1.Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreorto buyticketstothefestival,youcanvisitFIFF’s websiteatflagstaffinternationalfilmfestival. comorpurchaseticketsdirectlyfromtheOrpheumatorpheumflagstaff.com.