AWESOME FILM FESTIVAL ALERT!

 

 

Film festivals, if not exactly a dime a dozen, are nonetheless plentiful. For every TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) and Sundance — and that sponsor-baccanalia called The Tribeca Film Festival— there are hundreds of others in cities and small towns across America. Even tiny Milford, PA, best known as WONDERLUST World Headquarters, has one.

 

But perhaps the coolest, and most spunky, takes place in an iconic American Legion Hall, Post 43, on Highland Avenue in Los Angeles. CREDO 23 proudly bills itself as “the first film festival where no AI is allowed, and all the net proceeds are granted to the accepted filmmakers,” which is certainly plenty cool and very refreshing right there, but understates its lineage. This festival, in its second year this March 27 – 29, was founded by filmmaker and actress Justine Bateman, Matthew Weiner, who created Mad Men and wrote for The Sopranos, director and cinematographer Reed Morano, actress Juliette Lewis and famed costume designer Arianne Phillips. These are the parents you’d want if you were a film festival.

 

 

 

 

 

They are the true believers. At a time when the movie business is in all kinds of convulsions — most chiefly, suffering from a very chronic case of lack of imagination — CREDO 23 is a blast of intoxicatingly fresh air, romantically rather than naively seeking out and presenting movies with original, daring and vastly entertaining stories.

 

Justine, who is also the Festival Director, says she’s “amazed” to get to world premiere several of the films. “I cannot believe other festivals hadn’t already snapped them up,” she says and lists short films Stay in the Car, Life Release and First Dates as examples.

 

“In 2023, hence the “23” in the name, I realized that people were going to want a kind of ‘organics stamp’ for films where they are assured that no AI was used,” explains Justine. “A year or so later, I saw those larger film festivals embrace AI and AI companies. A lot of different and creative films have come through film festivals over the past 30 years — if the film festivals themselves were going to be overrun with the sameness of AI-incorporated ‘content’, then there will be little hope of new genres emerging in film.”

 

She admits to not knowing the precise numbers but said one large festival director told her that about one third of the movies they were exhibiting “clearly incorporated AI.”

 

 

 

 

At any rate, the use of AI in new films is shockingly widespread and a few of the big film festivals have incorporated AI companies like Sora and Midjourney into the festival itself, and AI films are specifically solicited and showcased.

 

“Another friend, who is a film school professor, said that most of the student submissions are AI, which is depressing. Begs the question why they want to go to film school if they’re not even of the mind to make their submission sample themselves,” she says.

 

“I wanted to ensure there was a place that was still supporting real filmmakers creatively and financially, so I established the festival. I also set up the 501 c3 CREDO 23 Foundation, so we could grant the net proceeds to the filmmakers each year. I don’t believe any other film festival does that.”

 

And the CREDO 23 certificate is prized as authentication of a completely human made movie. Filmmakers and show-runners can apply for the CREDO 23 stamp at www.credo23.com.

 

The Festival’s purpose is not only to find AI unadulterated movies, it’s “picking films that move the creative ball down the field,” stresses Justine. “That means we are just looking at the work, and nothing else. If a film gets into the C23FF, it’s because it was excellent, avoided clichés, and was better than it needed to be.”

 

So, no ski slopes, no trying to get into Nobu in Tribeca (they’re laughing at you just for trying, believe me) and no strolls on the ocean-edge promenade in Cannes. But you do get a delicious smorgasbord of brilliant, energetic films keeping the faith in flawed humans telling flawed stories. In one building. (And, you know, there’s a cocktail reception too…)

 

This year, the organizers are adding a forum where established filmmakers present some of their work and discuss how they made it, their process and their journey. Gus Van Zandt, Sean Baker and Matthew Weiner are participating. 

 

And those folks know what they’re talking about

 

 

 

Passes are on sale now at http://www.credo23filmfest.com/

 

Questions: info@credo23filmfest.com