Christopher Coppola's
PAH-FEST, at first glance, seems like the type of project that would make him an outcast in his own (very famous, very talented) family. The "Project Accessible Hollywood" manifesto reads, in part:
We understand how entertainment has become a business of the few,
distributed to the many. Indeed, we have been part of this formula, and
it is not without merit. However, we believe the future of visual
storytelling will be built upon an open source methodology, accessible
to everyone: "Think it, Shoot it, Share it." Look around you, the
change is already happening, but how will you participate?
His week-long PAH-FESTs have now occured in four US cities and four European ones, and one is happening here this week.
PAH-FEST: Motown runs through July 22, bringing a plethora of digital film-making opportunities and speakers to Livonia's Madonna University. Festival director and Madonna professor Sue Boyd first encountered Coppola via his
blog. She advocated bringing the event to Detroit after she and several students participated in PAH-FEST: New Mexico last year. She says, "Christopher believes Hollywood will be dead soon and wants to give people a chance to tell their own story."
The main feature of PAH-FEST is MOBIFLICKS, in which seven preselected teams comprised of people from all different backgrounds and geographies shoot six minute videos which are then judged. The videos will be screened and awards distributed on Sunday, July 22 at 6 pm.
On Thursday, July 19, the public is invited to compete in a cell phone art competition. Boyd says, "Come to campus and we will loan you a cell phone with video or you can use your own." Coppola will announce a topic about which participants shoot an un-edited one-minute video that will be judged against its peers.
That same day, at 7 pm, the festival will screen
Out of Sight followed by a talk from its writer, the prolific and legendary Elmore "Dutch" Leonard.
On Saturday, Coppola will screen a couple of his films at 7 pm followed by a talk.
All events will be streamed live at
PAHnation.comBoyd says the festival is important to Madonna as it wraps up the construction of a new TV studio on campus. "We want to bring movies into it, and bring on Christopher as an advisor."
For his part, Coppola seems to be enjoying his first visit to Detroit. "There's a lot of stories here, a lot of mixed culture. That's why we're here." Commenting on a walk around the city, he said, "I liked the energy there, people are down-to-earth and hardworking." He even shares a whimsical idea that caught his fancy: building an amusement park on Zug Island.
I'd totally buy a ticket for that.
Source: Sue Boyd, Madonna University and PAH-FEST: Motown and Christopher Coppola, PAH-FEST Nation
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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