Boulder City festival caters to moviegoers

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2006 | 8:30 a.m.

No big casinos, celebrity parades, posh parties or industry bigwigs.

When filmmaker Lee Lanier and his wife, Anita, wanted to start a film festival in Boulder City, they had a specific agenda: Involve the local community, coddle the filmmakers and have a good time.

To their surprise, it worked. Last year's inaugural Dam Short Film Festival drew more than 1,000 viewers who trekked to Boulder City to watch local, national and international shorts on a 9-foot-by-12-foot screen at the American Legion Hall.

Some viewings attracted as many as 100 moviegoers, some of whom stuck around to schmooze with the filmmakers.

This year, with more funding and a small cult following built up from post-festival monthly viewings, Lanier anticipates a bigger crowd for the festival, which begins Thursday with screenings at the American Legion Hall and parties at the Boulder Dam Hotel.

The festival features more than 100 films in various categories, including horror, documentary, drama, comedy and G-rated family films.

Though there are more offerings this year, Lanier said the festival will remain true to its small-town charm. That includes bringing in local artists to help with the awards and posters. Local artist Connie Ferraro, wife of Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro, created the posters. Boulder City resident Craig Corey made the awards.

"We're trying to separate ourselves from other festivals," said Lanier, who worked on the animated films "Shrek" and "Antz" before moving to Boulder City. "With Sundance, you have to fight tooth and nail to get a place to stay. Even if you beat out 3,000 people to get there, you're still treated like a second-class citizen."

On the other hand, Lanier said, "Some festivals are more industry related. Our festival is a little smaller so we're not going to have head hunters come in from L.A."

Lanier came to Boulder City from San Francisco. He had worked for Pacific Data Images/Dreamworks in Palo Alto, Calif., doing digital animation. He started the animation company BeezleBug Bit and took a job teaching at the Art Institute Las Vegas. A good chunk of his year is spent planning the festival.

"It's always encouraging when we have venues showing and promoting the short film," said David Schmoeller, director of UNLV's Short Film Archive Department. "Shorts are an underappreciated art form."

Some filmmakers use shorts as calling cards. Others consider them end results. Schmoeller said most filmmakers get their start in shorts.

Films from the UNLV program will be showcased at the Dam Short Film Festival.

Although UNLV has 450 students majoring in film, turnout at the university's weekly Festival of Shorts series (beginning this year on Feb. 14), is small.

Schmoeller is finishing a television pilot, "Fabulous Shorts From Las Vegas."

"It's a struggle to get a good sized audience," Schmoeller said, "even though our screenings are free and open to the public."

Roger Erik Tinch sees that changing.

"In the last two years, short films have become kind of an end-all because the way they could be distributed on the Internet, the new iPod and even cell phones," said Tinch, a local filmmaker and graphic designer. "Whereas a couple of years ago they could just be a stepping stone."

With shorts, he said, "You can tell stories in a lean, mean fashion."

Tinch, who uses shorts as training for features, brought his short psychological horror "Dwelling" to the Rhode Island International Film Festival and two shorts to CineVegas.

Tinch's "Better Masque," a 14-minute narrative about a man trying to cope after a mysterious "incident" by wearing a paper bag over his head, is one of eight films made by Nevada filmmakers at the Dam Short Film Festival.

It will be shown Thursday night and again Friday morning.

Some of the films feature such notable actors as Sandra Oh and Tom Hanks. Lanier said the festival received 362 submissions this year.

With a smile, he said, "I'm not an outgoing person. To run a festival is like throwing a four-day party for 2,000 people. But we just want to see it grow for the love of the short film."

Kristen Peterson can be reached at 259-2317 or at kristen@lasvegassun.com.