The Oak Park Illinois Film Festival was a smash hit. There are so many people to thank that I cannot name names, only organizations, or this letter would be too long to print.
We received support from the village of Oak Park, the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society of Oak Park-River Forest, the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, the Oak Park Area Arts Council, the Park District of Oak Park, Downtown Oak Park, numerous local restaurants, and many volunteers. Sorry if I left anyone out. Madison Street Theater and the Lake Theatre were wonderful places to rent and went above and beyond, helping us in so many ways. We also had several business sponsors and individual supporters, and the vendors we used gave us great service. Thank you to them all. Hundreds of people purchased tickets.
The event was considered of regional interest. Not only did we have articles in two industry newsletters, but I was interviewed on three Chicago radio stations, including WGN. I was surprised and happy to find that four online media creators were there, creating coverage of the event, to appear soon.
Wednesday Journal gave us an excellent rate on paid advertising with good placement. We also had the opportunity to list our program in the calendar. However I must point out it is unfortunate that Wednesday Journal no longer has an arts critic in such an arts-oriented town; this important event drew hundreds of people, but did not receive a featured article or a review. I hope this is a situation will improve next year. I’m sure the paper could find some young, aspiring critic who would work for free admission, a byline and a very small stipend.
Finally, I must thank our Board of Directors, who put in an incredible amount of work for many months in order to make the magic of the weekend happen. I have to name them: Michael J. Awe, Jill Dahl, Eric Henry, Byron Leonard, Martha McGee, Chris Rooney, Timothy Sedlacek and Charlie Sweitzer.
I also want to thank our audience members for being so incredibly enthusiastic. There was a real sense of community and the biggest challenge of the weekend was ending people’s excited conversations between blocks in order to stay on schedule. It’s a wonderful problem to have when people are so enjoying being with other like-minded people and making connections. Some watched all 27 films and two industry panels, as well as enjoying the live music of the Miguel DeLeon Band and Ike and Shane Reilly.
If anyone is interested in volunteering or being an applicant for the board of directors, please email your interest to team@opilff.org. We will see all of you next September, if not before.
Joyce Porter
President, OPILFF Board of Directors