""You keep everyone on campus, have them fed, give them water, give them drinks, and people stay to watch another movie and talk between screenings," festival associate director Emma Hannaway told me. "We want people to go out and explore Baltimore-have a morning or something-but most of your time should be spent here, and that's what we like." The entire fest is contained to one city block in the Station North neighborhood,"
""The campus approach seemed to work: the same faces could be seen everywhere on that stretch of Charles Street from noon to well past two am every day. While a party atmosphere pervades the burgeoning festival, the dance floor at the after-parties has more people huddled talking about the day's screenings than actually dancing; the energy always wraps back around to the screen.""
Begun as a scrappy response to the Maryland Film Festival cancelling its 2023 edition, New/Next ran its third edition in Baltimore from October 2 to 5 and announced a return next fall. The event attracted over 300 filmmakers to screenings at The Charles Theater, a nearby filmmaker lounge, and opening and closing night parties at Metro Gallery. Organizers used a campus-style layout confined to one city block to keep attendees on site with food and drink, promoting consecutive screenings and conversation. After-parties emphasized film discussion over dancing. A new student engagement program brought 40 high school and college students and included a brunch with opening night filmmakers.
Read at Filmmaker Magazine
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