Scott Paul Dunham - Post 3: Thanks to Our Sponsors
Posted By: Scott Paul Dunham
Posted: 6/22/2009
Putting on a film festival for our community means saying Thank You to a whole lot of talented, dedicated people who deserve so much more credit and recognition than can be written out in a blog. It's just too much. Beyond our army of great volunteers who put the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival together, we try to recognize those organizations who offer their support, through contributions of cash, products, services and promotion. It's literally true to say we can’t do this without them.
You need many things to put on a successful event. Foremost is a great location. Returning this year is our host, Wayne State University, whose great campus is full of perfect venues for holding key events and screening films. Being partnered with a great educational institution like WSU fits our goals for education and working with young people.
And to further support our education focus, the College for Creative Studies hosts our TechFair for the second year. The TechFair is what makes the DWIFF unique among festivals, by offering a series of free workshops that cover a wide range of topics and skills. CCS is an amazing place with a long history of creativity and innovation, making this the perfect location for the TechFair.
The Detroit Public Library Main Branch is a classic building, with great activities year round for the public. We are proud to offer our "DWIFF for Kids" program there again this year, with films and workshops… all free!
Our location in Wayne County has been a great benefit to the DWIFF. Mr. Robert Ficano is a strong supporter of this year's festival. Wayne County believes in our creative culture and our native abundance of talent. In fact, at the opening reception, Mr. Ficano is expected to present an award to an area musician, Julian Pavone, who will be performing at the reception. Julian is an accomplished rock drummer who has been featured on such television shows as Martha Stewart, Maury Povich, Oprah (twice) and has been covered by news companies all over the world. Oh, did I mention that Julian is only 5 years old?
That's another thing you need for a cool and exciting festival – TALENT. We have a bunch of it – musicians, artists and of course, filmmakers! We're excited to offer a selection of Michigan made films in this year's program, including a World Premiere on Saturday of "The Rain", starring Dee Wallace-Stone, Richard Lynch and David Carradine, in one of his last films.
Of course, we also need money. Many companies and individuals have helped the DWIFF, and we're especially grateful to Macprofessionals of Novi and Toronto's IC Technology, who recently opened a new office in Detroit's TechTown. These companies are the top sponsors of the TechFair. We are also GREEN this year, thanks to Carbon Credit Environmental Services and Chrysler, who donated the use of four GEM cars for our use.
The last thing we need is YOU. To come down and take part in the festival. See some films, attend a workshop, join in a panel discussion- and have a good time! And for that, we…
…Thank You!
See you at the DWIFF.