Are you someone who scoffs when the latest trailer for next summer's Hollywood blockbuster airs at the movie theater? Do you grind your teeth and roll your eyes at the sights and sounds of computer-generated explosions? Is dialogue and wit more important to you than A-list actors or a nine-figure budget? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you might have a case of Indie Fever.
Indie Fever, showing today at the Belcourt, is an independent film in itself, a nine-minute tongue-in-cheek public service announcement on the rising trend of individually created movies and the apparent "addiction" these filmmakers have for their hobby.
In today's world of pocket-sized digital cameras and worldwide networks like YouTube, anyone can take a stab at creating their own vision of life, and if other people like it, the opportunities for talented directors are limitless. With this notion, or maybe only the short period of Internet fame (Shoes, anyone?), in mind, thousands of aspiring creators are joining the independent film fray weekly, and interest in the hobby has never been stronger.
Indie Fever is simply a short film about this passion, and its poster even features a man sitting on the side of the road holding a piece of cardboard with the words "will direct for food" scrawled in black marker.
But Indie Fever is only a small part of a larger film festival taking place this weekend at the Belcourt. All day today and tomorrow, the Belcourt will host the Fylmz Festival, Fylmz.com's inaugural independent film competition. With a large selection of short films and a fair number of feature-length presentations, festival attendees are sure to find an antidote for their Indie Fever, even if it only lasts until the projector stops.
Indie Fever will be showing tonight at the Belcourt at 6 p.m. A full listing for all film times can be found under the events section of www.belcourt.org.
