Misstropolis

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

IFFBoston’s Secret Weapon: Volunteers

by Rebecca Dorr

Email to a friendPrint this article

Tearing ticket stubs. Hawking merchandise. Picking up trash. No one said being a volunteer was easy.

But so many enthusiasts wanted to donate time to the Independent Film Festival of Boston this year that they had to start a waiting list. Festival volunteers number close to 150, and though they might have to answer the same questions over and over again (“Passes to the right, tickets to the left!”), a good percentage return year after year for more. So, what’s so great about being an IFFBoston volunteer anyway?

Though volunteering is never overtly glamorous, there is certain allure to working at what is fast becoming Boston’s premiere festival. “It’s not like other volunteering jobs where you get stuck stuffing envelopes,” says Beth Curran, who works daytime in the financial district and is a member of Boston’s Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. “It’s exciting, and you are the face of the festival. People come to you for everything.” Curran, a volunteer captain, admits she was first attracted to the work as a way to see more film; volunteers are given access to almost any IFFBoston screening. But along the way, she has met people who share her love for cinema, making it worth all the weekend shifts at the Somerville Theatre.

“Sometimes it’s crazy, and we’re asking a lot of the volunteers,” says Dan McCallum, veteran volunteer coordinator. “So we try and make it enjoyable and laid back and as much fun as we can… Without them, we’re nothing.” Nancy Campbell, who works as a festival organizer, concurs. “We’ve been really lucky. The volunteers are so awesome. I don’t have words to express it.”

It’s a good bet that the loyalty of the volunteer corps comes in part from constant encouragement from year-round staffers (incidentally, also volunteers) who make a point to acknowledge their efforts. Susie Eldred has worked at every IFFB except the first, and is always impressed at the even-handed tone organizers set for the festival. They’re friendly and passionate about what they do, and they embrace volunteers as a part of the team. The effect is contagious: “They take good care of the people who work for them…it makes you want to come back,” she says.

Filmmaker Naomi Greenfield volunteered for several years while simultaneously producing her first feature-length documentary, TWISTED: A Balloonamentary, which scored a spot on this year’s lineup. “It’s the realization of all my hard work to come back and show it here,” she says. Plus, she has a soft spot for the fest’s “homey,” unpretentious vibe. Veteran volunteer Heather Eades, a unit manager at WGBH, seconds that notion, calling the festival operation refreshingly down-to-earth: “It doesn’t take itself too seriously. I think that’s why it’s successful.” Even Dan McCallum, who’s a relative newbie to the fest scene says he’s never felt like an outsider, and neither should anyone else. “We try to give everyone as much respect as we can. I like to think that no one feels like [just] a volunteer.”

So the free movies are great. The people are swell. The atmosphere is fun and cool and exciting and relaxed, all at once. But still, if you’re a volunteer, you’re giving up your time. For free. There’s got to be something more, no? Like Beth Curran, Nancy Campbell thinks it has a lot to do with finding community in an increasingly disjointed world. The festival, she says, provides likeminded people an opportunity to get together, talk about films, and find a kind of kinship. “People don’t want to sit at home and rent a video and be by themselves all the time,” she says. “This is inherently human; it’s about going to a place and sharing an experience.”

Heather Eades and her roommate Isaure Mignotte would agree. They met as volunteers at an IFFBoston after-party three years ago. Eades was assisting the bartender at a novelty ice bar (“All the drinks were sliding around!) and Mignotte was a glorified trash lady, special uniform and everything. They struck up a conversation and had an instant connection; they moved in together last September. Will they keep volunteering? No doubt about it, says Eades. As long as she lives in the city, she says, she’ll be an IFFB volunteer.

And as long as those volunteers keep coming, the fest should continue its ascent in Boston’s film world and beyond. IFFBoston may be a 100 percent volunteer operation, but you’d never know it, say McCallum: “We pull off a damn good event. It doesn’t seem rinky-dink.” That, he says, is the greatest testament to the people involved.

2007 IFFBoston volunteer and staff picks:

Beth Curran: Monkey Warfare. “It’s about aging hippie types, ‘70s-era radical revolutionaries living off the grid. To me, it’s Cambridgeport, or what living in Somerville was like before rent control went away.”

Naomi Greenfield: Monster Camp. “It falls into the quirky subculture documentary. I guess I’m interested in [selections] in the same genre as my film!” (see poster)

Susie Eldred: Any Documentary! “Sometimes, I just like to go and see what’s playing, without planning ahead, and I’ve never been disappointed. It’s a fun way to be surprised.”

Dan McCallum: On Broadway. “I’m a huge Buffy fan from back in the day. Eliza Dushku is going to be at the festival, so I’m psyched.” (See title image)

Nancy Campbell: Lake of Fire. “Evenhanded doc about abortion. Topically difficult, but it’s an amazing film.”
(Picture of Winona from The Ten)

The Independent Film Festival of Boston runs April 25-April 30 at the Somerville Theatre, Coolidge Corner Theatre, and Brattle Theatre. See http://www.iffboston.org for a full line-up and festival passes.