Pollen

Tom O'malley, Executive Director of ACEFEST

Tom O’malley is the Executive Director of ACFEST, a film festival native to New York City started in 2006.

Hi Tom. Tell us a little about your film festival. Why’s it called ACEFEST?

ACEFEST (formerly ACE Film Festival) is an annual event held in New York City in celebration of the American Cinematic Experience. We handpick a program of domestic independent films from hundreds of submissions each year. Although the patriotic element of our festival has been a major point of interest for many of our followers and an attractive topic for much of the press we’ve received, we’re actually expanding our reach this year to the global market. Being in such a politically pertinent time, we feel like international cohesiveness should be our mission – opposed to singling out our own country. Nationalism has started a lot of conflicts in world history and we don’t believe in contributing to that – especially at this point in time.

Why did you choose to start ACEFEST?

My business partner, Luke, and I are filmmakers by nature. Having moved to Manhattan after attending a relatively small-town college, I found myself intimidated by the grandeur of the “independent” productions being filmed throughout the City. Although I still consider my time with ACEFEST a “hiatus” from filmmakng, I simply need cinema to be pumping through my veins in one form or another at all times.

How would you describe the current state of American independent film?

Prudent. They say there are two recession-proof industries: entertainment and the Mafia. However, whether or not independent film falls into the category of “entertainment” is yet to be determined. Both corporate and private funding resources are reluctant to put their money on any project that isn’t a sure thing. So unless your indie film’s lead actress is Maryl Streep, you either need to lower your production standards or join the Mafia.

At what point in film making history did independent film really become a viable industry?

From what I understand, there was a trust in the early 1900’s looming over the film industry. All motion pictures had to be produced and distributed under this trust – which meant they essentially had to be made by Kodak or one of the other big dogs in the yard. Thomas Edison, strangely enough, owned most of the patents for technology necessary to produce a move – so he made out like a bandit. In reaction to this system filmmakers started making low-budget shorts and features and distributing them locally on their own dime. Many say these bad-asses were the pioneers of independent cinema.

Any particular directors that you feel pioneered American independent film?

The biggest name that was there from the beginning would have to be Charlie Chaplin. There may have been others before him but he was the first to draw major attention to independent productions.

How many submissions did you get last year? Based on the submissions you get, is there a popular topic that filmmakers like to try out?

We don’t generally divulge actual numbers. I will tell you we exceeded our projections significantly. It will be interesting to see what effect the current state of the economy has on our entries this year. Our submissions are heavy in documentaries, by far. They can often be the cheapest to make, involve the smallest crews and get the most serious attention at festivals – so the conditions are ideal, really.

The improvement and accessibility of film technology has really broadened the scope of filmmakers out there. How do you feel about that?

Being able to make a feature-length movie for under $1,000 truly has saturated the market. This isn’t a bad thing. It has caused filmmakers to step up their game that much more and create works that are that much better. The desire to not get lost in the increasingly populous industry can act as the ultimate motivator.

Where’s the future of American Independent film heading?

As I mentioned before, the economy is dictating where a lot of industries are heading right now. We may see trends in a new direction such as more web-only films, TV shows and video podcasts. Filmmakers are artists and they will always find a way to create.