by Spencer Moon

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Q & A with Festival Director Asante Addae

Give me a brief history of the IBFF?
Addae: I have a background in animation. I have done 3D animation. I produced a couple of 3D animated short subjects. I also did some animated training films for Tavis Smiley (PBS-TV Host). I did the festival circuit and saw that there were not a lot a festival's to which I could submit my projects. That was part of the impetus. I saw an opportunity to tie the black perspective and technology together with a festival. I saw the advances in music, technology, and the black experience as a way to develop a festival. There is always going to be something new. Those were the things that spurred the whole idea.

What is your biggest achievement in this year's festival over last year's?
Addae: The awards show. This year we gave away more awards. We gave away more than a dozen awards. We gave awards to people who are not usually recognized.

Are you interested in getting some films to screen in schools as an audience development tool? Yes, definitely. Our youth program is a priority. We are already a non-profit. We will be getting our 501c3 status this year. Our mission statement includes that aspect so we want to build our youth program. That is something that will further our cause so we definitely want to do that.

Talk about your relationship with any new sponsors or the role of sponsors in general?
Addae: Our presenting sponsor Crawford Communications has been with us from the beginning. That is a great relationship as it relates to our concerns regarding disseminating information on current technology. That makes it a great relationship for us. With a new sponsor like Lab 601, we've actually had filmmakers come in and use them for post-production. With some of the other new sponsors like Delta and Comcast, we've tried to tie their brand to what we're trying to do.

(Festival Fact: IBFF listed more than seventy sponsor organizations as their partners in 2006.)

Did your overall Festival audience increase from last year to this year?
Addae: Our audience increased by about 20 percent this year.

What is the biggest challenge currently for the Festival from year to year?
Addae: We have a brand now and people see what we're doing here in our third year. Our challenges are in getting better films for the festival. Our opening night film was Tsotsi (Thief), the 2005 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film. You get spoiled once you get your first Oscar-winning film in your festival. We want to get more films of that caliber.

Describe your selection process for the festival?
Addae: We have a committee of eight that selects our films, and another group of six that make selections for the screenplay competition.

Are you cooperating with other local festivals as you move forward?
Addae: This year we will be working with the Atlanta Film Festival. They helped in areas of promotion. We will be doing some things with them during their festival in June.

Were the Panels well attended and did you record any for further dissemination or archival purposes?
Addae: The panels were well attended. We recorded them on video and took photographs of the panels. This material will be made available to those who are interested and missed the original events.

Tell me what makes your festival unique or special?
Addae: That's a good question. We are a festival with a conscience. With our focus on the panels and the films, we want our program to be one that the community can relate to and enjoy.

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