In Review
The 5th annual BendFilm Festival concluded on Sunday, October 12th to rave reviews from attendees, volunteers, and filmmakers. While the festival was applauded as a success from a programming and planning standpoint, the attendance and festival revenue numbers published this week were softer than expected. In reaction to the revenue report the Board of Directors convened quickly to establish a plan of action for moving forward into the 2009 season.
In addition to weaken earnings reports, the week following the festival the Executive Director resigned from her position citing personal reasons before the Board’s decision to eliminate that position was made public. The Board accepted her resignation without question and began to field questions from the press and the public regarding the health of the festival and its future. “It is our belief that the same passion, spirit, and belief in the cause that started this festival five years ago will rally and sustain the festival while the economy rebuilds,” added Mr. Bailey. “The only thing we see jeopardizing the future of BendFilm is a weakened confidence or panic from sponsors and public due to the rumors surrounding the events and news following the festival, including the resignation of the ED and the announcement of a restructure.”
“With an even tougher year ahead of us in the local and national economy we must assume that revenue across the board is going to be tight.” stated Mr. Bailey. “We are adjusting our operation in anticipation of a decline in operating funds and are confident that we can make up for shortfalls through increased membership and a tightly run budget. We anticipate that the local community will affirm the importance of the yearly film festival by stepping up their involvement and financial support. The Board of Directors is a fully committed group of individuals who believe in the cause and have given their assurance that they will do whatever it takes to keep BendFilm a healthy organization and we believe the community will follow suit.”
With a restructure in place, a heavier reliance on volunteer labor and the efforts of the Board of Directors there is no doubt that the festival will survive, even if the budget contracts further due to additional downturns in sponsorship money. “The backbone of BendFilm’s operation is our wonderful team of volunteers, and we will look to expand our volunteer base throughout the year to help cover the needs of the festival planning in 2009,” reported Bailey.
Moving Forward
Moving forward after a challenging economic report, the Board of Directors met immediately following the release of the attendance numbers and elected to restructure the operation for the 2009 film festival to reduce operating costs. The purpose of a restructure is to reduce overhead expenses to ensure that the non-profit continues long into the future.
The primary function of the paid Executive Director position was fundraising in 2007 – 2008. The total revenue generated through fundraising efforts, outside of agreements already in place from previous years, was not sufficient to justify the current salary of a paid ED position, which constituted 20% of the yearly operating budget. In place of a paid ED position the organization will move forward with a plan developed two years prior where an outside fundraiser is contracted on a commission basis to raise funds and teams of volunteers, under the direction of assigned board members will head up separate branches of festival planning throughout the year. As was the case this year, an Operations Manager will be contracted for a three month period running up to the festival to ensure the planning stages are complete.
Other likely changes will include a new approach to the parties surrounding the yearly festival. The budget for the opening night party and the awards ceremony constitute nearly 12% of the operating budget in 2007-2008. Ticket sales to the public for these two events generated less than $1000. Without sponsorship for the two events it is unlikely that they can exist in the same format that they have existed in the past.
With these changes the budget will be reduced by nearly 32% and the festival will basically look the same to the general public as it did this year. The ultimate goal is to provide a film festival for the general public to enjoy independent film. Additional cutbacks that do not affect the quality of the film festival will be reviewed and will be made public. In the mean time, the finances of last year’s festival are available for review.
The Board of Directors has begun the planning stages for the 2009 festival and encourages anyone interested in getting involved to contact BendFilm. Membership levels will remain the same, as they were reviewed and adjusted just prior to the 2008 festival, and a membership drive will be announced shortly.
Thank you for your support and interest.
The Board of Directors