2004 Festival Recap

The 4th Bearded Child Film Festival was a success on all accounts. This year we received just over 100 short films from all around the globe, and showed 50 of them over the two-day fest. In general, we select films based more on innovation than production value, and turned down many high-budget films in favor of gritty guerilla wonders. This was the year of the experimental film, and remarkably about 70% of our entries were experimental, while the rest consisted of mostly comedies and cult films. Each year we receive more and more entries, and this year I was committed to only showing solid films that I felt met the goals of the filmmaker, and expressed some sort of artistic, conceptual, or ironic spin that set each film apart from the norm.

Because we received so many personal, abstract films, our trademark weird and wacky works were clustered in the Friday "Cult Classics From Another Planet" program, while our new crop of abstract films fit into two "Experimental" programs earlier in the evening on Friday. The experimental films were highlighted by a showing of "Hojas de Maiz" with a live soundtrack by local electronic/found-sound artist Kai Stenlund. The Cult Classics program provided on onslaught of lo-fi, wacky, and bewildering wonders that are the biggest fan-favorites here at the Bearded Child.

For most, Saturday began with a trip to the Itasca County "Tall Timber Days" Festival in downtown Grand Rapids. This allowed festival goers to engage in the culinary ecstasy of mini-donuts and purple cotton candy, as well as view lumberjack shows, and remark in astonishment at the hoards of obese elderly who congregate at the event. Although we were competing with the Rodeo that evening, we drew another nice crowd on the second night (most drawn away from the Rodeo by our promises of free cake). The high water mark in attendance took place during our "Minnesotans With Movie Cameras" showing that evening. It that show, Jake Komula became (...I think) the youngest Bearded Child filmmaker at 13 years of age, and Max Page of Cohasset became (...I think) the only 4-time Bearded Child. The festival came to a climactic close with a showing of films by Jason Wade with live music by Underwater Birth from Minneapolis.

And so, the Bearded Child is one year older. Now wearing pull-up "I'm a big kid" under garments, the Bearded Child looks forward to year 5. Assuming the 5th festival takes place (check back with this website around Christmas), the 5th, and probably final, festival will be the biggest and best yet. The early plan is to include a showing of "The Best of the Bearded Child" which will bring back all your favorite films from the past 5 years. We may also include retrospectives on all your favorite filmmakers, and may possibly go on a cross-country tour after the festival. Stay tuned!

Dan Anderson
Founder and Curator
Bearded Child Film Festival