I hosted, curated, and participated in my first short film festival, the Fiander Film Festival.  The festival was held in NW Washington D.C. at The Dunes and featured works by artists from Bermuda, England, Italy, and the United States.  A wide range of genres were included in the festival: art, documentary, reality, comedy, and drama.  Overall, the chosen films examine the idea of human grown and the human connection. The festival took place Saturday, February 25th from 8:00 – 11:30pm... four years ago.  On the 5th anniversary of the festival - February 25th, 2017 - I'm interested to put together a second one.  Deadline for submission to be November 20, 2016.  The sequel will be held online; entries will be sent in and screened by FilmFreeway.com. (Stay tuned for those details!)

MELANIE OF FIANDER FOTO HOSTS A SHORT FILM FESTIVAL: Washington D.C.’s The Dunes proudly hosts the Fiander Film Festival, a screen of short films featuring works by artists from Bermuda, England, Italy, and the United States.  A wide range of genres included in the festival: art, documentary, reality, comedy, and drama.  Overall, the chosen films examine the idea of human grown and the human connection. The festival will take place Saturday, February 25th from 8:00 – 11:30pm.

What makes this festival unique is not only the variety of genres included in the mix, but also the background experiences that each director holds.  One of the directors screened his entry at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and the SXSW Festival, where as five of the directors created their first video solely for the Fiander Film Festival.  Four artists hold their Masters of Fine Arts degrees from Maine College of Art.  Six filmmakers studied at or are affiliated with the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.  Six professors and students at The Art Institute of Washington submitted films.  The cast and crew behind Food Coma TV are made up of a hodgepodge of individuals within the restaurant industry as well as Nomadic Nation’s Wreck Trek; a television series that recently sold to the International Travel Channel.  Melanie Fiander’s Bermudian collaborator and now husband, Jim West, works as a deep-sea fisherman.  Employees from the Social Security Administration as well as the Department of Energy submitted videos.  In short, some of the artists have art background and some do not.

Photos By: Bo Ramos and Jen Cubas

The Dunes is an art gallery, film and concert venue located in NW Washington D.C., which opened recently in May of 2011.  The Washington Post’s “Going Out Guide” states that The Dunes is unique not only for it’s great location but also because of where their proceeds go towards: giving back to the community”.  

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