FLIC fills Polson with films, festivities
One of the highlights of the festival was the screening of “The Hard Way,” a documentary short about 89-year-old Montana ultra runner Bob Hayes. (Photo courtesy of Steve Pickel)
Montana filmmaker Bryan Ferriter’s movie “What Separates Us” took home several awards, including honorable mentions for Best Feature and Best Director. (Brett Berntsen/Lake County Leader)
Polson filmmaker Jim Ereaux’s picture “The Walk” filled theaters and took home the award for Best Documentary Short. (Photo courtesy of Steve Pickel)
The 2017 Flathead Lake International Cinemafest, or FLIC, drew to a festive close Sunday afternoon with its awards show and dessert reception. Local film-lovers, sponsors, volunteers and filmmakers from across the nation converged over the weekend for a rich, moving celebration of film and people.
FLIC 2017 screened full-length features, shorts, animated films, and documentaries. True to its name, FLIC once again offered a broad array of international films from countries that include Australia, Canada, Spain, Taiwan, Croatia, France and the U.S. In addition, there were 16 films produced in Montana, which is more than in any previous year.
One of the more powerful FLIC 2017 moments was the standing ovation given 89 year-old Montana resident Bob Hayes, who runs about 30 races each year, cuts his firewood by hand and does things the hard way to remain active and alive. Bob’s inspirational story is the subject of the documentary film, “The Hard Way.” The spry Hayes walked up front with his son Tom and Co-Director Jeremy Lurgio. The packed Showboat Cinemas Theatre was electric that night. That same screening block featured this year’s FLIC 2017 Documentary Feature, the breathtaking “North of Known,” which profiles Gavin McClurg’s full, unsupported traverse of the Alaska Range by foot and paraglider. McClurg was in attendance, and also received a standing ovation as he went up front to answer questions. Gavin’s feats of bravery, skill, and endurance were amazing to behold, so, when he took the microphone and said he felt like a “wimp” compared to 89 year-old phenom Bob Hayes, the audience erupted in laughter. And that is when FLIC transcended film to touch the stars.
Many other special films, people, filmmakers and film aficionados converged at FLIC 2017 to make it arguably the best in its five year run. Billed as “the most beautiful festival in the world,” FLIC got off to a delicious start at the Lake Bar on Friday afternoon, where attendees met to celebrate the launch of the festival over hors d’oeuvres. Screenings commenced at 7 p.m. on the Showboat Theatres’ two screens, and continued through late Sunday afternoon, followed by the awards show and dessert reception. On Saturday evening, another packed social gathering was hosted by Vine and Tap. It’s exciting to see this much enthusiasm and celebration of the film arts on a cold winter weekend in late January.
FLIC continues in popularity, credibility and recognition in the local community as well as the broader film community. Filmmakers traveled from New York, Connecticut, California, Idaho and across Montana to share their films and personal stories with enthusiastic audiences. Just as binge TV watching is popular in our connected culture, FLIC 2017 had its fair share of binge-movie-watchers. FLIC co-chair and producer David W. King noted:
“These hard-core FLIC cinephiles stuck around all day and into the evening, moving with resolve from one screening to the next, barely taking breaks for food,” he said. “All in all, I’d say FLIC 2017 was our best yet. The films keep getting better (because we get to choose from a bigger pool of entries each year) and our audience and filmmakers are growing in their support and commitment. I sense that FLIC is here to stay and we already can’t wait for FLIC 2018.”