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