Creative industries in Washtenaw County add hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy. In the weeks and months to come, host Deb Polich, the President and CEO of Creative Washtenaw, explores the myriad of contributors that make up the creative sector in Washtenaw County.
ABOUT GUESTS:
Hafsah Mijinyawa
Hafsah is a visual designer with Duo's Creative Team and works in a number of mediums that span digital video and illustration. She is fascinated by the storytelling process and enjoys the challenge of extracting meaningful narrative experiences out of unusual subjects. Beyond that, she is a film buff, gamer and root beer enthusiast, in no particular order.
Martin Thoburn
Martin Thoburn is a versatile multimedia professional with extensive experience in video production, animation, and digital media. As a leader, he has successfully spearheaded multimedia projects for prominent organizations, leveraging his skills in motion graphics, video editing, and creative direction. Martin's career highlights his capability to blend technology with creativity to produce compelling multimedia content that enhances brand storytelling and engages diverse audiences. His expertise is complemented by a deep understanding of digital tools and a passion for artistic expression in various multimedia formats.
RESOURCES:
Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti (iFFY)
TRANSCRIPTION:
Deb Polich: Welcome to 89 one WEMU's creative:impact. I'm Deb Polich, president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw and your host. It's the time of week when we meet members of the Washtenaw creative community who add to the vibrancy of our region by creating works and offering services and programs to us and people who visit here. Our community is the home to one of the oldest and most respected film festivals in the world--the Ann Arbor Film Festival. It is the film festival that most people know, but actually there are a handful of other film festivals that take place in Washtenaw County. Top of mind, we can list the Jewish Film Festival, the Polish Film Festival, the South Asian Film Festival and Cinetopia Film Festival. And there are more. There's also an Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti, more affectionately called iFFY. Now in its fifth year, iFFY runs this week, April 24th through 27th at the Riverside Arts Center. I'm pleased to have two of his leading players, Hafsah Mijinyawa--and thanks for holding me on to that--Mijinyawa and Martin Thoburn with me here in the studio. Hafsah, Martin, welcome to the show!
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Thank you for having us.
Martin Thoburn: Yeah.
Deb Polich: Yeah. So, I know from personal experience what it takes to make a film festival happen. That you are here this week, just before you open as really, really appreciated. Understanding the concept of a film festival is rather intuitive. There are lots of films played in a compacted schedule over a short number of days. However, each festival has its own mission, purpose and, shall I say, personality that distinguishes it from other film festivals. Martin, let's start with you. You were there at the beginning five years ago with iFFY. What was the purpose? And what personality did you want to infuse iFFY with?
Martin Thoburn: Yeah, that's a great question. I think the name kind of says it all. iFFY is a little bit weird and a little bit off, and I think that's kind of what we're going for. We want it to be fun, a little strange. It's just something a little challenging, just a little bit, or make you think or give you some pause, something to take away while still enjoying yourself. So, it's meant to be sort of that weird, bizarre mix, and also really sort of celebrate Ypsilanti not having a movie theater, but really wanting to celebrate cinema culture in the city. You know, having a festival in a place that has no movie theater is kind of a unique concept.
Deb Polich: Sure, sure. Of course, I mean, festivals, again, because of personalities and how they make it, they come to life in the oddest ways. You know, it reminds me, Hafsah, about the gigantic Ann Arbor Art Fair and then how the Shadow Art Fair kind of developed and iFFY being here in Ypsilanti and making the most of a community with some limited resources.
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Absolutely. We have such a vibrant, creative community here, too. And I think having a proper kind of film festival really helps to fill a little bit of that gap that we've had in terms of really having a place where you can come together around cinema, around film, around film workshops, learning from each other and having that sort of traditional, film-going experience that you might have a Sundance or a TIFF for or what have you.
Deb Polich: TIFF being the Toronto International Film Festival.
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Thank you. That's right. And people might not necessarily be able to go to those events. So, we can bring a little piece of it here to Ypsilanti and really help people to understand what a film festival is, why it's fun, why it's cool, and maybe encourage them to broaden their horizons.
Deb Polich: Sure. Sure, sure. And, Martin, what is it in your background that puts you into a film festival and being part of it?
Martin Thoburn: Yeah. So, I'm a filmmaker myself and animator. My background is in motion graphics, and I've been working in tech and marketing for a long time. And I got my first break by making a short film that got into film festivals. So, part of this is a way for me to give back to the community, build a local community, and show that you can build a career here. And a lot of times it's really just getting that first film seen, or at least seeing your own work on the big screen and realizing, "Wow! This has impact, and I want to do this." And it's those kinds of moments that encourage people to have careers in cinema. And so, I want to foster that and create that community.
Deb Polich: And Hafsah, how about you?
Hafsah Mijinyawa: So, I'm also a motion designer and graphic designer. I actually went to Washtenaw Community College here in Ann Arbor/Ypsi. And I loved being a designer. I loved being on that intersection of film and technology. Currently, I work in tech as a motion designer. So, I just really enjoy being able to bring my passion and my excitement for everything in that intersection of digital media arts to high school kids, to families and to people who are creative enthusiasts or in our area.
Deb Polich: And as the assistant director, I think? Or associate? What is it?
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Festival co-director.
Deb Polich: Festival co-director. What's your role this week?
Hafsah Mijinyawa: So, I'm kind of doing all the things: marketing, a little bit of sponsorship and fundraising alongside Donald Harrison and just kind of keeping the lights on with iFFY, making sure that we have a strong social media presence, that people know about iFFY, that they know all the fantastic programs that we have going on--just general awareness and getting the word out there.
Deb Polich: And you mentioned Donald Harrison.
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Yeah. Mr. Donald Harrison, one of the co-founders of iFFY. He has been, alongside Martin, kind of our guiding light in terms of everything iFFY, really helping to set that sort of tone for what we want to do with the events, and just bringing that enthusiasm and that knowledge of the community that he has. So, we love Donald!
Deb Polich: Who doesn't? Who doesn't? And, Martin, how about you? What's your role this week?
Martin Thoburn: So, my role is to make sure that iFFY keeps going in the future, right? So, when Donald and I first started five years ago, we were doing a lot. Now, we're a full nonprofit with seasonal staff, and I want the ball to keep rolling and to sort of take less of a role every year. So, that's kind of my goal. It's to build something and let it out into the universe and let it free. But, Hafsah is being modest. She's also a programmer and has a really great program. You know, without her this year, the whole festival would fall apart. I'm doing a lot of the financing and budgeting and sort of some of the behind-the-scenes and the technical stuff. So, I make sure all the films are playing and build out the programs. So, I'm taking a lot of the technical backend. It's far less exciting.
Deb Polich: It's really kind of true in any grassroots, small organization. Everybody plays a pivotal role.
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Yes.
Martin Thoburn: Right.
Deb Polich: WEMU's creative:impact continues as we learn about the iFFY film festival running this week from two of its organizers, Hafsah and Martin. Let's talk nuts and bolts. How is iFFY organized? You guys? Are you? It's kind of built right from the early days. You said it's a full-fledged organization right now. It has seasonal--not seasonal--annual staff?
Martin Thoburn: Seasonal staff.
Deb Polich: Seasonal staff.
Martin Thoburn: So, a half-year, part-time sort of staff. Yeah.
Deb Polich: And so, the people, the time, the money, the resources to create a film festival are significant. How do you pull that all together from a community that is inundated with lots of other cultural institutions and organizations that are doing the same thing?
Martin Thoburn: Yeah, it's a big challenge. I think Donald could speak great to this and maybe Hafsah as well, but I'll give it a shot. As a nonprofit, we've been seeking grant money, and that's been a huge part of our support. We've also had some angel investors in the early days to kind of get the ball rolling. And then, we have our community partners and sponsors. Without them, it wouldn't help everyone from, like, World of Rocks and VG Kids and U of M School of Art and Design, CSS--they're all contributing. And without those sponsorships, we really could not exist. So, it's a combination of grant funding and then local community partners that we're able to sort of get going every year.
Deb Polich: And, Hafsah, how about the audience and who comes to this festival? And what do you expect them to see this week?
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Well, pretty much everyone comes to our festival. I mean, we have a really diverse mix from kids to families to people who are film enthusiasts and creative enthusiasts. We try to have kind of a good mix across our programming. So, there's a little bit of something for everyone. So, for example, this year new, we have a 26.2-hour film marathon, where filmmakers sign up to be in film crews, shoot a under four-minute film and get screened at the Riverside Arts Center. So, kind of a nice film challenge for them. We have our Michigan-ish program, which is featuring all local Michigan filmmakers who have produced really solid, short films. And that's always kind of our star program at iFFY. It always sold out and always a packed audience of filmmakers and people who just want to see Michigan people doing great things. We also have a film program, or a family film program, on Saturday. So, this is from the...remind me again, Martin. This is the Children's Film Festival, Seattle.
Martin Thoburn: Correct.
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Which is a packaged program. So, people come in with their families to watch really high-quality, animated films with their kids. So, we try to have a nice mix of things for everyone. We have a horror program. We have a program that's around sort of fantasy and ancestral memory. We have the Festival of Inappropriation, which is coming to town. So, kind of a really good mix of stuff.
Deb Polich: And, Martin, if you could encourage somebody who's never ventured into a film festival environment, what would you tell them? How should they approach this?
Martin Thoburn: With an open mind and with the ability to sort of think of it like walking into a museum. You might look at something on the wall and immediately not understand what it is. But if you take some time with it, you might appreciate it in a different way. And if you're not into it in five minutes, there'll be another one.
Deb Polich: So, is that a pass that gets you to do that? Or do you have to buy tickets for individual shows?
Martin Thoburn: You can buy individual tickets or a pass. We have great deals on passes where you can get three tickets for 30, or you can get a festival pass for coming to any event. But I will say some sold out shows. If you do have a pass, you still got to show up before the seats fill up. Riverside has limited capacity.
Deb Polich: The pass is the way to go!
Martin Thoburn: That's right!
Deb Polich: So, two minutes left! Each of you: one film that you can't wait for people to see. Go, Hafsah!
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Oh boy! I'm purposefully showing my program, "Blood Memories," Saturday at 9 p.m. It is a fantastic fantasy about a Nigerian king.
Deb Polich: And Martin?
Martin Thoburn: Oh, I will just say a specific program. I'm always really interested in the Best of London Animation Festival. It's just the greatest of international films. I'm an animator myself, and that program is strong. All the films there are great.
Deb Polich: Yeah, I've seen it before. It's great. Well, thank you guys, especially this week when you're in the middle of so much and taking the time. We really appreciate it. And break a leg!
Hafsah Mijinyawa: Cheers!
Martin Thoburn: Thank you!
Deb Polich: Thanks for being on the show. The iFFY Film Festival opens tomorrow and runs through Sunday. Find festival details and more about our guests, Hafsah and Martin, at wemu.org. You've been listening to creative:impact. I'm Deb Polich, president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw and your host. And our producer is Mat Hopson. Please join us every Tuesday to meet the people who make Washtenaw creative. This is 89 one WEMU Ypsilanti. Public radio from Eastern Michigan University.
If you'd like to a guest on creative:impact, email Deb Polich at deb.polich@creativewashtenaw.org.
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