The Hardacre Film Festival attracts filmmakers from
all over the world to Tipton's Hardacre Theater.
Most films shown are less than a year old and
have never been seen in Iowa.
Please click HERE for a short video about the 2012 Hardacre Film Festival, including interviews with presenting filmmakers!
The first Hardacre Film Festival was held in a single day in
1996 and featured nine films, all projected on 35mm film. The packed house
enjoyed the films in a theater without air conditioning.
The festival has grown considerably since then (and added air
conditioning for comfort). In recent years, the festival has typically shown
six feature-length films and dozens of shorts from all over the world. Hardacre
has hosted filmmakers ranging from Oscar nominees to first-timers, from as
close as Iowa City and as far away as New Zealand. They all come to Tipton with
a common purpose—getting their film seen by an engaged audience of independent
film lovers.
Attending the Hardacre Film Festival is to participate in the
cutting edge of film—and it even gives audience members a view into the future.
I remember two years ago when we showed a 2011 short shot in a silent,
black-and-white style. Months later, “The Artist” became a movie phenomenon and
went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Last year, we showed a
documentary on a high school wrestling team produced by and featuring Chris
Pratt, who at the time was best known for the TV show “Parks and Recreation.”
Since then, Pratt has starred in the Oscar-nominated “Zero Dark Thirty” and has
been cast as the lead role in next year’s Marvel adaptation “Guardians of the
Galaxy.” Our 2011 Audience Award winner, the crime drama “Boy Wonder,” went on
to appear on Roger Ebert’s “Best of 2011” list. Attending a film festival like
Hardacre puts moviegoers ahead of the curve.
I moved to Tipton in 2001, and the cultural legacy of the
Hardacre Film Festival was a big draw for a movie fan like myself. I’ve been
proud to watch regular patrons return to Tipton year after year, bringing
friends and family members who are instantly hooked and decide to make the
Hardacre a regular part of their summer plans.
The festival is more than a Tipton bragging right. It’s a unique event that brings people from all over the world into our town. On second thought, that is something to brag about.
Please click on the following links to find out the schedule and films to be shown at this year's film festival.
-Will Valet, Vice President of the Hardacre Theater Preservation Association
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