First IBMA Film Festival To Launch During World of Bluegrass 2014!

Eight film projects – including two spotlighted feature films – have been selected to kick off the inaugural IBMA Film Festival, which will take place during the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass event, Sept. 30 – October 4, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Banjo Romantika” by Lee Bidgood and Anna Schwaber’s “The Porch Light Sessions” were singled out by the IBMA Film Festival Committee as projects that best represent the criteria of the film festival. 

The other films selected for 2014 are “At the Feed & Seed” (April Janow), “The Cricket” (Andrew Cartoun), “G2- Mind Over Matter” (David Elfgren), “Herschel Sizemore: Mandolin in B” (Rick Bowman), “The History of Future Folk” (Jeremy Walker) and “The Tao of Bluegrass – A Portrait of Peter Rowan” (Christine Funk).

“We have several goals for the film festival:  to introduce the bluegrass industry to new bluegrass-related films, to promote the creation of these films, and then to provide a platform and a showcase for our members who have created these films,” said Nancy Cardwell, Executive Director of IBMA. “We feel this will be a benefit not only to the filmmakers in our industry, but to the many bluegrass fans that attend World of Bluegrass.”

IBMA’s World of Bluegrass, an annual bluegrass music homecoming, takes place over five days.  The event consists of four parts: the IBMA Business Conference, September 30 – October 2; the 25^th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, scheduled for Thursday evening, October 2; Wide Open Bluegrass, October 3-4 (which includes both free stages and ticketed festival performances) and the Bluegrass Ramble, an innovative series of showcases, taking place September 30 – October 2 in downtown Raleigh and at the Raleigh Convention Center.

All eight films in the IBMA Film Festival will have multiple showings on October 3 and 4; those showings  – inside the Raleigh Convention Center, near the Bluegrass Expo Hall – are free and open to the public. Some filmmakers will attend the screenings, participating in “Q&A” sessions with the audience about their project.

Business Conference attendees will have the opportunity to view
“Banjo Romantika” and “The Porch Light Sessions” earlier in the week, with an intro and “Q&A” session from the respective filmmakers.  

“The first IBMA Film Festival will welcome bluegrass filmmakers to the mix of creative professionals at the World Of Bluegrass,” said Michael Hall, IBMA Film Festival Committee Chair. “Films about bluegrass music history, culture, performers, and lifestyles help tell the bluegrass story to existing fans and new fans alike. These films are now beginning to reach beyond ‘film’ audiences to ‘music’ audiences and are an important developing area of bluegrass event programming. Thanks to the IBMA's staff and volunteers for supporting this new trend by introducing the films at the World Of Bluegrass.”