In a city with more film festivals in a year than weekends, I’ve found an extra special one. The Disposable Film Festival premiered in San Francisco last January and celebrates films made on non-professional filming devices that showcase the potential of this portable medium. The growing device list includes webcams, digital still cameras, and cellphones. Over the last two years, the festival’s received submissions from 30 countries including hair-raising camera stunts, heart-stirring moving snapshots and jaw-dropping unscripted moments captured by professional and amateur filmmakers alike.

I’m lucky enough to do the design and artistic direction for the festival. Like many dream projects, the festival’s team of four San Franciscans and one Vancouverite puts in time after our full time jobs and in exchange for smiles and beers. I get a big dose of my favorite things about design: I learn so much about the subject matter. Among other things, I can now answer questions like, “How do I make a film for $20?” and “What’s it take to put on a multi-city film festival?” with confidence and personal experience.

This exciting Thursday, I’ll be in New York City with the festival co-founders, Eric Slatkin and Carlton Evans. We’re presenting selections from the 2008 program along with a feature-length disposable film at Anthology Film Archive. For more details, I proudly refer you to The New York Times! If you are in town, I hope to see you there. If you are in San Francisco, ready yourself for the 2009 festival. It’s coming in January.

PS: I’m not only the president of Hair Club for Men, I’m also a client.

Written by Rebecca Bortman on November 5, 2008 |