Posted on 08/11/2004 7:26:55 PM PDT by Cedar
Pro-America film festival takes on Hollywood September event to screen conservative movies, documentaries
By Ron Strom
Has leftist Hollywood met its match? The organizers of a pro-America film festival believe it has, going on the offensive to present and promote conservative movies and documentaries in Dallas next month.
The American Film Renaissance hopes its festival will be the opening salvo in a battle to get more patriotic and traditional-values oriented movies produced and seen by the film-going public in the U.S.
Using a war analogy, festival president and cofounder Jim Hubbard explains his vision:
"Conservatives have been on defense in this culture war going on 40 years," he told WorldNetDaily. "No war has ever been won playing defense. My notion is that we should go to the offense. That's the only way you can win any struggle."
Hubbard's offensive move includes not only hosting the first annual American Film Renaissance, which he describes as the only conservative film festival in existence, but working to hook up film distributors with filmmakers who want to produce pro-American movies for the nation's theaters.
The first step, he says, is to encourage conservative filmmakers to produce a product that reflects their worldview and provide a venue for those films. Hubbard sees his festival as the ideal place to showcase such movies and sees it as a patriotic alternative to the Sundance and Cannes film festivals.
"We've got to have at least one film festival for the 70 percent of the country who believe America is a good, decent place," he said.
"We're going to be able to link up distributors with filmmakers, and they're going to be able to get their films into the marketplace and that's how you win the culture war."
Hubbard decried the methods conservatives have traditionally used in fighting what they believe is a morally bankrupt Hollywood film industry.
"For too long, conservatives' reaction has been 'let's boycott Hollywood, let's complain,'" he explained. "But I'm a competitor, not a whiner. I want to beat these guys on their own turf."
According to Hubbard, the left's favorite filmmaker, Michael Moore, who was honored at the Cannes festival recently for his Bush-bashing "Fahrenheit 9/11," has begun "taking potshots at us and some of the filmmakers" involved in the Dallas event.
Hubbard compares the culture war in Hollywood to the Cold War, saying Reagan's game plan was not to continue in a stalemate with the Soviet Union, but to develop a plan to win.
"That's our message," Hubbard said. "I'm tired of playing defense. Let's win this culture war."
He says there's a "huge market" for pro-America films in the country and believes conservatives can dominate the industry just as they have with talk radio, cable news through the success of Fox News and, to a large extent, the book industry.
"We can do the same thing in Hollywood," he said, "the numbers are on our side."
Hubbard encourages conservatives to "go on the offensive" in the culture war by supporting his organization's efforts financially. He believes the media attention the festival is receiving, from both industry publications and general newspapers, will help get the word out to energize patriotic Americans.
Two WorldNetDaily columnists are responsible for two of the 17 films that will be shown at the festival. Larry Elder's film "Michael and Me," a response to Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," will be featured, as well as Jack Cashill's "Mega Fix: The Dazzling Political Deceit that Led to 9/11."
Also shown will be "Michael Moore Hates America" by Mike Wilson and "Relentless," a documentary on obstacles to peace in the Middle East.
American Film Renaissance is selling tickets for the festival, scheduled for Sept. 10-12, for $40. Tickets for individual films also will be available, Hubbard says. The event takes place at the Studio Movie Grill, a five-screen facility in Dallas, Texas.
Hubbard says he expects attendees from all over the U.S. and at least one international visitor. A man in the United Kingdom sold his car to raise the money for a plane ticket to Dallas for the event.
Ron Strom is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.
Excellent. I'll boycott every hollywood film if guys like this can make some wholesome movies that come closer to my values.
They should show "Stripes" as a pro-American neo-classic. Also "Sullivan's Travels".
'American Film Renaissance '
I like. I'm glad they didn't choose some lame name.
The optimistic spirit of Reagan is alive and well in America. It's just too bad that his Southern California is the home of the opponent in this war.
Miss Rika, any relation?
Drat!! If I didn't already have to be elsewhere then (on business) -- do you think this could go on the road?
I'll be there. I'll report back to the forum. I'm a screenwriter and I have a classic American action Western I'm planning to produce. Hollywood seems to have no interest in Westerns anymore.
That's great. Wish I could go be there for it too. Will look forward to your report.
He feigned surprise that the theaters didn't have a pro-George W. Bush documentary on screens the way Michael Moore's overhyped DNC ad was distributed.
Here are some films with a counter viewpoint. Will it merit his attention or will he be to busy washing his hair?
It would be really nice if the (few) conservative actors/actresses attended too. Maybe some will.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.