Flyway Film Festival

The Flyway Film Festival is an annual independent film festival along the shores of Lake Pepin in Wisconsin and Minnesota, United States, held in October. It was founded in 2008 by Rick and Diana Vaicius in Pepin, Wisconsin, and has since expanded to include screenings in Stockholm and Alma, Wisconsin and Red Wing and Wabasha, Minnesota.

In 2017, Rick Vaicius, Flyway’s longtime executive director, departed the organization. A new non-profit and board were established to carry the organization forward.

This non-profit, the Flyway Film Society, relaunched the film festival in 2018 under the guidance of interim director Lu Lippold. As of November 2018, Flyway was recognized as a 501(c)(3).

In 2019, Flyway celebrates its twelfth year with Diana Masters-Penegor (formerly Vaicius) as Executive Director.

History

Started in 2008, the Flyway Film Festival screens both short and feature-length films, dramatic, comedic and documentary.[1][2] Screenings were held at the Lake Pepin Art & Design Gallery 2008 and the Widespot Performing Arts Center in the Historic Stockholm Opera Hall beginning in 2009.

In 2012 the festival started to use the new technique of crowd-funding to raise the funds for the 2012 festival.[3] The festival hoped to raise $10,000 to cover the travel expenses of 120 film-makers and film experts. They reached their goal that September.

The 2008 Flyway Film Festival included notable films such as Speedy Delivery and Older Than America, an American Indian horror film that premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. It was produced by Christine Walker, who also line produced American Splendor, and whose recognitions include a Producer's Guild of America Diversity Award and the Sundance Producer's Institute Fellowship Award.[1]

The 2009 Flyway Film Festival debuted the International Zombie Summit, a genre-specific event of classic and cutting-edge independent zombie films, including Dead Snow, Colin, and Redneck Zombies, while standard programming in 2009 included the Dutch drama The Storm, which was much praised at the Berlin International Film Festival; and Francesco Quinn in the short The Gnostic.

In 2013 the 50 films screened included The Rocket and A Field in England.[4]

References
  1. "The first Flyway Film Festival to held Oct. 10-12 in Pepin, Wisconsin". Vimooz. 2008-10-07. Archived from the original on 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  2. Stacy Bengs-Silverberg (2014-10-06). "Taking it to the streets..." Red Wing Republican Eagle. Archived from the original on 2014-10-07. Brand new to this year’s Fall Festival of the Arts is the incorporation of Wisconsin’s popular Flyway Film Festival. Traditionally held in Pepin and Stockholm, Flyway has spread its wings to this side of the river.
  3. "Save Flyway!". Kickstarter. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2014-02-12. A good portion of the Festival’s yearly operating budget is dedicated to deliberate efforts to bring filmmakers, actors, and other film industry personnel from around the world into our community—to date, nearly 120 in total. In addition to screening their remarkable films to an accessible, appreciative audience of locals and visitors, Flyway has become a unique venue for these filmmakers to network and discuss projects and the “state of the industry” in the film world.
  4. Dustin Hahn (2013-10-10). "Flyway Film Festival Returns". Volume One. Archived from the original on 2014-02-12. This annual festival features more than 50 film, filmmakers, panels for discussions, workshops for aspiring and devoted filmmakers, and plenty of food and live music.


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