THIN LINE: take two
Denton’s all-documentary film festival returns for a sequel.
s festivals age, they seem to get better, and rightly so. An older festival has usually worked out all its kinks—any further improvements are just refinements to an already successful formula. And in a place like Denton, already famous for its established festivals, launching a new one can be a daunting prospect.
The organizers of the Thin Line Film Fest, which takes place Sept. 24 through 28, took on the challenge of birthing a new festival last year, and they’re ready now to refine their own successful formula.
“We just want to bring great quality documentaries from around the world to Denton,” says Festival Director Joshua Butler. He says last year’s festival was a complete success with visitors comparing the event to a fourth- or fifth-year festival.
The Thin Line Film Fest is the only alldocumentary festival in Texas, and this year, the American Film Institute has invited Thin Line organizers to co-host five documentaries at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival.
“We’re really happy about that,” Butler says. “It’s a pretty high-profile thing.”
Not only will the co-hosting opportunity help expose the festival to a wider audience, but Butler hopes to attract some of the higher profile documentaries at AFI Dallas to screen at Thin Line as well.
With a retooled schedule that spreads screenings out across five nights and an entire weekend, and a greater concentration of venues on Denton’s downtown Square, Butler hopes that people who come to the festival will stick around to see several screenings and explore the downtown Denton area.
“We were a little spread out last y e a r , so we’re going to focus the activity more on the downtown area,” Butler says. “We’re really going to try and promote pedestrian traffic.”
Organizers plan on showcasing at least 50 films this year, a number on par with the number screened last year.
In addition to screenings, the Thin Line Film Fest is also a conference, offering several workshops for filmmakers looking for tips on honing their craft, or for the curious moviegoer who wants to get a peek into the documentary process.
Butler says around 2,000 people attended last year’s festival, and he expects at least double, and maybe even triple, that number will attend this year.
“We’re going to have more filmmakers, more opportunities to learn about the craft,” Butler says. “It’s going to be a great time with great people.”
JASON GOODMAN