Last Ever SNOB Fest is a WRAP!
Posted by Leah on
11/30/2015 1:00:52 PM
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Let me start by apologizing for the lateness of this wrap up. I caught one of the many viruses making the rounds and have spent most of the past two weeks in bed. Now that I’m feeling better I’ll share my thoughts on the 2015 Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival.
Having never attended SNOB Fest I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew beforehand that all of the films would be shown at one venue, Red River Theatres in Concord. And that, according to everything I’d heard, this festival was supposed to have a laid back and intimate vibe. I also knew the history of the festival, but you never really know what something is like until you experience it for yourself.
Although the New Hampshire Film Festival and SNOB Fest are close together, both in proximity and when they go on (they’re a month apart), it really surprised me to find that only two of the over 70 films shown at SNOB Fest had also been shown at NHFF. I thought for sure that there’d be more repeats than that. It makes total sense that the makers of the documentary Brew Hampshire entered the film in both festivals. Brew Hampshire is about craft brewers in New Hampshire, so showing this New Hampshire focused documentary at NHFF is a good fit; but showing it at SNOB Fest, which holds craft beer tasting each night of the festival, is an even better fit!
One major thing about SNOB Fest that everyone was right about was the laid back vibe. Each day, from 12 to 12:30, they stopped showing films so that everyone could have some lunch. And then, from 5 to 6:30, they stopped showing films so that everyone could attend the beer tasting and have some dinner. I thought that was a nice touch, especially since it meant that I wouldn’t miss anything because I was hungry and had to eat.
Some of the other highlights of SNOB Fest included Q and A sessions with many of the film makers, a stand-up routine from comedian Ray Harrington before the showing of his documentary Be a Man, a contest for the best Back to the Future garb during the showing of the documentary Back in Time, lift ticket giveaways during the showing of the documentary Dog Days of Winter, after parties each night with live music and a show from Mario the Magician at the Concord Library for the kids.
Unfortunately though, there were also some lowlights. Because the whole festival is held at Red River Theatres, which only has 3 screens, one of which was still showing they’re regular line up of films, for many of the film showings people, including those with festival passes, had to be turned away. Many of the film showings ended up being standing room only, which got very uncomfortable.
But issues aside, this was a film festival, so let me now tell you about some of my favorite films! As is typical of these types of things, most of what I managed to see was short films. Some of the shorts I enjoyed most were A Bad Luck Guy in a Bad Luck Town, a take on the classic noir genre, Jewish Blind Date, a young girl runs into trouble at a Jewish matchmaking event, 27, a Red Sox fan and a Yankees fan get together over dinner in Boston just after the latest Yankees World Series Win, Annulment, a recently divorced couple must “make nice” in an attempt to make it through the zombie apocalypse, East of Hollywood, a comedy that deals with the trials and tribulations of being an Asian actor, The Search for the Monster at Lake Quannapowitt, a cartoon about a contest to find a lake monster fitting of a small town, and A Way Out, an aging gangster wants out of the mob, which isn’t so simple. I look forward to telling you more about A Bad Luck Guy in a Bad Luck Town, Annulment and East of Hollywood, including my interviews with the filmmakers in the future.
The three feature length films I was able to catch were Be a Man, Slingshot and The Final Girls. Out of those three The Final Girls was the only one that wasn’t a documentary. I’ll be sure to bring you my reviews of those three films, including my interview with Be a Man creator Ray Harrington sometime soon.
With the wrap of this year’s festival, the final ever SNOB Fest is in the books. The winner of their naming contest was announced to be The New England Film Fest. They’ll still feature craft beer and local music as well. The only thing that has changed is the name. So mark your calendars for November 2016 (usually around the second weekend of the month) and start planning your trip to the very first New England Film Fest! I hope to see you there!