CityView Magazine

8 August 2022 EDITOR'S CORNER Movies bring us together BY LORRY WILLIAMS B efore the pandemic, one of my weekly splurges was a trip to the movies with a few of my friends. It didn't matter if it was an action film, a comedy or some other genre; we just enjoyed spending time together taking in the latest movie we decided on for that week. ere's something about watching a storyline unfold on the big screen while munching on buttered popcorn that is personally satisfying. Pat Wright and Jan Johnson, the founders of Indigo Moon Film Fest, understand how important that shared experience is for people. And Indigo Moon provides film buffs an opportunity to experience a variety of films, talk about them with others and hear from the filmmakers themselves. is year's film festival is scheduled for Oct. 7-9 in downtown Fayetteville and will be in-person. Films will be shown at the Cameo Art House eatre and at the Arts Council headquarters. e opening night reception and the awards ceremony at the end of the festival will be at SkyView on Hay. In 2020, COVID-19 threatened to put a halt to the film festival, but organizers pivoted and the event was all virtual. Last year, it was mostly virtual with a few in-person screenings. "We're really proud of the resilience of the festival,'' Wright says. "We have survived a pandemic and three hurricanes so far.'' Wright and Johnson are excited that this year's festival will be in-person. "We hope the Indigo Moon Film Fest will kind of be the catalyst for people returning to the theaters,'' Johnson says. When the festival had to go all virtual, Wright and Johnson still wanted people to hear from the filmmakers. "We did lots and lots of interviews with filmmakers across the world,'' Johnson says. ose interviews could be seen online. ey are planning to continue that this year for those filmmakers who can't attend the festival in person. at interaction with the filmmakers helps the "audience better understand the process that went into the creation,'' Wright says. is year's festival includes a lot of North Carolina filmmakers. e films also will celebrate diversity in the filmmaking industry, Johnson says. "(We) try to bring out voices that otherwise may not be told,'' Wright says. Jan Johnson and Pat Wright, founders of Indigo Moon Film Fest, are excited that this year's festival will be in-person.

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