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Posted June 4, 2014 by Dane Jackson in Interviews
 
 

Interview with Emily Matthews, Cinetopia International Film Festival Marketing Director

Watching how Ann Arbor’s (and now also Detroit’s) Cinetopia Film Festival has grown each year has been exciting for a movie buff like me. Realistically, I’ll probably never make it to Cannes or Sundance, so to me, this is THE film festival – and it’s a festival that I’ll never get sick of talking about. When the lights go out and the first week of June rolls by, the public sees the byproduct of the hard work the Cinetopia staff puts in planning a great festival. One of the people on the front lines of that hard work is Cinetopia and Michigan Theater Marketing Director Emily Matthews. She recently took time to breathe before the festival’s opening night to answer a few of our questions.

 

CinemaNerdz: For the uninitiated, what is Cinetopia?

EMILY MATTHEWS: It’s 50 buzz worthy new independent films that you can binge-watch in your own backyard. You don’t even have to book a plane ticket!

Emily MatthewsCinemaNerdz: Looking at the last two Cinetopias you were part of, what is your fondest memory so far?

MATTHEWS: Last year, I was lucky enough to introduce the two directors of After Tiller and lead the Q&A after their film. I was so proud that our programming team chose to show this important – and incendiary – movie.

CinemaNerdz: What goes into putting together and marketing such a big undertaking like a film festival?

MATTHEWS: Oh, man, so much work! We keep dreaming and growing and challenging ourselves, so we get started on the next year’s festival earlier and earlier every year. The Michigan Theater is open 365 days a year, so it’s tricky balancing the needs of the festival with the needs of the theater. It only works because we have an amazing, passionate, smart, dedicated staff and an army of volunteers.

CinemaNerdz: What made you want to get into the movie biz?

MATTHEWS: I’m a Borders alumna, so books, music, and movies are in my blood.

CinemaNerdz: Do you have any tips for folks who are looking to get the most out of their Cinetopia experience?

The Case Against 8

MATTHEWS: Buy a movie pass so you can “test drive” as many films as you can handle. Take a chance on something that sounds interesting but you’re not quite sure about. If you don’t like it, you can use your pass to hop into another movie – but you may just discover your next favorite!

CinemaNerdz: Where do you see Cinetopia going in the next five years?

MATTHEWS: I hope it’s going to become one of those annual events like the Detroit Jazz Festival or the Ann Arbor Summer Festival – where people automatically earmark the first week in June because they know something cool is going on. They say to their friends, “No, I can’t do it that weekend because it’s Cinetopia.”

CinemaNerdz: If you could only watch one of the festival’s selections, which film would you choose and why?

MATTHEWS:  Well, if I can only choose one, I’ll go with The Case Against 8. (I promise that I don’t only watch documentaries!) In addition to being an extremely important film, it’s going to have a Q&A with activist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, plus representatives from the ACLU of Michigan. Don’t miss it – and come say “hi” if you see me in the audience.

Dane Jackson

Dane Jackson

Dane Jackson has been writing about movies since high school when he had a monthly column in the school paper about cult movies. His cinematic tastes have matured (slightly) since then.