MAY 4 | 1998
SLIMMING DOWN (GEN ARTS IN FOCUS)

"Ugh, I have to go to another premiere tonight!" is a common lament in an industry where attending a party is, indeed, often just another form of work. It's all too easy for jaded industryites to forget that attending a star-studded preem and an exclusive afterparty can be a thrill for civilians. Giving the public the chance to be on the list is part of the successful marketing program behind New York's Gen Art Film Festival, now in its third year. Despite the proliferation of film festivals in and around Gotham, Gen Art has carved out a niche for itself with a simple mandate --- "Seven premieres, seven parties." Most of the 4,000 ticketholders to this year's Gen Art fest, which began last Wednesday and runs through Tuesday, will never get the opportunity to attend the opening night of the New York Film Festival. And many Gen Art patrons may be too squeamish to take advantage of the more egalitarian admissions policy at the edgy New York Underground Film Festival.

This year's Gen Art attendees will see the New York premiere of such indie films as Adam Bernstein's "Six Ways to Sunday," S.R. Bindler's "Hands on a Hardbody" and Marcus Spiegel's "The Farmhouse." And they'll celebrate afterward at such Gotham hotspots as Life, the Kit Kat Klub and Spy. By limiting itself to a small number of films, Gen Art has developed a loyal following among New York's twentysomethings. "Our format is totally unique. No other film festival is so focused on so few filmmakers," said Ian Gerard, exec director of Gen Art. Together with his brother Stefan Gerard and Melissa Newman, Ian Gerard founded the nonprofit organization Gen Art four years ago to showcase emerging talent in the visual arts to their peers. In addition to the film fest, Gen Art sponsors traveling fine arts exhibitions and fashion shows.

One-third of the Gen Art Film Festival's budget is generated through ticket sales, according to Gerard, while the remainder comes from the backing of corporate sponsors such as Finlandia Vodka, Datek Online, Evian and the New York Times. Gen Art has put together an admirable film advisory board that includes such indie stalwarts as Robert Hawk, Ted Hope, Peter Newman, Ruby Lerner, Christine Vachon and others.

With rare exceptions, the films that screen in the Gen Art film festival have not yet found a theatrical distributor. Two years ago, Brad Anderson's feature debut "The Darien Gap" was picked up by Northern Arts Entertainment for a limited run the same night that it screened at Gen Art. Anderson's sophomore effort "Next Stop Wonderland" was acquired at this year's Sundance Film Festival by Miramax Films, which signed a three-pic deal with the director and his producer Mitchell Robbins. "At most festivals, they're trying to cram in as many films as possible. But the structure of Gen Art --- one film, one party --- prevents filmmakers from getting lost in the shuffle. You really feel like it's your night," said Anderson.

Last year's Gen Art fest helped land distribution deals for three of its entries. Tim Blake Nelson's feature debut "Eye of God" was acquired by Castle Hill Films, Stratosphere Entertainment picked up Dan Zukovic's "The Last Big Thing" and Nick Veronis' "Day at the Beach" was nabbed by Arrow Entertainment.

Gen Art also has served as a launching pad for such self-distributed films as Iara Lee's "Synthetic Pleasures," which ultimately played at more than 100 festivals. This year, Lee is back at Gen Art with "Modulations," a kaleidoscopic tour of the rave music scene.

- MONICA ROMAN