Tampa Bay International Film Festival started in Clearwater
The Clearwater Film Festival sprung from a bright idea I once had. The idea that I could start a film festival from nothing but the idea itself. Much like the Laws of Intention and Pure Potentiality taught by Deepak Chopra: IF you will it to happen, it will happen. Or Kevin Costner’s character in Field Of Dreams: IF you build it, they will come.
By simply intending to create a film festival; seeking out films, volunteers, sponsors, venues and setting a date, almost before I knew what hit me, eleven months from initial inception – it happened. I created a film festival complete with awards, educational panels and live music. Filmmakers came from as far away as South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. We showed films from around the world and everybody had a fantastic time.
You could equate it with learning to drive a vehicle without ever having seen one before. We learned by doing. After two years of mashing pedals and gears to cover only a short distance, the practice forced us to polish our driving skills and we are now aimed in a refined direction that is steering us along a beautiful road. To be the best film festival.
This will be no overnight achievement. Nor is it a measurable one. There will always be other film festivals, all over the world, claiming to be the best. They will have supporters to stand by them and nobody at all could attend all of the over 4,000 annual film festivals worldwide, so no matter what we do, there will be film festival enthusiasts who will never have the pleasure of attending our festival, but that is okay. For those who will attend, we promise to bring you the finest entertainment we can find.
The Tampa Bay International Film Festival welcomes you. Please take a moment to explore the 2010 and 2011 pages to see what we accomplished in Clearwater.
The word IF represents potential. Our partnership with the Studio@620 is a measure of that potential and we thank them for being able to see it. We know what we are capable of and how we can grow. IF you believe in taking a chance on watching something you have never seen or heard of before, for that very purpose, because you have not seen or heard of it before, because you dare to take a chance on a burgeoning filmmaker, then you are the audience member and sponsor we seek – and we appreciate your support.
IF you would like to see something different, get reeled in.
What’s not to love?
Mike Rembis – Founder
We attended the 2011 Clearwater festival and still talk about the excellent films you presented. Congratulations on putting together another fine film festival! And, thanks for including us in your 2012 review process. (Are you interested in expanding the festival to the Tarpon Springs area, if a venue is available?) All the best!