FILMMAKER INTERNS: A RETROSPECTIVE
Ann Arbor Film Festival interns have always been an essential part of our team, and over the years many have proven themselves to be formidable filmmakers in their own right, producing works that have screened at the Festival. Let's take a moment to acknowledge some of these individuals who not only helped make the Festival the premier experimental film event that it is today, but who also contributed artistically.
Kate Phelan, who interned during the 30th AAFF in 1992, screened her film Dancespace the following year at the 31st AAFF.
David DeOtte interned during the 31st AAFF in 1993, and at the 32nd AAFF, showed his film Drive Thru Detroit.
Nicole Cattell, while interning at the 32nd AAFF, showed her film Overview during that same Festival, then returned five years later to present Come Unto Me: The Faces of Tyree Guyton at the 37th AAFF.
Vera Brunner-Sung, who interned about 15 years ago, returned last year to the 54th AAFF with First Rodeo.
Doug Nicholas, who interned during the 43rd in 2005, came back twice to show his films HERMANN and Glass, Concrete and Stone.
Marty Stano, a 45th AAFF intern, directed the music video “Where Will We Go” for the band IAMDYNAMITE, which has received almost 500,000 views on YouTube.
Two 46th AAFF interns, Noah Stahl and Micah Vanderhoof, returned with their films Instructions for Urban Exploration [2012 (co-directed with Perry Janes, Sadie Yarrington)] and Toxic Masculinity & Proto Threnody in Dub (Skin Lies) (2017), respectively.
Kristen Zelenka worked on the 50th AAFF and also exhibited her film, The Arson of History (co-directed by Elizabeth Double, Sven) that year.
Finally, AAFF Executive Director Leslie Raymond's film Jason Wolfe of Olneyville screened at the 31st AAFF in 1993, and the award-winning Rife w/ Fire showed at the 35th, and enjoyed a repeat showing in 2002. She clearly relished her internship at the Festival a lot, because now she’s running the whole thing!
Every year, we love working with our new interns and we are excited to see them not only contribute to the administrative aspects of the festival, but also to the creative sphere. Who knows, maybe some of our current interns will be future AAFF filmmakers!
Current internship opportunities can be found here.
