Experimental Film Virginia Artist Residency and Festival '16 brings together artists from ALL disciplines to make short films and explore the interface of movement, sound and location.
Small Town, Big Art | Dance-inspired Short Films created by Local & International Artists | Weekend Festival Art Events for the Public
About this project
Experimental Film Virginia brings together artists from ALL disciplines (dance, film, theatre, sound design, music, visual arts) to make short films and explore the interface of movement, sound and location. This all happens in a little town on the Eastern Shore, part of theHampton Roads Community in Tidewater, Virginia.
EFV will happen for the 4th time in 2016, in Cape Charles, Virginia, with satellite events in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Richmond, New York and beyond. During the two-week filmmaking artist residency, our art-soaked weekends offer live performance and music to celebrate this “glocal” gathering and bring artists and audiences together.
Donate today and plan to come to this unique, intimate, homegrown festival which welcomes art aficionados, vacationers, families and couples for high quality art in a relaxed, fun setting in this coastal beach town full of history and charm.
The event is run by GEAR, Global Exchange Arts Roundtable,Inc, a non-profit dedicated to bringing the experience of movement (dance) into other art forms and connecting small towns to metropolitan areas through innovative programming for artists and audiences.
What EFV Does:
We host a two-week, trans-disciplinary artist residency for over 50 artists
We create Virginia-made films and bring them to international audiences
We work with the screen from an interdisciplinary approach, combining dance, film, music, sound design, visual arts and theatre
We create fun, accessible events that are free and open to the public
We tour the films made each year all over Virginia, DC, New York and abroad in Italy, Hong Kong and more
We promote cultural tourism for small town America, starting with Cape Charles
We offer local artists a global stage, and global artists a local stage
We innovate the way arts, culture and business intersect and leverage growth
Why EFV Needs Funds:
This campaign is a crucial component of our $100,000 budget. This campaign completes the remaining $12,000 of our extensive fundraising efforts to compliment the generous support of our established sponsors. Our funding, past and present has come from organizations such as:
National Endowment for the Arts
Virginia Commission for the Arts
Virginia Film Office
Dance Films Association New York
Taiwan Ministry of Culture/Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
Israeli Embassy in Washington DC
Seoul Institute of the Arts
Hong Kong Arts and Development Council
Eastern Shore Land Company (ESLAND)
Cape Charles Yacht Center
Virginia Eye Consultants
The Old Cavalier Hotel Virginia Beach
The Rutter Family Art Foundation
Hotel Cape Charles
Allergan Pharmaceuticals
Arts Enter Cape Charles
The Roll Family
Gary Byler
Tankard Nursery
Lemon Tree Gallery and Studio
and many other generous patrons, sponsors and organizations
Your donation directly supports the remaining costs which cover:
Workshops, Events and Meet-the-Artists opportunities for the Hampton Roads community, including the Eastern Shore of VA
Equipment Rental for Films (Cameras, Tripods, Lens Kits, Lighting)
A need to explore the medium of film from an interdisciplinary and complete approach:movement, sound and place. Our local non profit was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant and EFV was born and sustained in the first two years thanks to this grant. We wanted to create a space for artists to get away and for audiences to find themselves. We want to offer fun, artsy events that educate and entertain. High level art that is engaging, accessible and presented in a fun, relaxed environment.
EFV in a Nutshell:
The process involves artists from all over the world and Virginia who make films inspired by the people and spaces of small town America on the beautiful lower Eastern Shore.
The result is a collection of unique films, to be premiered in Cape Charles and then screened in New York City, Turin, and Hong Kong and throughout the state of Virginia.
EFV offers something for everyone: artists get away and find a safe haven for creation and experimentation with incredible networking opportunities and an unusual mix of disciplines and nationalities.
For the public, we offer art-soaked weekend events that bring local treasures to life: the new gallery/event space Work|Release in Norfolk for the Launching Party, the incredibleSeaview Creek Barn on Seaside road just outside of Cape Charles for Art in a Barn, theHistoric Palace Theatre for the Film Premiere of the films made during the two week residency and the Cape Charles Yacht Center marina where we hold the final night Bayamo Party.
Growing program of workshops, meet-the-artist events and screenings throughout the year in Virginia, throughout the USA and internationally.
Ten reasons to support Experimental Film Virginia 2016:
EFV exposes people of all backgrounds, our art-soaked weekend events are free and open to the public, to share the joy of art and cultural experience.
EFV captures the ever-changing landscape of Virginia’s Eastern Shore on film and shares it with the world. Screenings are already scheduled for New York City, Turin, and Hong Kong, and throughout the state of Virginia and Washington DC.
EFV honors the unique rural landscape and architecture of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
EFV promotes business and tourism in Cape Charles, helping create a sustainable economy with the arts at the core of town planning and community development.
EFV is scalable and offers a model for other small towns boosting seasonal tourismthrough the arts.
EFV applies proven creative place-making strategies, built on partnerships between public, private, government, non-profit and community sectors on a local, regional, national and international level.
EFV celebrates “Small Town. Big Art”—a campaign showcasing the charm of our historic town’s culture, Victorian homes, dining, and beach life.
EFV celebrates diversity and cross-cultural collaboration, bringing together artists fromItaly to Israel to Taiwan.
EFV has proven to be successful in 2013, 2014 and 2015—and will only continue to growwith your support in 2016.
Because Cape Charles is a very cool town that you should be visiting anyway. So come join us this summer and plan the perfect weekend getaway and catch some amazing films while you are at it!
Small Town. Big Art.
See you in Cape Charles.
Risks and challenges
EFV was born thanks to a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant. It has continued to grow and thrive thanks to the support of many public, private and governmental organizations listed above.
We also rely heavily on donations from private citizens and local businesses and companies as well as places like the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
The more successful we are each year with EFV, the more momentum we gain, the bigger the project gets and the more we need to keep growing and thus, the budget increases!
This year we have hired a Program Manager, Jessica Lee Long, who is doing an excellent job. We are expanding our network of collaborators and co-producers including Work|Release, Naro Expanded Cinema, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Commodore Cinema Portsmouth and the Virginia Tourism Cooperation along with many more.
We are confident that our reputation, visibility, credibility and the quality of our work will continue to thrive and provide us with the leverage we need to continue and expand our fundraising efforts.
When we fall short on funding, it is a true waste of resources, time and energy and the artists and community suffer because we remain limited in how many artists we can support and how much outreach we can do.
So, support us today and help us continue to grow.