Liza Ledford is an unique example of how diverse and rich the Eastern Shore is with talent. A native of Easton, Liza followed her love of film to Los Angeles after college, landing exceptional opportunities to work as a development producer for Steven Spielberg, the development team for Good Will Hunting, and production director for films like My Best Friend’s Wedding. She recently returned to Easton to raise a family while she continues to work in the entertainment industry as story consultant, writer, manager and producer in New York and Los Angeles.
We caught up with her last week.
Q. First off, how did you find your way to become the Chesapeake Film Festival (CFF) executive director?
A. I have been a board member of CFF since the very beginning of CFF. Growing up in Easton then moving to Los Angeles for over ten years, I remained friends with Doug Sadler who invited me to the board and inspired me with his vision for the festival. Over the past four festivals, CFF has evolved into a remarkable community event and is positioned to grow even more competent to fulfill its mission to use the art of film as a means to open up meaningful dialogue and share our universal human experiences.
After the 2011 festival, the past Executive Director resigned and I was voted in by the board. I feel very appreciative of the board’s confidence in me, and am so excited about the CFF vision and mission statement.
Q. What kind of film audience do you think CFF has on the Eastern Shore?
A. The Eastern shore has a unique audience that is superb for film appreciation. We have educated, sophisticated art lovers and the medium of film is an unexplored form to add to the already rich art community here. Beyond that, the Eastern shore hosts many non-profits that have meaningful themes that films help explore and we can be a resource for the many important topics that are here. We also have a curious community that could enjoy more filmmaking education and exploration as a craft and we are happy to provide classes on the craft as well as history of film etc.
Q. How did last year’s festival do?
2011 proved to be our most successful year yet. CFF has been so fortunate to have incredible community members on the CFF board help during different years, and each year we have built up CFF’s effectiveness to deliver a satisfying festival weekend. Beyond our incredible working board and volunteers, 2011 brought in celebrity attendee, Dennis Farina. Filmmakers have been enjoying our beautiful region visiting from all over the globe for years, but having a recognizable face really helped add flare and excitement for our audiences. We also felt very proud to feature some important documentaries about food in our school systems, and about the dangers of plastic and truth about the difficulties of recycling. The filmmakers hosted fantastic panel discussions and we were proud of the spread of action for positive change in our world. CFF is a conduit for some changes in behavior one film at a time.
Q. How does it look for next year?
A. 2012 being our 5th year anniversary promises to be our most glamorous and powerful festival year yet. We have some surprises in the works to truly celebrate CFF and this film audience as well as add a few more programs throughout the year that fulfills our educational outreach element to our mission. We are joining with community collaboration partners for teaching classes, providing film lecture series, and other special events. We are kicking off our 5th year with our first CFF Oscars party at the Avalon Theatre as a benefit for charity partner Talbot Hospice Foundation. We are thrilled to support their mission to celebrate life. Films often help open dialogue during tough times, and the incredible care Talbot Hospice provides for our community navigating end of life situations deserves all the help with that sharing human experience can provide. Please mark your calendars and join us at the Avalon, walk the red carpet, to watch the 84th Academy Awards show streamed LIVE on Sunday, February 26th at 5pm.
Q. Is Doug Sadler still the artistic director?
A. In CFF’s effort to grow and expand programs to accomplish more of our mission, Doug has moved from Artistic Director to Creative Advisor. He still serves as one of our artists in residence and looks to continue to grow our filmmaker relationships and partners. Our new Artistic Director is Laura Bennett, who comes to us from years in NYC. She has an MFA from NYU and brings incredible energy and expertise to CFF. Rhonda Thomson has signed back on as Festival Director and added Programming Director to her contribution as well. Laura and Rhonda are headed to Sundance Film Festival in Utah January 20th for a week.
Q. Finally, what are your own goals for CFF in the future?
A. My vision for CFF in the future is to be a household name for everyone in our region as the go-to resource for all things film related. We will have established programs with community partners to teach filmmaking, as well as provide interesting film discussions in many different venues. I also hope that our 3 annual special fundraising events get written in pen in everyone’s calendars. The community can always count on CFF’s Oscar Party every February, a program preview event at the end of June and of course, the festival itself every September. Those three times a year you can count on something interesting coming from CFF for many to enjoy.
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