“Welcome to BIFF 2024!” said Greg Gerard, officially welcoming all to the Beloit International Film Festival Reveal Party. “This is where the energy starts to build!”
The party, marking the official release of the schedule of this year’s film festival, took place on Thursday, March 14 at the Hilton Inn. The lobby was full of people of all ages sporting all kinds of BIFF merch, showing their support for the festival. I LOVE BIFF pins, BIFF shirts, hoodies, and scarves, babies in BIFF onesies and bibs, BIFF berets being adjusted by friends to sit just perfectly so; everyone was adorned, from the first timers to folks who have been here since before the beginning, people like Steve and Nicki Meyer.
For the Meyers, BIFF has been a part of their family for years. Steve remembers when BIFF was just an idea talked about with neighbors, and eventually he became part of BIFF Year Round. His daughter was in a film that showed at the festival, and one of the first gifts for her son was a BIFF onesie.
“We have served on everything,” said Nicki. “We have done all the jobs there are,” she said, including “merchandising queen,” which she said with a laugh.
“My favorite part is welcoming filmmakers when they’re here,” she said. “The filmmakers are always impressed with Beloit and the film fest… it’s where Beloit just shines.”
The Beloit community is brought together year after year by the film festival. “I love how the community gets involved,” said Sylvia Arner, who attended the Reveal Party. “Different issues get brought to life, you see things you normally wouldn’t on the big screen.” It’s a place where the local and international community comes together. “We’ve met artists from Ireland, Germany,” she said.
This sentiment is proved true by Keith Carroll. For Carroll, this year’s BIFF is special. He was a substitute teacher at Beloit Memorial before moving to Alaska, where he taught top-student Chris Apassingok, main subject of BIFF film “One with the Whale.”
“I know everyone in the movie!” he said. This personal connection to the film is what makes BIFF so special.
Nathan Sill, graduate of Beloit College, also attended the party, and also has a deep connection to one of the films: he’s in it. “Afterglow,” a film about a group of friends who parkour together, stars Sill and his friends. “We are looking forward to seeing what other people think about the story we’re telling,” he said. He also made sure to plug the showtimes for Afterglow (April 10, 11, and 12!), and encouraged people to go see it.
The Reveal Party was about more than just unveiling the official printed program. Greg also announced the BIFF 2024 Honorary Chairperson. This year, David Luebke was posthumously named the Honorary Chairperson.
“David was an avid Beloiter,” said Karen McSorley. “He was just proud to call Beloit his home for 75 years,” she said, adding that BIFF was part of that. Just six months after they met, he encouraged her to volunteer and participate in BIFF. “David served willingly and enthusiastically on the board,” she said. His dedication to Beloit and to BIFF was extraordinary. His son, who gave a few words after McSorley, said, “as long as BIFF existed, he promoted it.”
The BIFF community was strongly celebrated on Thursday, and these sentiments were reflected by Aaron Peterson, Vice President of the Board of Directors as well as on the selection committee this year. “BIFF is about bringing all these wonderful filmmakers ,” he said. He thanked the volunteers who watched the films and added input to the decision making process, noting BIFF is “collaborative in a way film festivals don’t usually get to be.”
The Reveal Party was an exciting precursor to the upcoming weeks. The night was punctuated by people reconnecting once again with friends and family that have been a part of this festival for almost 20 years, growing the BIFF community ever more.
“Go BIFF, or go home!” said Gerard, closing out the night with his quintessential motto.
