Projects

The most advanced project I have headed was the Rock film festival in G?teborg. I took over as the project leader when the old one got tired of it.

The festival was about showing films and live bands at Hagabion every day for 7 to 10 days. I was working as a projectionist there, so I could do the screening myself at times. There were also many people who would volunteer to work, fortunately. Tasks:

• Create a team who would plan and lead the festival.
• Contact film distributors and film directors in various countries.
• Order films from domestic distributors.
• Invite directors and organise their visits.
• Contact other cinemas to share the films and costs.
• Organise the tour dates in Sweden and Norway.
• Decide about a date, together with the cinema program planners.
• Make a budget to present to the board.
• Put together the program.
• Create the artwork for the promotional material.
• Get media coverage. We were interviewed in radio stations and got press articles.
• Find bands interested in playing.
• Find a PA and a sound engineer (actually the most tricky part!).
• Take care of all these people.
• Agree with the café owner about times for concerts and soundchecks.
• Customs clearing.
• Projection of 35 mm and 16 mm film, as well as videos in various formats.
• Getting permission from the national film board (every film in Sweden was subject to censorship before public screenings).

I did this work four years while studying at the university. It mostly turned out fine, except that we made a loss every year. That, and the unfortunate fact that most friends left the organisation, while not so enthusiastic people remained, made me abandon the project, and nobody else stepped up to revive it.