Interview with Jonah Crismore by Ian Maxton

The Hobnobben Festival begins today. As an introduction to the festival, I interviewed Jonah Crismore, the Executive Director at Cinema Center and one of the chief organizers of Hobnobben. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what film festivals, and Hobnobben in particular, are all about.

Ian Maxton: Hey Jonah, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me. How long have you been working on Hobnobben?

Jonah Crismore: The whole process began about 2 years ago. That’s when we first decided that a film festival would not only be a great way to celebrate Cinema Center’s 40^th anniversary, but would also say loudly and proudly that Cinema Center is here; that it is part of the cultural fabric of the city.

IM: Can you give everyone reading some idea of how much work – volunteer and otherwise – goes into an event of this size? How many people are involved?

JC: It started with just the board at Cinema Center and myself, and then a volunteer committee was formed just for Hobnobben. There are about 16 individuals in leadership roles for the festival comprised of Cinema Center employees, the board, and Hobnobben volunteers. For the past year they have been working very hard to organize the festival, especially the festival co-chairs Ryan Kruekeberg and Emily Wissel. In addition to their great leadership, Cinema Center director of operations Andy Helmkamp has been providing all logistics for the festival and it’s astounding how much that aspect comprises. But it’s also a family affair in some regards. My wife Amanda Knauer designed our website and my cousin Amanda DeLong is the special events chair.

IM: On a similar note, I don’t think most people know how much goes on behind the scenes in order to program such a great lineup of films. I know you are the one who has primarily handled that. Could you maybe lift the curtain for a moment and talk about why you chose the films that you did and how, along with sponsors and local arts patrons, you were able to bring those films to Hobnobben?

JC: The programming process was pretty intense. We received over 220 submissions from all over the world and it is amazing just how many were really, really good. We have a programming committee who just evaluated films. Each film was evaluated by two individuals and if there was a split yay/nay between them, a festival consultant came in to cast the deciding vote. From there, I would watch the films and decided if there was a specific program that would be good – if it made sense for our community and our audience. I also spent a lot of time working with festival coordinators, distributors, and filmmakers to get some of our “bigger” films to play. Luckily, being a theater in operation for the whole year, we have a great relationship with many of the companies who are letting us screen their films. We are really grateful to have so many well-seasoned films and filmmakers participating, most first year film festivals are not in that position.

IM: As Fort Wayne continues to grow and thrive, more and more events seem to pop up, especially in the summer, but I know you and I both agree that Hobnobben is something different and special: an event for every kind of film lover that brings some of the best contemporary cinema to a city that can sometime be limited on that front. But it isn’t just about the films. And for many people coming out over the weekend, Hobnobben will be their first experience with a film festival. Could you talk about the differences and advantages of a festival setting versus, say, programming these films for a normal run at Cinema Center? What can people get out of a festival that they can’t get out of the usual theatre experience?

JC: Well, for one thing, you are seeing these films before their Indiana play dates, which is really great. It truly is a big party, with film being the reason because of it. There are filmmakers at Hobnobben, and as an audience member, you can ask them questions about why they made the film the way they did and you get to learn about the filmmaking process. There are panel discussions about filmmaking in Indiana and a general filmmaking talk, and a block party on Friday at 6pm at the Arts United Plaza with a free screening of Dazed and Confused. It’s all going to be so much fun. What makes it really exciting is that we are taking the mission of Cinema Center – elevating the art of film – and taking it into the community, helping to build a more robust kinship between cinephiles.

IM: Lastly, I’ve already written at length about the specific films at Hobnobben that have me the most excited. So at the risk of asking you to play favorites, could you perhaps highlight one or two films you think our fellow cinephiles absolutely must see this weekend, perhaps some films that they, or I, might have overlooked?

JC: You didn’t overlook it, but The Fits. It’s our festival preview film. We are screening it on Thursday afternoon at 4pm with a diversity and inclusion panel afterward. This is an excellent film, with a mostly non-professional cast, but you would never know it. It deals with so many issues but it is told simply and beautifully.

IM: Well you know I’m not going to argue with that choice. The house will hopefully be packed for that film. Again, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me. And thank you for bringing such a great event to Fort Wayne.

JC: Thank you, I look forward to reading your festival reports!

That wraps up my pre-fest coverage for Hobnobben. As the weekend progresses, I will post periodic updates on how the festival is going over on Twitter (my handle is @attheimax). For more updates, you can follow @fwcinemacenter and @hobnobben. Also check out the Facebook pages for Cinema Center and Hobnobben.

Next week, I will go all in, posting full recaps, some film reviews, and other odds and ends right here throughout the week. So please come on out for opening night and keep coming back the rest of the weekend.

And if you aren’t sure what to see at the fest, consult our 3-part preview just below this post.

We hope to see you at Hobnobben!