A Letter from the President

Greetings Film Fans! 2011 is ROCKIN!

When I look back over the past 11 years, I am in awe of the Kansas International Film Festival. We basically started the festival as a result of a Sunday morning conversation at breakfast. The Mossman brothers and I decided to start this festival in what we felt was under served-the Johnson County area. Deciding to place the emphasis on filmmakers and vowing always to offer programming for everyone, film critic Bob Butler announced our formation in the Kansas City Star, he stating "There is a new film festival brewing in town and it could be a whopper." Well it was and still is, thanks to the support of the community, the partnerships with local businesses, the films, the filmmakers, our volunteers, and the patrons of the festival.

Who would have ever thought that Kansas City would support a film festival that brought in 20-30 filmmakers each year, as well as several "anchor" events such as retrospectives with heavies like Ray Harryhausen, Richard Schickel, George Romero, and Guy Maddin, or silent films with new musical scores by the Alloy Orchestra? And who would have imagined sellout crowds at screenings of "socially conscious documentaries?" Going into this, we probably underestimated want our viewers wanted to see.

Well, hang in there with us as the KIFF 2011 movie marathon kicks off September 30. We will keep you well informed and continue to give you what you watch as viewers. And as always, thank you for your support.

Dr. Benjamin Meade
President