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 indieWIREJune 16, 1997 indieWIRE ON THE SCENE THE ATLANTA FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL WRAP UP: The Militia Goes to the Movies by John Bernstein  Earlier that evening, William Gazecki's WACO:
THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT was named as the recipient of the 1997 Atlanta
Film & Video Festival Audience Award. The popularity of the anti-government
documentary, which examined the 1993 standoff near Waco, Texas between
the ATF and Branch Davidians, came as no surprise to festival organizers.
"It was really sort of a phenomenon," said Anne Hubbell, Executive
Director of IMAGE. "People called in from all over the country...
Demand was so high for the film that we ended up having to add two additional
screenings," explained Hubbell.The atmosphere at those screenings was atypical for the Atlanta festival. Many audience members showed up to the Sunday WACO screening either in their church clothes or wearing T-shirts with slogans such as "BAN FINGERPRINTING" and "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU." Several people saluted a man wearing a shirt that read "AMERICANS FOR LAWFUL GOVERNMENT." Before the film, that man passed out copies of an anti-FBI article from Soldier Of Fortune Magazine, along with invitations to his group's bi-monthly meetings at a local barbecue restaurant. As the lights dimmed before one sold-out WACO screening, several people shouted at Hubbell, wanting to know where and when they could purchase their own videocassette copies of the film--a question festival staffers were constantly bombarded with. After an earlier screening, an irate audience member leapt to his feet and shouted, "Now you've seen it, what are you gonna do about it?" Another festival-goer several rows back quietly responded, "Take guns away from people like you."  While WACO may have been the most controversial
film at this year's festival, it was not the only film that commanded
heavy turn-out by Atlanta audiences. Other popular films included Bob
Koherr's PLUMP FICTION, Sharon Grimberg and Daniel Friedman's MISS INDIA
GEORGIA, Aleks Horvats SWEETHEARTS (starring Janeane Garofalo), EIGHT
DAYS A WEEK by Michael Davis, a collection of TWISTED SHORTS, the ANIMATION
EXTRAVAGANZA, and John O'Hagan's WONDERLAND, which garnered the festival's
grand jury prize.indieWIRE COLUMN indieBUZZ: The word from Central Florida On the horizon, and the film generating the most buzz, is WACO: THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT after a heated screening and Q&A at the Atlanta Film Festival [see above]. Conversation and debate from people who have seen the film circulates in between screenings under the tent at the Enzian, about the film's damning evidence against the "powers that be". Although festival organizers say they aren't concerned about any potential problems, they are reviewing their security in light of the events in Atlanta. Stay tuned... ©1997 iLINE, Ltd. |
