Next week, November 6-9, 2014, the 5th annual Driftless Film Festival (DFF) takes place at the Mineral Point Opera House.

We recently caught up with Eve Studnicka, the Director of Operations for this year’s fest.

HSB: How are the films selected to be part of the DFF?

Eve: Our co-founder Nick Langholff is really in-tune with the world of indie cinema and spends a lot of time scouring film festivals for movies that would play well at Driftless. We try to get a wide variety of independent films that typically wouldn’t play in rural Wisconsin as well as locally produced works that need a place to be showcased. And every year we accept submissions so filmmakers can have the opportunity to have their work be considered for the lineup.

HSB: I saw that you achieved your Kickstarter goals, what does this mean for this year’s festival and for the future of the DFF?

Eve: We were blown away by the level of support that the community brought to the table this year. We have been trying to make Driftless a more collaborative experience for filmmakers and the Mineral Point community alike, so to have a portion of our budget be crowdsource funded meant a lot to us. In the future, we would like to continue to have Driftless be made possible by the community in this way, as well as through sponsorships. We want to have the means to provide the best experience possible for audience members.

HSB: One of the highlights of last year’s DFF was the screening of your film about Mineral Point, OF SOME FAIR PLACE. For anyone who missed the screening, do you have DVDs available for sale?

Eve: Yes! DVDs of OF SOME FAIR PLACE are available in Mineral Point for $18 at Longbranch Gallery, Gray Dog Deli, Pendarvis, Against the Grain, High Street Sweets, de la Pear, and Shake Rag Alley. They are also available to order directly from me. Just shoot an email to lefromagepetit@gmail.com and I’ll get you hooked up! A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Mineral Point Historical Society.

HSB: Finally, do you know if the Opera House will be selling beer during any of the screenings?

Eve: We sure will! We’re partying full-tilt Wisconsin-style this year. Be there or be square.

The festival kicks off on Thursday November 6th with the Sundance award-winning documentary, LIFE ITSELF, chronicling the life of world-renowned film critic Roger Ebert. For the complete line-up of the feature films to be shown at the DFF, check out the new Bill Webb-designed website, www.DriftlessFilmFest.org.

To fully immerse yourself in the Driftless Film Festival/Mineral Point experience, click here to buy an all-session pass good for all showings, and click here to book one of Mineral Point’s unique guest rooms.

– Contributed by the Hays