Wisconsin Film Festival 2009 loses a major sponsor

Sony pulls out due to sinking economy

January 27, 2009

5:00 PM

The

Hamel acknowledges that other corporate sponsorships look shaky for the 2009 event, scheduled in multiple Madison venues for April 2-5. "Many of the companies that support us don't have the means to do so this year," she says. "It clearly makes a dent in things."

On the other hand, Hamel says that the experience for festival-goers won't be any different as a result of the cutback in corporate donations. The festival brings in the bulk of its revenue through ticket sales, and also gets grants from local agencies to cover its $250,000 budget (which doesn't include salaries). Plus, Hamel had already banked all the money she needed for the 2009 festival by last July. She doesn't even foresee the need to raise ticket prices.

"This year's festival will be as big and robust and fulfilling as it ever has been," she says.

If the Wisconsin Film Festival does get into financial trouble down the road, Hamel has many ways to adjust without affecting programming. For some films, she currently pays expensive shipping fees and rents high-end video equipment. In tight times, she can book films that don't involve such costs.

"There are all sorts of ways we can trim that won't actually change what we do," she says.

Hamel says that, for the first time, the festival has an online donation form for its Real Butter Fund.

"We should have done this seven years ago. We've never done any kind of campaign, and it's another possible funding source. Because we have so many people who attend the fest, and love it, and consider it the first sign of spring in Wisconsin, I hope that in time this may become another path for helping put together the fest's funding.

"Where some organizations feel like they've tapped out their membership," she continues, "we haven't even begun that process."

Hamel is still at work on the festival's 2009 schedule, looking at brand new titles coming out of the Sundance, Slamdance and South by Southwest festivals. She is also providing updates on her progress via the wifilmfest Twitter feed.

The complete slate of films will be published online and in Isthmus on March 5. Tickets go on sale on March 7, both online and at the festival's Memorial Union box office, and are $7 per screening for the general public and $4 for students.