"Word-of-mouth continues to reel in world of filmmakers"... in an article by Diana Nollen, published by THE GAZETTE Susan Gorrell explained how and why the festival is rated one of the coolest by MovieMaker Magazine which has dubbed it among “50 film festivals worth the entry fee.”
Susan develops on the care and dedication the whole festival team is giving to the attending filmmakers, as a result a very positive word of mouth with a very strong reputation.
“As an artist, it starts when you’re young,” Gorrell said. A filmmaker with a husband and both sons in the industry, she’s thrilled to give young people the same opportunities “to be part of a festival and part of a community.
Asked why are filmmakers unveiling their work in Dubuque instead of larger festivals, in larger cities? susan answered: “I think there's a couple of reasons,” said Gorrell, who lives in Dubuque. “I think the bigger ones have become so commercialized, political in the fact that maybe you have to know somebody or something like that (to get in).
“Honestly, it's word-of-mouth. The filmmakers that have come in the past have just done a great job spreading how amazing we are. And I think that people (are) really hoping to get in because they've heard how great we are to the filmmakers. We treat them well, and they want to be part of that.
“So I think it’s just a mix of all those things,” she said.
21.04.2023 | Julien Dubuque International Film Festival's blog
Cat. : PEOPLE