In April, 2007, Meaford Hall had been open for less than a year following its restoration, and there was no screen or projector in the Hall. Showing films was part of the business plan for the Hall, but that was still in the future.
So when Gough Lewis approached the then Foundation Board (Barb Clumpus, Ted Brown, Bert Chalmers, Terry Harris, Michael Anderson) in early 2007 with the idea of putting on a film festival, it seemed like a very long shot. No one on the Board fully appreciated what we were getting into. Nonetheless, the Board did have a sense of the potential, held its breath, and decided to take on the financial risk of presenting MIFF in partnership with Gough as the founding Festival Director, a role he held for the first two years.
What a summer!
The screen was installed in the Hall in the middle of August, and the projector arrived a week before the Opening Gala.
During a technical rehearsal the day before opening, the projectionist ran out of the booth saying that water was dripping onto the projector from the ceiling. Needless to say, this created quite a stir! It turned out that the heat from the projector was causing water to condense on a cold water pipe that ran across directly above the machine. A few strategically-placed towels dealt with that problem, and the show went on.
Opening night on August 30 (less than five months after the first discussions with Gough) was our first indication of what was possible. The film was “An Unreasonable Man”, and the evening opened with a live interview with Ralph Nader, the subject of the film. He was in his office in Washington, and spoke to Shane Jolley via Skype. The Saturday night film was “The Dark Side of the Moon”, a fascinating documentary about the Apollo program. This time, Gough interviewed David Sington, the Director, from his home in England.
After each film, the audience went downstairs and walked the red carpet to a splendid party held in the marquee. We started a tradition of asking local caterers to provide food for a party, giving MIFF audiences some great food and providing the caterers with some great exposure to the local market.
The format of MIFF was established; international, award-winning films along with special guest interviews to provide a true festival experience. Not to mention the dinners and after parties that are still part of MIFF today.
MIFF 2008 trailer with scenes from inaugural 2007 festival
Gough Lewis moved on to other things after the 2008 Festival. At the time, Michael Anderson, the Festival’s Producer, said that the Film Festival owed a huge debt to Gough. “He brought the idea for the Meaford International Film Festival to us, and did a fabulous job acquiring some outstanding programming and in helping to build the Festival’s reputation.”
Future Artistic Directors and many volunteers have contributed a great deal of time and effort to make MIFF an exciting event and successful fundraiser for the Arts and Culture Foundation, which aims to support arts and culture initiatives in the community. Thank you to all volunteers and patrons, past and present, who have made and continue to make MIFF a great success!
From left to right: Past Artistic Directors Michael Anderson, Christopher Thomas and Joanne MacKenzie and current Artistic Director Anna den Hengst.