BBFF 09 Survey results

Although I only expected 15-20% of the attendees to return the survey, I was pretty surprised that almost half of the audience responded. Though many people did not care for the final film of Saturday night, an overwhelming 86% said they would return next year. And considering almost 70% of those responding were first-time attendees, that's pretty exciting! Most who had attended in the past thought we had improved over the past years, and the overwhelming majority were pleased with the film selections. Still very surprised at the number who wanted to do away with the meat option on the Redbone's buffet, so we're going to try and have a little more vegetarian variety next year.

And we start accepting film submissions January 1st, so if you have a film, or know someone with a film with a cycling theme, submit to the 6th annual Boston Bike Film Festival for October 2010!

Happy Thanksgiving!

now that the dust has settled

It is always with some amount of trepidation that I send out BBFF surveys... but how can I learn if not by looking at where I've been? So I just sent out a survey of BBFF09. Despite a couple of harsh criticisms, over 75% (thus far) have said that they would definitely come back next year. And, surprisingly, nearly 80% want to get rid of the meat on the menu! Some people complained they didn't have enough time for schmoozin' and others complained that the intermission was too long. The majority also said they liked the films, though some of the harshest critics reserved their most stinging barbs for the final film on Saturday night. I'm sure it didn't help that we had a 20 minute delay from the projection booth, but honestly, of the people that voted, B.I.K.E. was the highest rated film on Saturday, so go figure. I probably wouldn't have ended the festival on such a downer note, but it was recommended by a member of the Mass Bike board, so I assumed (wrongly, apparently) that Mass Bike was endorsing it. Live and learn, I guess!

I am relieved that another festival is behind me and already looking ahead to 2010. It looks like we will be donating a nice check for our beneficiaries this year, but until I get the final checks from the silent auction and the bill from the Brattle, I won't know. Stay tuned!

BBFF Rides to the Movies

As sorry as I was to have had to postpone our ride last Saturday, I wasn't at all sorry when I woke up and found Sunday to be bright and beautiful. We had a small group, but, after meeting at Urban Adventours with our tour guide, Ted, we started out on our excursion. We rode along the waterfront, though Chinatown, the Financial District, the Common, up Newbury Street, across the Mass Ave bridge (or as it is properly known, the Harvard Bridge, named after John Harvard, according to Ted!), and ended up in Harvard Square. We saw sites of many movie scenes - old and new, but sadly, no one was filming currently while we were there. Still, I think everyone had a great time, and I'm personally already looking forward to next year.

I will post here and on the website any updates. We're going to start accepting films for next year's BBFF starting Jan 1, so hurry up and Come Pedal Your Film!

2nd night of BBFF

Phew! A lot of work culminating in what I hope was a good time had by all. The final film of tonight's roster was definitely not for the squeamish. As mentioned in the program, it was gritty and intense. I think it turned a lot of people off (or maybe it was the delay because of problems in the projection booth), but a lot of people voted for it as their favorite. Unfortunately, fewer people voted tonight than last night so our top three winners are all from last night! #1 was Fat Bike, riding with some very tough cyclists from the 50th state; #2 was a history of mountain biking called, Klunkerz; and #3 was our rapper video called, Performance. Congratulations to the winners and hope to see folks on the postponed ride to the movies tomorrow (actually, today, now). And see you all next year!

one night down, one to go!

We had an energizing night of some really great films, food and fans last night. I look forward to another one this evening. Unfortunately, our movie site ride was rained out. Hope people will still join us tomorrow - it looks to be a sunny and gorgeous day for a ride. We just won't have the film festival to look forward to at the end :(

Last night's audience favorite was Fat Bike, about a group of intrepid Alaskan cyclists and their efforts to ride in some really harsh conditions - including a ride on the Iditarod trail! Once we get the top three audience favorites tonight, we'll factor in the audience from both nights and come up with the top three overall.

I was given a lovely photography book last night by Federico Muchnik, called, Lost: Abandoned Bicycles of Harvard Square. If you have a chance to check it out, do. It's lovingly photographed, and as anyone who lives in this area knows, it's something many of us see every day, but will now look at from a different perspective.

So come on down this evening. We have a whole slew of new silent auction items and door prizes, including a hand built bike trailer by Somerville artisan Doug Moore. And keep supporting bicycling advocacy in greater Boston!

BBFF tomorrow night!

I'm really excited about the film lineup this year. I know I say that every year, but we received some really cool films and I hope everyone thinks so too.

I am sad to say that the weather looks really unpleasant for a ride on Saturday, and we may have to change our BBFF Rides to the Movies to Sunday, which looks much nicer. If so, we'll make that announcement on the website, on Friday night, and via Urban Adventours (where you can rent a bike if you want to just for this ride). I'm excited about the ride, too, so I hope we can do it!

See you at the movies!

Rain Date for the Ride Saturday

If it's really pouring, I'm thinking of having it Sunday. Any thoughts? I would rather have more people enjoy this ride than ride in a windy drizzle :( Hopefully, Urban Adventours is still on board!

One thing I know is that the rain won't keep people away from the Film Festival! Our roster is very exciting this year and I don't think we'll disappoint. Obviously not every film will please everybody, but I think a good time will be had by all.

One week away!

So as I finalize the roster, I think of the films of years past and try to compare them. They are always like comparing apples and oranges to a certain degree but I try anyway. I'm always excited to see the audience reaction to the films - and this year is no exception. We have happy films, documentaries, a really intense jousting film, a short film about an artisan in Somerville who makes these really amazing bike trailers (and is going to donate one for our auction!), a film about what it's like to bike the Iditerod trail. As usual, we're all over the map.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for our Movie Bike Tour on Saturday the 24th. We start at the home of Urban Adventours, where people can rent a bike if they need to. From there we're traveling to sites of movies familiar (Good Will Hunting, The Departed) to the not so familiar (The Surrogates - Bruce Willis' latest, The Town - Ben Affleck directed, with Jon Hamm), and we'll even point out where Cameron Diaz is staying whilst in town filming with Tom Cruise! The finger crossing is for the weather. I'm hoping we have a bright sunny day. Today looks pretty bleak - and I am sorry for the rowers doing the Head of the Charles! Glad the BBFF is not this weekend!

So come on down and support Boston's original bike film festival - all proceeds support cycling advocacy groups in greater Boston. They really need your support and we're hoping to plunk down a decent donation this year, so we need everyone to drag their friends to this event. We are having a wider variety of food and the Brattle has CBC on tap, so come on down and join us next Friday and Saturday!

BBFF < 2 weeks away!

And the fingernails were the first thing to go. Despite being in good shape (relatively speaking), I tend to worry about lots of details. So, this weekend, instead of worrying, I put it on the back burner and first went to the 'Cross Festival in Providence (well, I didn't completely put it on the back burner) and then went to see the Psychedelic Furs at Boston's House of Blues.

I've never seen cyclocross live, so I was very excited and the racing certainly lived up to the hype. The course was insane, and the riders were so good! I never could have done this, but my new New Year's resolution is to become a better rider - starting now! And the Interbike East expo allowed me to do a lot of networking and let people know about the Festival.

As far as the Furs - another first. I'd never seen them, and knew they had been my best friend's favorite (or one of her favorite) bands, so as an early birthday present, I got tickets. They certainly did not disappoint. Richard Butler's voice is just as true as it was 30 years ago, to my untrained ear at least. And his energy level was pretty high as well. It made me want to run out and buy all their reissues! Are there any? I was also pretty stoked about seeing Happy Mondays, which had been a favorite of mine and was opening for the Furs. They were pretty good, but, except for the lead singer, all the members seemed to be fairly young, so presumably new members. And the bass level was so high that it felt as though it was going to make my collarbone explode. I'm not sure why that was the case, but it returned to a more normal level for the Furs. Thank you to the inventor of foam earplugs - your eardrum's best friend. A great night of live music and a good time was had by all. Back to the festival angst at the next post!

< than 2 weeks to go!

Almost have the roster complete... Still getting silent auction items... Wondering (as I do every year) how I'm going to pull this off... If anyone knows of any interns who'll work hard for nothing, please let me know! I do know this - we have some great films to watch, and I know everyone will have a good time! Stay tuned...

I heard that a cycling friend was harrassed by a dim bulb in a silver pickup - keep your eyes open. This shallow-end-of-the-gene-pool guy is out to get people on bikes, probably to overcompensate for his own lack of balls. But since he tried to force the bike into another car, and this is incredibly dangerous, be on the lookout. He may have done this more than once... They're out there - be safe!

The BBFF silent auction is heating up

We have a fabulous hand built bike trailer generously donated by Doug Moore. We actually have a film made by Bob Nesson of Doug building the trailer that we hope to show at the festival to go along with it. Passim sent us a couple of family memberships, The Brattle also sent us a membership, Cambridge Center for Adult Education is giving us a certificate to use for a class, and then there's the spa treatment by Gwen at Pour Le Corps in Back Bay. If you and your family are fans of the Wheelock Family Theatre, then you can bid on tickets to an upcoming show. All in all, there's going to be a whole lotta stuff up for grabs - in addition to the great films, door prizes and snacks by Redbones. And it's all for a good cause, so come on down to the Brattle October 23rd and 24th! We're again going to have bike valet services, but please, do me (and yourself) a favor and wear your helmet!

BBFF

So glad there's been so much support for our little festival that could! The BBFF silent auction items are now coming in fast and furious. Thanks to all who have supported us thus far and those who are already buying their tickets for next month. We're starting to narrow down the submissions and should have a lineup by October 8th or so. I think this could very well be our best festival so far!

Speaking of riding, our very own ciclista, Lauren Hefferon, is planning on submitting a film this year, of her cycling adventures with her family in Copenhagen. She's also having shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff, so we'll see if she can work it into her rehab schedule.

I'm sitting on the Cape, sans bike :(, and wondering why the hell I left it at home! Today would have been a great day for a ride - crisp and sunny and since people are expecting a storm, many stayed home! Oh well, more time to walk the dog. Speaking of which, I saw a pair of really big coyotes while walking her around the cranberry bog in Yarmouthport. Watch out cat owners, little dog owners and others. They're really not that wary of people...

Save the Date!

The silent auction items are coming in fast and furious. We now have tickets for the Wheelock Family Theatre up for bidding, a spa treatment at Pour Le Corps (courtesy of the fabulous Gwen Buedel), Boloco gift card, and so much more. We're very close to finalizing our film roster which should be up on the website soon. Still waiting on a couple of last minute (and yes, late) submissions, but snail mail is not perfect. So tell your friends, tell your family, tell your coworkers. It's a great event - October 23-24, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Brattle Theatre. Also, starting at noon on the 24th, we're having a movie site tour that will start in the North End and end at the Brattle in plenty of time for the festival. We will have stops of movie sites such as 21, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, and the currently filming Wichita project with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, and The Town with Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm and Blake Lively. All BBFF ticketholders ride free. It's about 10-12 miles total and very flat. Pray for good weather!

More films, but where's the helmet?

As suspected, more films came in at the eleventh hour. I think my biggest distress over this is that so many cyclists in these films are not wearing helmets. What kind of message are we sending? You can ride anywhere, in traffic, on mountain bikes, doing BMX tricks, but no helmet? In one film, the cyclist actually describes an incident with a taxi where he was clipped, went over this handlebars, and landed on his face. The litany of injuries followed: two black eyes, three chipped teeth, 12 stitches in his forehead (and a partridge in a pear tree), but he was back the next day - and laughed over the fact that his mother sent him a helmet - but of course, he wasn't wearing it. Two weeks ago, I witnessed a young teenage boy flip over his handlebars, bringing the bike crashing down on him. Every joint (sholders, wrists, knees, elbows, ankles) was bleeding and he had a golf ball-sized lump on his temple that had blood pouring out of it. Now there's a reason we wear helmets kiddo - when we called him mother, she laughed, "that's the 2nd time this week...". Great parenting skills, lady! He's not going to wear one if YOU don't... My best friend's husband lost his life when a dog came charging out of a house and knocked him over. He road every where and was a Boston bike commuter before almost anyone. This day, however, he was riding out on a country road, should have had time to react, but somehow did not, and now he's gone. They were married 8 months. What a waste. It happens - and it is more about the people you're going to have to leave behind than just you. So think about it and strap it on. Okay - getting off the soapbox now!

Of of the films from last year was about a singer-songwriter named Peter Mulvey. This year, Peter is expanding his tour-by-bike. He's riding in Michigan to a few gigs, then riding to New York to play, and then riding to Massachusetts for a few more gigs (2 at Passims - 9/25 & 26, 1 at the Lizard Lounge on 9/24, as well as one in Northampton). He hauls his guitar and the rest of his gear on a trailer behind his recumbent. Bravo Peter! I'll see you at the Lizard!

http://www.petermulvey.com/the-long-haul-tour-2009/

Listen for our commercials on FNX!

I don't have a schedule yet, but Phoenix Media Group offered us $5K worth of radio advertising. So if you listen to WFNX, you'll hear a plug for the BBFF during the week starting Monday, the 21st of September. Hopefully, this is just the boost we need to make the BBFF a bigger, splashier event than ever! And with the big guns (the NY bike film festival) coming to town sometime in October, we're going to need it!

5th Annual BBFF

It's nail biting time again. Every year, I say, "how do I do this by myself?" (and often, "why?"), yet I keep plugging away. But enough of the whining... This year, we have ZipCar back as a sponsor, Progressive Asset Management has jumped on board (so expect to see them and feel free to turn your IRAs currently invested in wonderful conglomerates like Exxon Oil over to these nice guys, Eric and David), and Wainwright Bank has graciously added to our coffers. We've gotten some awesome films so far, and more, from e-mails I've gotten, are still on the way. This year, the Brattle has their own beer/wine license, and sadly, we have to bid the magnificent folks at Harpoon adieu. *sniff* Thank you, Jessie Cox for all your help over the years. We will have nurse our CBC beers instead. But I am also very excited about our movie site tour on Saturday the 24th. We've had some help from Sam Baltrusis (http://www.loadedgunboston.blogspot.com/) in setting up our route and will include both films of the past and currently or recently completed films. In fact, this year, we'll be cycling by Cam Diaz' condo where she's holed up while filming in the area with Tom Cruise (though presumably not holed up together... don't want to start rumors!).

I'm going to try and update this frequently, so check back for more updates!