#risff

  It’s rare that we get a chance to check out movies here at the B.A.S.E. headquarters, but this month we got the opportunity at the 2013 Rumschpringe International Short Film Festival.  A two-day long event held November 1st & 2nd at the Ware Center on Prince St., the RISFF is a fairly new addition to the arts calendar of Lancaster.  But even as a newcomer the festival has turned some heads, with entries from as far away as Israel, Brazil and France.

  The set-up of the space that Rumschpringe uses yearly for their festival is clean and professional, with very little fluff to distract from the viewing.  While the hall was not as packed as it deserved to be this year, there was a decent turnout of people interested in what the amateur film makers had to offer.  Films were divided into their respective categories, ranging from Horror and Comedies to Music Videos.  One that stood out above many others was Nathan Minier’s ‘Stevie the Hoposaurus’, winner of the Home Grown category.  While it may come off as exclusively a children’s story at first, this animated short packs heavy lessons on religion, prejudice and the importance of being kind no matter what your belief system may be.  

  What makes Rumschpringe worth checking into is not necessarily the quality of the movies; while some stood out, many of the entries were not as well done as they could have been.  The important thing that stands out about the festival is that it is indicative of a rising respect and interest in film as an art form in Lancaster city.  Its growing success shows us that the art lovers in our city want to be exposed to different types of artistic expression, which gives us hope that the art community may evolve past the conventional ideas of what fine art can be.  We hope to be coming to the annual festival for years to come, with the entries and esteem getting bigger and better every time.  

-J.B.