Setting the Stage for a Major Film Role

Franko's film "Full Circle," a romantic comedy about the intersecting lives of five characters, will be shown on Saturday. Franko said the quick rise and industry recognition of the Annapolis Film Festival has to do with the organizers' hard work and dedication

"They are getting top films." Franko said. "It's not too long before they are on par with Tribeca and Atlantic City."

The festival is a family affair. Triantafillides and Triandos are sisters, and Arnold is married to Triandos. Together they bring extensive film production experience to the equation.

For 20 years Triantafillides was a television producer and director. She worked for NBC on "Meet the Press," the "Today" show and "Nightly News" and worked on production teams that won three Emmy Awards for NBC's coverage of the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. Triandos spent 10 years as a location scout, assistant director and segment producer for motion picture companies such as Disney and Interscope. Arnold is an actor and former minor league baseball player who is trained in production. Together they started Asteros Filmworks, a production company for government and corporate training videos, commercials and short films.

In addition to luring filmmakers, the three organizers have to attend to many other details of the festival, such as screening films, scheduling, panel discussions, Q and A's, parties and other events, booking local venues, securing sponsors and raising money.

Triandos said attendance at the festival rose from about 1,200 in the first year to 1,800 in the second. "This year we feel that we will do much better, as we are getting a considerable amount of coverage. So we are hoping for over 3,500 attendees," she said.

The first year, the directors miscalculated their target audience. They geared the festival to students and adults in their twenties and scheduled opening night for Halloween. But their audience was older, adults 30 to 40 with children and disposable incomes. They changed their marketing techniques and scheduling in the second year.

For instance, the festival directors have organized a family-friendly block of time for kids 15 and under, a foreign film block and educational programs.

In past years, film directors and distributors have led panel discussions. This year, distributors such as Newmarket Films, Avatar Films and Cinema Guild are all scheduled to attend, shopping for films to buy.

An important aspect of the festival has been its educational component. The Budding Filmmaker Program is a local summer workshop in which high school students create a film to premiere at the festival. High schools from across the country also can submit films. This year student films from Northern California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey high schools will be screened.

The Annapolis Film Festival is a not-for-profit organization that operates through "in-kind" arrangements with sponsors. Comcast is providing cable advertising, for instance, while Amtrak, Marriott and Radisson are providing travel accommodations. Video Labs Corp., with stores in Rockville and Landover, is providing the $12,000 DVD authoring package for the festival winner.

The Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts has been a partner of the festival since its inception and helps with marketing, ticketing and technical aspects. It also provides a venue for movie screenings, workshops and discussions; supplies volunteers for ticket sales, film projection and panel discussions; and makes sure the filmmakers have a good time.

Linnell Bowen, executive director of Maryland Hall, said she had been toying with the idea of starting a local independent film festival for more than a decade.

"It has always been a good idea because independent films are an art form and you can't see them. These are offbeat, and some of them never make it, but some do," Bowen said.

Triantafillides, Triandos and Arnold have a long-term vision for the film festival: to build an audience for independent films in Annapolis. In collaboration with Maryland Hall, they sponsor an independent movie night each month. They created the Annapolis Film Society ( http://annapolisfilmsociety.org/ ), a movie club with 20 members. Money raised by the society through dues is placed into an endowment fund for future festivals. Eventually, Triantafillides, Triandos and Arnold hope to hire a festival director and gain recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that runs the Oscars.

The directors understand that a Hollywood presence will ultimately bring national appeal. This year, Adrian Grenier of HBO's show "Entourage" stars in Ron Brown's "A Perfect Fit," to be screened Sunday night.

"We would like to be one of the destinations on the East Coast, a rival to Tribeca," Arnold said. "We are working to get better every year to get to that level."