For the love of film: festival runs on volunteer energy and spirit

At the heart of Salt Spring’s annual film festival is its army of volunteers. Dozens of people offer their time, energy and goodwill to make sure the festival is a rewarding experience for audiences.

Without a doubt, though, the heaviest load falls on the shoulders of the festival coordinators, Diane Copeland Thomas and her partner, Jim Meadows. This will be the couple’s second year heading up the festival organization and their fifth as volunteers.

Their extensive overseas travel and work experience make it no mystery as to why a film festival embracing documentaries about social justice, the environment and humanitarian projects around the world is a natural fit for them. Meadows had a subsistence farm in Ecuador for many years, worked on development projects in Africa and taught pottery production in Mexico.

In fact, Meadows has been involved in the visual arts his entire life. He is an accomplished sculptor and potter who ran a pottery studio in Vancouver for seven years. Another claim to fame, he likes to joke, was his years working as a prop man for commercial films such as Clan of The Cave Bear and The Ice Man.

Copeland Thomas has a background in video production and ran a company that produced educational media in Vancouver during the ‘90s. An avid and experienced traveller, she has visited many of the countries that today are among the most troubled in the world, including Afghanistan, Israel, Egypt, Sri Lanka, India and Burma, places that often feature in the festival’s films.

The couple met in Mexico in 2001, spent some time there and finally decided to make Salt Spring home. Copeland Thomas still wanted documentary film to be a part of her life. The festival seemed a ready-made solution. She volunteered them both.

“I always do everything Diane does.” More laughter from Meadows.

They took over as festival co-ordinators essentially to guarantee that the event would not die when a vacuum of leadership arose in 2008. Copeland Thomas manages all the film procurements, negotiates with distributors and other film festivals such as Courtenay’s, which supplies much of the island’s festival program, and liaises with the volunteer committee heads. Meadows is in charge of scheduling, chair of the film festival society board, and responsible for grants and funding applications.

The countdown to the Feb. 26-28 festival brings with it deadlines to meet and a host of administrative details to manage. For example, Meadows and Copeland Thomas are determined to improve physical comfort for audiences. Last year, festival attendance was bigger than anticipated, GISS rooms were over-filled and sometimes it was standing room only.

“That motivated us to change our scheduling this year, to limit the number of people at one screening and to show more of our films twice. We want this to be a comfortable, enjoyable experience for people,” Meadows said.

Helping to make that goal a reality are people like Andrea Rankin, who heads up the hospitality and donations committee. Rankin has been a festival volunteer for several years. When asked to explain what it is about the festival that fosters such deep loyalty among its volunteers, many of whom return year after year to work and to be part of a one-of-a-kind community event, Rankin said, “They return because of their personal convictions and their belief in the value of these films and the stories they tell.”

She added, “It’s also because they are part of a successful movement in full swing.

“Like the festival’s first organizers, our volunteers feel that the films educate the public, a public more and more willing to be influenced by documentary reporting. Documentary films are hot. They’re winning awards and becoming an important part of the mainstream film world. Our volunteers sense that and have joined the growing number of people meeting to discuss current issues, viewing films and volunteering. We’re on a roll.”

Dan Dickmeyer and Melissa Searcy are living proof of Rankin’s observations. Searcy joined the festival as a volunteer two years ago and this year joined its board of directors.

“I originally volunteered because of my heroine, Maggie Schubart, who began the festival with a group of interested people 11 years ago. I was very happy to join the board and to be able to put some concentrated energy into this event which embodies so much of what is great about Salt Spring.”

Dickmeyer is in his first year as a festival volunteer. He explained the festival’s attraction this way: “Even before I moved to Salt Spring permanently, I marvelled at the quality of films being shown at the festival. Being a fan of documentaries, I knew I had to get involved. I knew it would be a way to meet other people passionate about films. It’s been exciting being involved in the screening group that selects films and my ideas have been accepted as a newcomer. I plan to volunteer with some of the ‘grunt’ work of food service, putting up posters or whatever else it takes. I urge others to get involved.”

Festival organizers are especially keen to hear from anyone with technical expertise handling audiovisual equipment, projectionists and those willing to help out with the festival’s many set-up and dismantling jobs. For more information, phone 250-537-1904, or email info@saltspringfilmfestival.com.