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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPTFF Request Letter June 2q, Zooq A FILM LOVER'S BLOCK PARTY CELERAATING David Timmons, City Manager GREAT FILMS City of Port Townsend AND FILMMAKERS 25o Madison Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 Post Office Box 594 Port Townsend, WA 98368 Dear Mr. Timmons, 360/379-1333 For several years, the Port Townsend City Council has www.ptfilmfest.com generously allowed the Port Townsend Film Festival the use of info@ptfilmfest.com the Pope Marine Park building at no charge during it's annual event, stating that the festival provides a "value" to the city. And for that, we thank you. Once again, we have reserved the building as a venue for screening video films for our ~otn annual event, beginning Wednesday, September 23rd if possible for set-up and ending Monday, the 28th, for take-down and clean up. I am writing now to make the request that the City of Port Townsend consider extending its generosity for this year. The values that the Port Townsend Film Festival brings to the city are as follows: • The festival is enjoyed by mostly local residents; fifty- seven percent (57%) of our audience resides in Port Townsend with 75% of all attendees living on "this side of the water". • Scheduling, as we do, the festival after Labor Day, we have chosen a time when city residents feel as though they are "getting the town back" after a summer of tourist occupation. • Weather permitting, the festival screens family-friendly films on Taylor street, free of charge. More than four- hundred (400) people attended these screenings each night of the festival last year. • We bring filmmakers to the festival who interact with the community. For example, in Zoo2 our honored guest, actress Patricia Neal, not only appeared in various places downtown throughout the festival, but also met with students at the high school and talked with approximately Zoo recovering stroke victims at the hospital to share with them her own harrowing experience with heart disease. • While attendance is heavily local, the festival nevertheless elicits a great deal of publicity, parti<u{arly from Seattle, and adds appreciably to the city's continuing reputation as an arts colony. Further, and perhaps most important, the festival is helping to inspire a developing group of local filmmakers and writers. The advance of reasonably-priced filmmaking equipment and editing software has made it possible for many people to realize their dreams of making movies. In past years we have screened several of these local efforts, much to the delight of the crowd. While I'm not certain how quantifiable any of this is, I believe it does more than suggest that the Port Townsend Film Festival serves our fair community, Thank you again, the support of the city is greatly appreciated. cc: City Council cc: City Clerk Terry Tennesen Film Festival Director