Buffalo Rising Online

Mar 30th 2007, 9:39am By Joseph DiDomizio

We recently got to sit down with Bill Cowell, CEO of Captures Entertainment, which is sponsoring the first annual Buffalo Niagara Film Festival. We asked him about the festival, why Buffalo Niagara, and what is in store for next year.

BR: What made you start a film festival in Buffalo? Bill Cowell: It was time; it was due. A lot of people talked about doing it and just never followed through. It was a pleasure working with all the independent filmmakers and kinda forming our little group and knowing they were interested enough to make me interested enough.

BR: Why Buffalo Niagara, not just Buffalo? Bill Cowell: Important for the regions. I think in the past our regions have always separated from each other. Niagara County can’t do Erie County things, without having a north and south kind of feel, know what I mean? It was ridiculous. I wanted a way to incorporate the two without getting them construed. They’re all one. One unified festival, it's for both.

BR: How difficult has it been, so far, to get the festival organized and keep it rolling? Bill Cowell: I’m used to a lot of work, and I’m also used to doing a lot of things at the same time [laughs] it’s a habit of mine, I guess. I’m pretty good at it, I don’t know if I’m an expert at it or not, maybe. But it's not a tough or a hard thing for me to juggle lots of things at the same time. But yeah, there have been some tough spots and rough spots where you say, “What the hell happened there? Why am I doing this? Is this really happening? Am I nuts?” Everybody gets those. But you know what? What makes it all better is when the film is all done, you get one person, like the little girl over there with Lou Ferrigno, she’s smiling, she’ll never forget that. If it hits one person, its just like a movie. If it makes one person happy, makes one person do something creative, pick a role model to base their life on, that’s a good thing, you can’t buy that kinda stuff.

BR: What are the benefits you are hoping to come out of the festival? Bill Cowell: Working Buffalo, with the regions together, I think it’s a huge benefit. It definitely distinguishes between the two, and it doesn’t make someone look half one-way or half the other way, or just at Buffalo doing one thing, or just Niagara Falls doing one thing. I think if people start seeing more of that thing: “Buffalo Niagara” we’re going to get a better feel of that attitude, and they won’t distinguish two different things, two different regions. Just like where we’re at, the Buffalo Niagara Marriot. They incorporated the Buffalo Niagara, its unity.

BR: Have you seen any growth or coalescence in the Buffalo filmmaking community? I know we were talking a lot about that at the opening gala. Bill Cowell: Yeah absolutely! We’re getting emails all the time, constant phone calls, and you know we only get those phone calls because people are interested and they like what we’re doing. This is a really positive thing. And if it comes from one person or 10 people or a thousand people, that’s going to grow. It’s going to be told to another person, it's going to be told another down the road. And that is what will build a successful organization. As long as everybody feels good about what they are doing and what they’re talking about, you know, it’s going to happen.

We’re going to let the filmmakers into the festival itself, and let it feed itself. It doesn’t take one person to do it, it takes a lot of hands; and a lot of work. And with the community feed off it. Its for the community, its for outsiders, its for insiders, its for everybody. We don’t have any discrepancies here. I think that is a huge positive thing for what we’re going for here, to not [discriminate] and stick with one type of person or one organization. I’m a big believer of that, because I’ve been subject that kind of stuff for years, you know, where I live, and what I’ve done, and this kind of thing or that kind of project. People [discriminate] between that and that is also another reason you hear actors talk about being “typecast”. It’s the same kind of issue, if a person is successful at something, you don’t want to keep it at one specific thing, they want to show that they’re lucrative in other directions and avenues, it’s the same with any entity or any successful person or organization, you’ve got to be diverse in everything, for everybody. I think that is a huge, huge key in what we’re trying to accomplish here.

We want people to recognize what we’re doing here, and that this isn’t for any weird reason, this is actually for the film community, for the acting community, for everybody. And for be just to go out and have fun! BR: Are you already planning for next year? For the Second Annual? Bill Cowell: Oh yeah, gosh, I’ve got them planning three years, I’ve got so many things …you know I never think simple. If you asked my wife, she doesn’t need such huge stuff to happen, I’m enough to happen to her for a hundred lifetimes [laughs]. So, you know, I definitely give everybody a run for their money. BR: So we do have something to look forward to next year? BC: Oh gosh yeah! Lots of surprises for sure.

The first annual Buffalo Niagara Film Festival continues through this Saturday, March 31st. For more information, schedules and to buy tickets, check out www.buffaloniagarafilmfestival.com.