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given the obvious time constraints we’re
under"
As a cultural happening, last year's festi
val was a stunning success However, at the
onset of 1998. the Athens Film Festival’s
founder and director. Juanita Giles, had
resigned, left town, and left her volunteer
staff with a nonprofit in serious debt and a
board of directors that had not been legally
constituted.
“We were handed a pile of shit," last
year’s Super 8 director Angie Grass said. “It
was good shit and bad shit."
Marchant and Doug Eller became acting
co-directors. A benefit concert was orga
nized March 14 to help pay the bills, but the
proceeds weren’t enough. “When tax time
came, everything was so terribly messy;
there were so many debts." Grass said.
“Even with the fundraiser, they kept finding
more debt."
Marchant. who says the amount of the
debt is “unclear because of the way Juanita
set it up." was on the verge numerous times
of announcing that the festival was dead.
Then last week. Campbell and Nic Holt, 29,
proprietors of Oak Archiving, a local CD-
ROM database company, arranged to step in
and take over the festival. With Marchant.
they agreed to create a promotions compa
ny. Prometheus X. to handle the new task.
Holt said they realized they’d “be able to
carry the film festival off of the revenues of
Oak Archiving."
Marchant. meanwhile, was advised by a
lawyer to resign from The Athens Film
Festival Corporation
“She (Giles) set up the corporation. It
really wasn't my duty to dissolve the corpo
ration." Marchant said “It's still here. It’s our
understanding from
<>ur lawyers that it
will dissolve itself "
The mator screen
ings will again take
place at the Morton
theatre though this
vear there will be
four davs of events
instead of last year’s
eight Currently,
there are plans to
screen 16- and 35-
mm films only. As far
as sponsorships go.
Marchant said. "None of that is really defined
at the moment with a few exceptions
filmmaker magazine has already donated ad
space for a call for entries, and Alicia
Nickles. Flagpole advertising director, said
the magazine plans to be a sponsor again
Marchant told Flagpole that the new j
name lor the festival was extremely apropos.
“Kudzu is a plant that will not die." he said.
“And it adapts really easily."
Kudzu is looking for volunteers and
entries. Call 227-6090 or e-mail
kudzufest@aol.com for more information.
(Richard Fausset)
HE SAID
SHE SAID
Pate and Doc
Go Head-to-Head
Victoria Pate and Doc Eldridge faced each
other as opposing candidates foe the first
time last Wednesday morning before a group
of Realtors Doc in his dark suit, white shirt
and tie looked overdressed in the midst of
the Realtors, most of whom wore slacks and
polo shirts. (Hank Joiner had on shorts.)
Victoria wore a red and blue print dress
that was dressy but not too much, making
her look slender and fragile as she sat across
from Doc facing a few reporters, a photogra
pher and the roomful of Realtors, some of
whom were firishing ham biscuits.
The format was simple: a ten-minute
speech from each candidate and then ques
tions from the Realtors. Victoria Pate went
first and emphasized how living in other
places had given her an appreciation for
Athens and a desire to help keep it a good
place to live, to do something to reverse the
tide of people moving out of Athens (assist
ed by the Realtors). She spoke mainly in gen
eralities. as candidates are wont to do early
in campaigns.
Doc was pretty general, too. saying he
hadn't known that he was to make a pre
pared speech, rambling around about
improvements in the Athens-Clarke County
government and mentioning that his growing
up in Athens gave him a love for the city and
a desire to make it even better. Doc seemed
surprisingly ill at ease and had a nervous tic
of running his tongue around in his mouth,
as if I e had a piece of gristle from a ham bis
cuit hung in his teeth
When the Realtors got to ask questions.
Norm (House Your Family) Grayson pep
pered the two with questions about the now
controversial single-family occupancy law
that limits the number of students who can
live together
Realtors would naturally like to pack in as
many paying customers as possible, but Doc
defended the law as necessary and said it is
used only as a last
resort. as the
Realtors already
knew Victoria said
she's had very pleas
ant relations with
students living near
her. but she stopped
short of saying the
law should be
changed
Both candidates
were shooting for the
middle of the road,
and Doc had the
advantage of four years on the Clarke
County Commission and all those volumes
of statf rejM>rts he has had to read Victoria's
answers, by contrast, seemed frequently
thin and lacking in facts: a Realtor asked if
there is waste in local government and she
answered yes. she is sure there is. but she
couldn't pinpoint it.
Running for office is a daunting, grueling
task If Doc Eldridge. who has known these
Realtors all his working life, was nervous,
think how Victoria Pate must have felt
It's very much an outsider vs insider
race. Doc grew up here and knows people
through all those relationships from church.
Y Camp, elementary school, high school.
Little League. PTA. university and business
He’s got his business to the poiut where he
can be gone from it a lot. and his four years
on the commission have forced him to study
the issues that will come up in the campaign.
Victoria, by contrast, is mom to her hus
band's new mom and pop hardware busi
ness and to their children if the Republicans
are serious about supporting her campaign,
they’d better hire a hardware clerk, a
babysitter/cook and a campaign assistant/
researcher who can help assemble the facts
needed to demonstrate how Doe s govern
ment should be better managed. (Pete
McCommons)
.
Running for office is
a daunting, grueling
task. If Doc Eldridge,
who has known these
Realtors all his work
ing life, was nervous,
think how Victoria Pate
must ha tie felt.
MOUNTAIN
STAGE
Sundays. TOO p.m
The (Uttinq edqpsidr ol folk. blues. couniry rod.
and world beat music recorded live belorp an
audience at the West Virqmia
Cultural Center Theater in
Charleston. Each week.
host Larry Groce
welcomes a who's who
of musical quests,
from RI M. and the
Indiqo Girls to
Ton Amos and
[mmylou Harris
WUGA
91.7
S42 9842
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Sharpen these spikes and let's
get this Ball rolling!
NINTH ANNUAL
Boybutante
Ball
a benefit show
& dance extravaganza
saturday.may.30.1998
arrivals—8:30p.m.
doors.open—9:00p.m.
featuring DJ Brett Long
the.fabulous.40.watt.club
285.w.washington.st
athens.ga.usa
tickets-$ 12.advance
(on sale at Outwrite Books, Boneshakers, Big Shot
Records. Junkman's Daughter’s Brother, Lo Yo-Yo Stuff.)
weekend.passes-$35
(includes all weekend events plus t-shirt)
for.more.info
call 706.227.3530 or log on at www.boybutante.org
Boybutante AIDS Foundation, Inc is A Non-Profit
Organization Registered in the State of Georgia
SPONSORS: PLATINUM Etcetera Magazine. Genre Magazine. Rod 103.7, Southern Voice, Sudden
Impact Productions. Skyy Vodka. COLD Fbpole Magazine. RUL, Mfcr Gamine Draft, Universal Mask
Creep. SILVER Art if It Al, Boneshaker*, East West Bistro. 40 Watt Dub, Gytand’s. Image Studies. Jose
Cuervo, NHtchefs Formal Rear, Haya Rater, Siebac Foundation. Strand. Tequafta Rose Liqueur. RR0N7F
Rite Sky Coffee, Bulldog Ci. Wash, Cowpadres, Guaranteed, Marry Bissett’s, Last Resort
MAY 27, 1998 FLAGPOLE Gi