Talking movies with J. Andrew Greenblatt

J. Andrew Greenblatt, 34, is executive director of both the 23d Philadelphia Film Festival, now through Oct. 26, and the Philadelphia Film Society, which oversees the annual event and operates the Roxy Theater in Center City. (Go to www.filmadelphia.org/festival/ for film and schedule information.)

Q. What is your most memorable film festival experience?

A. Obviously, my first Philadelphia Film Festival as the executive director [PFF 18.5 in 2009] was incredibly memorable, especially our fantastic closing-night screening of Precious. We filled the theater beyond capacity for back-to-back screenings. . . . During the second screening, I was sitting down in the green room at the Prince with director Lee Daniels, and Lee recited Mo'Nique's monologue word for word while it was playing on-screen above. It was quite the moment. Likewise, the opening-night screenings of both Black Swan and Silver Linings Playbook, each with packed houses nearing 1,000 film lovers.

What is your earliest film-going memory?

 I can't remember my first film experience in a theater, which I'm sure was some Disney movie with my parents, but I remember my first R-rated film. It was Run-DMC's Tougher Than Leather, which I caught at the old AMC Andorra 8. I was well underage for an R-rated film, but I went with two friends, and their mother bought us tickets. Quite the introduction to profanity and cinematic violence.

What are the biggest challenges of putting together a film festival?

 We operate on a very lean budget for what we produce, and it involves making difficult choices at times, be it films programmed, guests attending, staff hired, venues used, events and receptions hosted. I'm incredibly proud with what we are able to produce annually on our budget, but it remains a challenge.

What have been your biggest frus- trations putting together a festival?

 The lack of a large "premiere" theater in Philadelphia with digital projection and surround-sound continues to be a problem. We love the Prince, and have enjoyed the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center for opening night last year and will again this year, but we miss having a 1,000-plus-seat venue.

We used to be able to use the Zellerbach Theater at the Annenberg Center, which was terrific, but they have yet to acquire the digital projection and sound equipment necessary to continue.

Are Philadelphia moviegoers, and festival attendees, different from their counterparts in other cities, say, Toronto, Seattle, Austin, New York?

I think every city is different. From what I've seen of Toronto, the city really embraces the festival and participates actively, with posters in every window and locals filling the theaters, regardless of the films. It really is a true citywide event. Austin, at least for [South by Southwest], feels like it's mostly visitors as opposed to locals. However, it is a top city for film. Philadelphia, as seen by our incredible lack of theaters throughout the city, is unfortunately not a top market for film. That said, Philadelphia cinephiles are an active, educated, and dedicated bunch.

J. Andrew Greenblatt lists his favorites movies. (The obvious classics go without saying: Casablanca, The Godfather, A Clockwork Orange, and North by Northwest.)

Almost Famous (directed by Cameron Crowe). "An amazing immersion into classic rock culture with stellar performances all around."

Jerry Maguire (directed by Cameron Crowe). "The perfect intersection of sports, film, and music - my three big passions. And it blends comedy and drama near seamlessly."

El Mariachi (directed by Robert Rodriguez). "It shows what a director can accomplish with almost no budget."

Reservoir Dogs (directed by Quentin Tarantino). "Marks a moment of violence that I'm not sure I'd ever seen before."

Pulp Fiction (directed by Quentin Tarantino). "Somehow incorporates that same violence with humor . . . and utilizes complex intersecting, nonlinear storytelling."

Three Kings (directed by David O. Russell). "A modern 'war movie' where the soldiers weren't necessarily fighting the enemy and weren't necessarily doing the right thing. . . . In fact, it's more of a treasure hunt than a war movie, with sharp storytelling and performances."

Seven (directed by David Fincher). "One of the darkest, most painful, and disturbing movies I had seen at the time. . . . Kevin Spacey is terrifying in just how normal but disturbed he is, especially coming off his Oscar-winning performance in The Usual Suspects (another of my all-time favorites)."

Fight Club (directed by David Fincher). "So anarchistic, so counter-culture, so rhythmic ('I am Jack's inflamed sense of rejection,' 'I am Jack's complete lack of surprise'), so many plot turns and puzzles."

EndText