Christopher Coppola’s PAH-FEST a convergence of digital media

Christopher Coppola’s PAH-FEST, at first glance, seems like the type of project that would make him an outcast in his own (very famous, very talented) family. The “Project Accessible Hollywood” manifesto reads, in part:

His week-long PAH-FESTs now occur in four US cities and two German ones, and it is happening here this week. PAH-FEST: Motown runs through July 22, bringing a plethora of digital film-making opportunities and speakers to Livonia’s Madonna University. Festival director and Madonna professor Sue Boyd brought the event to Detroit after she and several students participated in PAH-FEST: New Mexico last year. She says, “Christopher  believes Hollywood will be dead soon and wants to give people a chance to tell their own story.”

The main feature of PAH-FEST is MOBIFLICKS, in which seven preselected teams comprised of people from all different backgrounds and geographies shoot six minute videos which are then judged. The videos will be screened and awards distributed on Sunday, July 22 at 6 pm.

On Thursday, July 19, the public is invited to compete in a cell phone art competition. Boyd says, “Come to campus and we will loan you a cell phone with video or you can use your own.” Coppola will announce a topic about which participants shoot an un-edited one-minute video that will be judged against its peers.

That same day, at 7 pm, the festival will screen Out of Sight followed by a talk from its writer, the prolific and legendary Elmore “Dutch” Leonard.

On Saturday, Coppola will screen a couple of his films at 7 pm followed by a talk.

All events will be streamed live at PAHnation.com

Boyd says the festival is important to Madonna as it wraps up the construction of a new TV studio on campus. “We want to bring movies into it, and bring on Christopher as an advisor.”

Source: Sue Boyd, Madonna University and PAH-FEST: Motown
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh