Comments on: ‘Reel’ debt delays festival

By: Turnip

Turnip — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:55:10 +0000

The Lincoln Theater was in an important place and it set the right atmosphere, both outside and inside. I was terribly sad that they left it behind for a sterile arts center in a part of town with no meaning or significance. They stripped Reel Affirmations of everything that made it special, irreplaceable. How ironic to now bewail competition from Logo and Netflix.

By: Arts Patron

Arts Patron — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:02:10 +0000

I agree that moving the festival from the Lincoln Theatre to multiple venues was a mistake. If OIT brings Reel Affirmnations back to the hood, the crowds will return.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:53:51 +0000

According to its 2008 tax filing on Guidestar.org, OIT had reserves of $57,000 in February 2008. Murray was paid almost $65,000 a year. OIT did not hold its Spring Gala in 2010, which meant it did not earn the $30,000 it should have from that event. Lessee… $65k in savings plus $57k in reserves equals $122k. Minus $30k due to no Gala, minus (guessing) $30k for Bilancio’s contract means OIT should have had $62,000 in the bank. It did a fund-raiser earlier this year that raised an undisclosed amount of funds. But how can OIT have lost more than $100,000 on its 2009 festival? That’s outrageous. The organization has no other programming (no arts book drive, no comedy fest, no monthly film screenings) and it has no office rent (after moving to a free space near Gallery Place last year). What gives?

By: AJ Campbell

AJ Campbell — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:39:04 +0000

OIT has been behind the times for years. The deal cut with the new theater was stupid, foolish and par for the course by an organization so out of touch that it doesn’t realize that it is irrelevant.

No one was going to their events during the year. I personally planned a fundraiser for them that was cancelled at the last minute for no good reason. It was foolish and shortsighted and alienated the very people who would support the festival. Now I can’t recommend support of OIT and the festival to any of my cleints.

By: Former Filmgoer

Former Filmgoer — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:55:24 +0000

Murray alienated most of the long-term volunteers with her top-down, uncommunicative management style. Movie-goers can’t get to the AFI theater and back into town on a weeknight, so they don’t go. And abandoning the Lincoln Theater (which gave VIPs certain rights and privileges, and gave OIT an extra couple hundred bucks of pure profit) alienated all the major donors. OIT has cancelled nearly all its programs in the past six years (art books, comedy fest, etc.). Now film festival. When will the OIT Board learn?