Crazy Mel’s Film Festival Run

By Kevin Maher

When I worked with the Tribeca Film Festival, I got an inside look of how they distinguish submissions. I’d been invited as a consultant for a special event that would combine short films with live comedy acts. And when it came to the stuff being projected on-screen, there was one loaded distinction. “We want comedy films,” they said, “not funny internet videos.” 

Today we know this classification as the maddening “art vs. content” debate.

Who can say what’s art and what’s content? 

In this case, it was the people sitting next to me in a conference room within the offices of the Tribeca Film Festival. These people got to decide what’s a “short film” (it includes a narrative, a cinematographer and high-quality production values) or a “funny internet video” (which, from their vague description might’ve involved a dog farting). Up until this point, I’d worked with a handful film festivals, mostly comedy film festivals. And there’s this typical a tug of war –  what’s more important: the production values or the humor jokes? I’ve seen some beautifully made “comedies” that aren’t exactly “funny”. And I’ve seen some low-budget videos that get dismissed, despite people laughing out loud when they’re screened. 

Atomic Abe’s “Crazy Mel’s Auto Emporium” led a double life as online content and as an award-winning short subject. It had a great festival run – despite the fact that it had been published on YouTube.com. (Some festivals won’t even consider a movie if it’s available online.)

“Crazy Mel” played a crazy number of festivals – and it won some awards, including Best International Film (Canadian International Comedy Film Festival), Best Script (Madcap Comedy International Short Film Festival), and Best Comedic Sketch (All The Laughs Comedy Awards). The short screened in Oakland, Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, Hamilton Ontario, Las Vegas, Long Beach Island, Winnipeg, Reno, and three times in Brooklyn. (Yeah, Brooklyn!) 

Seeing “Crazy Mel” at a festival is fun because it’s positioned as cinema. When a film is on YouTube, people might call it content. But sitting in a movie theater, watching it on a giant screen, with an audience of filmgoers, it’s a different experience. (Even though it’s the same exact movie.) And because “Crazy Mel” is a comedy, it’s especially rewarding to hear the audience react.

Of course it didn’t always screen inside a theater. One of those Brooklyn screenings was with Rooftop Films. They included our short at a Green-wood Cemetery event, in a series about death. From the official festival listing: “The characters in these films quest for the meaning of life and death… The grass growing from a grave feeds a flock of gentle sheep.” Yeah, exactly. Also, the movie is pretty funny.

Atomic Abe’s Kevin Maher and Nick Nadel at Rooftop Films’ post-screening Q&A in Green-wood Cemetery, Brooklyn

The short got big laughs (phew!) and honestly, it’s fascinating to see our video programmed alongside a documentary about a train accident and a German animation about goats. I love attending film festivals because I’ll see some works of art that I wouldn’t see otherwise. Also, it’s flattering to see our work presented as “art.” 

This contrast reminds me of a wonderful poetry collection. Stephanie Barber’s NIGHT MOVES is described as “a sad and wonderful book of love poems.” Which it is. Kind of. The book is an 86-page collection of YouTube comments for the Bob Seeger song “Night Moves.” It’s a different way to consider YouTube comments. Printed, bound, centered, held in your hands, in a book of poems.

It just goes to show how we engage differently with a work of art (or a piece of content) when it’s presented differently. 

Thanks everyone who supported “Crazy Mel” during its festival run. We’ve loved meeting fellow filmmakers, programmers, attendees, and artists. We’ve got one more festival we’re waiting to hear from. Fingers crossed. 

But don’t worry – if it doesn’t get accepted you can still see it on YouTube.