Chapel Hill's Film Fest 919 Announces 'Gap Year' for 2023, Citing Ongoing Strikes

A prominent film festival in Chapel Hill is going on hiatus this fall.

The organizers of Film Fest 919 announced on Wednesday the event will not take place in 2023, saying in a release that they are taking a “gap year” after five years of the festival.

“This is due to a convergence of factors,” wrote co-founders Randi Emerman and Carol Marshall, “ranging from the film industry strikes which will definitely affect upcoming film festivals depending on how long they continue, and more, not to mention drastically decreased funding opportunities. We felt it best to take a step back and reassess how we want the festival to proceed.”

The local festival is the latest element to be affected by the ongoing strikes by actors and writers of television and film, whose unions are holding out in an effort to earn protections around the use artificial intelligence and better profit-sharing measures from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. As a result, production of films and shows have ground to a halt — and striking creators are not doing any publicity for projects already completed. As a result, some distribution companies are looking into delaying films that were expected to be on the awards circuit this fall.

Film Fest 919 was founded in 2017 with the goal of bringing some of the premiere festival contenders to Chapel Hill, screening films from across the world and holding interviews with people in the film industry. Typically held in October, the festival has screened eventual Best Picture winners (“Nomadland” in 2020 and “Parasite” in 2019) and honored others each year with its Audience Award. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic affecting film distribution and the theater industry, Film Fest 919’s festivals in 2020 and 2021 adjusted by holding outdoor showings at a drive-in theater built by Emerman and Marshall.

The 2022 edition of the festival featured dozens of films from 13 different countries and represented a return to theaters following the height of the pandemic. The screenings have traditionally been held at University Place mall’s Silverspot Cinema, although the festival also held screenings at Chapel Hill’s Lumina Theater in 2022.

Emerman and Marshall said in their letter the break in 2023 does not mean they are “closing the door” on the festival returning for future iterations, but it will provide time for them to “evaluate various options.”

“We hope during this time to find the best way to serve the evolving needs of our North Carolina film community and reimagine the best possibilities for the festival in the future,” wrote the Film Fest 919 duo. “We look forward to seeing you all again soon.”

Photo via Film Fest 919.

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Chapel Hill’s Film Fest 919 Announces ‘Gap Year’ for 2023, Citing Ongoing Strikes

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