Still from Dan DeVivo's Crossing Arizona, which recently screened at DocuFest

As he is most days of film festival screenings, or at least those run so far this year, Eric Panter wears an expression etched with both energy and exhaustion. The founder of Festival League and director of all the consequent film festivals run under the moniker, Panter exhibits the welcoming and unpretentious spirit of a true film lover. There's an easiness about him, a very calm professionalism that doesn't concern itself with hype or showiness.

Although we'd see each other screening after screening at the Atlanta International Documentary Festival, or DocuFest, throughout the weekend, we'd end up catching up in an e-mail today. It's a testament to the fact that life is always busy for Panter although he's rarely flustered enough to show it.

SM: Just for background's sake can you give me a brief rundown of how Festival League began and how each of the individual festivals, particularly Docufest, have developed?

EP: Festival League got started in 2002 when myself and a group of filmmakers, artists, and musicians decided that Atlanta had a very limited amount of venues to showcase work. We began producing free monthly events called "WellFair" where we presented independent film, visual art, and a live music. I soon realized all the energy we were putting in the monthly events could be focused on a large annual event where independent filmmakers could be invited to showcase their work based on content, not budget.

And so the Atlanta Underground Film Festival debuted in 2004, and it has grown into this beautiful little relaxed yet exciting event where people can have a great time, and leave the black ties at home.

We soon became overwhelmed with the number of documentaries we were getting for the Atlanta Underground Film FestivaI. I prefer making documentaries myself, and I wanted to present an annual event where the best documentary films from around the world would be spotlighted. So this idea came about for the Atlanta International Documentary Festival, or DocuFest Atlanta. Although it's probably the smallest of the festivals we present, in terms of audience, it's actually a really great selection of films.

Next came Atlanta HorrorFest. Me and my buddy, Lucas Godfrey, were discussing how cool it would be to show indie horror films and live music and he had this great idea of a Zombie Walk. The next week, I booked the venue, told Lucas to start booking bands, and the beast was born! Just two years later, the Atlanta HorrorFest is one of the biggest events Festival League produces.

Although planning these events was overwhelming, we didn't stop! I met with a group of Atlanta's top animation artists, and we created the Animation Attack!, a two day animation event during the Atlanta Underground Film Festival.

In 2005, I went to Costa Rica for a much need vacation. While I was there, I stopped in this beautiful little town called Montezuma where they were playing independent films at this awesome restaurant every night. I met with the owners of the restaurant and got their okay to throw a festival there. I also booked three more venues in Montezuma, and began contacting everyone I could find that would want to help present a film festival in Costa Rica. After two years of planning and meeting with Costa Rica businesses, the first annual Montezuma International Film Festival will be held in Montezuma, Costa Rica, November 1 - 5, 2007.

SM: The diversity of the programming stands out most acutely. Not only are their films that address world and political issues but those that directly speak to individual experience. How do you go about selecting the films? What do you generally look for?

EP: I could never watch all these films alone, so we have weekly meeting where a group of about six to eight people watch our entries and decide the programming for the festivals. The group selecting the films is an extremely diverse mix of artists, so I'm not surprised when people comment on the diversity in the programming. You can tell a good film because everyone suddenly gets quiet and focuses on the story. Then, we simply rate the film from one to five. The fours and fives are chosen to screen.

SM: As a genre of filmmaking, documentary is certainly in renaissance. What do you note about modern doc filmmaking? What excites or inspires you in that area right now?

EP: To be honest, the documentary film is the easiest and cheapest to make. You don't need actors or sets. If you have film training or skills in shooting, a good camera, a shotgun mic or wireless mic set-up, and an editing program, you can make a documentary. The most important aspect, as in any film, is the story. Finding a group of interesting characters who can command an audience's attention is never hard in this world.

SM: As a filmmaker yourself, what do you learn throughout the process of screening and selecting films for these various festivals?

EP: By being an independent filmmaker, I have a tendency to view the films in a more favorable light than the audience may, so I've found that the selection process if easier if I screen films with a couple of people who go out to see mainstream Hollywood films at the mega-plex. This way, I know if it holds up to the traditional viewer, and it's not something I love just because I see the beauty in almost every indie film.

SM: Finally, a question both in terms of the art and the business of running a festival, why do you do this? It's so much work, not easy work. Why are you driven to do it year after year?

EP: Running a festival is a very much like having a child. You can't just create this wonderful thing, and let it die. You have to nurture it, help it grow, and soon it becomes its own entity and you just sit back reflecting and thinking about about how much your child has grown up.

As of next year, Panter says, Atlanta Docufest will run simultaneously with the Atlanta Underground Film Festival. For more information on the festival and the submission process, visit www.docufest.com. Or to find out about festival league visit www.festivalleague.com.

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