The Waterfront Film Festival is officially going on the road. It was decided that the nationally recognized, fifteenth annual nonprofit event will take place in South Haven, Michigan, June 13-16, 2013. South Haven is just fifteen minutes south of Saugatuck, along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Taking the festival to a different town every year or two will benefit more people in West Michigan, and will keep the nonprofit organization functioning. WFF was at a point of either terminating or coming up with a solution. Opening it up to encompass more West Michigan communities and making it a regional event has already proven to be the way to go.
The proactive South Haven proposal put forth by the city includes a pledge of $50,000 in sponsorship and fundraising efforts, PR professionals with strong ties to the Chicago market, committed local business organizations and volunteer groups, shuttle service, office space, and many in-kind donations, including some lodging for guests. There is also a movie theater in town and a 540-seat luxury auditorium theater, which will help cut down on the rising costs of creating the makeshift theaters the festival dealt with in the past.
Grand Haven and Saint Joseph both submitted enthusiastic and strong proposals, with Saint Joseph making a fundraising pledge of $75,000 each year to host WFF in 2015-16. Organizers will begin working with these cities to plan future events. All three cities understood that WFF could no longer continue in Saugatuck without a resolution to the current issues the volunteer event has faced there.
WFF appreciates Saugatuck, and is continuing talks with city leaders about resolving the current financial and logistical issues so that WFF could potentially return there in the future.
See you in South Haven, June 13-16, 2013!
Source: Waterfront Film Festival
