Butler's Cinema Scene

JUNE  2:

Wes Studi and Fred Andrews at the 2009 film festival

Fred Andrews, founder of the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee, announced today that he was stepping down from the helm of the organization he has run for 15 years.

At a meeting requested by Andrews and attended by about 20 persons — mostly members of the Jublilee’s board of directors, advisory board and volunteers — Andrews said his resignation was effective immediately.

He said his decision was prompted both by his health — two years ago he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer — and by the belief of at least some board members that it was time for him to leave.

Andrews said he recently was approached by a long-time associate of the Jubilee “who told me I needed to step down. I’d have preferred it to be handled differently, in a conversation rather than an ultimatum.”

A few hours after the meeting Andrews elaborated, saying that he was told “that I needed to step down or be voted out”  and that if not for his health he would have fought his ouster.

Addressing the group gathered at Grunauer’s restaurant in the Crossroads, Andrews said that while his health had not reached an “acute situation,” his cancer had come back and his physicians believed that continued treatment would do more harm than good.

In addition, he said, he found this spring’s Kansas City FilmFest to be significantly more stressful than earlier editions.

Another issue is that some within the Jubilee are questioning the mission championed by Andrews over the years — that of a festival emphasizing filmmakers above all else. Andrews has long seen the Jubilee as a catalyst in building a local film community.

A member of the Jubilee’s advisory board said after the meeting that some insiders want to redirect the festival toward audiences, making it a more conventional event in the style of the Toronto or New York film fests.

The Jubilee’s board now must pick a new leader or leaders to assume the hundreds of tasks the unpaid Andrews shouldered each year to keep the festival running. Jeph Scanlon, the Jubilee’s vice-president and festival programming coordinator, will serve as interim president.

Andrews’ tenure as head of the Jubilee was marked by early years of steady growth and a plateauing of attendance for recent editions. But the festival never lost money, thanks to his tireless fundraising.

Just this week the festival was cited by Filmmaker magazine as one of “25 film festivals worth your entry fee.”

“I’m leaving the Jubilee with a worldwide support network and money in the bank,” Andrews said.

In the wake of Andrews’ resignation the accolades began.

Tom Poe, UMKC professor of film and media arts: “Because of Fred’s boundless energy and enthusiasm to make his dream a reality, today the KC Filmmakers Jubilee and its annual KC FilmFest is one of the highly regarded community-based film organizations in the country.”

John Shipp, founder of the Film Society of Greater Kansas City: “Fred’s contribution to the independent filmmaking scene in Missouri and Kansas cannot be overstated. His vision and tireless work in creating the Jubilee will forever enrich our film legacy.”

Jerry Harrington, operator of the Tivoli Theatre: “Fifteen years ago I thought Fred’s vision of a film festival for local filmmakers was doomed to a short life. Today, all these years later, I can publicly say I was spectacularly wrong…Fred has given Kansas City a film institution unlike any other festiuval in the world.”

| Robert W. Butler