Chattanooga Film Festival brings out thousands

The Chattanooga Film Festival came back this year with more movies and an even larger crowd.

Starting Thursday thousands of people came out to support the festival and all the people who make it possible to have.

The 4-day event brought out more than 10,000 people.

58 feature films and 60 short films were shown on 4 of the Carmike Majestic 12’s Screens.

“We think movies are to be enjoyed. It doesn’t matter, the loneliest B movie to the greatest art house movie ever made. We like them all”, said Chris Dortch Senior is the Assistant Director of Chattanooga Film Festival.

Chris Dortch Senior is the Assistant Director of the film fest, but said his son came up with the whole idea.

“My son loves movies and it started out in his living room. He had movie night one Friday he looked up and there was 28 people in his living room. He said got to get a bigger space. The city of Chattanooga needed something like this and to see the people respond has really done our hearts good.”, said Dortch.

The film festival had more than 100 volunteers helping make the event go as smoothly as possible.

Dortch said some of those volunteers were Chattanooga State students.

“We chose to use the Chattanooga State film department because they’re a bunch of energetic kids who are looking to get a toll hole into the industry.”

“For the media student this is pretty much the Crucible of a four day exercise,”, said President of the Chattanooga State Media Club Brandon Watson.

Students assisted with interviews posting to social media, and even got behind the camera to help showcase what all was happening.

“It was a wonderful experience. I got so much out of this and it was multifaceted creature from journalism to setting up the camera, getting stories talking to people for interviews”, said Watson.

Dortch said the Chattanooga Film Festival can only grow from here.

“People have supported us and that has grown exponentially. I’ve seen it happen this year and I’ve felt the electric attitude. People love this thing and its a fixture now.”