Years ago, Michael Catalano told the board of the Nashville Independent Film Festival that he had a three-year plan for reversing the festival’s fortunes. He was a man of his word. Last week, Catalano resigned after three and a half years as NIFF’s executive director.
“It was a really, really tough decision,” says Catalano, who leaves Sept. 1. But in the end, he says, the choice came down to staying with the festival or supporting his family. He will pursue other projects in the independent film and TV industry.
Catalano’s news comes at the peak of the festival’s 31-year history. When he was appointed in 1997, the former Sinking Creek Film/Video Celebration was in shaky condition. But Catalano and the festival’s 26-member board instituted changes that were initially controversial, such as dropping the “Sinking Creek” tag. The NIFF moved from Sarratt to a single screen at the Belcourt Theatre, then to two screens at Regal’s Green Hills Commons 16.
The plan worked. By last June, the festival had swelled to five days and four screens and attendance soared to 10,000 patrons. “Michael deserves an incredible amount of credit,” says Kelly Brownlee, who will serve as NIFF’s interim director.
Catalano’s departure surprises few close to the festival. At least one board member wondered before last June’s festival how NIFF would keep Catalano for $41,000 a year. The nonprofit festival receives most of its funding from grants, sponsorships, memberships, and entry fees. “You can’t make enough money in the [nonprofit] art world to survive,” Catalano says.
To complicate matters, the only other staffer, Ashley Driggs, is leaving for Dig magazine. Ironically, the festival has never been better, financially or organizationally. “Holding good people when you can’t pay them isn’t a problem exclusive to independent film festivals,” says Existo writer-director Coke Sams, an NIFF board member. “The question now is, how do we as a city pay for our culture?”
