Females in Film | Film Festivals | New Hampshire

Interview with Nicole Gregg, Executive Director for the New Hampshire Film Festival

14 Oct , 2014  

Written by Catherine Stewart | Posted by:

Fellow female film professionals discuss work, life, and more in this new series, Females in Film. For this installment, NewEnglandFilm.com writer Catherine Stewart talks to Nicole Gregg, Executive Director for the New Hampshire Film Festival about celebrating the film industry. The annual festival takes place on October 16-19, 2014.

This series of articles features interviews with established and emerging female filmmakers with strong connections to New England, as well as prominent industry figures from our region. Filmmaker Catherine Stewart discusses distribution, finding work, making connections, and handling collaborations, along with whatever else comes along. We encourage you to join the conversation here on NewEnglandFilm.com or on Twitter using #femalesinfilm.

“Last night was an early one, we finished at 7pm,” explains Nicole Gregg, New Hampshire Film Festival’s (NHFF) Executive Director as we sit down with our drinks on a sunny mid-week morning. “The night before, we finished at 3am.” With the 14th annual New Hampshire Film Festival only a week away, the schedules have just been sent to the printer, details are being finalized with filmmakers, and the many venues across Portsmouth, NH are preparing for what is set to be an exciting year for this growing attraction on the festival circuit.

“It’s a surreal time of year,” continues Gregg. The festival is a year-round production that includes organizing headlining films, panelists, a screenplay competition, and young filmmaker workshops. But as soon as the temperature begins to fall and golden leaves litter the sidewalks, that’s when the small but dedicated team really pick up their pace.

Originally founded by a group of filmmakers in Derry, NH and called the New Hampshire Film Expo, the festival moved to Portsmouth in 2004 and has since grown to a four-day film extravaganza with local, national, and international films in four venues, all under the leadership of Gregg.

After graduating college, Gregg launched herself into the world of film by working for the independent production company The Shooting Gallery. “I was doing the ‘actor’ thing in New York, which really meant I was waiting tables non-stop trying to survive.” A personal connection helped Gregg find a place interning at the prominent company with casting director Lina Todd. Gregg explains that every turn in her journey towards the festival scene has been organic: “I never had a plan, just each step lead to the next.”

After working as a casting assistant on Kenneth Lonergan’s 2000 film You Can Count on Me, Gregg traded in her pay in order to tour with the film on the festival circuit – and that’s where she uncovered a hidden passion. “Festivals celebrate everything that is great about the industry. Productions are hard, and sometimes the industry appears to have a lot of negativity. Festivals say ‘Look at what we have achieved,’” beams Gregg.

It’s hard not to be excited by Gregg’s enthusiasm. “Who isn’t inspired when they get to spend a few days watching the best films that you might not get a chance to see elsewhere?” And she’s right – the energy of the filmmakers eager to have their films in front of audiences, the conversations that happen whilst queueing for the restroom, and the fact you are part of a community of movie-lovers watching films together all adds up to a pretty great way to spend a weekend.

With Netflix’s new deal with Adam Sandler to make four films for the company with the intention of skipping public screenings altogether, I am more than a little worried about the future of film as a communal public art form. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for snuggling up on the couch with a good film and a bowl of homemade popcorn, but not to the detriment of shared experience. With the worsening plight of the small independent cinema, and now this threat from the virtual world to the “big Boys” of the screening sphere looms, perhaps festivals can be our savior when it comes to preserving film history and supporting collective catharsis, enlightenment, and entertainment.

The New Hampshire Film Festival isn’t just a great place for audiences, though. Filmmakers themselves are finding more and more reasons to submit their work, attend the panels, and interact with the festival team throughout the year. This year, the festival are introducing a new prize package for an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for an industry meeting with Oscilloscope Laboratories (Fiction) [http://www.oscilloscope.net/films/] and A&E Indie Films (Documentary) [http://www.aetv.com/ae-indiefilms] for either the winning director or producer. “It will catapult both those films onto more screens and us onto a new level in the film festival hierarchy,” says Gregg.

Gregg seems determined to keep the festival growing in its importance on the circuit, both for individual filmmakers as well as the industry as a whole. “I’ve always said I don’t want the festival to be a drain – I want to give back more than it takes.” With the possibility of a film institute in the future that aims to help more filmmakers bring their ideas and projects to life, as well as a year-round infrastructure of support, the festival is heading in the right direction, but there are challenges. “That all costs more money – a lot more money,” smiles Gregg, aware of the road ahead.

As with many that I interview for this series, Gregg doesn’t just advocate for our industry, she is also a wife and mother to young children. “I’m always working out how to balance my domestic and professional life – managing calls with Paramount and the laundry at the same time. I don’t feel challenged, though – we all have something in our lives that we work against, or with.” I, for one, hope that NHFF can continue to grow, thrive, and prosper despite any challenges it might face. And I believe that Gregg, with her passion and desire, is a great person to be at the helm.

The New Hampshire Film Festival 2014 runs from the 16th-19th of October. If you would like more information about the festival please visit their website [https://nhfilmfestival.com]. Passes for the full weekend can be purchased online. [https://nhfilmfestival.com/shop/]

We are always on the look out for more Females in Film to participate in this series, if you would like to add to the conversation, or start a new one get in touch with us and share your views online at NewEnglandFilm.com, on twitter using #femalesinfilm or by emailing me at catherine@filmunbound.com.

Photo: 2014 New Hampshire Film Festival kick-off party, October 2, 2104, Thirsty Moose, Portsmouth , NH. Programming Director Nicole Galovski, left, Executive Director Nicole Gregg and Co-Founder Dan Hannon.Photograph by Ralph Morang ©Ralph Morang


The New Hampshire Film Festival 2014 runs from the 16th-19th of October. If you would like more information about the festival please visit their website [https://nhfilmfestival.com]. Passes for the full weekend can be purchased online. [https://nhfilmfestival.com/shop/] We are always on the look out for more Females in Film to participate in this series, if you would like to add to the conversation, or start a new one get in touch with us and share your views online at NewEnglandFilm.com, on twitter using #femalesinfilm or by emailing me at catherine@filmunbound.com. Photo: 2014 New Hampshire Film Festival kick-off party, October 2, 2104, Thirsty Moose, Portsmouth , NH. Programming Director Nicole Galovski, left, Executive Director Nicole Gregg and Co-Founder Dan Hannon.Photograph by Ralph Morang ©Ralph Morang

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