TechnoVisions was the most enjoyable and festive of recent Virginia Film Festivals. The subject was special effects and technological innovations, and the Festival overflowed with them. Nearly twelve hundred people donned 3D polarized glasses to see Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder in all of its dimensions, and many more picked up the red and blue glasses that brought Boris Starosta's 3D Festival poster to life. A sell-out crowd of four hundred nostrils experienced John Waters' Polyester in glorious Odorama, and a continuous parade of teenagers defied nausea by riding the MaxFlight simulated roller coaster in the Regal lobby TechnoFair. Vinegar Hill Theater mounted a two-screen presentation of Andy Warhol's Outer and Inner Space, exceeded only by the magnificent presentation of Daniel Reeves' three-screen Try to Live to See This at PVCCs Dickinson Auditorium. Finally, Radford University Professor Ted McKosky resurrected Percepto, producer William Castle's effect of giving electrical shocks to members of the audience of The Tingler, which McKosky supplemented with other Castle effects (including a nurse pushing a patient on a gurney through the theater).

The high-tech spectacle was balanced by an emphasis on the other side of technological innovation in the media — the pursuit of cheaper tools to allow more democratic access to media production. The Film Festival collaborated with a new media access organization in Charlottesville, Light House, to premiere the digital video works made in the organization's first summer program for local high school students. The Festival and Light House also presented a series of "culture jamming" workshops in the intimate Downtown Artspace, featuring guest jammers Craig Baldwin, Negativland's Mark Hosler, and DeeDee Halleck. Another series of panels was organized by the Film and Media Society and its student president, Meghan Eckman. This "Storming the Media" series included a fascinating panel on the making of the "Aliens Online" computer game by Kesmai, plus a panel on the perils and potentials of CGI. The series ended with a demonstration of physical special effects by Walter Suarez, who then moved to the Downtown Mall Ampitheater where he proceeded to set one of his crew members on fire.

At the heart of the Festival were great films and exciting guests. Stan Winston was the recipient of the Virginia Film Award, and he participated in numerous screenings, panels, and class visits throughout the weekend. Sigourney Weaver came to pay tribute to Stan, and then stayed to stun people with her performance in A Map of the World. Her adventure in grabbing a flight to Richmond after her Charlottesville flight was cancelled, then hitching a ride to Charlottesville with Law School staff, reclaimed her status as our foremost female action star. Director Jay Russell accompanied the world premiere of My Dog Skip with producer Mark Johnson, and drew a large and appreciative crowd, including John Grisham with his Little League baseball team.

As has been the case for the past few years, films were the springboard for a celebration of all the arts. Phillip Johnston and the Transparent Quartet mesmerized the Culbreth audience with their musical accompaniments to Georges Melies' trick films. The best Film Festival closing party in years, held at the Charlottesville Train Station, featured a media installation by Daniel Reeves and irresistible dance music by Bio Ritmo. There were art exhibitions by Daniel Reeves and Stan Winston at the Bayly and 70 CD-ROM artists at the Robertson Media Center, plus multimedia performance art by Zoe Beloff and Kevin and Jennifer McCoy.

Total attendance was 10,690 people, a slight increase over 1999's grand total. More participants than ever were attracted to the Festival's generous selection of free events, especially the TechnoFair. What was particularly striking was the younger demographic, as student attendance at screenings rose from 26% to 34% of the total audience. Dial M for Murder, Polyester, A Map of the World, Aliens, Dr. Strangelove and Man of the Century were among the Festival's biggest draws.

The Festival was an enormous technical challenge, but a great staff pulled it together almost flawlessly. The increased support from the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the Commonwealth (through the Virginia Film Office), the return of our longterm corporate sponsors TNT, Sprint, the Independent Film Channel, and Regal Cinemas, plus the emergence of a new benefactors group of private supporters, all gave the hard-working staff the resources they needed to give Charlottesville its most dazzling Festival yet.