Burbank International Film Festival President Discusses Why Festival Is Different From Others

Sandra Miska

With so many events and film festivals happening in the Los Angeles area every year, it’s sometimes difficult to differentiate that ones are worth the busy film lover’s time.  One of those festivals is the Burbank International Film Festival, which is set to kick off its seventh year at the AMC Burbank 16. Festival president and director Jeff Rector, an award-winning actor and director, recently spoke with Entertainment Voice about what separates his festival from the rest of the pack, as well as what attendees can expect this year (“Sharknado 3”!).

Entertainment Voice: Can you tell us about how you became involved with the festival?

Jeff Rector: I was invited as a guest from the beginning.  I’m a working actor and an award-winning filmmaker here in Los Angeles.  I was invited to come to the red carpet as a celebrity guest, and I enjoyed and liked what they were doing and said, “If you guys need any help, let me know.  I’m pretty well connected in L.A. and in the business.”  So, the third year, they said, “Help!”  I joined the board about half way through the festival….  I created the Night of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror and invited my friends from “Star Trek” and all the sci-fi/horror shows, and it was a success.  After the festival, we had a meeting and I said, “You know, I’d really like to get more involved in the hands-on decision making, and maybe be considered for vice-president next year.”  And the president said, “That’s interesting, because I’m stepping down.  I can’t do it anymore.”  And everyone looked at me.  “Okay.” [Laughs].  I picked up the ball and ran with it, and this is my fourth year running the show.  It gets bigger and better every year, and the city’s getting behind me…  They’re really building it up to be a Sundance Film Festival in our own backyard.  The reason I say Sundance, all the L.A. festivals can say that, but it’s not true because Burbank is its own little city.  We’ve got our own airport.  It really is a self-contained city, as is Park City, and we’re tucked away in the mountains like Park City is.  It really is truly a unique opportunity to build it up into that kind of a festival, and that’s what my long-term goal is, my dream is.

EV: What would you say is unique about this year’s festival?

Jeff Rector: We’re screening the world theatrical premiere of “Sharknado 3.”  We’ve also got the world premiere of a film called “4got10.”  We’ve got 25 world premieres this year out of 100 films.  We’ve got a family-friendly day of programming.  “Sharknado 3” is our lead film for our Night of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror.  We have a films by women category.  We have a faith-based film category.  We try to do things and honor awards that separate us from all the other film festivals.  I don’t want to be like all the other film festivals in L.A.  I want to be unique and different, and so far, we’ve been doing a pretty good job of achieving that, I think.

EV: For “Sharknado 3” and the other premieres, will the actors and filmmakers be on hand to speak to audiences?

Jeff Rector: Tara Reid’s coming. We’re waiting to hear from Ian Ziering. Cassie Scerbo is one of the female leads.  We’re waiting to hear from David Hasselhoff and Bo Derek.  We’re going to have some actual shark head props from the movie at the after party.  They’ll be a Q and A., Tara Reid is confirmed. The big thing I’m most proud of is I’ve always been an actor and a filmmaker, so it’s always been about me.  And this isn’t, this is about the filmmakers.  So I’m running a non-profit organization, and my goal is to showcase as many independent films and filmmakers as I can and help the get their cinematic voices out in the world.

EV: Would you say your experience has an actor and a filmmaker has prepared you for this role?

Jeff Rector: Absolutely. You know, I liked to play host and throw a lot of parties, and you throw all that together and it led me to running this film festival, so it’s a compilation of everything I am, and who I am, and it was just a perfect fit.  God willing, I’ll be around another 30 years to keep it growing.

The Seventh Annual Burbank International Film Festival will take place Sept. 9-13 at AMC Burbank 16.