Rising producer and Texas-native Tanner Beard is preparing to launch the inaugural Mammoth Film Festival, set for Feb. 8-11 next winter. In an interview with Variety, Beard talks about his early expectations for the festival, what types of films it will feature, and how the new festival will stand out amid the crowded film festival landscape.
Beard, 32, was executive producer of three Terrence Malick films: “Song to Song,” “Voyage of Time,” and “Knight of Cups.” He is also CEO of Silver Sail Entertainment.
The festival is currently accepting submissions, which are not limited by genre. “The festival will be what the filmmakers want it to be,” Beard said. “That’s the cool thing about being in your first year.”
Categories include U.S. narrative feature films, U.S. documentary feature films, international narrative films, action sports, virtual reality, and short films.
Coming a month after Sundance, the Mammoth festival founders, which also include Tomik Mansoori, Daniel Sol, and Theo Dumont, hope the festival gains a foothold by offering young filmmakers a chance to showcase their work and meet potential distributors. “It’s really important for us to establish young filmmakers,” Beard said.
It also comes before the SXSW Film Festival, another competitive event that Beard said might mean some filmmakers’ submissions won’t show at Sundance or SXSW, giving them another option to have their work screened. “A lot of great films don’t get into the festivals because of the amount of submissions they have,” he said.
Setting the festival at Mammoth, Beard adds, gives it a winter resort feel similar to Sundance. “The town is such an incredible place. It’s one of the best ski resorts in the nation.”
Beard’s festival is distinct from a summer festival also set in the mountain resort town: the Mammoth Lakes Film Festival in May.
