Welcome to The Truth in His Art. I am your host, Rob Lee. Thank you for tuning in to my conversations at the intersection of arts, culture, and community. Today, today, we got a special one. I am talking with a professional film curator and educator with decades of experience in art house cinemas, festivals, museums, community based, and educational organizations.
Rob Lee:My guest is the festival and program director for the upcoming Maryland Film Festival. Please welcome KJ Moore. Welcome to the podcast.
KJ Mohr:Thank you, Rob.
Rob Lee:So I gave you actually the real intro. I didn't give you the fake one. Okay. So so thank you for coming on. Thank you for for making the time.
Rob Lee:And, as I like to say to everyone, you know, that comes on and they have 4 eyes. Thank you for wearing your glasses. We were all spectacled individuals.
KJ Mohr:Wouldn't see you otherwise.
Rob Lee:So, if you're right, to start off, I wanna I wanna I wanna thank you again for coming on, making the time to chat. And if you could, could you share maybe your your earliest encounter with creativity, with, you know, with film, like one of those early creative experiences that maybe influenced the direction that you've gone in. I mean, you see, you know, the experience that you have, you know, I wanna see you, like, where's that early experience coming from?
KJ Mohr:Right. Well, I grew up in a very small town in Wisconsin. So it and that absolutely colored my experience with film because I was I felt like, you know, I was bigger than my small town and I couldn't wait to get out of there. And, and so I was always looking for stories and experiences beyond that. So I, you know, VHS was the medium of the time.
KJ Mohr:And, I used our public library and just got every foreign film and indie film. I didn't realize it was indie film at the time, but it was like the stuff that I wasn't used to seeing. My dad was also a minister in this small town, and and the the cinema company was started in in Ripon, Wisconsin, Marcus Theaters. So all of the clergy and council members in this town got to use got to go to movies for free. So we went to a lot of movies.
KJ Mohr:So what I was seeing there though was different from what I was able to see from the library. And it was really these, international stories and more independent stuff that was interesting to me. I is something of a cinephile. So he was always bringing in, you know, like, he'd tell me to go to I remember when he told me to go to the video store and get Mo Better Blues. And I was like, what does that mean?
KJ Mohr:Mobeta? But you know? And so I I luckily had that kind of stuff in my radar. You know, it was on my radar when I was little. And then, when I went to college, University of Wisconsin Madison, they have a really great cinema tech there and a student programming body.
KJ Mohr:So I would go to all of the films that they had there. And I I mean, it was a lot of really great stuff at the time. Double lives of Veronique. Kieslowski is still one of my very favorite films. And I was sitting behind in like my 3rd week there, Sitting behind someone who in front of me was talking about this student programming body of the film committee.
KJ Mohr:And I was like, excuse me. So I went to my first meeting the following Monday, and they were looking for people to work on a women's film festival. I was like, that sounds cool. So I went to that meeting and that's just ended up programming my first festival along with, a couple other people there who were starting that up. And just so I just jumped right into it, you know?
KJ Mohr:And what we were seeing for that festival was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Like, I didn't know that kind work existed and that's what was exciting to me. It was a kind of work that you don't see on TV or in cinemas. You know, it was really, indie stuff, docs, experimental film, which became one of my favorite genres. So it was really just by diving in to finding stories that I wasn't seeing otherwise because I wanted to see them.
KJ Mohr:So it was a little bit selfish to that origin of wanting to see this kind of work.
Rob Lee:Thank you. That's, it's, it's great to, to set that and, have, have those touch points. I find like a lot of times we have these conversations It's like, Yeah, let's just get to the thing. What's the thing? But it's like, What's the road that led to the thing?
Rob Lee:And so I definitely got to ask this. You know, you you mentioned experimental, right? So what for you, like, personally, not necessarily with the the festival per se or that festival experience, but what for you, like, makes for like a good story, a story that you're truly like interested in, that that you gravitate toward? Like, you know, not for nothing. I'm on there, you know, with committee, and I have horror movies on there.
Rob Lee:It's just, like, it's a lot of schlock there, but a lot of good stuff, but a lot of schlock. So I don't know if my storytelling is on the same par as some of the, you know, some of my peers. But for you, what what makes a good story?
KJ Mohr:I mean, it's generally something either something that I haven't seen before, something that is that either I can relate to or is entirely outside of my experience, because I'm not interested in seeing the same story over and over again. I wanna see it told from a different angle or in a different way. And and that can be anything. So it's always hard to to say until you're really watching something. What makes it special or what really draws you in?
KJ Mohr:It's hard to say. It's sort of an intangible. But I have always been drawn to stories that are, about experiences that aren't my own because I don't care about that. I've seen that enough. You know?
KJ Mohr:And I wanna, it's movies are a way to kinda step into someone else's shoes at least for a a short time.
Rob Lee:I bet. That's a good answer. So let's let's shift gears a little bit towards the the film festival. Like, what is your I'm curious about, like, your history with the Maryland Film Festival. You know, I see this year marks its 25th anniversary.
Rob Lee:Significant milestone, obviously. And, you know, considering sort of, you know, the festival and your connection to it, talk about like how you became aligned with the festival and working with the festival and, programming, you know, for this year. Let's talk a
KJ Mohr:bit about that. Yeah. Well, I moved to Baltimore in January of 2011 to direct the film program at Creative Alliance. And Kristen Anker, who is also on our screening committee, was there before me started that whole program, and sort of brought me in. I loved working at Creative Alliance.
KJ Mohr:I loved getting to know Baltimore Film Communities that way. We also had programs, of course, screenings. But one of the things that we did was every year at Maryland Film Festival, at that time, we had a tent village. And in one of the tents, we would talk with filmmakers, kind of like you do. But, during the festival, we one of the things that we could offer the festival was these taped, interviews with filmmakers who were visiting.
KJ Mohr:And then we would share them at the festival, and they could use them for promotion or whatever. So the first couple years was doing that. And that's kind of how I got to know the festival. And Rain Alexander, Kristen's partner, put me in touch with Jed and Eric at the time at at Maryland Film Festival. And that's, that's how I started.
KJ Mohr:After that, I would did a lot of volunteering. I was a venue manager. I've gotten involved in a lot of festivals starting with volunteering. And I've always been involved in some way, either in a volunteer capacity or with creative alliance. And then more recently, in I think it's 2019 that Scott Braid at the time, brought me in.
KJ Mohr:I recognized that I was in town, and that I was a professional programmer and curator. And and they needed someone to do the conference, the filmmaker conference and panels at the time. So I started curating those. And then came on to the Parkway staff shortly after that and was in in the interim there, programming at the Parkway before the pandemic happened. And shifted into the our our online format.
KJ Mohr:We were one of the first three theaters to do that in the country. And and and then did shorts last year. I've just kind of been involved progressively with programming. And and this year, I'm I'm thrilled to be, director of programming and and the festival director.
Rob Lee:That's that's great. And it's it's good to get all of that experience of, like, you know, sort of the scene and then sort of what the festival's like versus, like, I know this one area, and I think that that helps in in pushing it along and in taking it into this this sort of milestone year. You know, when you see 25 years I didn't know it was 25 years. When you see 25 years, it's like, that's a big thing. So having it it come back in a big, bad, and bold way, you know, with the the branding that I can see behind you and sort of those those thoughts and sort of, you know, bringing in, you know, the committee and all, it's it's really important to have that.
Rob Lee:But I think having sort of an understanding of various areas in multiple festivals and and and with this festival, the different pieces of it, it helps, you know, put it out there in a in a big bad way.
KJ Mohr:Yeah. And Maryland is really you know, it's one of it's the preeminent festival in Maryland, of course, and it's just one of the biggest up and coming festivals and has really just grown to be that. It's a destination for filmmakers, and it's just been a big part of creating, a filmmaking hub in the mid Atlantic in general.
Rob Lee:So it's it's 2 things I wanna wanna ask around that though in in sort of your role in in in programming. What does that entail? Because I I think a lot of folks just see a title, and they're like, you do all of the movies. Right? You're making some of them.
Rob Lee:Right? It's like, I don't know. That's true. What what does that entail, like, for you? I was going to make it a little trolling, like describe it as something else, but I'm not going to do that.
Rob Lee:I'm just going to give you a space to share, like, really what are your main responsibilities in your role as, you know, director of programming?
KJ Mohr:Yeah. Well, it starts with, first of all, you know, we're a community festival. Yes. We're a filmmaker's festival, and that's kind of how we've found our our niche in the festival circuit. And that's very important, but we're a community festival.
KJ Mohr:So, the screening committee is one important part of that. Like, you're just really trying to have many voices. Because as you pointed out earlier, like, everyone has a different opinion and someone that's some of the best work are films that one person hates and another person loves. It's like, oh, what's going on there? That's where it gets really interesting.
KJ Mohr:But what I do starts with, just kinda keeping an eye on what's happening in the film world in general. You know, looking at new work that filmmakers who I've worked with, are what they're working on, what they have out when it's being released. Same thing with distributors all over the world. Looking at other festivals that are before us and what we might wanna bring to Maryland. Local film making is a really important part of it.
KJ Mohr:But the, we try to because we're all because we are an emerging filmmakers film festival and really looking at sort of what's next on the horizon in in filmmaking and image making in general. It shorts are really important, and we get a lot of great shorts through our submissions. I think that altogether, we were able to include almost 10% of submissions, which is pretty extraordinary. And also not nearly enough to show all that we want to. It's always painful what you have to let go of really painful.
KJ Mohr:I'd probably like to show at least 50% of all of it, you know? But yeah. So it's it's a mixture between looking at what comes to us and trying to look at that with as many eyes as possible. Like, we have at least 3 people on the screening committee looking at each and every film plus, programming team members. At least a couple of those.
KJ Mohr:So it it's really a lot of festivals. I mean, most festivals don't have that many eyes looking at each work. Each one really gets serious consideration. And, and then we want to create a program that reflects our audience. That our audience can see themselves reflected in it.
KJ Mohr:And that is showing something fresh and new and sort of what, what might become big in the next, you know, in the coming years. Definitely. We're gonna put a pin in that because I got
Rob Lee:a question related to that. Mhmm. But, yeah, Definitely. We're gonna put a pen in that because I got a question related to that. Mhmm.
Rob Lee:But, yeah, it's it's absolutely. And I can speak, you know, sort of, I guess, secondhand first. I don't know. As it relates to sort of that process being on that on that screening committee and, really, you know, it had me dive back into when I was, you know, taking a few film classes in college, it's like, critically speaking, let's think about this, and there there's a quality thing, but then also thinking of sort of the selection of, like, who's local with these diverse voices and and having, you know, that being fulfilled as well that, you know, folks see themselves reflected, you know, in the the media that's presented and, especially some of the local films that are out there as well. Because, you know, I'm going through it and I'm, like, you know, watching different things.
Rob Lee:It started off with some of the the shorter films, and then starting off with the features and really getting a gauge of what's coming out there. And and for me, in in doing this and having you on and even, you know, talking with folks, I proudly waved that banner, like, hey, man. I'm I'm there. You know, you should come. You should check it out.
Rob Lee:And it's almost an endorsement, you know, for me. So definitely having something that's reflect reflective of the community and, the people that are in it.
KJ Mohr:Exactly.
Rob Lee:So this is sort of the other the other question. So it's not all, you know, peaches and cream, you know, gold roads and all of that. What were some of the challenges in in in coming back for for this year in in this way? Because, you know, there was the online version you mentioned sort of the pandemic and all, and I can speak firsthand and being in Station North, like, you know, working and doing stuff at BIG and in different places in the area. That area has really gotten hit and it's the creative, like, art, in my opinion, of the city.
Rob Lee:So what are some of the challenges in in bringing back, you know, the the the festival in in this way?
KJ Mohr:Well, I mean, first of all, there's the hurdle of we weren't around last year. So just making sure that everyone knows that we're back and continuing and, and that this is a big year. I mean, this is a really exciting year. And, and I think that we have done that. You know, at first it feels a little bit like, okay, can we, are we gonna be able to spread the word and, like, get make sure that everyone knows that?
KJ Mohr:And I think that that has been, you know, those fears are are are no longer there. I don't know if that's a good good answer for you on that one, Rob.
Rob Lee:No. It's it's all good. And and and it is sort of I think you you hit the nail on the head with sort of the the larger one. Like, hey, we're back, you know, that being a thing because it's a lot of questions, like, in that area. And I think, you know, it's it's it's an interesting area in that there's so many different things to do, but then there's a question of what's open, what's around, what can I get to?
Rob Lee:And I can speak, you know, from previous years, with the festival just seeing folks around. I was like, you're here for the festival. I I could see it. You know, I could see it on people's faces. It's like
KJ Mohr:Swimming around the neighborhood?
Rob Lee:Yeah. Going to my coffee shop, standing in my lines. I'm trying to get there and get my coffee. You hogging up the line with all of your cinephile and
KJ Mohr:Let it be. Bring it.
Rob Lee:But, you know, having having it back, I think it's it's it's in that positive. It's a huge thing. And then being able to, you know, explore explore that that part of the city, you know, it's a it's a good intersecting point being in Station North, you know.
KJ Mohr:Yeah. And there are, some great new, shops and clubs there. You know, club car right across the street, which is gonna be our filmmaker lounge. And Mobtown Ballrooms moved in on the other end of North Avenue Market. And, you know, there's a lot going on.
Rob Lee:Yeah. I mean, love, love Mobtown. I go there pretty regularly. Awesome. I want to go back into and we were touching a little bit some of the some of the films that, you know, just macro because it's, you know, as you touched on before we got started, you know, it's kind of like spreadsheets.
Rob Lee:It's like you remember them, but it's just like it's a lot of records here.
KJ Mohr:Right.
Rob Lee:What what is sticking out as far as what's forthcoming in terms of the the festival, what have you? Like, any particular themes or voices, trends that are, like, popping up in some of the films that are coming out, any, like, technology or, the techniques that are being used that you're seeing, like, okay. This is this is good. This is a direction we're headed in. What are you saying?
Rob Lee:Uh-huh.
KJ Mohr:Well, one of the things I I mean, I wanna point out is that we are focusing on emerging technologies within moving image creation. And we have technologies within moving image creation. And we have a whole Cinnatech portion of the festival this year, in the lobbies. And, it would just be kind of throughout the festival, which I'm really excited about because we've never done that before. And, being able to do that and just really look into the future of moving image.
KJ Mohr:But within the the main slate of features and and also with a lot of the shorts, at at first, I was some of the first films that we lacked were really sort of, like, coming of age stories and young women. And I was like, why is this happening? Like, why are, why are there, you know, a few really important stories that are, sort of in in this young women just kind of figuring out life. And then I realized, well, we're an emerging filmmaker festival, so like that's naturally gonna happen. And then I I think too, like young women are especially are really under attack right now and we need to focus on these stories, and support, filmmakers like this.
KJ Mohr:So, that's one thing for sure. Just kind of like figuring out life. And that probably happens frequently with Maryland Film Festival. It's kind of a general theme of of the festival. But I'm super excited about some of the local docs like, More Than Hype and the, party that we're gonna have after that, over at the garage recreating the the paradox Nice.
KJ Mohr:When I ate the docks. So just, like, so I know kind of the the verite style of things like squeegee. You know, some of the local films that are really, really strong and really just show what an amazing film culture we have here in Baltimore. Look back at it. Felicia Pride's, short that's gonna be closing out the festival on Sunday.
KJ Mohr:All like really pointing to a very strong industry in Maryland that we really wanna grow and, and just see more of in the coming years. So I'm excited especially about what's going to be happening with with Cenitec, but also just what's happening in Baltimore.
Rob Lee:That's that's great. A big shout out to, to Larry. Larry Kadow. Larry, what up? You know?
Rob Lee:What up? More than hype. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Rob Lee:Yeah. Because that, you know, that that area, like, when I, you know, I do these interviews, I talk to a lot of different people who have, like, sort of the history, the archival thing, and I remember, you know, doing this interview at at Big with, you know, DJ Scotty b, and and he was thinking about it. He was just like, you know, this used to be this place. It used to be these different clubs. I was like the ghost of Baltimore club hopping back in the day.
Rob Lee:So seeing that that Lurie and his background and the folks that he's working with are, like, we need to document that, and then having sort of this, the full circleness of it, you know, of having sort of in the film festival and then having, like, this recreation of the party. That is something that, you know, you gotta get behind.
KJ Mohr:I gotta say, yeah, like, being able to, like, sit in a Zoom with Wayne Davis who is, like, reenvisioning the paradox. It's like, is this my life? Yeah. It was it's really, really awesome. I'm just so excited because he is just recreating it for us.
Rob Lee:That is that's wonderful. So so I think, like, the majority of my real questions actually have, been covered. So I what I want to do in these final moments is I got some rapid fire questions for you. Always have. Yes.
Rob Lee:Yeah. Because, you know, sometimes you get nervous. You get nervous with these questions. Yeah. Take a deep breath,
KJ Mohr:you know? Okay.
Rob Lee:So I got I got 3 of them. They're not, you know, what is your all time? No. Actually, that's a little weird because I yeah. You know, I ask people in film, what's your all time favorite movie?
Rob Lee:Well, it depends on if we're talking
KJ Mohr:Oh, god. That's alright. Way.
Rob Lee:See? Yeah. What is the last non festival related movie that you watched?
KJ Mohr:Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I you know, it's kinda not fair because I teach in the MFA filmmaking program at MICA, and I showed daughters of the dust last night. But daughters of the dust is also the first film that I showed in that film festival in 1992 at the University of Wisconsin on 16 millimeter film in, like, a big cafeteria.
KJ Mohr:And I love that movie. And I could watch it every day and still find new wonderful things in it. But the only film that I have watched, the only film I have been allowed to watch, was on my 8th anniversary with my partner. We went to American fiction. But other than that, I haven't seen anything in a theater since since I started this job.
Rob Lee:Well, I I've seen American fiction. We may have to trade notes about that that flick. I I may have seen myself in it. We'll talk later.
KJ Mohr:Oh, yeah.
Rob Lee:So here's the next one. I definitely gotta ask this. Anytime I have any festival person or filmmaker or what have you, I ask this question. Popcorn or candy, what is your go to festival snack? Are you snacking at the festival?
KJ Mohr:Hell, yeah. Can I mix popcorn and milk duds? I like to kind of get this is kinda gross. I get the milk dud a little bit masticated in there, you know, and get it chewy and then have some popcorn, and it's like caramel corn.
Rob Lee:It is. It is. My partner does this not the not the same thing with the making your own, like, mouth. Caramel corn. Not that.
Rob Lee:But, she she does the M and O. She's like, look, you know, I'm a need a box of M and M's and this popcorn. I was like, I So some of that for me. She's like, oh, no. No.
Rob Lee:No. You gotta get your own. I was like, that is Wow. Yeah.
KJ Mohr:Yeah. Okay.
Rob Lee:So that's what it is. I'm just like, yeah, where's the beer? That's that's just what I'm doing. Yeah.
KJ Mohr:Uh-huh. Get a couple, like, tall Natty bows.
Rob Lee:Oh, yeah. Yeah. See, I'm I'm a little bougie. Am I saying, can you have Vermouth here for Noted Podcaster Robbie?
KJ Mohr:La la.
Rob Lee:Go ahead. So this this one I'm very curious about because it's one of the categories within, within the the Film Freeway. Do you like do you prefer a daytime screening or late night showings? What is your, like, ideal sort of, like, I'm gonna watch this, you know, like, am I are you resting up during the day, or is it like, nah. Let's get this let's get this done early when I'm fresh.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
KJ Mohr:Well, that has really changed for me in my old age. And since I can't stay up past 9 PM anymore, all of those late night screenings are for our younger crowds. And I will be there in the late afternoon, early evening. I might even go to something at 10 AM, but definitely not at 11. I mean,
Rob Lee:for the 26th, in iteration of this, right, we could just say we're having our pajamas screen. Yeah. You have matinee. It's like, this is the pajama one.
KJ Mohr:That's a great idea. Our actually, our marketing director, Kyu, always wants to do that and just have cereal there, you know, like, come in your pajamas, and we'll have, like, just a table full of cereals and various milks of various varieties. With this in the theater and slurp it up.
Rob Lee:This might be a a version of an idea I've kicked around a few times of, like, Saturday morning cartoons and screen old episodes of Power Rangers, like, here's the let's do it, you know. It's the anniversary well, last year was the anniversary year, it doesn't matter. So those are actually all of my questions. So there's 2 things I wanna do in these these final moments here. 1, I wanna thank you so so so much for coming on and being a part of this podcast.
KJ Mohr:Thank you, Rob.
Rob Lee:And 2, I wanna invite and encourage you to, in these final moments, make it a win. Tell folks of where to where to check you out, where to check out the festival, where to buy tickets to the festival, all of that good stuff. Give them the dates, website, all of that pertinent information. The floor Thank you.
KJ Mohr:Thank you. Alright. So Maryland Film Festival, our 25th anniversary celebration is running May 2nd to 5th in Station North. It's mostly at the Parkway Theater, but we'll also be at Lazarus Center at Micah, and we do have our transports under the stars down at Current Space in Mount Vernon. After parties at the Crown and the Garage, in addition to the parkway.
KJ Mohr:We it's really a festival for everyone, all ages, all interests, all budgets. We have some free screenings, free panels, and parties are open to anyone. If you don't like movies, you still like to party. Everyone is is welcome. We just would love to see everyone from all over Baltimore there.
KJ Mohr:And you can always look at our website for any details and ticket info. The schedule went live this week. So that's, mdfilmfest.com. And, just really wanna see, especially folks who've never come before, wanna see a lot of new festival goers. And, we have all ages programs for kids starting each day that are free, and everybody is welcome.
Rob Lee:It's great. It's fantastic. I'll make may close out. So there you have it folks. I wanna again thank AJ Moore from the Maryland Film Festival for coming on and sharing a bit about the festival and about their story a bit.
Rob Lee:And I'm Rob Lee saying that there's art, culture, and community in and around your neck of the woods. You've just got
KJ Mohr:to
Rob Lee:look
KJ Mohr:for it.
