Big Water Film Festival - Bay Theater - Ashland - Wisconsin

15th Annual Big Water Film Festival
January 6-February 3, 2023
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Sponsorship

Special 2022 Sponsorship Notes

Because once again we are not having an in-person film festival this year, we are not actively seeking sponsorships.  But that doesn’t mean we’ll turn down your donations!  We still have expenses, for instance our virtual screening platform costs a fair amount of money, as does promotion, prizes for our filmmakers, and graphic design (for the winner award certificates).   We are unable to provide the usual benefits for sponsors that we list below, but we will publicly acknowledge your support when we post our film listings.

Why sponsor the Big Water Film Festival?

The Big Water Film Festival is a whole weekend of independent films from around the corner and around the world, combined with question-and-answer sessions with the filmmakers, and special features, based at the Bay Theater in downtown Ashland.

Over the last fifteen years, the Big Water Film Festival has developed a reputation for good films, a welcoming environment, and a lot of fun. Bay Theater’s state-of-the-art sound and projection systems and comfortable seating make viewing movies on the big screen a real joy.

The Festival will be accessible to both filmgoers who want to spend the whole weekend with us, and those who can take in only a film or two or three. Daily and weekend passes are available for the diehards, and tickets for individual events and film blocks are also available.

Sponsorships are very important to us. We run a tight ship and raise only the money we absolutely need to put on the weekend—most of which is spent right back into our community for such things as advertising, printing, and supplies. Still, ticket income only accounts for about half of our expenses, and we need to raise the balance through sponsorships. The Big Water Film Festival is a project of the Bay Area Film Society, Inc, a 501(c)(3) organization.

How to become a sponsor?

Your sponsorship can be sent to BWFF at P.O Box 11, Ashland WI 54806. If you have any questions about the Film Festival or about sponsorship, feel free to contact us. We’d love to have you as a new sponsor, and we’d love to see you at the movies!

Levels

Special Effects
$150-$299 | Sponsors will receive two passes to the film blocks of their choice, and will be listed in our Program, on our website, and on-screen between film blocks.

Cinematographer
$300-$499 | Sponsors will receive two day passes for the day of their choice, as well as the acknowledgements listed for Special Effects, but featured more prominently.

Director
$500-$999 | Sponsors will receive all of the benefits listed for the Cinematographer level, but instead of two day passes will receive two weekend passes, and will receive more prominent recognition.

Producer
$1,000 and up | Sponsors will receive all of the benefits listed for the Director level, but will receive feature placement in the program and website, and can submit a personalized slide to show on-screen between film blocks.

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Become a Sponsor Today!

You can send your sponsorship to:
BWFF
PO Box 11
Ashland, WI 54806

See our Award-Winners

  • Award Winners in Previous Years

News

The next Big Water Film Festival will be virtual once again.

After much consideration, the Big Water Film Festival Committee has decided that once again our Festival will be virtual only.  The COVID pandemic keeps throwing all of us curveballs.  We have no way of knowing how dangerous congregating in a movie theater will be this Fall, and yet the pretty long lead time we need to put on the Festival required us to decide this summer whether we feel comfortable inviting our audience to gather in person.  The decision was made easier by the great reception given to our virtual 14th Annual Festival.  Many more people– from all around the world– saw our films virtually than usually see them in person, and a lot of people told us they appreciated the safety and convenience of viewing the films online.

Still, we miss getting together in person with our audience and filmmakers, and hope this year to re-introduce our popular Cinema and Cinnamon Rolls discussions with filmmakers in a live virtual programming format.

As with last year, tickets for the Festival will be absolutely free.  We had such great support last year through voluntary donations that we were able to pay all our expenses even though we sold no tickets.   Please keep supporting us this year, so that we can keep making the Festival free and open to anyone who wants to watch.

Just as a reminder of some of the great films we screened last year, here are the winners of the 14th Big Water Film Festival Awards:

Audience Favorite:  Better Than Neil Armstrong – Alireza Ghasemi – Iran. (Week 1)

Best Short:  Cold Storage – Thomas Freundlich-  Finland.  (Week 7)

Best Short-Short:  Amanzi Olwandle – Timothy Hay – South Africa. (Week 7)

Best Feature:  Skate or Die – Ryan Ferguson – United States. (Week 2)

Best Documentary:  Say His Name – Five Days for George Floyd – Cy Dodson – United States.  (Week 2)

 

 

 

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