Opening night at the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival is something exciting. A long line, about 80 people deep, wrapped around the side of the Midway Complex in Lewes, DE, Wednesday night. Individuals from our coastal towns waited patiently to get out of the cold, damp November weather and duck inside of the giant, warm, and buzzing white tent behind the movie theater and purchase colorful tickets.

The Rehoboth Beach fest may not be remotely comparable to the famous Cannes Film Festival, but some folks that live on the shore look forward to this event for months because it brings culture, cinematography, and educational entertainment to our communities–just like the Cannes festival does on a worldly scale. Since the first Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival in 1988, the event has been inspiring each and every individual that sits through one, a few, or many of the films shown during the five-day festival.

Hundreds of tickets will be sold to dozens of award-winning independent films, documentaries, and short productions this week. If planning a visit to the film fest, get there early. Prepare to stand in a line for a few minutes. Then, get ready to be filled with emotion and awe.

During opening night, Wednesday, November 9th, the big white tent labeled ‘Film Festival Box Office’ behind the shopping complex was filled with energy. Yes, there is electricity in the tent, but not that kind of energy. The kind of energy that pollutes the air with excitement, sends eager feelings through a body, and fills the heart with a keenness for experiencing something new.

One film in particular had a long line of eager bodies waiting patiently to see it. It was a film titled,  The Tree. It showed, for the first time in Rehoboth, and along the entire East Coast, on Wednesday night at 8 pm.  The Tree is a mystical film produced by French director, Julie Bertucelli. The French-Australian production was the official last day film selection during this year’s Festival de Cannes.

The Tree tells the remarkable story of a family caught in a moment of grief and renewal. Peter, the father of four children and husband to a naturally loving woman suddenly dies of a heart attack. The children and Dawn, the mother, are traumatized. The sorrow leads one of the children, eight-year-old Simone, to a tree–a giant Moreton Bay Fig tree–that shadows over their humble home located on the countryside of Queensland.  While trying to cope with the passing of her father, Simone shares a secret with her mother.  She’s convinced that her father speaks to her through the leaves of her favorite tree.

The tree serves as a form of protection for their home, their family, and provides a long-lasting reminder of their beloved father. It isn’t until Dawn begins to show interest in another man, several months after the passing of Peter, that the tree begins to cause trouble. The oversized tree limbs cautiously hang over their heads. Between the symbolic connection between Peter’s overbearing spirit, the overgrowing branches, and impeding roots, the tree must go.

The Tree deals with the concept of holding onto someone or something, that is painfully hard to part with. It evokes emotion, makes the viewer reflect on their own familial connections, feel childish, connect with nature, and leave with a heavy heart.

The Tree will be shown two more times during the duration of the Rehoboth festival:

Friday, Nov. 11th, 12:05 – 1:50 pm
Saturday, Nov. 12th, 5:10 – 6:55 pm

All ticket sales take place at the Festival Box Office–the big, giant, white tent located behind the Midway Shopping Center, just 100 steps from the regular theater box office. General admission tickets are $9 for adults, senior, youth, and student tickets are $8. Allow about a half an hour to purchase your ticket, get snacks at the concession stand, and find the best seat in the reclining theater chairs.

There are roughly 100 films that will be shown during the course of this year’s film fest. Guests can cast a ballot stating their feelings about any film watched. A Festival Audience Award will be presented to the film with the best scores. Several ballots with the word, ‘Outstanding’, circled on them were cast for The Tree on Wednesday.  If inspiration is what you’re seeking, get to the 14th annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival and take pleasure in everything cultural Rehoboth has to offer.

 
If interested, click here for more information about The Tree.