Operating Support Grant

NFA has turned a critical focus towards soliciting feedback, evaluation of programming, and addressing the needs of our audience. We have found that these metrics provide critical insight to our organizational skills, strengths, and weaknesses. At the 2015 DSFF, surveys collected from breakthrough efforts produced a high volume of audience feedback reporting. With a very concerted effort, DSFF achieved a 40% return of audience feedback surveys, which is practically unheard of in any film screening environment. These procedures have continued to be implemented through each year since. DSFF uses the outcome measurement tools of: ? Audience surveys ? Attendance/Behavior tracking at festival screenings ? Press and promotional coverage logging ? New audience cultivation through cross collaborations with other arts organizations ? Profile and volume of films produced regionally NFA's constant pursuit of new assessment techniques continue to shape our strategies to achieve desired outcomes. In addition to collection and analysis of assessment materials, NFA also provides this information back to each participating filmmaker, who have found the information regarding their work extremely helpful and even fascinating. This leads to artist feedback to the organization on a very intimate level. This project and event based process informs our activities during the funding period provided by ARAC Operational support. The same techniques we used to assess programming and audience is used to assess marketing and promotional activities. We use surveys at all events to examine the effectiveness of marketing and promotional strategies. Evaluation also comes from sponsor and donor feedback meetings. Post events, DSFF meets with every donor, and sponsor to get gather assessment about satisfaction from supporters. Retaining sponsors and community supporters is critical to the success of the organization, as continued support is vital to maintaining stability of programming. Additionally, NFA's an Advisory Board plays a significant role in assessment of programs. Part of the role of the Advisory Board is to take part in events and observe first-hand the success and failures of programming and provide direct assessment. Prior to DSFF's inception there was a significant gap of this type of programming within the Arrowhead region. The film festival environment was non-existent. The arthouse cinema environment was concurrently being built at Zeitgeist, but broad public audience in the Twin Ports had no outlet for Hollywood alternative films available outside video rental. The programming of these two organizations has been able to provide alternative options for cinematic events into the region. Previously unavailable film events and experiences were now available and have become highly anticipated and well attended environments. DSFF has made great efforts to make the festival environment more approachable. In our fledgling years, we discovered that while to community possessed a high level of artistic IQ, a film festival participation learning curve existed. Additionally, DSFF (then titled Sound Unseen) required many lessons about what this high IQed artistic community participants would expect from a new arts organization such as ours. With lessons to and from each side, DSFF has been able to find a balance between artistically challenging, distinctly fun and accessible cinema programming that appeals to a broad public audience. Public benefit of DSFF can be traced to its aim to raise awareness of these types of cinema events, energize arts in the region by presenting unique cinema experiences, and create new opportunities for audience access to filmmakers, artists and art in a previously under-served cultural canon. Additionally, It bears repeating that in 2014 The Duluth Superior Film Festival made a bold step to address the economic barriers that potentially impede our community from attending artistic events by making every screening in the fest