Eric Allen Hatch

Hi! I'm Eric, and I'm cinephilic. I've worked for two decades as a film curator and critic, the last 11 as director of programming for Maryland Film Festival, where I took a leading role in growing the organization from a small regional fest to a key voice in the independent film world. This page aims to scrutinize and enrich the space between rigorous film criticism and dank movie memes. Maybe you're here because you read Filmmaker Magazine piece <a href="https://filmmakermagazine.com/105446-why-i-am-hopeful/">Why I Am Hopeful</a>, which took a hard look at systemic issues in U.S. independent film festivals and venues, and offered some concrete solutions. Or maybe you know me as @ericallenhatch on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ericallenhatch/">IG</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ericallenhatch">Twitter</a>, where I've photoshopped Paul Blart into <a href="https://twitter.com/i/moments/961681067613843456">Uncle Boonmee</a> and meme'd everything from <a href="https://twitter.com/ericallenhatch/status/869695649910071296">Moonlight</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/ericallenhatch/status/552559756309966848">The Passion of Joan of Arc</a>. On my Patreon, those lobes merge into one!  Recurring columns include <a href="https://www.patreon.com/ericallenhatch/posts?tag=%232Film2Festival%20%23FilmFest">2 Film 2 Festival</a>, in which I draw on my 20 years of attending and programming festivals to profile a deep cut of visionary world cinema, and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/ericallenhatch/posts?tag=%23PaulBlartVideoClerk">Paul Blart: Video Clerk</a> session, where I give personalized viewing tips to anyone here that wants 'em. There's also AMA sessions, a meme-based advice column, and plenty of stand-alone features. SOME CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/sixteen-somewhat-19665476">16 Flippant Tips For Getting Accepted By Film Festivals </a> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/what-fassbinder-19796818">What Fassbinder Means to Me, In Words and Memes </a><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/beautiful-things-19839240">Beautiful Things Smaller: The Forgotten Past and Unwritten Future of Baltimore's Historic Movie Theaters</a> My Interview on the excellent <a href="http://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/supportingcharacters/episode38">Supporting Characters Podcast</a> <a href="http://metrograph.com/edition/article/62/cinema-without-safety-goggles">Cinema Without Safety Goggles</a> (a personal essay for Metrograph) <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/left-bank-jazz-20221269">The Incredible Story of Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society</a> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-top-tweets-20272859">My Top #Tweets</a> (maintained and updated regularly) <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/what-apichatpong-20766756">What Apichatpong Weerasethakul Means to Me, In Words and Memes </a><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/2-film-2-first-22203098">2 Film 2 Festival: The First Fifteen Films</a> ______________________________________________________________ Origin Story: Early this year I took stock of my work situation and realized that I was in an unsustainably toxic situation. Understaffed and under-resourced, I was working hundreds of days in a row, 10 or more hours a day. This resulted in several years of anxiety and extreme insomnia that had a significant impact on my physical and mental health, and in February 2018 I decided I'd had enough and very abruptly quit. I'm much happier and healthier now! Turns out sleep feels good.  I created this space to express myself and engage with other film lovers while I seek a new year-round gig in film programming, distribution, or funding (like-minded and solidly resourced organizations, holler!). That said, it's taken on a cool life of its own, and I definitely plan to continue Beyond the Boonmemes once I find a new day job. If it's not for you, hey, I get it! If you're reading this because I've created value for you in the past, but this doesn't interest you, you could always tip me on <a href="https://venmo.com/ericallenhatch">Venmo</a>, or just keep it moving. Either way, thanks for reading! And: THANK YOU to all the donors who've signed on!

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See and engage with the content! Unlock, read, and interact everything I've ever posted or ever will post here, including all articles, memes, AMAs, and the weekly features PAUL BLART: VIDEO CLERK (personalized viewing recommendations based on YOUR taste) and 2 FILM 2 FESTIVAL (profiles of visionary world-cinema deep cuts that deserve more recognition and discussion)!

2 Uncle 2 Boonmee

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