Like #3: Film Festivals

Quotes Lander

"White people can’t enough of Film Festivals. Especially Sundance, Toronto, and Cannes...White people hate stuff that is ‘mainstream’ – so they go to film festivals where they see movies that every other person in their demographic wants to see. It’s a pretty sweet way to rebel."

Lander was clearly thinking of Deschanel's star image when writing this post, even including this image of her as the illustration for his page. She is also particularly associated with the Sundance Film Festival, and her 2004 performance with Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the festival's proclaimed 'Classic Moments.'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJdvsAb4yBE

Zooey's association with film festivals helps to emphasize her image as an indie actress, which presents her as outside the mainstream and rebelling in the way Lander suggests.  Also supporting this notion is Deschanel's quote from the Sundance video, saying "it makes us honored to be comrades in arms in the fight against cinematic status quo."  Comments like this and her general attendance at film festivals help to align Zooey's star image with the white, upper middle class culture that Lander presents.

Other authors also claim that these events have a particular alliance with a specific demographic.  Film festivals (Sundance in particular) are described as "an event emblematic of affluence and high cultural capital" (Negra 75).   The affluent nature of film festivals implies that only certain members of society can enjoy film festivals, and the cultural capital idea reinforces this by showing that class can be displayed on an intellectual or educational level by one’s involvement with film festivals.  With a connection to wealth, status, and academia, film festivals and independent cinema have been tied to the upper middle class, but have still maintained a sense of dissonance from mainstream culture.

Because film festivals and independent cinema offer a certain counterculture that is actually completely acceptable within this demographic, upper middle class people can support and participate in it without appearing to be conforming to societal norms.  This interesting relationship with independent cinema that upper middle class people have can also help to understand Deschanel’s popularity and her star image within this society.  Deschanel provides a rebellious and ‘other’ image that is outside of the convention, but is completely nonthreatening and not dangerous to white, upper middle class norms. 

Film festivals also help to tie Deschanel to independent cinema despite her crossover to mostly mass marketed motion pictures.  She, so far, has managed to preserve her ‘indie cred,’ or her involvement with independent culture, while becoming more popular in mass media.  Upper middle class white people can see in her ability to bridge this gap an idol for themselves in their own lives.  Many of these people want to feel that, while they are participating in mainstream society, that they haven’t sold out and that they are still rebelling against the status quo, whether it’s cinematic or cultural.  By remaining a figure in independent cinema and film festivals, Deschanel’s star image provides an otherness that people can connect with and enjoy without feeling as if they have totally conformed.