Meet Herb Stratford | Co-founder and Co-director of Film Fest Tucson, filmmaker and film critic

We had the good fortune of connecting with Herb Stratford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Herb, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We started Film Fest Tucson because we didn’t see a film festival taking place in Southern Arizona that did what we wanted it to do. To create an annual event focused on storytellers and stories, to shine a light on unique Tucson locations and brands and to have a filmmaker-focused event that would be not only for locals but also for visitors.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Nothing that’s worth anything comes easy. Hard work pays off if your’e stubborn, talented and dedicated. While my current professional activities don’t stem directly from my education (BFA & MFA from the University of Arizona) it all started there.

Bringing art and audiences together is the overarching story of my professional life, from creating an arts magazine (Chromophobia), an arts performance series (Cabaret Magritte), restoring the Fox Tucson Theatre, starting FIlm Fest Tucson and, my next project restoring Teatro Carmen. Small steps lead to big results as does not giving up.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Downtown Tucson (food, history, culture, architecture) Gates Pass
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
University of Arizona Center For Creative Photography
Gem and Mineral MUseum at Pima County Courthouse
All Souls Procession
University of Arizona

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Anything that gets finished, in creating art, is a team effort. From collaborators to friends and family it takes more than one person. My wife Kerry Stratford has been my partner and collaborator for over 30 years. Frequent local collaborators include filmmaker Scot Litteer, Tucson Film Office director Peter Catalanotte and my FIlm Fest Tucson partner Jennifer Teufel.

Website: filmfesttucson.org

Instagram: teatro_carmen

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ArtsAndCultureGuy/videos