During the Ann Arbor Film Festival's 50th anniversary last year, filmmaker David Sherman spoke with us about his fourth AAFF entry, “Assassination in Dreamland." He also touches on Ann Arbor's connection with San Francisco area filmmakers and the importance of the creative discourse fostered by Festival communities. Check out additional interviews, posters, photographs, and information about this history of the Ann Arbor Film Festival at our Ann Arbor Film Festival Archive.

For half a century now, the end of March has meant one thing to Ann Arbor: the Ann Arbor Film Festival. This year's 50th festival will be both a celebration of that half-century history and the opportunity to see the latest in experimental and independent cinema that AAFF has always been. In this podcast, AAFF Executive Director Donald Harrison talks with us about the process of planning the 50th, deciding what films to highlight from the festival's history and what artists to bring back. We also talk about the new work on offer this year and some of the events around town that Ann Arborites can look forward to. The 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival runs from March 27 - April 1, 2012.

To learn more about the history of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, visit the Ann Arbor Film Festival Archive, a collaboration between AADL and AAFF that brings historic festival programs, posters, flyers, newspaper articles, and photos together with contemporary interviews to tell the story of AAFF's first 50 years.