Queue Culture at Savannah Film Fest
Written by Kendall Gunn. Graphic by Avery Melhado.
For the first time, my friend Claud went to wait in line for the box office to open for Savannah Film Fest. They showed up the day before to get a spot, finding a pretty sweet spot by an alley. They were fully decked out like a camper with their blankets, chairs, and snacks. Claud ensured their spot wasn’t taken by doing several shifts with other people. And they weren’t the only person that was camped out like this, hundreds of students hugged the whole block around the ticket box office.
But there I was, standing in line three hours before the screening of “Backrooms.” I’m no different than the box office line. I’m still a part of this queue culture, regardless.
A line is its own social system, and with the Savannah Film Fest, it’s also a blending of multiple different social systems. There are its own regulations, its own social taboos, and pressures within a group. At the box office, SCAD set its own rules on what someone can or can’t bring. But there were distinct workarounds from students in the line that adapted to the new status quo. Some students still brought their own items, things that would make them more comfortable for the overnight stay in line.
Students skip the whole week of classes, and this is even outright encouraged by some departments. This can be beneficial for connecting with anyone at the panels, but it can lead to others falling behind since much of the time is spent in a queue. Deadlines still exist, after all. Some people miss out on the larger screenings because of this, they can’t afford to miss because of absences or can’t make it with the amount of work due during the Film Fest.
Protecting a spot also became important in both gaining tickets, but also to get into special screenings. Those in a group waiting early in line make sure there is structure. If someone gets tired, they switch out with someone else. It all becomes about integrity, through some amount of desperation. The lines that are more problematic are the ones that overflow, or bar people from getting from one place to another. It becomes an interruption to the flow of normal life outside the line.
The “Backrooms” screening saw an interesting social system with queue culture, where people waited hours in line, only to leave as the film started. They only wanted to hear the name, or maybe try their luck with a signature, but it seems odd that you’d wait in a line only to miss out on an essential part of the night. With more notable celebrities coming in, traditional lines are broken by the incessant need to see them. Then, the priority for lines becomes less about the project, rather the name itself.
That also brings the passes into the frame. This year, there’s been a push to get the limited passes by SCAD, which means more people can get into the screenings they want. They can afford to get in earlier, and stay in line without having to worry about standing in. Their lines, and their culture within that, behaves differently. It’s far more organized, since many will be able to get the seats they want. But that also means that those without the special passes are pushed out. There’s less people waiting in the stand-in line, because there’s no room left to get in.
This causes a rift with those who aren’t in the student circle, too. Even if non-students aren’t a priority, there’s still people who want to go in and enjoy their day at the festival.
Keeping and maintaining a line means a lot at the Savannah Film Festival. It’s one of the many draws to why we love this event, whether we realize it or not. We get to catch up, make new friends, and learn new things while waiting with a group of people.
