Letter from Eddie Garcia, Jr. to Film Festival staff (11/4/02):
I personally feel this was one of the best years ever for the festival, both in terms of content and execution. All of it worked perfectly, with Culbreth serving as a kind of premium event stage while the remaining venues served up continuous quality fare throughout the weekend. The experimental screenings were, likewise, cool and innovative-please don't ever stop expanding and evolving the definition of what a Film Festival can and might be!

I thought the number of films and overall size of the event was much more manageable than I remember from years past...

The entire festival was well balanced and, obviously, meticulously planned and well managed. You guys never cease to surprise me with your ability to do so much with, relatively, so little. I am aware of this fact (as are so many others)...your enthusiasm and ability to effectively utilize every resource at your disposal...and then some, is why the event's popularity grows with each passing year.