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· FESTIVAL Quality of the films was'unbelievable' FROM PAGE 1 He said the festival will provide a well needed outlet for people like Brethour to showcase material about our local community. "Perhaps a little but more promotion in the community, so that more people can know about it a head of time," Bell said. Brethour took pride'ia being the only Belleville filmmaker to screen a documentary in the festival. | I It was both enjoyable and educational." Ray McCoy "It's another thing that's putting the Friendly City back on the map," he said. Some filmgoers, like Kaz McNamara, also gleaned a wealth of new information from many of the documentaries that tackled controversial subjects. "I think it's well organized and it brings a lot of awareness towards a lot of issues," she said. "I love the whole idea." One highlight for McNamara was Pink Ribbons Inc., a film about how breast cancer advocacy has been hijacked by overzealous corporate campaigners looking to reap financial benefits. "No one knows where the money is going," she said. "It's an important cause but it's also important to know what happens to the money that's going into the cause." Samantha King, whose book Pink Ribbons Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy, spurred the making of the documentary, fielded questions after the showing. The Queens University associate professor appreciated Belleville's efforts to stage an intimate film festival that is scarce in similar sized communities. "I think it's a great film festival," she said. Ray McCoy viewed a handful of films including one about children's addiction to multimedia and another about the sensitive Alzheimer's topic, both of which he thought were mindboggling and relatable. "It's great for them to bring something like this to the city," he said. "The quality of the documentaries is unbelievable. I would like to see it expanded to three full days." One film, The Clean Bin Project, delving into the importance of recycling, sparked McCoy's interest in looking at how Belleville could become more eco-friendly. "It was both enjoyable and educational," he said. jmiller@intelligencer.ca