Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Two Thumbs Down

I need to take exception to some details in Sam Adams' "So Far, So Near" [Cover Story, April 7, 2005] where his comments are either incorrect or insulting, not the least of which is his dismissal of the Philadelphia Film Society (PFS), referring to it as "the fest's nominal organizer." To the contrary, PFS is the nonprofit 501 (c) (3), that produces both the Philadelphia Film Festival each April and the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival each July. It [also] offers year-round programming to an ever-growing membership base that is being dramatically developed and expanded.

Despite Adams' misguided direction, let me briefly navigate the public through the internal workings of the organization and the relationship between PFS with TLA Entertainment Group, a presenting sponsor of the festivals and the company who is hired through a management contract to assume specific areas of the putting on such events. PFS governs the festival through its board of directors, hires the staff, raises money from corporate sponsors (including City Paper), solicits funders, members and donors; sells advertising; partners with other nonprofits (including universities); attracts volunteers; hosts benefit events and administrates the day-to-day operations of the organization throughout the year.

PFS hires TLA (a precedent set in 1999 by the festival's founding organization, International House, also a nonprofit, who contracted the company to perform similar duties) to supply its programmers, including Ray Murray as the festivals' artistic director (not festival director, as erroneously identified by Adams) and professional services, including graphic design, Internet, marketing, box office and operations. The "sharing of office space" is a landlord-tenant situation where TLA subleases space to PFS. The "getting cozy" relationship of TLA (and Tartan) to PFS for programming of their titles in the festivals is the manner in which most festivals operate. That's how Sundance Channel (a presenting sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival, another for-profit closely allied with a nonprofit), IFC, HBO, Showtime, Sony Classics, Lion's Gate and other distributors "test market" their films in festivals. There are numerous other examples in the international festival circuit, too.

There's no sense of impropriety, lack of ethics or illegality about any of these relationships and hence, as Adams implies, "obvious conflicts of interest." Trust me, PFS has full-time legal counsel sitting on the PFS board to advise and consult us about such issues.

Finally, Adams' tone throughout suggests that something might be going on that's not right or unacceptable or worse. If he had only spoken to me, or someone else on staff at PFS, he would have the facts straight and have avoided misinforming the public.
Thom Cardwell,
Executive Director,
Philadelphia Film Society

Lactose Tolerant

Kate Salute's excellent article on the Harbisons Dairies milk bottle [Cityspace, "Milking It," April 7, 2005] was right on the mark, especially since last week, the University of Pennsylvania gave a bus tour of Vacant Spaces. We rode through West and North Philadelphia, passing this water tower, although it was not pointed out from the coach. Having been in many Third World countries, I was appalled at the condition of the once-beautiful architecture in my own hometown. Neighbors in all sections of the city made great efforts to clean up lots and with Philadelphia Green, made an oasis in the midst of architectural disintegration and drug dealing. Sadly, instead of supporting these brave people, the city administration is moving to tear down their homes, which they own and pay taxes on. Will the land be sold to developers for yet another "luxury" condo, and what happens to the residents in the meantime?

Getting back to the milk bottle architect Joel Spivak deserves much credit in recognizing that we cannot afford to lose any more of such treasures. Once gone, future generations will be the losers and Philadelphia itself will miss the jobs and tax revenues brought here by visitors anxious to experience authentic examples of America's past.
Gersil N. Duffy
Philadelphia

Thank you for bringing the Harbisons milk bottle to the attention of your readers. Unfortunately, I think you misrepresented the Preservation Alliance's position. While we did say it was not as significant as other sites nominated for our endangered buildings list, we felt it was important enough to include in the Endangered Buildings edition of our newsletter (Fall 2004) and advocated for its restoration.
John Andrew Gallery,
Executive Director,
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia

Stick it to Stigmas

In [Slant, "Schoolhouse Glock," April 7, 2005], Nick Norlen wrote, "Of course, only a handful of the zit-ridden caffeine-riddled Ritalin munchers are ruining it for everyone else." Is Norlen referring to kids who abuse Ritalin for whatever reason? Or does he refer to kids who take Ritalin as prescribed by a knowledgeable mental-health professional for very real disorders? Mental illnesses are just as much illnesses as physical ones. They not only are suffering from the effects of the diseases themselves but also from stigma. Stigma can and does lead to discrimination in housing (not in my backyard NIMBYism), higher education, employment, unequal health insurance and perhaps worse of all, shame. Ignorant, uninformed statements such as this one can lead to feelings of being ashamed of having such disorder.
Lynda Appell
Delaware County

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