The SpudFest Family Film and Music Festival was an annual

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending up ...

which was established in Driggs,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

, U.S.A. in the summer of 2004 by

Dawn Wells Dawn Elberta Wells (October 18, 1938 – December 30, 2020) was an American actress known for her role as Mary Ann Summers on the CBS sitcom '' Gilligan's Island''. Early life Wells was born to Evelyn (née Steinbrenner) and Joe Wesley Well ...

, the original Mary Ann from '' Gilligan's Island''. It was founded as a natural outgrowth of the Idaho Film and Television Institute and Film Actors Boot Camp. SpudFest is a "home to independent features, documentaries and short films by up-and-coming filmmakers making family films." Spud Drive-In Theater in Driggs, Idaho was the homebase for the film screenings, music performances and parties while and other screenings were held at Pierre's Playhouse in Victor, Centre Twin in Idaho Falls and Pond Student's Union at Idaho State University, Pocatello. Actors

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominat ...

and

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the '' Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films inclu ...

were both on the board of directors for SpudFest along with film producer Ted Weiant. A number of films made film premieres at SpudFest including the LDS boy band mockumentary "

Sons of Provo ''Sons of Provo'' is a 2004 film written by Peter Brown and Will Swenson, and directed by Will Swenson. It is a mockumentary that portrays the experience of an LDS boy band named Everclean from formation to resounding success. Sons of Provo mad ...

" featuring actor Will Swenson and "The Easter Egg Escapade" (later titled "The Easter Egg Adventure") written by children's author John Michael Williams and featuring actors Brooke Shields, Nancy Kerrigan, Joe Pantoliano and the music of Natalie Cole. Musicians including artists American Idol Finalist

Jon Peter Lewis Jon Peter Lewis (born November 7, 1979) is an American singer and songwriter, and was one of the finalists on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series ''American Idol''. He was frequently referred to by the judges and Rya ...

, Lauren Adams and Michael O'Neil performed for the music portion of the festivals. In addition to festival founder actress Dawn Wells appearing ever year, other celebrities would often appear like Barbara Eden from "I Dream of Jeannie" and Lou Ferrigno of "The Incredible Hulk."

Idaho Potato Commission The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is a marketing board that represents the potato growers of the U.S. state of Idaho. The group's main initiative is ''Grown in Idaho'' — a collective trade mark program for marketing Idaho-grown potatoes, produc ...

was a major sponsor of SpudFest. At SpudFest 2007, Dawn Wells presented Idaho Governor

Butch Otter Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2006, and reelected in 2010, and 2014. Otter ...

with the Idaho Visionary Award. SpudFest was discontinued in 2008.

External links

* (

parked domain ''Parked'' is a 2011 Irish drama film written by Ciaran Creagh and directed by Darragh Byrne about homelessness, friendship, and the will to survive adversity, whilst still retaining poise. It premiered at the 2010 Torino Film Festival Plot Havi ...

)

References

Local News 8 – Spud Fest To Host Free Family Movies. Updated: 7:12 PM, Apr. 5, 2007

Film was scheduled as part of SpudFest, but withdrawn by festival management.
Deseret News, Aug 1, 2004, 1:00am GMT-6' Spudfest features family films by Lindsie Taylor
* https://www.progressivegrocer.com/former-tv-icons-will-join-idaho-potato-commission-fresh-summit, Progressive Grocer, October 10, 2006]

Film festivals in Idaho Music festivals in Idaho Defunct film festivals in the United States {{Idaho-stub