Dawn Wells and Her "Spud Fest" Film Festival at the Idaho Film & Television Institute

Consider it inevitable that some creative people sometimes dabble in substances they probably shouldn't. But this won't be a debate about the dangers (or, in some people's minds, merits) of marijuana. It also won't be an indictment against Dawn "Mary Ann" Wells getting busted for supposedly possessing reefer. And, it also won't be an umpteenth diatribe on whether you prefer Mary Ann or Ginger when it's almost impossible to pick between the two (or at least that's my final answer). Consider this article to just be a little reminder that Dawn Wells has made a valuable contribution to the world of film since her days cashing in on her "Gilligan's Island" Mary Ann persona. With her "Spud Fest"--aspiring filmmakers get a chance to show their talents (and learn the craft of production) through her film festival that only gets overshadowed by Sundance because it's located in Idaho.

Wells actually had quite a bit of foresight into starting a film festival in the potato state. In addition to drawing some bigger names each year, a lot of aspiring filmmakers have fallen in love with Idaho and realize it's one of the best places to film a movie due to the variety of scenery. Oregon is arguably one of those types of states, too, even though Canada seems to be consuming most of on-location Hollywood shooting at the moment. But Idaho still gives the small town feeling that makes Spud Fest have a unique quality that Sundance used to have before it became the ne plus ultra film festival in America. There's no way of knowing whether Dawn Wells's Spud Fest will ever grow to that level--though there isn't any doubt it's getting better known each year. One of its strongest points is in its educational programs teaching all aspects of filmmaking and the general art for kids.