The Patriot- News Artsfest Film Festival's 10th anniversary is packed with all kinds of goodies.
This includes a meet-and-greet with iconic director John Waters and actor/director Frank Whaley, special screenings of cult rock films and a veritable smorgasbord of indie cinema, from narrative to documentary and animated to experimental representing local and global filmmakers at Whitaker Center in downtown Harrisburg.
The film fest opens Friday and includes a lecture, "This Filthy World," at 7 p.m. by Waters ("Pink Flamingos," "Hairspray," "Cry Baby"). It will be followed by a champagne reception at 8:30 p.m. where fans can meet the legend.
Also on tap is the premiere screening of "New York City Serenade," the latest film by Whaley. Whaley will take questions from the audience.
Other highlights include The Who's "Quadrophenia" and The Monkees in "Head," a film written by Jack Nicholson. The fest will conclude with an awards ceremony recognizing the best movies. Filmgoers can add their two cents by filling out ballots for the annual festival favorite award, which will be announced on www.artsfestfilmfest.com at a later date.
Friday
An evening with John Waters, 7 p.m.
The reigning king of bad taste, Waters will celebrate his signature brand of trash with irreverent humor in a live one-man show. Waters' monologue will focus on early introductions to the grotesque that influenced him.
Saturday
Empowered Women and the Femme Fatale, 11 a.m.
"Mr. Gary on the Feedback Show" by Lise Swenson, San Francisco. (13 minutes) An elderly shut-in conquers a malevolent media universe when she calls in to her favorite radio show.
"Mr. Gary on the Feedback Show" by Lise Swenson, San Francisco. (13 minutes) An elderly shut-in conquers a malevolent media universe when she calls in to her favorite radio show.
"Testing the Undertow" by Jennifer Proctor, Grand Rapids, Mich. (13 minutes) A personal examination of class, pride, and identity played out in Marin County, Calif., from the 1980s to the present.
"Forced Perspective: Odessa" by Deanna Morse, Grand Rapids, Mich. (6 minutes) A visit to the real steps at Odessa affected by filmmaker's memories of The Odessa Steps sequence from "Battleship Potemkin" (1925).
"99 to 1: Ovarian Cancer and Me" by Phoebe Brown, (19 minutes) In 2005, doctors said they were 99 percent sure Brown did not have ovarian cancer. She turned out to be the 1 percent. This is her story.
"Hold On" by Jackie Julio, Los Angeles (20 minutes) A quirky comedy about a spirited quadriplegic physicist who goes to extreme measures in her quest for romance.
"Phil and Jenny" by Cameron Dixon, Alberta, Canada (16 minutes) Phil is a socially awkward office worker who thinks he is Zorro. Suddenly, Jenny comes into his life and turns his fantasy world into reality.
"Alicja Wonderland" by Martin Gauvreau, UK/Poland, (20 minutes) A young couple are looking at a new house, only to have an engagement ring stolen by a boy. A strange series of events lead to a seductive neighbor in a fairy tale twist.
Experiments in Film, 1 p.m.
"Charlie Rose by Samuel Beckett" by Andrew Filip- pone Jr., Forest Hills, N.Y. (3 minutes) A disturbing and farcical look at an interview between PBS' Charlie Rose and a guest that also includes an unhappy man named Steve.
"A Song for the Everyday" by Wesley Wetherington, Valrico, Fla. (3 minutes) An experimental piece by the emerging video artist.
"Action Film" by Jennifer Hardacker, Portland, Ore. (5 minutes) A manipulation of a well-known Hollywood action film.
"5 Cents a Peek" by Vanessa Woods, San Francisco (7 minutes) An interpretation of a poem by Sharon Olds wherein the circus becomes a metaphor for a woman's performance in, and for, the world.
"Chicago Landscape No. 3" by Elizabeth Hoffman, Chicago. (6 minutes) A short about the politics of public transportation, hysteria and watercolors.
"Autumnal" by Scott Nyerges, New York (6 minutes) A world in autumn; a requiem for lands not yet departed.
"A Diamond Forms Under Pressure" by Paul O'Donaghue, Dublin, Ireland (6 minutes) An anomaly existing somewhere between experimental film and music video, computer animation, science and art.
"Energie!" by Thorsten Fleisch, Germany (5 minutes) The screen comes alive by a controlled beam of electrons in the cathode ray tube.
Secret Worlds, 2 p.m.
"Just Look in the Silo" by Tom Richards, Harrisburg (3 minutes) Another in the series of music videos for the local noise-metal band, Hog Caller.
"Sandstorm" by Yeon Choi, Lafayette, La. (2 minutes) In an imaginary land, two skeleton figures find a pair of eyes in the sand. Their selfish minds start a fight over the eyes, which leads to a bitter end.
"Aliens" by Ryan Woodward, Mapleton, Utah (2 minutes) A 4-year-old girl, embodied as the alien, tells how it is to be an alien in a world where dogs try to chew up their legs and robots protect them.
"Notes from the Acrid Plain" by Jonathon Ashley, New York (15 minutes) Naturalist Burton Hoary hosts a survey of the toxic landscape known as the "Acrid Plain," peopled by the masked descendants of the human race.
"The Distance to the Sun" by Andrea Dojmi, Rome, Italy (28 minutes) The film takes you back to a remote corner of your imagination when you visit the secretive Groom Lake S4 zone.
Filmmakers on the Edge, 3 p.m.
"It's Showtime" by B.E.F. Oakess, New York (2 minutes) An animated music video of the rock group Electric Six.
"Mydeath.com" by Collette Copeland, Media (2 minutes) Mydeath.com (aka how to plan a funeral in 90 seconds or less) humorously asserts the Internet as the ultimate commodified marketplace.
"Warrior" by Daniel Zox, Evanston, Ill. (1 minute) In the heat of summer, a young man scores a soccer goal and is congratulated by a fellow player.
"Tree Hugger" by David Burns, Los Angeles (4 minutes) A young man's erotic relationship to nature, set against the popular song "Good Morning Starshine," from the 1960s.
"Sexy Clown Bitch" by Laura Newman, New York (4 minutes) An unhappy clown falls in love with a drug addict during a chance elevator encounter.
"Fishing with Elvis" by Tom Richards, Harrisburg (4 minutes) Another installment in the crazy adventures of local noise-metal band Hog Caller.
"It Gets Worse" by Clifton Childree, Miami (33 minutes) A twisted tale of strange body parts and supernatural antics in a nautical pre-industrial age.
"Desperate Living" by John Waters, Baltimore (90 minutes, 1977) A rich housewife murders her husband with the help of her overweight maid, and the two go on the run, ending up in Mortville, a town providing refuge for criminals. They shack up with a lesbian ex-wrestler and her murderess lover before running into the tyrannical Queen Carlotta, ruler of Mortville.
Pyschedelic Flashback, 9 p.m.
"Head" by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, (86 minutes, 1968) A surreal romp starring the Monkees is essentially about demystification. Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith with the aid of writer Jack Nicholson tackle such topics as filmmaking, the media treatment and madness of the Vietnam War, Davy Jones' way with the ladies and commercialization.
"Untitled" by Jason Dietrick, Harrisburg (2 minutes) Experimental animation on a clear film leader.
"The Electric Charge Inside Me" by Tara Chickey, Harrisburg (1 minute) Hand-painted animation.
"Sea of Breath -- Cloud of Ground" by Michael Robinson, Harrisburg (5 minutes) Four different animated vignettes are combined to relate an abstract narrative.
"My Biodegradable Heart" by Dana Adam Shapiro, Lewisburg (4 minutes) An animation featuring a boy who wants to get closer to his future girlfriend and will ask anything to see how long it will take until she is all his.
Sunday
The Live Earth Film Project, 11 a.m.
"Devil's Rulebook" by Roman Coppola & Bucky Fukumoto (2 minutes) A playful collage-animation of the many ways evil forces are at work.
"Think (What Does It Take To Change A Habit?)" by Rupert Jones (4 minutes) An elderly customer's plastic bag habits are transformed by simply questioning whether she really needs one. Stars Roshan Seth (Monsoon Wedding) and Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers).
"Generation G" by Karena Albers (5 minutes) Documentary highlighting how schools can become greener.
"Don't Let It All Unravel" by Sarah Cox (2 minutes) Animated film depicting the world as knitting, which slowly unravels over 90 seconds to nothing.
"Lorran E Ge" by Casey Affleck (8 minutes) A look at a group of children living in the slums who with their imaginations create a cleaner, more beautiful world to play in. Starring Casey Affleck ("Gone Baby Gone" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).
"Wind" by Chel White (4 minutes) Montage of motion-controlled time-lapse photography of the Earth and weather. Set to a poem by Antonio Machado and read by actor Alec Baldwin.
"Alice In Not So Wonderland" by The Brothers Quay (3 minutes) The puppet heroine suddenly finds herself on the other side of the looking glass, witnessing nightmarish scenes.
"Polarized" by Amy Berg (9 minutes) Shishmaref, a village at the eastern tip of Alaska is sinking as a result of the melting permafrost.
"Light Bulb" by Joe Cole (3 minutes) A parody of a "how to" instructional film demonstrating how to replace old light bulbs for new energy- efficient ones.
"Polarbearman" by Big TV (5 minutes) A man struggles to survive as his house is taken over by water against the backdrop of a wildlife documentary commentary about polar bears.
A Cinematic Gem from a Rising New Star, noon
"The Guatemalan Handshake" by Todd Rohal; filmed in Carlisle (96 minutes) In the confusion following a power outage, a demolition derby driver vanishes, setting in motion a series of events affecting his pregnant girlfriend, his helpless carless father, wild Boy Scouts, a lactose-intolerant roller rink employee, an elderly woman in search of her lost dog and his best friend -- a 10-year-old girl named Turkeylegs.
Festival Favorite Filmmakers, 2 p.m.
"Turtle Derby" by Juliana Brafa, Lewisburg (4 minutes) Kids find turtles for an annual traditional race while their community tries to understand why the turtle population is shrinking dramatically.
"Corner Delancey" by Neil Ira Needleman, Katonah, N.Y. (8 minutes) An illustrator's relationship with his son over the years through sketches. Unexpectedly, Alzheimer's enters their lives and brings them closer even as it pulls them apart.
"Intimidad" by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin (72 minutes) An in-depth portrait of Cecy and Camilo Ramirez, ages 21, who want to build a house in Mexico so that their 2 year-old daughter can live with them. It shows how the everyday politics of living on minimum wage without a functioning infrastructure can strain relationships.
Meet Actor/Director Frank Whaley in Person, 4 p.m. Whaley shares his acting ("Pulp Fiction," "The Doors," "World Trade Center") and directing ("Joe the King," "The Jimmy Show," "New York City Serenade") experiences and answers questions from the audience.
"New York City Serenade" by Frank Whaley, New York (103 minutes) Stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Chris Klein and Wallace Shawn. Childhood friends Ray, a drummer, and Owen, an aspiring filmmaker, spend most of their time working menial jobs and drinking. When Owen's fiancee, Lynn, breaks off their engagement, he and Ray head to a film festival in Kansas. There Owen makes several attempts to patch up his relationship, while Ray scams them into a deluxe suite at the Four Seasons hotel by posing as Shawn's son (who happens to be receiving a lifetime achievement award) and generally causes a major ruckus.
Meet and greet reception and festival awards, 8 p.m. The winners of best documentary, best animation, best experimental, best narrative and best of festival will be announced.
Are You a Mod or a Rocker? 9 p.m.
"Quadrophenia" by Frank Rodam, (117 minutes, 1979) Like many other youths in 1965 London, Jimmy hates the philistine life, especially his parents and his job. Only when he's together with his friends, a 'Mod' clique, cruising on his motor scooter and listening to The Who and The High Numbers does he feel free and accepted. However, it's a flight into an illusionary world.
Monday
Animation Spotlight: 11 a.m.
"Dear Fatty" by Hsin-I Tseng, Los Angeles (7 minutes) A little girl is writing a letter to her pet hamster, Fatty, and wondering about its trip as it runs away from home.
"String and Girl" by David Bazelon, Los Angeles (6 minutes) Optical illusions illustrate the tale of a string sharing its memories with a little girl.
"Feast" by Ji Hyun Ahn and Adel Kerpely, South Korea (3 minutes) 2-D animation questions who shall eat and who shall be eaten in this universe.
"Bob and Julia" by Jee Hyun Yoo, Valencia, Calif. (3 minutes) It is a story about how "energy" affects and magnetizes people and everything around them.
"Sophie's Secret" by Yen-Jung Chang, Australia (5 minutes) A worm penetrates a girl's body and becomes her secret.
"L'amie de Zoe" by Danny Robashkin, Minneapolis (2 minutes) When a red family lands on little Zoe's green planet, her new friend shows her how unique her green world is and inspires her to explore the colorful galaxy.
"Permutation" by Viktoriya Gruzdyn and Katerina Friday, Pontiac, Mich. (3 minutes) Everything moves in the base sequence of the environment until an unexpected character and its bizarre behavior enters the scene, causing the alteration of its own physical structure.
"The Cave" by Michael Ramsey, Broomfield, Colo. (3 minutes) An excerpt from Plato's Republic, the film is a classic commentary on the human condition, brought to life by shooting more than 4,000 still photographs of John Grigsby's wonderful claymation.
"The Turtle and the Shark" by Ryan Woodward, Mapleton, Utah (4 minutes) After defying King Malietoafaiga of Samoa and deceiving their families, a couple flee to the island of Tutuila. However, in order to not bring dishonor on their loved ones, they give up their lives.
"Swimming Moon" by Nahomi Maki, Los Angeles (4 minutes) A being is driven to madness by the full moon, discovering a sensitive, beautiful and deep dream world.
"Swimming Moon" by Nahomi Maki, Los Angeles (4 minutes) A being is driven to madness by the full moon, discovering a sensitive, beautiful and deep dream world.
"Raccoon and Crawfish" by Terrance Frederick, Oneida, N.Y. (8 minutes) A hungry raccoon searches for food and finds a crawfish on a quest for glory. Their battle will decide the fate between an ego full of pride or a belly full of food.
Local Filmmaker Spotlight: Part 1, 1 p.m.
"Last Man Standing" by Jason Dietrick, Johnathon Feldman, Benjamin Brucker, Harrisburg (2 minutes) The toilet seat war escalates.
"Playmate" by Christa Barkley, Harrisburg (5 minutes) An older couple, still deeply in love, look for a companion in an odd location.
"Life at Scale" by Erin Kelley, Carlisle (13 minutes) A stop-motion animator's obsession with work causes him to lose a grip on reality.
"The Egg" by Mark Freed, Harrisburg (19 minutes) At his father's funeral, Grover Jr. desperately wants his father to be remembered as a nobleman, but he soon realizes that it was his father's shortcomings that made him great.
"The Blue Eyed Six" by Brian Kreider, Lebanon (55 minutes) Documentary about the legendary Lebanon County murderers.
Local Filmmaker Spotlight: Part 2, 3 p.m.
"Second Lazarus: Funding Hope & Healing in South Central PA's HIV/AIDS Community" by Mark Freed, Harrisburg (10 minutes) People from the region who live meaningful lives despite having HIV and AIDS share their compelling stories.
"Unraveling Michelle" by Dan Shaffer, Harrisburg (84 minutes) Documentary is about a filmmaker -- formerly known as Joe O' Ferrell -- who makes the transition into the woman he has always wanted to become -- Michelle Ann Farrell.
Below is my original submitted article (unedited)
Ten years and still going strong. Celebrating its first decade anniversary, the Patriot-News Artsfest Film Festival once again lights up the screens of the Whitaker Center this Memorial Day weekend. Coinciding with the annual riverfront Artsfest celebration, the film festival is a veritable smorgasbord of independent cinema. Filled to the rim with a slate of films ranging from narrative to documentary, animated to experimental, feature length to an array of shorts, and highlighting films from both local filmmakers and those from around the globe, this unique festival is sure to have something to please just about everyone.
Co-founded in 1999 and still organized and run by the local trio of film lovers Todd Shill, Caleb Smith and Neville Vakharia, the Patriot-News Artsfest Film Festival may not be as big as the annual events held in Toronto, New York or Berlin nor is it as powerful as the ubiquitous Cannes Film Festival, yet year after year this small festival manages to enchant with its mélange of films and its parade of visiting filmmakers. Past filmmakers in attendance include Frank Whaley (Pulp Fiction, Swimming with Sharks, The Doors), Mark Borchardt (American Movie, Coven) and Richard Edson (Stranger Than Paradise, Do the Right Thing). Past films include the critically acclaimed documentary Broadway: The Golden Age, the Academy Award nominated short film Copy Shop and a midnight screening of the cult musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
This year's festivities will open on Friday May 23rd with a special appearance by iconic cult director John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Cry Baby) giving a lecture entitled "This Filthy World" which will be followed by a champagne reception where fans will get to meet the film legend himself. Also on tap is a special premiere screening of New York City Serenade, the latest film by actor/director Frank Whaley. The filmmaker will also be in attendance for a Q&A with the audience. Other highlights include special screenings of The Who’s Quadrophenia and The Monkees in Head, a film written by Jack Nicholson.
There will also be an awards ceremony where the hosts and judges will be handing out awards for best narrative film, best documentary, best animated film, best local film, best experimental film as well as an award for best overall film. Filmgoers will also get a chance to add in their own two cents by filling out ballots for the annual festival favorite award which will be announced on the festival website at a later date. Admission is free to all films (a separate paid admission is necessary to see the John Waters lecture) so take a break from the riverfront festivities and check out all the Patriot-News Artsfest Film Festival has to offer. You will not be disappointed.
[followed by the same schedule listings as above]
