MULTI-DAY, MULTI-VENUE FILM FESTIVAL TO LAND IN GLOUCESTER AND ROCKPORT THIS OCTOBER
The Cape Ann Community Cinema at 21 Main Street in Gloucester will celebrate its 2nd full year in business with 17 straight days of films from around the state, around the country and around the world. The Cape Ann Film Festival will run from October 1-17, and will feature 43 films and events, many of them with filmmakers in attendance.
The Festival’s preview night is on Thursday, September 30 starting at 7:00pm, and will feature trailers from each of the 17 nights of films, plus a special musical set from the quirky instrumental rock band, The Weisstronauts. Admission to this special event is $10.00, with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine for all guests.
2010 marks the first year that the Cinema has invited another venue to participate in one of its festivals. The Shalin Liu Performance Center at 37 Main Street in Rockport, which just this week starts its year-round film programming under the name “The Rockport Music Cinema,” will host several of the Festival’s films in its 330-seat state-of-the-art amphitheater.
“We’re hoping that a lot of folks who have heard about us but haven’t made it down yet will come and celebrate with us during this very huge month,” said Robert Newton, managing director of the Cape Ann Community Cinema. “The Festival is going to be a great time for all, and I’m very much looking forward to making a whole lot of new friends in October.”
The Cape Ann Film Festival will feature 43 films of all genres: “180′ South,” “1981,” “Asparagus: A Stalkumentary,” “Barbarella,” “Best Worst Movie,” “The Blue Bird,” “BoyBand,” “Breathless,” “Cairo Time,” “Canvasman: The Robbie Ellis Story,” “The Cartel,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “The Clamdigger’s Daughter,” “Cropsey,” “Do It Again,” “The Eagle: America’s Tall Ship,” “For Once In My Life,” “Gasland,” “The Gloucester 18,” “The Green Room,” “Handsome Harry,” “Hibakusha,” “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child,” “The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground,” “Lovely, Still,” “Metropolis,” “My Tale Of Two Cities,” “Night Of The Living Dead: Re-Animated,” “Orgasm, Inc.,” “Orlando,” “Polis Is This,” “Racing Dreams,” “Ran,” “Science Fiction Double Feature: 2081/I’m Here,” “The Secret Of Kells,” “The Secret Of NIMH,” “Soul Kitchen,” “Speedy Delivery,” “Stonewall Uprising,” “The Stranger,” “Ten9Eight” and “Truth: Fishing Crisis Or Government Mismanagement?”
Additionally, the dozen short films in this year’s “Media That Matters” touring show will be interspersed, paired appropriately throughout the Festival.
Synopses, trailers and full Festival schedule are listed on the Festival’s website at www.CapeAnnFilmFest.com.
GUEST OF HONOR
On Friday, October 15 at 7:00pm, Rockport Music Cinema will host the Festival’s Guest Of Honor, David Newell, and Carl Kurlander’s comic documentary about Pittsburgh’s rebirth called “My Tale Of Two Cities.” Newell is the director of public relations at the Pittsburgh-based Family Communications, Inc., the producers of the long-running children’s program, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” He also played neighbor Mr. McFeely, the “Speedy Delivery” guy on the show. After the film, he and Kurlander both will participate in a Q&A, and Newell will lead the audience in a “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” singalong.
Additionally, Newell will host the documentary “Speedy Delivery” (Sun. Oct. 17 @ 2:00pm, CACC), all about him and the Mr. McFeely character, after which he will take questions from fans and host one last “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” singalong.
FILMMAKERS AND OTHER SPECIAL GUESTS
Some of the films featured at The Cape Ann Film Festival have value-added features (and all Festival guests are available for interviews):
The weekend prior to the Festival, Beverly attorney Jan Schlichtmann, who in the early 1980s successfully brought class action suits against corporate polluters for contaminating the water supply of Woburn, Mass., will host a Q&A after the Festival sneak preview of the documentary “GasLand” (Sun. Sept. 26 @ 4:30pm). Schlictmann’s famous case was the basis for Jonathan Harr’s best-selling 1995 book “A Civil Action” and the 1998 film in which Schlictmann was portrayed by John Travolta.
The Opening Night film, “The Gloucester 18” (Fri. Oct. 1 @ 7:30pm) will be attended by former Gloucester Daily Times writer Kristen Grieco Elworthy (producer) and John Michael Williams (director). The film is a journalistic account of Gloucester High School’s so-called “pregnancy pact” that was national news in 2008.
Holy Cross College professor Jerry Lembcke will present the iconic 1968 sci-fi film, “Barbarella” (Sat. Oct. 2 @ 4:30pm, Cape Ann Community Cinema) starring Jane Fonda. He will also discuss Fonda’s career and his new book, “Hanoi Jane: War, Sex, and Fantasies of Betrayal.”
Director Gary Robinov will bring with him professional wrestler/art dealer/documentary subject Robbie Ellis to the North Shore premiere of his documentary “Canvasman” (Sun. Oct. 3 @ 5:00pm, CACC). Robinov will discuss the joys of the new online fundraising tool Kickstarter, the method by which he raised money for his film.
Local talents Alison Landoni, Jim Wickey and Benjamin Wickey, creators of the ’50s-style, locally-shot sitcom “The Green Room,” will conduct a laugh track recording session for the series’ first two episodes (Mon. Oct. 4 @ 7:30pm, CACC).
The screening of the Mass.-made teen comedy “BoyBand” (Fri. Oct. 8 @ 7:30pm, CACC) will feature a how-to talk by producer Andrea Ajemian.
Saturday, Oct. 9 features a trio of special filmmaker events: the free screening of the the documentary about Gloucester poet Charles Olson, “Polis Is This” (Sat. Oct. 9 @ 3:00pm, CACC). The screening part of the Charles Olson Centennial celebration taking place all over Gloucester for two weeks in October, and film director Henry Ferrini will host; the fishing industry is on the menu in “Truth: Fishing Crisis Or Go