Watertown Daily Times, 1/12/09
POTSDAM — Moviegoers got a break from the biting cold — and high ticket prices — at the North Country Film Festival this weekend.
The free event drew people from as far as Watertown and Plattsburgh to see a mix of local documentaries, short films and classic cinema at the Roxy Theater.
"That's what I like about Potsdam. At a film festival somewhere else, you'd be paying $20," said Robert S. Shepherd of Potsdam.
Co-chairman Steven M. Madeja's short documentary "Garry and Harry" had such a big audience that the Roxy's largest venue, which seats 208 people, was full 15 minutes before the movie began Friday night. Organizers said they were sad to turn away 50 people who wanted to see the film.
"There was a lot of word-of-mouth going around about that one. Several church groups came," co-chairman Tyler R. Moulton said.
The documentary focuses on the Rev. Garry B. Giroux, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church, whose twin brother, the Rev. Harry E. Giroux, has Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Madeja intends to put copies of the film on sale at downtown businesses, with the proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Foundation, in the near future.
"The quality was good, the sound was good, and it gave a feel for what it's like to care for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia without demeaning that person," Mr. Shepherd said. "It was tastefully done."
Indiana Jones fans braved negative temperatures to see "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on the big screen at the midnight screening Friday night.
"We had families that came in costume, with hats and leather jackets and everything," Mr. Madeja said.
The audience cheered and clapped when they first saw Harrison Ford onscreen in the rollicking 1981 adventure. Some even hummed the movie's famous theme in unison as they waited for the film to begin.
Saturday's short-film festival showcased 15 works. The "best local film" award went to SUNY Potsdam student Stephanie Russo, whose mockumentary "Let Your Mustache Show" examines mustachioed north country men, young and old. Judges also rewarded Connecticut native Chris Collins for "best student film." His work, "This is Iraq," depicts the war-torn country through videos shot by an American soldier on his first tour of duty.
The audience favorite for "best short film" was "If You See Something, Say Something," directed by Clyde Folley, which is about a high school student, a crazy principal, and a paranoid Homeland Security agent.
Vermont filmmaker Woodrow Travers held a question-and-answer session after the Saturday night screening of his independent comedy, "About the Bells."
"The audience participation was just amazing. People were really informed in their questions. We were really surprised," Mr. Moulton said.
Moviegoers enjoyed a day of classic cinema Sunday. The festival showcased its first foreign film with "Le Samourai," a 1967 French crime drama that straddles the divide between French New Wave and film noir.
The audience for "Nosferatu," the silent 1922 German thriller, enjoyed a version with coloration and a music score later that afternoon. Organizers expected another crowd for the festival's Hollywood finish, a screening of "Singin' in the Rain," the 1952 musical hit starring Gene Kelly.
"It's detailing the transition from silent to sound, so it's a nice little history lesson of film at the same time that it's entertaining," Mr. Madeja said.
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