By ALEX JACOBS
TIMES STAFF WRITER
POTSDAM -- The second annual North Country Film Festival this weekend will feature everything from classic blockbusters to short independent flicks and local documentaries.
The free festival's organizers hope to bring their love of the movies back to Potsdam.
"It's a good chance to show films that entertain, but also educate. Film doesn't exist in a vacuum," said Steven M. Madeja, festival co-chairman along with Tyler R. Moulton. "All the films that we've chosen give some sort of insight into the history of cinema."
Last year, the two Potsdam natives attracted a larger-than-expected crowd for Potsdam's first film festival. With the theater jam-packed, they had to turn people away at the first showing of the weekend.
"It made us really happy to see how many people showed up. We were turning people away, and Tyler and I just looked at each other and went, 'Oh my God, this is great!'" Mr. Madeja said, laughing.
This time, the two have reserved a larger space at Roxy Theater - and they hope to fill it again.
The festival kicks off at 8 p.m. Friday with the documentary film "Garry and Harry," about the Rev. Garry B. Giroux, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Potsdam, whose twin brother, the Rev. Harry E. Giroux, has Alzheimer's disease. There will be a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker.
That will be followed with a midnight screening of the original 1981 Indiana Jones blockbuster, "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
On Saturday, festival-goers will get to grade 16 works presented in a short film festival starting at 11 a.m. Audience favorites will be recognized, and a panel of judges will award cash prizes. At 8 p.m., visiting Vermont director Woodrow Travers will present his offbeat indie comedy "About the Bells."
The festival will close Sunday with back-to-back screenings of film classics from around the world. The 1967 French crime noir "Le Samourai" will play at 11 a.m., followed by the silent 1922 German thriller "Nosferatu" at 4 p.m. The event will close with a flourish at 8 p.m. with the big 1952 Hollywood musical "Singin' in the Rain."
Mr. Madeja said he hopes that people once again feel the movie magic. After last year's showing of "The Red Shoes," a couple came up to him to tell them how much they appreciated seeing the film again.
"This elderly woman said, 'Thank you so much for showing this. This is actually the movie my husband and I went to see on the first date we ever went on.' That made the whole festival for me," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment