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by jon bosworth jaxvillain@yahoo.com
There is so much to see this year. The 5th annual Jacksonville Film Festival has workshops for filmmakers featuring world-class advice and instruction from award-winning filmmakers, parties every day of the festival, a terrific selection of fiction and documentary films, and loads of shorts. All of this is not even to mention THE TALKIES with B-movie king John Waters.
There are so many movies this year that it’s impossible to tell you about them all, so I’ll just pick out some of the highlights and you can go straight to jacksonvillefilmfestival.com for all of the details or check out EU’s official complete guide to the Jacksonville Film Festival in next week’s issue.
Films will be shown at the Florida Theatre, Theatre Jacksonville and at the San Marco Theatre. Workshops will be held at the Florida Theatre, MOCA Jacksonville and the Hyatt Riverfront.
In a startling, mature and nuanced performance, Parker Posey plays Nora Wilder, a thirty-something Manhattanite who is cynical about love and relationships. In this astute collaboration with first-time writer/director Zoe Cassavetes, Nora plugs away at her job in a posh downtown hotel and can't help but wonder what it is she has to do to find a relationship as ideal as her friend Audrey's (Drea De Matteo) "perfect marriage." It doesn't help that her overbearing mother (Gena Rowlands) takes every opportunity to remind Nora that she's still unattached. After a series of disastrous first dates, she meets Julien (Melvin Poupaud), a seemingly devil-may-care Frenchman with a passion for living. Expecting another disastrous ending, Nora tries to avoid making the same mistakes. She finds herself in Paris looking to break old patterns. Inevitably, Nora has to look inward before she can find a new outlook on life and most importantly, love.
Chops tells the story of a group of kids, born with extraordinary musical ability, who learn to make the most of their gifts in a Jacksonville, Florida jazz program. From their early scales to soaring, improvisational solos, enjoy a front row seat for their fascinating transformation. They stick together and fall apart as the events of their lives are expressed in their art. They embark on a musical journey to New York City where they compete against the top High School Jazz bands nationwide at the prestigious Essentially Ellington Festival. Win or lose, the Ellington experience puts them at the threshold of their dream. And reveals the incredible growth they've experienced personally and musically.
Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia. In the summer of 2005, he and a group of young college students traveled across the country in a wheelchair-accessible RV to test accessibility in America. Their ultimate goal was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV's hit show, "Pimp My Ride," to customize Darius's wheelchair. Along the way they found joy, brotherhood and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.
MONSTER CAMP is a rare and fascinating glimpse into the world of live-action role playing or "LARPing," a real-life version of World of Warcraft where gamer stereotypes are simultaneously shattered and confirmed. The film meticulously examines the lives of die-hard gamers at NERO Seattle, one of 50 franchises worldwide that abides by similar principles, rules and ideologies. At NERO, for 48 consecutive hours, participants immerse themselves in a world completely unlike our own. Players inhabit a world of fantasy, chivalry, and imagination, if for only one weekend a month.
MagnoliaFest and Suwannee SpringFest are two roots music festivals that have taken place for the past ten years on the banks of the Suwannee River in Live Oak, Florida. This film explores the past, present and future of roots music.
After making a name for himself with such underground gross-out epics as Pink Flamingos and Desperate Living, director John Waters made a bid for somewhat wider acceptance with this black comedy, which is sedate only by the standards of his previous work. Francine's life has become so miserable that her dog commits suicide rather than witness it, but a light appears on the horizon -- Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter), the handsome and dashing owner of a local drive-in specializing in art films (their current bill is a Margurerite Duras triple feature), with whom Dawn enters into a torrid affair. This feature will be screened IN ODORAMA. Scratch n Sniff along with the film and on Saturday the 19th of May listen to Mr. Waters live commentary during the film.
Imagine a city on the verge of squandering its treasure. Picture a state on the brink of decimating its splendor. Then look no further than your own front yard. The city is Jacksonville, the state is Florida, and the factors…
"Shut-eye Hotel" is a film noir murder mystery that takes place in a sleazy hotel. As cops investigate the gruesome murders they become victims of this evil force. What "Jaws" did to swimming, "Shut-eye Hotel" will do for sleeping.
With a dizzying soundtrack by The Flaming Lips there is absolutely no way to walk out of this film without a big grin on your face.
THE TALKIES is a two night, 35mm series: the first night the audience gets to familiarize itself (or reacquaint itself, as the case may be) with the film. The next night the filmmaker joins the audience to provide running commentary. This experience takes the "Director's Commentary" component of a DVD one step further, giving the filmmaker an opportunity to skip on down memory lane while surrounded by a captive audience, both enjoying this unique cinematic experience. On Saturday, May 19th, THE TALKIES will be joining forces with the Jacksonville Film Festival for its next event; POLYESTER as it's never been seen, made complete not only with Odorama cards, but also the commentary of acclaimed director John Waters.
Thurs, May 17, 6:30pm – The Florida Theatre - Night with the Stars (opening night)
Fri, May 18, 9pm – The Strand - The 5th Anniversary Party
Sat, May 19, 4p – The Grotto - Viva Cinema wine tasting
Sat, May 19, 9:30pm – Hayden Burns Library - The 5th Annual Grey Goose® Gala
Sun, May 20, 8:30 pm – The Florida Theatre - Rockin the Front Porch with Ruckus (wrap party)
The Art and Craft of Visual Storytelling
Cinematography and Formats
Filmmaking in Florida (Panel)
How to Spend Your Money Wisely on a Ultra-Low Budget
Independent Filmmaking and the Law
Student Film workshop
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