Festival offers school, street party, fun run and more

 

What's new at this year's film fest: Festival offers school, street party, fun run and more

TRAVERSE CITY -- Scott Tompkins spends the school year teaching photography and video at Suttons Bay High School.

This summer, he's organizing a film school and his summer students are very eager.

The inaugural Traverse City Film Festival Film School sold out 90 percent of its tickets the first week, Tompkins said. He's had inquiries from film students in New York City as well as 12-year-olds from Leelanau County.

"We've always wanted more educational aspects to the festival and this fit the bill," Tompkins said. He's hoping the film school grows each year. He said other festivals offer film camps that last a week or more, sometimes not even close to the time of the actual festival.

At the TCFF Film School, directors, writers and producers will dissect films -- sometimes their own, sometimes just a favorite -- to audiences of 100 people each day from 1 to 4 p.m. at the CenterPoint building on M-22. Tickets cost $3 for each session.

The film festival begins Tuesday and runs through Aug. 2. The film school is just one of many new things to see and do during this, the fifth annual festival.

Film School

• Wednesday, July 29: Screenwriting with Jim Burnstein ("Ruffian," "Renaissance Man") from the screenwriting program at the University of Michigan Department of Screen Arts & Cultures.

• Thursday, July 30: Documentary 101 with Kevin McMahon, director of "Waterlife."

• Friday, July 31: Women in Film with Gloria La Morte, editor, and Paola Mendoza, lead actress of "Entre Nos."

• Saturday, Aug. 1: Making Shorts with Anny Slater ("The Ball"), Aaron Jaffe ("Trim"), Sarah Klegman ("Home Cooked Meal") and others.

• Sunday, Aug. 2: Very American Comedy with Robert Byington ("Harmony and Me," "Registered Sex Offender") and Ben Steinbauer ("Winnebago Man").

Panels

The daily panels are free and this year they begin a half-hour earlier, 9:30 a.m., at the City Opera House. Tickets will be handed out beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day.

• Wednesday: "40 Years of Documentary Filmmaking" with Aung Htun ("Burma VJ"), Joe Berlinger ("Crude"), Cathal Black ("Learning Gravity"), Jim Czarnecki ("Soundtrack for a Revolution"), Michelle Esrick ("Saint Misbehavin': The Wavy Gravy Movie"), Emily Kunstler ("William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe"), Kevin McMahon ("Waterlife") and Michael Moore ("Roger & Me" and the upcoming "Capitalism: A Love Story").

• Thursday: "Palestine and Vine" is about films coming out of the West Bank and Gaza, with Rachel Corrie's parents, Craig and Cindy, talking about the film about their daughter, "Rachel," and Palestinian filmmakers Annemarie Jacir and Ossama Bawardi ("Salt of This Sea").

• Friday: "Michigan Film Office Advisory Council Meeting" -- This is an actual meeting of the 15-member council, discussing film incentives and taking questions from the audience.

• Saturday: "Comedy, American Style" with Robert Byington ("Harmony and Me," "Registered Sex Offender"), Larry Charles ("Bruno"), Jeff Garlin ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Ben Steinbauer ("Winnebago Man") and Wavy Gravy ("Woodstock," "Saint Misbehavin'").

• Sunday: "Paul Mazursky Talks" -- Mazursky is this year's feature filmmaker and director of "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," "An Unmarried Woman" and "Enemies, A Love Story," all of which are being screened at this year's festival. Mazursky will talk with Jeff Garlin about a life in the movies.

Street party

The Opening Night Kick Off party will be held on Front Street, between Park and Cass streets in front of the State Theatre, Tuesday, from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

The party is free.

One of the coolest things could be Jason Hackenwerth, a balloon artist from New York City. We're not talking daschunds and hats here.

Other entertainment will include Charlie's Root Fusion at one of the end the block and Rojo Loco at the other end, plus face painting, clowns, magicians and jugglers. Food will be available for purchase.

The party coincides with the opening ceremonies, which are scheduled for 6 p.m. Traverse City filmmaker Rich Brauer will be given the Michigan Filmmaker of the Year Award.

Let's talk

If you need to rehash the movie you've just seen, head to the informal discussions at American Legion and Lay parks. Film festival volunteers will be at the parks too, if you have any questions about anything else. American Legion Park is at the corner of Cass and Washington streets, across from Central United Methodist Church. Lay Park is on Union Street, between Sixth and Seventh streets.

Musicians will be playing from 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily at Lay Park.

Merchandise 

• New this year are Prior Life messenger bags, made by Britten Banners out of recycled banners. The bags have a Traverse City Film Festival patch on the side and colorful vinyl throughout. Each one is different. Messenger bags cost $30.

• The "vintage soft" T-shirts sell for $22; the new logowear T-shirt has a "5" where the "S" would be in "Festival" and a list of movies on the back; it sells for $20; a new hoodie, with a large "TCFF" on the front sells for $48; another design features a "5" in a film countdown bullseye. It sells for $20.

• 2009 magnets are $5.

Music

Local musicians get the stage again this year, with performances before movies, at the Open Space and in "After Hours" gigs at local bars.

There also a compilation CD of the featured musicians available for $15.

The After Hours gigs will feature:

• Wednesday: Phenomenal Head and Mue Sephei, Lil' Bo.

• Thursday: Egon and Luke Winslow-King, The Loading Dock.

• Saturday: The Injured List, The Terminal. There will be a free shuttle from downtown to The Terminal that night.

Bands performing before movies at the Open Space, beginning at 7 p.m., include:

• Tuesday, before "Men in Black": Mue Sephei, Mike Moran and Phenomenal Head.

• Wednesday, before "Close Encounters of the Third Kind": Jimmy Olson and Jeff Bihlman.

• Thursday before "Hair": Rootstand and Luke Winslow-King.

• Friday before "Goonies": Levi Britton and The Injured List

• Saturday before "Big": Acoustic Dynamite, Andrew Sturtz and Ruby John

Shuttle

Because of new federal regulations, BATA couldn't be the film festival shuttle this year. According to Tom Menzel, executive director of BATA, the publicly financed bus company would have to get permission from a multitude of privately held bus lines in order to run the shuttle.

But never fear. By The Bay Shuttles has three minibuses that seat 25 people each, according to Stephanie Kirchner, sales manager. She said they're having the buses "re-logoed" for the film festival and they're pumped about doing it.

"It's a great thing for us, an economic boon for us," she said.

Fun run

The TCFF Costume 5k is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. If you register before race day, cost is $20 per person or $60 per family (up to 4). On race day, registration is $25 per person/$75 per family. The event is a fundraiser for the film festival and movie-themed costumes are encouraged, but not required. The run begins at Traverse City Central High School and ends in front of the State Theatre.

Kids films

Michael Moore, founder of the film festival, says it's important to show quality film to kids. "We're not going to raise another generation of film-lovers if we don't show them good movies," he said.

To that end, each morning Wednesday through Saturday, the 9:30 a.m. screening at the State Theatre is a film fit for kids. The movies are:

• "Azur and Asmar" (Wednesday);

• "Sita Sings the Blues (Thursday);

• Shorts for Kids (Friday); and

• "Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms" (Saturday).

Kids movies are $6 each.

All the Open Space movies, which are free, are rated PG or PG-13, although organizers said "Hair" (Thursday) is probably more appropriate for teenagers and older.

Shade at the State

Thanks to a new construction project at the corner of Park and Front, there's a temporary sidewalk on Front Street, right where the line snakes for people waiting for movies at the State. The roof is going to a relief if the steamy temperatures that seem to be a tradition during the film festival make a return.