The focus will be on independent, foreign and documentary films at the upcoming Central Michigan International Film Festival, but moviegoers will also have the chance to catch a little bit of Hollywood.
That's because four of the 20 films scheduled to screen during the eighth annual festival have been nominated for Academy Awards® for either best film or best feature-length documentary. To Stephanie Mathson, one of the event's planners, that's a bonus.
"The film festival arose out of a need that concerned faculty at CMU had that a lot of great films never come our way in Mt. Pleasant," said Mathson, a member of the CMIFF executive board. "The festival is a way to bring in a lot of independent, foreign and documentary films that haven't been released in this area.
"We are pleased to be showing films that are receiving critical as well as popular attention from audiences. It's great to bring in films that have been nominated for Oscars."
Mathson said the executive board tries to have a broad range of films. It works closely with distributors, such as Human Rights Watch and California Newsreel, to identify timely documentaries.
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Central Michigan International Film Festival Celebration Cinema, Broadway Theatre and Park Theatre, Mt. Pleasant
March 19-28 $5 per film, or $30 for a book of 10 tickets cmfilmfestival.com |
Festival highlights include:
• Burma VJ, an Oscar-nominated documentary about the suppression of the media in 2007 in Burma when foreign news crews were banned, the Internet was shut down and the government sought to close off the country from the rest of the world.
• Bliss, a drama from Turkey and adaptation of a best-selling novel that tells the story of a woman who is condemned to death by her village after being raped and the bond that develops with the man who is tasked to carry out the sentence.
•Afghan Star, a film about an American Idol type show held in Afghanistan that deals with controversies of women's dress, performing onstage and other social issues.
• The Headless Woman, an Argentinian drama about a woman who thinks she may have killed someone while driving, and then goes back and pieces together what may - or may not - have happened.
"We think the festival is an important community and university partnership," Mathson said. "It's an opportunity to get people on campus, as one of the venues is in the Park Library. It's also great to have a venue like Celebration Cinema, which is one of our corporate sponsors, as well as a wonderful venue like the historic Broadway Theatre."
Tickets go on sale March 1 and are $5 per film, or $30 for a book of 10 tickets. Seating is on a first-come basis. Sponsors for the event are Celebration Cinema, CMU Charles V. Park Library, CMU College of Communication and Fine Arts, CMU Office for Institutional Diversity, and Pleasant Graphics.
Other Film Events
UICA
41 Sheldon Blvd SE, Grand Rapids
UICA.org, (616) 454-7000
For the biologically minded, the UICA will premiere Dirt! The Movie on March 2. The documentary will take a closer look at the world's complex relationship with dirt, a vital resource, and how industrial farming, mining, and urban development have led us towards disaster. The best part - admission is free for the premiere. Also showing is Police, Adjective, which opens on March 5. The film focuses on Christi, a young undercover cop who's pressured to arrest a teenager for dealing pot. Not wanting to ruin the life of a young man, Christi must decide whether to burden his conscience or face censure from his superior. Language: Romanian. Opens March 5
Celebration Cinema
Grand Rapids North, Rivertown, Lansing, Mount Pleasant, Muskegon, Benton Harbor
On March 27, Celebration Cinema will present MET Opera: Hamlet at all its locations. An operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark who just cannot make up his mind. Running time: 255 minutes. Also playing: Boondock Saints 10th Anniversary Event March 11.
Riviera Theatre
50 N. Main Street, Three Rivers
trriviera.com, (269) 278-8068
In honor of the Academy Awards, the Riviera is dedicating its March lineup to winners and nominees. On March 5, Oscar Shorts: Live Action will show at 6 p.m. with Oscar Shorts: Animated playing shortly after at 8 p.m. In honor of the 2010 Academy Awards, The Riviera will feature nominees The Messenger (March 2, 4, 7, and 9-11 ), and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (March 9-11, 13, 16, and 18). For an oldie but goodie, stop by the Gone With the Wind, which was an Oscar winner in 1939. It's playing on March 14.
