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DAWS Fundraiser & Food Drop
March 29
6:00pm VIP Meet n Greet With Director:
Christopher Grimes
7:00pm Film, Q&A/Panel With Director With
Annie Hornish: CT Senior State Director for the Humane Society Joanne Basile: CT Votes For Animals
Bring A Donation Of Your Pet's Favorite Dry Or Canned Food
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 An examination of efforts in the United States to tighten regulations on commercial dog kennels, known as 'puppy mills,' where animals are kept without adequate regard for their welfare.
Every day in the United States there are hundreds of people around the country determined to saving puppies and 'over the hill' breeder dogs when puppy mills decide they are no longer useful and, therefore, disposable.
These dedicated people spend countless hours and unimaginable resources staging 'rescue runs,' providing emergency veterinary care, and scrambling for last minute foster homes and adoptions. This a stressful, often rewarding, and also heartbreaking cycle.
But...imagine if these brave rescuers didn't have to do this? The puppy mill business in the United States is booming, profitable, and proliferated by a complex system of laws and corporate policies that lump 'companion animals' such as dogs and cats with animals raised for food, such as cows,  pigs, and chickens.
Dog By Dog aims to explain the laws and policies that keep these practices going and explore the choices the everyday American can make in order to eliminate the need for puppy mills.
$9.00 & $10.50 Film And Q&A General Admission Tickets May Be Available At The Door Day Of Show.
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FilmFest52 Presents The
Best Of The
Middlebury (VT) New Filmmakers Festival
Wed April 5
6 MNFF Award Winning Films
Two Theaters - One Night Only
6:00pm VIP Meet n Greet Premiere Party
Films Begin: 7:15, 7:25, 9:15, 9:25
FEATURES:
"Walk With Me: The Trials of Damon J. Keith"
Director: Jesse Nesser 103m - Damon J. Keith was an ordinary "colored" man from Detroit. He became a controversial federal judge who would shape civil rights law and challenge a sitting president. Decades later, Judge Keith's rulings resonate in a nation still arguing about "which lives matter." Now 94 years old and still a sitting U.S. Circuit Court judge, Judge Keith is a fascinating figure and his story may be the
greatest story you've never heard. [Note:  
this was our Opening Night film and it received a 10 minute standing ovation. I think Gina was there. A brilliant, stirring work from a 24 year old filmmaker.
"Broke"
Director: Heath Davis 95m - A compelling redemption story of a disgraced Australian rugby star whose bottomed-out life haltingly turns around when he is "adopted" by a widower and his daughter. A quite moving portrayal of working class Sydney not typically seen by American audiences.
 "Th
e Gu
ys Next Door"
Director: Amy Geller and Allie Humenuk 74m - "The Guys Next Door" is an intimate portrait of a real "Modern Family:" Meet Erik and Sandro, a gay couple whose friend Rachel is a surrogate for their two daughters. Rachel, who is in her mid-40s, is married to Tony and they have three children.Together, they form a unique extended family. Elegantly shot and edited, told with candor and humor, "The Guys Next Door" is an inspiring story of family, friendship and gay rights. [Note: this feature doc won the MNFF Audience Award for Best Feature and was immensely popular. Very, very well done. It is currently screening at the DOC NYC festival.
SHORTS
 "Phil's Camino" Best Short Documentary -
Director: Annie O'Neill and Jessica Lewis 27m - Free spirit Phil is a man living with Stage 4 cancer and dreaming of walking the 500 mile spiritual pilgrimage Camino de Santiago across Spain. Unable to make the trip, he does the next best thing: he builds a camino in the forest behind his house, starts to walk, and traces his progress on a map. Phil's journey is one of hope, acceptance, and freedom, and is sure to inspire anyone who has ever dreamed of doing something that sounded impossible. Upon reaching 'Santiago de Compostela' - without ever leaving his backyard - Phil gets a clean scan and his doctors grant him a 'chemo holiday', or permission to miss one chemo treatment. He now has 28 days to go and walk the ancient route in Spain. Along the way he realizes his true pilgrimage is the one he travels within.
"Pony"
Director: Candice Carella 31m - Claudia, a hardworking single mom, has to go out of town on an important last minute business trip, forcing her to leave her 5 year old daughter Miko with uncle Jeff, a rock musician in his 50's who is still running on the fumes of his glory days. Spending the weekend looking after a spirited 5 year old, Jeff must suspend his delusions of grandeur and face reality. Miko is the catalyst for him to re-evaluate his life and reconnect with the inspiration that originally led him to music and he is able to gently guide her to a nascent understanding of life's vicissitudes. [Note: this short won the MNFF Audience Award for Best Short and audiences thoroughly enjoyed its mix of humor, warmth and sentiment.
 "The Best and Worst Days of George Morales' Unnaturally Long Life"
Director: Seth Cuddeback and Benjamin Dohrmann 24m - George and Susie Morales own a restaurant in East Los Angeles and have been happily married for nearly forty years. They are also immortal. Their secret lies in a recipe for chicken mole. It has kept them from aging. It has kept them together. But when Susie decides that she would like to finally end her life, George is forced to make a difficult decision: join her in death, or face eternity alone. A lovely, allegorical film written and shot in a style that is a throwback to a gentler version of storytelling. Elegant, tender and slyly humorous all at the same time.
Sponsored By:
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"One By One: The Teaching of Diana King"
Wed April 12th
6:30pm Meet n Greet Premiere Reception
Director: Harvey Hubbell V & Educator: Diane King
7:30pm Film and Q&A
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Captivating educator Diana King shares a lifetime of knowledge as she effortlessly instructs 3 students, ages 5-15, at her charming country home in Connecticut, making manifest the importance of early intervention, motor memory and teacher engagement. In the film, director, Harvey Hubbell V showcases Diana's personality, wisdom and approach to teaching as she shares and demonstrates concrete tools, techniques and best practices for early intervention and working with students- particularly those with dyslexia and learning differences. The film is a cutting-edge tour de force in the world of learning differences, presenting content never before captured or presented on film and designed to be accessible and especially relevant to individuals, families, and professionals in the field. Tickets
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"All Things Bakelite"
Wed April 19th
6:30pm VIP Reception For All Ticket Holders
7:30pm Film And Q&A With Director: John Maher And
Producer (Redding Resident): Hugh Karraker.
Party Compliments Of: Michael Bick's: Some Things Fishy Catering
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| Leo Hendrik Baekeland In The Lab |
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All Things Bakelite, a film by John Maher, is a virtual periodic table of elements that combine to create a joyous and provocative story about the "Father of modern plastics". In 1907, Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian-born American chemist, made one of the most transformative discoveries of the 20th century: Bakelite. It was the first wholly synthetic plastic and it ushered in an explosion of new man-made materials that marked the beginnings of our modern industrial age.
History comes alive in this unique one-hour documentary that is as innovative and fluid as its subject. It blends together beautifully realized period re-enactments of Baekeland's life, rare archival footage, photos and journal entries, interviews with scientists, historians, and artists, and clever musical performances that capture both the wonder and the curse of Baekeland's alchemy.
The primary source and inspiration for this illuminating film is one of the great grandsons of Baekeland himself, Hugh Karraker, who is also the film's executive producer. All Things Bakelite is suitable for all audiences interested in the human drama that underlies history, science, business, and design-with the surprising twist that the nature of plastic reveals the nature of people. For more information on All Things Bakelite Visit: allthingsbakelite.com
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"Thomas Chapin: Night Bird Song"
Wed April 26
Destined to be among the great jazz virtuosos, sax, flute master and
Connecticut Native: Thomas Chapin was nearing the pinnacle of his meteoric rise when leukemia took him at the age of 40.
6:00pm Leukemia Society VIP Fundraiser Party
7:00pm Film And Q&A With Director/Producer/Writer:
Stephanie J. Castillo
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This 90-min. music documentary presents the life and music of 90's jazz legend Thomas Chapin who left us too soon.
Destined to be among the great jazz virtuosos, sax and flute master Thomas Chapin was nearing the pinnacle of his meteoric rise when leukemia took him at the age of 40. Decades later, his passionate life and incandescent music continue to inspire new generations of artists and musicians. The new documentary THOMAS CHAPIN, NIGHT BIRD SONG draws an intimate portrait of a musical explorer who transcended the boundaries of jazz and dissolved the distinctions between sound and music. Because of this film, he will no longer be only a footnote in jazz. His indelible mark on jazz will be known.
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"Beautifully Scary"
7:00pm Wed TBA
a documentary film on modern, contemporary
classical music in America
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Beautifully Scary explores the landscape of modern, contemporary classical music in America in the 20th century and beyond. The film highlights the founding and successive generations of composers representative of trends in modern classical music. Interviews with some of the most influential American composers will give the viewer a better sense of both the circumstances that shaped this tradition, and the creative visions that have emerged from it. The overall purpose is to bring greater attention to the innovative work being done, and it's importance to the fabric of modern American culture.
The film contains a short history of modern music in America, highlighting some of the great American composers (Ives, Copeland, Cage, Bernstein) through archival photos and film footage combined with short musical excerpts. This section also includes brief references to the earlier European influences (Wagner, Debussy, Schoenberg, Stravinsky).
Using personal interviews, the composers talk about their lives and work that has helped contribute to the form. They also discuss their music, and the effect of their approaches to composition upon the contemporary music scene.
The program includes several short excerpts from performances of works by several of the featured composers. The instrumental forces range from solo and small instrumental combinations, to full orchestra, showing the broad expressive range of this unique music.
Beautifully Scary: Contemporary Music in America is a documentary film project developed in partnership between Rocky Mountain PBS (RMPBS), Beyond Definition Films, and director Russ Wiltse.
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FilmFest52 Classic Cine Series
"The Third Man"
The Ultimate In Film Noir
7:00pm Wed - TBA
Followed by discussion
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Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives in a bombed-out, post-war Vienna at the invitation of his childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) only to find him dead. Martins develops the ultimate conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, butting up against interference from British police officer Major Calloway (Trevor Howard), and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover Anna (Alida Valli).
Awards and Recognition:
Grand Prix du Festival (Cannes Film Festival, 1949)
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Academy Awards, 1951)
Best Director, Best Film Editing nominations (Academy Awards, 1951)
Best British Film (BAFTA Awards, 1950)
Best Film from Any Source (BAFTA Awards, 1950)
Top Foreign Films (National Board of Reivew, 1950)
Official Slection, Cannes Classics (Cannes Film Festival, 2015)
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Tickets & FilmFest52 All Access Discount Passes
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For Tickets visit: www.bethelcinema.com Call or visit the box office at: 269 Greenwood Avenue Bethel CT 06801 203-778-2100 Gen. Adm. $10.50 Seniors $9.00 FilmFest52 All Access Discount Passes are available only at the box office beginning Sunday, May 3rd. |
| The Connecticut Film Festival (CTFF) is an umbrella film education organization producing more than 100 days and nights of film screenings, industry workshops and panels, weekend festivals, a statewide films series and of course film premieres and fundraisers each year. As it enters its 10th year, it has launched new film events including: Viva Cinema Latino Film Festival, New Haven International Film Festival, NYComedy Shorts and FilmFest 52. www.ctfilmfest.com |
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