Annual film fest entertains Philly

By Eric Donovan
Senior Staff Writer
April 9, 2008

The 17th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival, showcasing over 260 films from 49 different countries, kicked off this past week and will continue to run through April 15. The films will screen in six different Philadelphia venues, ranging from the Prince Theater to the Cinema De Lux. In addition to the films, the festival will also include special events, receptions and programs in its two-week run. Not only is the festival bringing in guests from the area, but also several distinguished guests.

The festival is run by the Philadelphia Film Society, a non-profit film organization that has been running the event for the past seven years. The festival began April 3 and will wrap up April 15. Each day of the festival has been designated with a certain film, with special features on the opening and closing dates. The opening film was Young@Heart, a documentary about a group of senior citizens who tour the country as a choir. The closing film, Patti Smith: Dream of Life, is a documentary spanning over a decade of the singer/songwriter’s life and career.

“Both films signal the current trend of fusing music, documentary storytelling and the pursuit of dreams, which the Festival is spotlighting with our ‘Lights! Camera! Music!’ program,” said Raymond Murray, artistic director. “Young@Heart is a joyous, celebratory film, perfectly suited for kicking off a film festival, while Patti Smith: Dream of Life will end our event on an artistic high note.”

8. Besides showcasing films, the festival also runs many different programs and features guests from around the world. This year’s guests include actors Shane West and John Leguizamo, who are receiving awards for their respective work in the film industry.

Leguizamo, star of such films as Romeo + Juliet and Carlito’s Way is receiving the Artistic Achievement Award “for his distinguished acting career, his prominence as a star on the silver screen, and his dedication to the world of cinema” according to the film festival’s Web site. West, of the film A Walk to Remember and the television series Once and Again, is receiving the Rising Star Ward.

Rounding out the awards is director Frank Henelotter, who will be receiving the Phantasmagoria Award. Henenlotter, who has become known for his gory horror films, has been a key figure in resurrecting some of the vintage ’60s and ’70s horror films and having them reissued onto VHS and DVD. Interestingly enough, he was awarded the honor just prior to the screening of his newest film, Bad Biology, which was screened April 4 at the Prince Music Theater.

With over 260 films presented over the course of 12 days, screenings are taking place at each of the locations every day, all day. Tickets range from $7 for children to around $15 for opening and closing nights.

While the festival celebrates all submissions with screenings, five films were selected to be named as the centerpiece screenings. Amongst the films selected were American Teen, The Visitor, The Forbidden Kingdom starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan, The Deal starring Meg Ryan and William H. Macy and the independent feature, Son of Rambow.

Even La Salle alumni are getting in on the action at the film festival this year. Alum Tom Quinn’s feature film The New Year Parade was selected for the festival, and will be playing April 12 and April 14 at local venues. The film stars another La Salle alum, Greg Lyons, and was the recent winner of the Slamdance film festival Best Narrative Feature Prize. The story, set in Philadelphia, centers around members of the South Philadelphia String Band as they deal with family struggles in the wake of a divorce.

 

The festival will continue to run until April 15 and tickets can be purchased online or at the door. The Web site, however, does warn that the festival is quite popular and often sells out many of its screenings.

donovane1@lasalle.edu