David Warfield
Last Tuesday night I attended the programming preview for the 2011 Maryland Film Festival, and got a small taste of the 45 feature films and 70 shorts that will screen at the Charles (and at MICA) from May 5 through May 8. There is so much great stuff coming our way with the 2011 fest, it is nothing less than a must-do Baltimore event. So wipe you calendars for that weekend, call in dead, skip finals, or whatever it takes.
No, it is not humanly possible to watch all the films offered, but the dedicated and bleary-eyed screening committee, along with Director of Programming Eric Hatch and Programming Administrator Scott Braid, have screened something north of 1,000 entries to bring you this year’s cream of the crop. The festival continues to grow in sophistication and status, and represents a mind-buzzing range of International and American cinema. The official line-up (and tickets) will be available at www.md-filmfest.com by this weekend, April 15. By the way, a weekend pass is really the way to go.
Along with the programmers, the festival operations & management staff Rahne Alexander, Lucia Treasure, and Alexandra Gilwit, put forth an incredible amount of effort to make this thing happen. The MFF not only brings in the films, it brings in the filmmakers whenever possible, enhancing the networking effect and vibrancy of the event.
There are way too many films to mention, but I am intrigued by a new Sleeping Beauty (French, for adults), Kelly Reichardt’s MEEK’S CUTOFF, a psycho-thriller Slamdance fave called Without, trippy Thai Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee, rock docs Freaks In Love and Everyday Sunshine, shorts Pioneer and Mouth Babies, Baltimore–related works like docs Cafeteria Man and The Learning, and indie comedy Small Pond.
Special treats include the John Waters pick, Domain (2009), directed by Patric Chiha (who will attend), a set of silent comedy shorts, and perhaps a revival of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I say “perhaps” because there are still some negotiations and surprises in the works, including a possible simulcast of the National Theater’s stage production of Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle. Crazy, right? The closing night film is another (as of this writing) undisclosed mystery.
Festival Director Jed Dietz delivered a special note of optimism before the preview program: The Maryland Film Production Employment Act (SB672) was passed by the General Assembly. Passage of the long-embattled incentive program is a real victory for the Maryland Film Industry Coalition, and all Maryland film production folks. Wow.
