On Sunday Alice and I attended the Filmmaker’s Brunch and met many of the filmmakers attending the Woods Hole Film Festival, after catching up with some friends, we attended the tribute to Ricky Leacock. The festival continues through Saturday night. If you live in New England and you love film, Woods Hole is where you want to be this weekend. I’ll be back down in Woods Hole on Thursday for the “Social Issue Documentary” Panel and the screening of our film, Remembering John Marshall on Friday. We’re looking forward to catching as many films as we can on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
At his tribute, Ricky screened A Musical Adventure in Siberia, this version was much tighter than the one I saw a while ago. The film documents Sarah Caldwell’s preparation of a first ever performance of Prokofiev’s Eugene Onegin, a symphonic drama which was banned before it opened in 1937. Then Valerie Lalonde screened her new film, Au Revoir Marie Laure: An Art Gallery at Work, a piece made while hanging around during the last days of an art show in Paris, she observes the art work and various visitors to the gallery, some who have things to say about the artist Marie Laure de Noailles, a patron of the Surrealist Movement. Ricky said that for this film he did not help Valerie at all, it was completely her film, she said she wanted to try making a film on her own. It’s a gentle, observant piece, and captures the the feel of the gallery and visitors. A brief interlude to follow some canines at play offers a nice break from the gallery, just as the shopping trip offers a break from the symphonic drama preparation in A Musical Adventure in Siberia.
Under the guidance of Judy Laster (Executive Director) and J.C. Bouvier (Managing Director) The Woods Hole Film Festival has become a favorite among filmmakers and moviegoers alike. It’s the model of good programming, a small, intimate setting, and a well organized event. Judy, J.C., and their many collaborators could write a book on how to plan, organize, and run the perfect film festival. This is the festival’s fifteenth year and like a fine Cabernet, it’s getting better as it ages. The festival offers a wonderful selection of short films, features, panels, and works in progress.
I interviewed several filmmakers during the Woods Hole Film Festival, some of these will appear on my audio podcast, Art Film Talk, check it out at http://artfilmtalk.com