A Crazy, Busy Week
It's a crazy busy week this week! Every Friday at 6:45 p.m. until mid-May, at the UW's Physics/Astronomy Building, there's a contemporary Japanese film series happening. It's free, and this Friday's film is one that a lot of cinephiles are looking forward to seeing playing off of an import DVD. But because a film print is likely to show up in the next couple of months, I won't tell you what it is (unless you e-mail me). The best thing going on Friday night is a midnight screening in Ballard. The Artist Trust Reel Big Deal is showing a ton of short films by grant recipients, including Jim Woodring, Wes Kim, Matt Wilkins, and a preview of Beth Harrington's new documentary (which has one of the last interviews with Johnny Cash).
For those who don't want to go to Ballard, the Friday and Saturday midnight movie at the Egyptian is Performance. Meanwhile, the Gay and Lesbian Alternative Movie Night (GLAMN) is showing Big Eden at the Central Cinema, a small movie about a successful New York artist who returns to Montana and throws the town into a tizzy by getting involved in a (gay, of course) love triangle.
A couple of things are happening on Saturday, the first of which is a volunteer meeting for SIFF (10 am at the Egyptian) where people can learn what they can do to earn free movies during our massive local film festival. At 6:30 p.m. you can hang out with a bunch of trade unionists at a free screening of John Sayles' Matewan, part of a free labor-film series at the King County Labor Temple (2800 First Ave, 6:30 pm). After that, head over to the new CoCA space for the GadZook Films Fundraising Party, a benefit for the "6 Short Films" project, which will have live music from the Cherry Watermelon Poop Explosion Experience along with dancers, drinks, and movies.
On Sunday morning you can wake up to the monthly Sneak Films series at Pacific Place (10 am), with an unnamed movie and the possibility of the director doing a Q&A. The video store Movie Legends is showing Night of the Hunter at 1:00 p.m. Then Sunday night brings a mix of music and "new media" when Tracy + the Plastics come to Consolidated Works for an all-ages show starting at 7:00 p.m.
Monday you get to choose between going to Bainbridge Island to see acerbic comedian Jeffrey Ross' Patriot Act (see www.lkgd.com for directions) or heading to IFP's office at Consolidated Works for a seminar on "Producing the Low-Budget Film: Production and Post Production," which will cost IFP non-members $5.
Tuesday brings us another visiting filmmaker when Michael Galinsky (co-director of the wonderful Horns and Halos) shows Radiation (911 Media Arts Center, 8 pm), his documentary about the Spanish underground-music scene. Finally, on Wednesday you can head on out to Hamilton Middle School (1610 N 41st St) for Beyond Organic: The Vision of Fairview Gardens, a documentary about sustainable food production cosponsored by a group with the fabulous name "Seattle Tilth Association."
