2012 | Maryland Film Festival Blog

Posts Tagged '2012'

Give the gift of MFF Membership…and Receive!

Published November 20, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, Aubrey Plaza, Benjamin Walker, Bradley Cooper, Denzel Washington, Friends of the Festival, Get Shorty, Jamie Travis, Jeremy Irons, John Travolta, Lincoln, Mark Duplass, Membership, Pulp Fiction, Robert De Niro, Steve James, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Wachowski Cloud Atlas

The holidays are coming! If you’re looking for the perfect gift for your partner, friend, or fellow film-lover, nothing compares to Maryland Film Festival membership! It couldn’t be easier. Order a gift membership by December 14th and we will send your recipient (or you, if you prefer) a unique MFF holiday card acknowledging your gift AND also give you 3 FREE MONTHS of Maryland Film Festival membership as a thank you for supporting us! Already a member? We’ll add 3 months onto your existing membership! Never been a member? You can try us out for 3 months! Give a gift, get a gift – this is what the holidays are all about! Just give us a call at 410-752-8083 to set it up.

Maryland Film Festival membership gives you access to DOZENS of free screenings and film events year-round, special access at our annual festival in May, discounts on film festival merchandise – but most importantly – supports the work of the Maryland Film Festival as we work to bring the best of independent film to Baltimore and unite filmmakers with audiences in an atmosphere that is relaxing and fun.
Friends of the Festival recently enjoyed free passes to FLIGHT starring Denzel Washington; SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro; Steve James‘ award-winning documentary, THE INTERRUPTERS; the Wachowski‘s new film CLOUD ATLAS; Steven Spielberg‘s LINCOLN; our John Travolta Tribute screenings of GET SHORTY and PULP FICTION; MFF Alum Jamie Travis‘ new comedy FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL; THE WORDS starring Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons; Tim Burton‘s ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER starring Benjamin Walker; and SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED starring Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass, and more!

To give a gift membership, just call our office at 410-752-8083 to arrange by phone. Basic memberships start at just $50! Click here for more information on membership levels and benefits.

Maryland Film Festival Will Present Shorts Program at Artscape, July 20-22, 2012!

Published June 26, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, Artscape 2012, Maryalnd Film Festival

Join the Maryland Film Festival at Artscape 2012!

Maryland Film Festival is pleased to present a fantastic selection of shorts to be screened at the Charles Theater during next month’s Artscape, July 20-22.

In case you’ve never experienced it, Artscape is America’s largest free arts festival, attracting 350,000+ attendees over three days in the Station North Arts District of downtown Baltimore. As always, our shorts program at Artscape is FREE for all!

ARTSCAPE 2012 SHORT PROGRAMS:

ANIMATED SHORTS (31 minutes)
Belly (Julia Pott, 7 minutes)
The Eater (Wally Chung, 3 minutes)
Food for the Worms (Miranda Pfeiffer, 9 minutes)
“Hietsuki Bushi” / Omodaka (Ryo Hirano, 4 minutes)
“The Living Things”/ The Spinto Band (Phil Davis, 3 minutes)
Venus (Tor Fruergaard, 8 minutes)

COMEDY SHORTS (31 minutes)
Bad Penny (Ricky Camilleri, 7 minutes)
The Centrifuge Brain Project (Till Nowack, 7 minutes)
Happy Father’s Gay (Clay Weiner, 4 minutes)
Pass the Salt, Please (Tatjana Najdanovic, 13 minutes)

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS (32 minutes)
Come on Down and Pick Me Up (Jonathan Bougher, Nicholas Corrao, 9 minutes)
The Meaning of Robots (Matt Lenski, 4 minutes)
Necking (Lindsay Lindenbaum, 10 minutes)
Wilbert & Vern (Kenneth Price, 9 minutes)

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS (32 minutes)
Brown Centipede Jizzum (Jimmy Joe Roche, 1 minute)
Coversong (Eric Dyer, 2 minutes)
I Am Your Grandma (Jillian Mayer, 1 minute)
Melt (Noemie LaFrance, 10 minutes)
The Observer (Abbey Luck, 5 minutes)
Plural (Dan Inglis, 5 minutes)

NARRATIVE SHORTS (37 minutes)
Bear (Nash Edgerton, 11 minutes)
Beau (Ari Aster, 6 minutes)
The Chair (Grainger David, 11 minutes)
Spark (Annie Silverstein, 9 minutes)

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SHORTS PROGRAMS DETAILS:
–All programs are comprised of titles that played within Maryland Film Festival 2012.
–Shorts programs begin each hour, on the hour, and run between 30 and 40 minutes apiece.
–Some programs will have one or more filmmaker present to answer questions.
–Some programs may contain material not appropriate for all ages.
–Program content may be subject to last-minute changes.
— ALL PROGRAMS ARE FREE TO ALL.

TONIGHT: For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism Presented by Director Gerald Peary

Published April 2, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM, Friends of the Festival, Gerald Peary

TONIGHT we will host a special screening of the documentary FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM, written and directed by Gerald Peary, a respected film writer for the Boston Phoenix.

Peary will introduce the film and will participate in a panel discussion afterwards.

Screening details:
Monday, April 2nd
7:00pm
MICA Brown Center
1300 W. Mt Royal Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21217

This screening is FREE for current Friends of the Festival!

Join Us For Our Next Film Trivia Happy Hour: April 18th, 5-8pm at The WindUp Space!!

Published March 30, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, The WindUp Space, Trivia Night Happy Hour

Join us for our second Maryland Film Festival Trivia Night Happy Hour on Wednesday, April 18th! Show off your film skills and compete for fun prizes! Trivia night is FREE and everyone is welcome.

TRIVIA QUESTION: NAME THAT FILM + DIRECTOR: email your answer to angie@mdfilmfest.com for a chance to win a prize at the next trivia night on 4/18!

Maryland Film Festival Trivia Night Happy Hour!
Wednesday, April 18th
5:00pm-8:00pm
Wind-Up Space
12 W. North Avenue
Baltimore, MD

Trivia questions will be engaging enough for beginners but challenging to even those diehard film fanatics. So dust off your stores of obscure and common movie knowledges, bring your friends, and have a blast! What better way to show everyone what a film aficionado you are? Add in drinks and prizes, and you’ve got a crazy fun evening on your hands!

There will be drink specials for current Friends of the Festival, the exclusive membership organization of the Maryland Film Festival. Friends of the Festival enjoy VIP ticketing at the Maryland Film Festival and FREE admission to dozens of screening opportunities throughout the year. Want to find out more? Join us for the Friends of the Festival Meet & Greet from 5-6pm and find out all the reasons you will want to be a part of the Friends of the Festival in 2012.

Trivia Night Schedule:
5-6pm: Friends of the Festival Meet & Greet – drink specials for current Friends of the Festival!
6pm: Trivia Registration opens. Players can compete alone or in teams of up to 6 people. Going solo? We can link you up with a team once you get here.
6:30pm: Trivia begins
8:00pm: Awards Ceremony

* Meet other FOFs!
* Fun games!
* Drink specials for FOFs!
* Win prizes!
* Fun Film facts!

Questions? Contact Angie Young, membership director, at angie@mdfilmfest.com.

FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM Documentary Screening + Q&A with Director Gerald Peary

Published March 26, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, A.O Scott, FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM, Free Screening, Friends of the Festival, Gerald Peary, Harry Knowles, Karina Longworth, Kenneth Turan, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Patricia Clarkson, Pauline Kael-Andrew Sarris

On Monday, April 2nd, we will host a special screening of the documentary FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM, written and directed by Gerald Peary, a respected film writer for the Boston Phoenix.

Peary will introduce the film and will participate in a panel discussion afterwards.

Screening details:
Monday, April 2nd
7:00pm
MICA Brown Center
1300 W. Mt Royal Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21217

This screening is FREE for current Friends of the Festival! RSVP to Angie Young angie@mdfilmfest.com to reserve a seat. Click here for Facebook invite.

FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM premiered at SXSW 2009 and offers an insider’s view of the critics’ profession, with commentary from America’s best-regarded reviewers, Roger Ebert (The Chicago Sun-Times), A.O. Scott (The New York Times), Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly), Kenneth Turan (The Los Angeles Times). We also hear from young, articulate, Internet voices, including Harry Knowles (ainitcoolnews.com) and Karina Longworth (spout.com). Their stories are entertaining, humorous, and personal. Those who hear them may gain new respect for the film critic profession, knowing the faces and voices, and also the history. From the raw beginnings of criticism before The Birth of a Nation to the incendiary Pauline Kael-Andrew Sarris debates of the 1960s and 70s to the battle today between youthful on-liners and the print establishment, this documentary tells all. With narration by Patricia Clarkson.

Open Call for the Netflix Series “HOUSE OF CARDS”!!!

Published March 23, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, Casting Call, House of Cards

CENTRAL CASTING is looking for UNION AND NON UNION EXTRAS for the original NETFLIX series HOUSE OF CARDS. The series is shooting in Baltimore and DC beginning mid April 2012. In addition to extras, you may also be considered for recurring or featured roles.

OPEN CALL
SATURDAY MARCH 24th
STEVENSON UNIVERSTY
Inscape Theater
10am-3pm
1525 GREENSPRING VALLEY RD
STEVENSON, MD 21153

We are looking for the following:

HILL STAFFERS, AIDES, REPORTERS

21-34 yr old, ALL ETHNICITIES, MALE AND FEMALE

POLITICIANS, LOBBYISTS, REPORTERS

40-60 yr old, ALL ETHNICITIES, MALE AND FEMALE

ELEGANT WASHINGTON TYPES

40-60 yr old, ALL ETHNICITIES, MALE AND FEMALE

BUSINESS ATTIRE IS REQUIRED FOR THE CALL. WE WILL TAKE YOUR PHOTO AT THE AUDITION AND PROVIDE A SIZE/INFO SHEET FOR YOU TO FILL OUT.

IF you are UNABLE to attend and have NOT yet submitted, please email CCSubmissions01@gmail.com.

Include a JPEG photo labeled with both your name and phone number and in the body of the email INCLUDE ALL YOUR SIZES along with height and weight.

WE strongly suggest you attend the open call EVEN if you have previously submitted your information.

Film Trivia Night Happy Hour TOMORROW from 5-8pm at the Wind-Up Space!

Published March 20, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, Film Trivia Night Happy Hour, Friends of the Festival

What happens at the MFF Film Trivia Night Happy Hour stays at the MFF Film Trivia Night Happy Hour. (Photo still from PLANET OF THE APES)

Are you a movie fanatic looking for a great way to spend Wednesday night? Join us for our first-ever Maryland Film Festival Trivia Night Happy Hour on Wednesday, March 21st! Show off your film skills and compete for fun prizes! Trivia night is FREE and everyone is welcome.

Maryland Film Festival Trivia Night Happy Hour!
Wednesday, March 21st
5:00pm-8:00pm
Wind-Up Space
12 W. North Avenue
Baltimore, MD

There will be drink specials for current Friends of the Festival, the exclusive membership organization of the Maryland Film Festival. Friends of the Festival enjoy VIP ticketing at the Maryland Film Festival and FREE admission to dozens of screening opportunities throughout the year. Want to find out more? Join us for the Friends of the Festival Meet & Greet from 5-6pm and find out all the reasons you will want to be a part of the Friends of the Festival in 2012.

Trivia Night Schedule:
5-6pm: Friends of the Festival Meet & Greet – drink specials for current Friends of the Festival! Check in at the MFF table.
6pm: Trivia Registration opens. Players can compete alone or in teams of up to 6 people. Going solo? We can link you up with a team once you get here.
6:30pm: Trivia begins. The amazing Rahne Alexander (MFF Director of Operations) emcees.
7:45pm: Awards Ceremony

* Meet other FOFs!
* Fun games!
* Drink specials for FOFs!
* Win prizes!
* Fun Film facts!

Questions? Contact Angie Young, membership director, at angie@mdfilmfest.com.

The Johns Hopkins Film Society Presents the 16th annual Johns Hopkins Film Festival, April 6-8th!

Published March 15, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, 8 ½, Charles Laughton, Federico Fellini, Ghostbusters, Hopkins Film Fest, Hopkins Film Society, Ivan Reitman, Night of the Hunter

The Hopkins Film Fest is an annual film festival sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Film Society, held in Shriver Hall on the Johns Hopkins University campus. As in years past, the festival will highlight exceptional films from independent, international, and student filmmakers along with feature presentations of important, influential films.

This year’s festival theme is “Film’s Not Dead,” a declaration of how film as a medium and method of artistic expression is alive and well. New studio regulations are forcing celluloid film projectors out of many movie theatres this year to make way for digital projection, a tragic change that we wish to highlight at this festival. We hope to celebrate and honor film, in both the content and the presentation of our films. We will be showing several films on 35mm on the third largest screen in Maryland for a grand display of the beauty film has that cannot be replicated digitally.

Our feature-length presentations will include Charles Laughton’s Night of the Hunter (1955), Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ (1963), and Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters (1984). This is an opportunity to see these three films beautifully projected on 35mm print, an opportunity that is already rare and becoming rarer. And where else but JHU’s Film Fest would you be able to catch a study of good and evil through a classic mystery-suspense about a vengeful psychopathic preacher, the finest masterpiece from the master of the fantastical, and the most expensive and marshmallowy comedy to date at its release?

For the first time this year, Film Society is proud to present a special guest screening, hosted by Wham City members Dan Deacon and Jimmy Joe Roche Saturday night.

In addition to these feature presentations, there will be multiple series of short programs which will include films from around the world as well as local student work.

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)

Admission is free for JHU students and affiliates with proper I.D. For the public, screening passes are $5. Day passes are $10. Festival passes are $20. All tickets can be bought at any show and are valid for the entirety of Film Fest 2012.

For more information and a complete schedule of films shown, please visit the Hopkins Film Fest website.

Tentative schedule of feature films:

Friday 4/6

7:30pm 8 1/2

Saturday 4/7

7:00pm Night of the Hunter

9:30pm Special Screening hosted by Dan Deacon and Jimmy Joe Roche

Sunday 4/8

2:00pm Ghostbusters

MFF Director of Programming Eric Allen Hatch Reports from South by Southwest 2012

Published March 13, 2012 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: 2012, Austin, Gayby, Joe Swanberg, Jonathan Lisecki, Judd Apatow, Lena Dunham, South By Southwest, Tiny Furniture, TX, V/H/S

The Next Generation of Horror? MFF alum Joe Swanberg (second from right) and a slew of directors/producers unleash the omnibus horror film V/H/S.

Greetings from Austin, Texas, and 2012’s particularly strong SXSW Film Conference!

Each year Maryland Film Festival’s programming process is bookended by visits to two other major festivals—Toronto International Film Festival in September, which specializes in world cinema, and SXSW in March, which specializes in American independent films (both narrative and documentary). SXSW comes at a crucial time in our programming process, as we’ll be making all our MFF 2012 programming decisions in the next two weeks and rolling out our own line-up over the first 2 weeks of April.

Thus far I’ve seen a lucky 13 films in 4 days, and, remarkably, enjoyed them all to one degree or another. The number of MFF alums here to present work and/or take place in panels is particularly exciting. Yesterday saw the world-premiere of, among so many others, the first three episodes of TINY FURNITURE director Lena Dunham’s new HBO series GIRLS (presented by Dunham alongside producer Judd Apatow), and Jonathan Lisecki’s re-imagining of his earlier short GAYBY (which played MFF 2010 and returned for Artscape) into a generously warm, hilarious feature of the same name.

The Paramount and The Stateside, Congress Street, Austin.

The atmosphere here shares aspects with MFF: many of the venues are in walking distance, the weather is usually mild and gorgeous (if marred by a few aberrant cold and windy days at the outset this year), and the theaters are crammed with visiting filmmakers. I feel like I’ve made some real discoveries even in these first few days, and look forward to bringing some of the gems back to Baltimore May 3-6.

While the SXSW film conference runs through this weekend (overlapping with the even-more-famous music festival), each feature will have screened at least once today, culminating in the film awards announcements tonight. Keep an eye on our blog; I’ll report back on the awards tomorrow!

–Eric Allen Hatch, Director of Programming

Maryland Film Festival Blog