Can you imagine anything much better for KSC film students than to have an international film festival right here in Keene? They’ll be able to see some of the planet’s best new film, volunteer and intern to get real-world experience in the business, and form relationships with industry professionals. And some of the festival will feature student films. The opportunity is golden, and it’s happening when the three-day Monadnock International Film Festival comes to Keene, and to campus, from April 4–6.
“It provides film majors more opportunities to stay [in Keene],” said festival board member Jaime Comtois. “The question is how you continue to attract and keep young people here to keep the local economy thriving. The answer is to bring the world here, with relevant arts programming.”
The festival will include seven feature films, short films, and documentaries, including the Academy Award-nominated War Witch; Sundance-acclaimed It Felt Like Love and Toy’s House; Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game; and Polluting Paradise, by Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. Ken Burns’ documentary Central Park Five, for which Burns will receive the juried Jonathan Daniels Award for a “socially-conscious film of great artistic merit,” will wrap up the festival. The films will be shown at the Colonial Theatre and in KSC’s Putnam Theater and Alumni Recital Hall in the Redfern. “These are films that celebrate the human spirit,” said festival director Laina Barakat. “They’re not obscure, but are accessible to most audiences. We want everyone to come away from seeing these films feeling like they’ve received something of value.”
The festival will also offer two panel discussions and three after parties. Panel guests include filmmakers Alex Mallis, Dayton Duncan, and Victoria Mudd (an Academy Award winner) and actors Allison Miller (Go On), William Sanderson (True Blood), and Matthew Gray Gubler, who plays the FBI behavioral analyst Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds.
You’ll find a schedule and other great info on the MonIFF website, and check out their Facebook page for discussions and up-to-the-minute news.