Spring 2008

V-14 Top Picks for Flicks & Facts

Green Mountain Film Festival

Each year the Green Mountain Film Festival commissions a Vermont-based illustrator to create an icon for the festival. Then, one of the state's talented graphic artists composes the final image used for the Festival's promotional posters and program covers. For 2008, the Festival's illustrator is Thea Alvin and the graphic illustrator is Montpelier-based RevenMark, Inc.

From Cinema Verité to Cartoon Documentaries, these Vermont events and venues deliver cinema culture extraordinaire.

  1. March (14 - 23, 2008) Women's Film Festival,  Brattleboro, VT
    A benefit for the Women's Crisis Center in Brattleboro. For info: call (802) 254-9193 or visit www.womensfilmfestival.org/.
  2. March 21-30 Green Mountain Film Festival (GMFF), Montpelier, VT
    A ten-day, independently run international film festival. For info, call (802) 262-3423 or visit: www.greenmountainfilmfestival.org/.
  3. April (Dates TBD) White River Indie Films WRIF, White River Junction, VT
    White River Indie Films is an educational non-profit dedicated to engaging the public in current political and social issues and to supporting the visual arts through film. For more info, call (802) 738-5550 or visit www.wrif.org/.
  4. September (5 – 7, 2008): First Annual Vermont Samurai Kaiju Film Festival, Brattleboro, VT
    Kaiju is the genre of 'mysterious beasts' such as Godzilla movies. Films will all be in Japanese. For info, call Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (802) 257-7898 or visit www.asianculturalcentervt.org/.
  5. October (DATES TBD) Vermont International Film Festival (VTIFF), Burlington, VT
    The 16th four-day VTIFF will present documentary films and video, and juried awards in three categories: "War and Peace," "Human Rights" and "The Environment." For info, call (802) 660–2600 or visit www.vtiff.org/. 
  6. December: FiveTown Massive, Bristol, VT
    A week-long film and music festival exhibiting independent and personal media. For info, write to Five Town Massive, PO BOX 306, Bristol, VT05443 or visit www.fivetownmassive.com/.
  7. January: Mountain Top Film Festival, Waitsfield, VT
    A five-day human rights film festival. For more info, call (802) 496-8994 or visit www.mountaintopfilmfestival.com/.
  8. Key Sunday Cinema Club, Burlington, VT
    On select Sundays, the Burlington members of the national KSCC, preview fine art films prior to general release into theatres. Members don't know what the films called, or what they are about until they arrive for the morning screening. The KSCC is held at Merrill's Roxy theater in Burlington and moderated by Kenneth Peck. For info call (888) 467-0404 or visit www.keysundaycinemaclub.com/.

    9. Annual Film Series

  9. September through May
    Hirschfield International Film-Video Series 2007-08, Middlebury, VT
    Films from Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Iraq and India among other countries are presented twice on Saturdays, at 3 P.M. and at 8 P.M., in Middlebury College's Dana Auditorium on College Street. Admission is Free. For info, call (802) 443-3190  or visit www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/majors/filmvid/hirschfield/.
  10. June through August
    International Film Festival, Middlebury, VT
    Running for nine consecutive Saturdays starting in June, each film representing one of the Language Schools languages including Arabic and Russian. Films have English subtitles. Showings are at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays in Middlebury College's Dana Auditorium on College Street.  Admission is free and open to the public. For info, call (802) 443-5483 or visit www.middlebury.edu/academics/ls/resources/film/.
  11. October through March Annual Bennington Museum Vermont Film Series, Bennington, VT
    All films start at 7p.m. in the Ada Paresky Education Center of the Bennington Museum. Admission is $5. Spring 2008 lineup includes a Student Film Night (February 1). For info, call (802) 442-8305 or visit www.benningtonmuseum.org/.
  12. Nightly Fix Art Films
    • St. Johnsbury, VT
      Catamount Arts: Film series has nightly show times at 7:00 p.m. with a second screening on Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. Sunday matinees run November through April at 1:30 p.m.  For printed schedules of upcoming films and more info, call (802) 748-2600 or visit http://catamountarts.org/v1/.
    • Waitsfield, VT
      Home to the MountainTop Film Festival, the Big Picture Theater & Cafe, shows films, offers tapas, and Thursdays are Sushi Night. For info, call (802) 496-8994 or visit www.bigpicturetheater.info/.
    • Montpelier, VT
      The Savoy Theater and Downstairs Video is one of two screening venues for the Green Mountain Film Festival. Upstairs, a classic one-screen theater rolls arthouse films daily. Downstairs, a video rental store, offers an unusually large selection of independent movies, quality children's films, and diverse foreign film titles and documentaries. For information, call (802) 229-0598 or visit  www.savoytheater.com/.
    • Brattleboro, VT
      Latchis Hotel and Theater shows art and commercial films 52 weeks per year. The Latchis Theatre and Latchis Hotel built in 1938 are listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Live events will include filmmaker presentations. For example, Ken Burns, the award-winning documentarian appeared in a free event to discuss his gleenings from producing the PBS series, The War. For movie info call (802) 246-1500; for live event info call (802) 254-1109 or visit www.latchis.com/.
  13. Center For Cartoon Studies, White River Junction, VT
    Center for Cartoon Studies, White River Junction. Holds workshops and lectures that are open to the public, for example, this past October, Garry Trudeau, creator of the Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoon Doonesbury, made a rare public appearance which included workshops with CCS students, a web-based auction of a signed original Doonesbury, and a public lecture. To book a tour of CCS or for more info call (802) 295-3319 or visit www.cartoonstudies.org/.
  14. A Library Near You
    Check out the monthly event schedules of your local library; many frequently include screenings of classic films, documentaries, Vermont filmmaker series and other well-considered film events. For a list of Vermont libraries: go to www.publiclibraries.com/vermont.htm, or http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/Public_VT.html.