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BIFF TO PRESENT FILMS FOR THE DEAF
Posted – Feb. 11, 2012
In one of the first programs of its kind, the Beloit International Film Festival will present American Sign Language Films as part of the new BIFF for the Deaf program on BIFF Sunday, Feb. 19. Two family friendly films rated PG will feature actors using American Sign Language.
The films to be shown are The Legend of the Mountain Man and Gerald. Legend will be presented at noon and Gerald at 2:30 at the Beloit College Hendricks Art Center in downtown Beloit.
- Date: Sunday Feb. 19
- Location: Hendricks Art Center
- Film: Legend of the Mountain Man
- Time: Noon
- Tickets:
- Film: Gerald
- Time: 2:30 pm
- Tickets:
The Legend of the Mountain Man is a film for all ages, set in picturesque Montana. It is the story of a family coming to grips with a dysfunctional history through the children who go to spend the summer at their grandparent’s ranch.
They try to navigate the family’s past and reconcile some of the estranged family members. Their journey includes an unexpected encounter with a mountain creature nobody has seen before.
Gerald tells the story of the powerful and emotional journey of a young man yearning for kinship. One day he discovers that he has a deaf autistic grandfather that nobody has ever told him about.
He us committed to finding him and reconnecting as family ties and secrets unfold in a continuous twist of events.
The BIFF for the Deaf program is sponsored by the Southern Wisconsin Interpreting and Translation Service (SWITS) which provides sign language interpreters throughout the region.
“There is a sizeable population of deaf individuals in the Stateline area and a school for the deaf and hard of hearing in Delavan,”, “We are particularly appreciative of SWITS and its director and BIFF board member Saul Arteaga, who’s company provides ASL interpreters, for bringing the need for such a program to our attention and in helping to select the films. We hope to expand this program in future years.”
The 2012 Beloit International Film Festival is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with funding from Visit Beloit. It is supported and underwritten by many local businesses, organizations and individuals.
Gerald
Sunday: 2:30 pm – Hendricks Art Center
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Rating: PG
Produced By: ASL Films
This film is a journey of a young man, Corey, yearning for kinship until one day discovers he has a Deaf autistic grandfather he has never knew, Corey was determined to make connection regardless. The family ties and secrets unbeknownst to the young man have surfaced, and all the events suddenly unfold. A powerful, emotional and continuous twist of events that leads to shocking truth.
The Legend of the Mountain Man
Sunday: 12:00 pm – Hendricks Art Center
Genre: Family
Country: USA
Rating: PG
Director: Mark Wood
Produced By: ASL Films
The Legend of the Mountain Man is a film for all ages, set in picturesque Montana. It is the story of a family coming to grips with a dysfunctional history through the children who go to spend the summer at their grandparent’s ranch. They try to navigate the family’s past and reconcile some of the estranged family members. Their journey includes an unexpected encounter with a mountain creature nobody has seen before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsofRjZN7MM
Martian Child
Friday: 7:30 pm – Rotary River Center
Saturday: 5:00 pm – Hendricks Art Center
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Rating: PG
Runtime: 106 minutes
Director: Menno Meyjes
Produced By: New Line Cinema
Stars: Bobby Coleman (BIFF 2012 Honorary Chair), John Cusack, Amanda Peet
The story of a science-fiction writer (Played by John Cusack), recently widowed, considers whether to adopt a hyper-imaginative 6-year-old abandoned and socially rejected boy who says he’s really from Mars.
In attendance will be Martian Child star and BIFF 2012 Honorary Chair, Bobby Coleman.
What’s the nature of being a parent and of being a child? David is a widower grieving for two years. He writes science fiction and was considered weird as a boy. He meets Dennis, a foster child who claims to be on a mission from Mars, stays in a large box all day, fears sunlight, and wears a belt of flashlight batteries so he won’t float away. David takes the six-year-old home on a trial. His sister and his wife’s best friend offer support, but the guys are basically alone to figure this out. Dennis takes things, is expelled, and is coached by David in being normal. Will the court approve the adoption, and will Dennis stay? Can a man become a father and a child become a son?
The Last Song
Friday: 5:00 pm – Eclipse Center
Saturday: 7:30 pm – Rotary River Center
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Rating: PG
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: Julie Anne Robinson
Produced By: Walt Disney Studios
Stars: Bobby Coleman (BIFF 2012 Honorary Chair), Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, and Greg Kinnear
A story about family, first loves, second chances and the moments of life that lead you back home. It is a drama centered on a rebellious girl who is sent to a Southern beach town for the summer to stay with her father. Through their mutual love of music, the estranged duo learn to reconnect.
In attendance will be The Last Song star and BIFF 2012 Honorary Chair, Bobby Coleman.
Ronnie’s (Miley Cyrus) and her younger brother, Jonah’s, parents are divorced. They live with their mother until this summer they are sent to live with their father (Greg Kinnear) in a small town on the beach. Ronnie resents her father and has no intention of being friendly or even talking to him for the summer. But after meeting a handsome guy and beginning to fall in love, Ronnie starts rediscovering her love for music, something she shares with her father. Reconnecting with music revives a kinship with her father which proves to be the most important relationship she may ever experience.
Machine Gun Preacher
Friday: 5:00 pm – Luxury 10 Theater
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Rating: R
Runtime: 129 minutes
Director: Marc Forster
Producer: Robbie Brenner
Stars:Gerard Butler, Michelle Monoghan, Michael Shannon
Starring Gerard Butler, this is the inspirational true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler, who was last seen in the internationally acclaimed action blockbuster 300, delivers a searing performance as Childers, the impassioned founder of the Angels of East Africa rescue organization. The moving story of violence, sale and purchase AR-15 magazines, rifles, pistols, and redemption is directed by Marc Forster whose credits include Monster’s Ball and Finding Neverland.
On hand to introduce the film will be MPower president and producer John Shepherd.
When ex-biker-gang member Sam Childers makes the life-changing decision to go to East Africa to help repair homes destroyed by civil war, he is outraged by the unspeakable horrors faced by the region’s vulnerable populace, especially the children. He leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children, restoring peace to their lives – and eventually his own.
Butler solidified his leading-man status when he starred as the bold and heroic King Leonidas in Zack Snyder’s 300. He has a highly anticipated film being released this fall, Coriolanus, co starring and directed by Ralph Fiennes. Butler gave voice to the leader of the Vikings, Chief Stoick, in the Oscar®-nominated animated film How to Train Your Dragon.
Machine Gun Preacher also stars Michelle Monaghan (Due Date), Kathy Baker (Cold Mountain), Madeline Carroll (Mr. Popper’s Penguins), Academy Award® nominated Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) and Souleymane Sy Savane (“Damages”).
“It is exciting to welcome films of this quality and character to BIFF,”, “This moving story required a special venue to show it in all its power so we have engaged one of the theatres at Luxury 10 Cinema for this single showing.”
The 2012 Beloit International Film Festival is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with funding from Visit Beloit. It is supported and underwritten by many local businesses, organizations and individuals.
Beloit Tweens Become Movie Critics
Posted – Feb. 5, 2012
Beloit International Film Festival offers 5th graders the chance to learn the art of movie critiquing.
BIFF, in partnership with Kid’s First, is presenting film-critiquing workshops with area 5th grade students. They will be held Tuesday, February 14th and Wednesday, February 15th at the Eclipse Center in Beloit. This program teaches students about reviewing films in an effort to develop more educated and discerning film viewers in area youth. Students also have the opportunity to win prizes and give their critiques for the films they are shown. BIFF’s goal is to enhance the students’ enjoyment and understanding of film media and give them a skill they can continue to develop and enjoy the rest of their film viewing lives.
“This year we’re adding a new segment to Kids @ BIFF which we’re very excited about,”, “An activity will be conducted in the fifth grade classrooms prior to the program to give students a chance to become comfortable with the elements of critiquing and watching short films.”
The day of the event, students will arrive at the Eclipse Center, the various facilitators, trained by Kids First; begin by reviewing the major components of a film. Topics such as character development, sets, music, costumes and much more are discussed to help prepare the students for their reviews. Also, the importance of why films are reviewed and how film makers use the information is covered.
Students then watch a selection of short films that provide a variety of styles and content so students can see how the different components are used to make a film. The films are most likely productions the students will not have seen before. After the viewing is completed, the students pick the film they want to review most and complete a worksheet review. After the reviews are finished, there will be discussion about the films and group participation activities to allow the students to interact and share their reviews with others.
The Beloit International Film Festival is made possible by The Hendricks Group and presented in association with Beloit College and with a generous grant from Visit Beloit.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Melissa Hawks, Director of Educational Programming at BIFF, 630-631-3159, melissa@beloitfilmfest.org
Harold Lloyd 1927 Silent Film Classic with BJSO
Posted – Feb. 5, 2012
The Beloit International Film Festival signature event, the perennially sold-out M&I Bank and M&I Wealth Management Silent Film Showcase will once again demonstrate the staying power of film on Saturday of BIFF Week, Feb.18 at the Eclipse Center in Beloit. This year’s feature, accompanied by the Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Robert Tomaro, will be the 1927 Harold Lloyd film classic, The Kid Brother.
- Date: Saturday, February 18th, 2012
- Time: 6 pm – Pre-event reception / silent auction, 7:30 pm – Film Start
- Location: Eclipse Center (Center Court)
- Price: $25 for all ages plus tax and service fees online
Harold Lloyd will be seen in his familiar dark rimmed glasses as he fights for the respect and attention of his father despite his two older brothers. The sympathetic boy-next-door type, a figure as winsome and approachable as Jimmy Stewart or Tom Hanks, Lloyd doesn’t have the muscles to match up to his brothers, so he has to use his wits to win the respect of his strong father and the love of beautiful Mary.
The Kid Brother was successful and popular upon release and today is considered by critics and fans to be one of Lloyd’s best films, integrating elements of comedy, romance, drama, and character development
A highlight of the annual Silent Film Showcase has been the performance of an original score for the film by the full Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra. Sold-out audiences have frequently included film festival executives from around the country on-hand to see how BIFF creates the program so they might duplicate it at their festivals. This year’s performance will be repeated in April with Maestro Tomaro on the podium at the Julian International Film Festival Dubuque.
The performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for a special pre-event reception and silent auction to benefit the Beloit Janesville Symphony. Bars will be open starting at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $25 per person and will be available on line at www.beloitfilmfest.org or from the Beloit Janesville Symphony.
The 2012 Beloit International Film Festival is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with funding from Visit Beloit. It is supported and underwritten by many local businesses, organizations and individuals.
BIFF Closing Party | North By Northwest to Replace Casablanca
Posted – Feb. 5, 2012
A film that always makes it onto the lists of favorites, most suspenseful, and best Hitchcock and Gregory Peck films, will provide a memorable closing film experience for this year’s 2012 Beloit International Film Festival.
- Date: Sunday Feb. 19, 2012
- Time: 2:30 pm
- Location: Eclipse Center
- Price: FREE
North by Northwest, the 1959 adventure of a hapless New York advertising executive mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies and with all the signature twists of an Alfred Hitchcock film, will be presented on the big screen at the Eclipse Center on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m. The free film will celebrate the start of a new annual BIFF event, The Beloit First National Bank and Trust Company BIFF Closing Party. The film is presented in affiliation with Turner Classic Movies and Charter Communications.
North by Northwest will replace Casablanca which was originally scheduled for that time slot but was withdrawn by distributors in anticipation of its upcoming 70th anniversary re-release.
The iconic film scenes of a crop duster pursuing Gregory Peck throug
h cornfields as the tension builds, and the final dramatic chase across the façade of Mt. Rushmore, have provided anxious moments for moviegoers for more than a half century. Eva Marie Saint joins Peck, James Mason and Martin Landau in this cross-country adventure that never seems to get old and leaves one wondering how many of today’s adventures will have this kind of staying power.
“Today the film is seldom seen on a big screen which is why we chose it from among a list of great classic films made available to us by Turner Classic Movies,”, “This will be a great treat both for fans and for a new generation that has yet to experience the music, acting and the script that won it three Oscar nominations and a place in the National Film Registry.”
This new addition to BIFF will permit the showing each year of a major classic motion picture in its original theatre format.
Tickets for this event are free of charge.
The 2012 Beloit International Film Festival is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with funding from Visit Beloit. It is supported and underwritten by many local businesses, organizations and individuals.
