Impressive turnout to the new season of BIFF Year ‘Round. Remember that Wednesday night films are being screened at Bushel and Peck’s Local Market for the next few weeks while the sound system is being repaired at the Hendricks Center. Great opportunity to make it a “dinner and a movie” night out. Jackie and the staff at Bushels are excited to serve you.

In case dinner isn’t on the schedule, BIFF Year ‘Round continues to offer coffee and dessert before each film. This year’s new DESSERT SPONSOR is ????????

See the October schedule below.

New Executive Director Brings Lady Luck to Beloit

“Yes,” Marty Densch, BIFF executive director, has announced “she will be back and she is planning to blow on your dice on Saturday, Oct. 27 at the annual Reel Deal Casino Night in the Red Carpet Casino of the Beloit Public Library.” This is the third annual event where the big winners are The Beloit International Film Festival and The Beloit Public library.

“And this year, Beloit’s elegant and exciting, foremost, established, permanent, floating gambling night in Beloit is emerging out of the back room into the heart of the Beloit Public Library.”

Beloit Public Library Director Nick Dimassis promises that “from the moment you enter, professional dealers and croupiers will be ready to give you an even chance at breaking the bank while you enjoy the dance floor, buffet, silent auction and cash bar. The evening will offer an opportunity to play favorite games of chance with BIFF and BPL Bucks and prizes will go to top winners.”

The lounge show will feature music for dancing to Eddie B Jazz, with prizes for outstanding achievement in “Dancing the Night Away.”

The fun starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $40 per person or $75 per couple which includes your first fistful of BIFF/BPL Bucks. For more Information and to buy tickets go to beloitfilmfest.org or call 608-312-4256.

The Creator Returns!

BIFF is pleased to announce that Kristin Peterson, creator of the Wisconsin/Illinois Showdown, will be returning as the director of the program for BIFF 2019! The Showdown has been a popular component of the festival since 2014, bringing scores of area filmmakers to Beloit to celebrate the outstanding indie films that are produced in our own back yard. Kristin, a graduate of UW Milwaukee with a degree in documentary journalism, left BIFF to pursue a career in filmmaking and has had a great deal of success to date. As BIFF continues to retool with a new administrative staff, Kristin was approached as a possible source for breathing new life into the program she invented. We were thrilled to learn that she is currently between projects and will have time to devote to adding value to this already high-functioning part of the festival. When asked for some bio comments, Kristin offered: “I’m 5’7, a Libra with Capricorn rising and a welter-weight that bench presses 270 lbs.” Now that’s the Kristin we know and love! We are so excited to have her back on the BIFF team!

And here’s the October lineup for BIFF Year ‘Round

October at BIFF Year ‘Round offers five films as well as the opportunity to talk with many of the filmmakers and to vote on the films you want to see included in the BIFF offerings in February. The month opens with something unusual for BYR— a suspenseful silent.

October 3…THE LODGER…Alfred Hitchcock’s first suspense film, a silent film, and the first of his works in which he appears. A Jack-The-Ripper sort of tale, this picture is being considered for the 2019 BIFF Silent Film Showcase. Attendees will have the opportunity to rate this selection. (Narrative, Suspense, PG13, 68 minutes)

October 10…THE GUARDIANS…When Rudy and Rennie North retired in Las Vegas, the couple looked forward to their golden years in their own home. They didn’t expect a state-appointed guardian to control their life savings and separate them from their daughter. Kidnapped from their home and drugged, they immediately lost their freedom to a stranger. (Documentary, PG13, 104 minutes)

October 17…LUBA…Luba is a single mom who’s been treading water since her six-year old son was born. When her ex-husband relapses and threatens to engulf her small family in turmoil, Luba is thrust into a fight for survival. (Narrative, Drama, PG13, 87 minutes)

October 24…CHI-TOWN…An underdog basketball player from Chicago goes on a meteoric rise to become one of the best college point guards in the nation. But while he pursues dreams of the NBA, his success contrasts with the effects of gun violence on his friends back home. (Documentary, PG13, 82 minutes)

October 31…THE CHAIN…When Mike finds out that he has the same neurological disease as his father, he decides to enter a chain of assisted suicides, which operates under one rule: if you want to die, you must kill someone first. (Narrative, Suspense, R, 101 minutes)

We Want You

Remember, BIFF invites you to suggest independent films for consideration. If you have seen a film or heard about something you think should be considered, please get in touch with, Greg Gerard (greg@beloitfilmfest.org) or Marty Densch (mdensch@me.com ). BIFF is always looking for new sources.

See You at the Movies!
~Greg Gerard
BIFF Program Director