A man on an obsessive mission, a painter haunted by tragedy, Vermonters grappling with one of society’s most divisive issues. These topics are all are part of the Granfilm Festival, a one-night only celebration of Vermont filmmaking at the Corner School Resource Center of Granville, (CSRC) on Sunday, October 12, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Over the past year, CSRC has been sponsoring free community movie nights and filmmaking workshops in its renovated one-room schoolhouse. “Featuring films by Vermont filmmakers seemed like a logical next step,” said board president Roger Stauss.
In lengths from five to 22 minutes, the films show a dynamic range in both approach and style, from Kate Stryker’s and Lucas Millard’s “Bananas,” which tracks the quirky cultural phenomenon of growing tropical trees in frigid Beacon, NY, to Kate Youngdahl’s “Alien Intelligence,” with its underwater ocean images and exploration of the consciousness of manta rays.
Three-time Emmy winner Rob Gardner, whose career spans 50 films and 50 years, has provided a tale of a quest for a legendary object. Shot on location in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Israel, “Search for the Lost Ark” profiles a British investigative reporter who believes that he has solved the mystery in the Bible: the location of the Ark of the Covenant.
Willow O’Feral, named as one of “40 Under 40” filmmakers-to-watch at the NYC DOC film festival, and co-director and cinematographer, Brad Heck, bring “Artifacts of the Present.” A glimpse into the world of printmaker Brian D. Cohen, it illuminates the passions of a craftsman at the end of his career.
“Feed Them” – the shortest piece in the program – packs a punch. The only film that is dramatic rather than documentary, it follows an artist, played by Monica Callan, as she comes to terms with an old but enduring grief over the death of a child. Directed and edited by Melissa Kosmaczewski, it was co-written with Keryn Nightingale who also appears on screen.
Chris Spencer will show an excerpt from his soon-to-be-released, “Unintended: When Private Becomes Public.” Shot over the course of five years, it covers the road to amending the Vermont constitution in support of bodily autonomy, the first state in the nation to do so.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Films start at 7 p.m. There will be an intermission, snacks, and an opportunity to talk to the filmmakers. Free and open to all ages. The Corner School is located at 75 Post Office Road in Granville. For more information, visit cornerschoolvt.org.
Dawn Kearan, Monica Callan, and Keryn Nightengale contemplate a painting and grief in “Feed Them.” Photo courtesy of Kate Youngdahl.
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