By Susan Green
This year the Athens International Film and Video Festival celebrates its 30th birthday.
Since its inception the Festival, known for its commitment to the independent, community and alternative media arts in southeast Ohio, has screened 6,754 films and videos and brought 364 guest artists to Athens. Over the years a corps of 1,300 dedicated student and community volunteers have made the Festival a reality for the more than 21,000 people who have attended.
Beginning April 24 and running through May 1, the 30th annual Festival will feature more than twelve international feature films and dozens of documentaries, short subjects and experimental films along with appearances and presentations by guest artists.
Among the feature films being screened during the Festival are: Roman Polanski's Academy-Award winning film "The Pianist," featuring Adrian Brody in his Oscar-winning role; Pedro Almodovar's "Talk to Her;" "The Quiet American," with Michael Caine; "Bend It Like Beckham," a coming of age story about an 18-year-old Indian soccer player who bends the rules to reach her goal of playing professional sports; "Ten," an Iranian film by Abbas Kiarostami; "City of God," from Brazil and "Karmen Gei" from Senegal. "Russian Ark," a feature film that covers the history of Russia in one single-take -- the longest single shot in the history of cinema -- and "Lost in La Mancha," an on-the-scene look at the collapse and failure of Terry Gilliam's film version of Don Quixote, round out the feature selections.
New short and documentary competition films from around the world give audiences a rare opportunity to see work by emerging and non-commercial film artists. This year, competition videos will be shown, free of charge, continuously throughout the day in the 1954 Lounge in Baker University Center.
"We received around 350 entries this year," said Ruth Bradley who has served as Festival director for 16 years. "And they run the gamut from serious and challenging documentaries to really fun short comedies."
"The Festival continues to be a wonderful event that is possible because of the generous support we receive from the community, the Ohio Arts Council and, this year, from the National Endowment for the Arts."
Among the guest artists attending the Festival are legendary experimental and special effects expert Pat O'Neill, who is screening his latest feature film, "The Decay of Fiction," New York feminist filmmaker Su Friedrich is presenting "The Odds of Recovery," and Tom Hansell, a documentarian from Appalshop, an arts center in eastern Kentucky is screening his latest work, "Coal Bucket Outlaw." Ohio filmmakers Robert Banks and Jeffrey Wray will screen new work celebrating African American culture.
Ticket Information:
Screenings will be in Baker University Center, Athena Cinema and The Ridges Auditorium.
Single ticket admission for films at the Athena Cinema is $5.50. Presentations at The Ridges are $3.00. Screenings at Baker University Center are free. A five-film pass for $25 is available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office in Kantner Hall beginning April 15 and at the Athena Cinema. Programs are available the week before the Festival begins. For complete ticket information contact the Athens Center for Film and Video, (740) 593-1330.
The first floor of the Athena Cinema and The Ridges Auditorium are wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices for hearing impaired individuals are available at The Ridges Auditorium. Hearing impaired individuals within Ohio using TTY or TTD can call 1-800-750-0750 for Festival details.
A complete Festival schedule is available at www.athensfest.org.
Susan Green is a writer with University Communications and Marketing.
