Highlights of the 4th Annual Port Townsend Film Festival

As they say in the trade, the fourth annual Port Townsend Film Festival is a "wrap." Some of the memorable moments:

• MDM/TCM Announcement

  Of major interest to Port Townsend festival-goers was the opening night announcement that Millennium Digital Media (MDM), the local cable television provider, is bringing Turner Classic Movies (TCM) back into its line-up in late October. A considerable stir was caused among television movie watchers in early summer when MDM discontinued the popular movie channel, hosted by Robert Osborne, who, along with TCM, has been a long-time supporter of the Port Townsend Film Festival. Audiences cheered when the announcement was made simultaneously at each venue. (Note to festival-goers: an email of thanks for their reuniting and for each company's support of the film festival would be appreciated: Mary Meier at MDM [mmeier@mdm.net] and Tom Karsch at TCM [tom.karsch@turner.com].)

• Awards

  For the first time, the Port Townsend Film Festival issued awards. John O'Brien's sweet-natured feature film about suburban dwellers who move to rural Vermont, Nosey Parker, was named best feature film. Best documentary was Paul Devlin's Power Trip, the chaotic story of an American utility company that buys the state-owned utility company in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and attempts to turn it from a socialist operation into a capitalist enterprise. The best short subject prize was awarded to the 16-minute Brazilian Zagati, an exploration of how the art of cinema creates great men, by directors Edu Felistoque and Nereu Cerdeira. And the unofficially-declared "audience favorite" was the international production, Corazon de fuego (The Last Train) by director Diego Arsuaga.

• Music on Taylor Street

  People who attend the Port Townsend Film Festival often remark how much fun standing in line is. No kidding. They get to talk to people about movies, run into friends they haven't seen for a while, or meet new people with a weekend in common. For less gregarious souls, a diverse line-up of musicians was available on Taylor Street this year to add to the block party ambiance of the festival. Show tunes and movie themes were interspersed with a clarinet quartet, an Afro-Caribbean drum ensemble, a seven-piece string band, lively Zimbabwean music, ariel style bas, acoustic groove, a sax quartet, country blues and ragtime, and a 19-member swing band to close on Sunday before the last outdoor movie.

• Second Annual Film 2880

  2880, as it has become known, exists to challenge the resourcefulness and creativity of local and international filmmakers, film students, and anyone crazy enough to sign up to make a film in 2880 minutes, or 48 hours. Thirty-five films from Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, and the States were made by teams who wrote, shot, and edited a 5- to 10-minute short film given only a theme (passion), a prop (strainer), and a line of dialogue ("That bug's on a suicide mission.") The top three winners were: 1st Place: Gondor's Cup, by Johnny Broderson, 2nd Place: Die Bugs! Die!!!, by Raffaele Riconosciuto, 3rd Place: Going, Going, Gahan, by Johnny Seattle. For a listing of the top ten winners, log on to http://www.film2880.com/.

• The Adventures of Priscilla and two former Port Townsend mayors

  Laid-back Port Townsend loves a reason to dress up, particularly in costume, and its citizens had another opportunity Saturday night at the Almost-Midnight movie, the 1994 Australian camp classic, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Several dozen men (and women) arrived in drag, including former mayors Brent Shirley and John Clise. (And, yes, they would have done it if they were still in office!) It was indeed a campy night on the desert-by-the-sea.

• The review in the Seattle Times (Sept. 30, 2003)

  The Times' movie critic, Moira Macdonald, has long been a friend of PTFF and she extended her friendship with a smashing review. Her opening paragraph reads: "Last Saturday, after dark but with a gentle warmth still in the air, you could stand at the top of the historic outdoor staircase above downtown, look down at a massive movie screen on Tyler (Taylor) street, and see the flawless upturned faces of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in "Roman Holiday," as high as a building and as clear as the star-flecked sky. If movie moments come any better than this -- well, bring them on. " And it goes on from there.

• The appearance of Peter Fonda, Verna Bloom, and Shirley Knight and the largest number of filmmakers ever assembled at this festival

  Quoting Macdonald's article in the Seattle Times: " . . . Fonda gave a spirited introduction to a screening of his trademark 1969 film, Easy Rider, . . .. 'We were totally unaware that the bike would become an icon . . . that I would become an icon,' he said, still sounding genuinely amazed." For his discussion of The Hired Hand on Friday night, he was joined by co-star and a surprise appearance by Richard Bruno, the film's costume designer.

  The festival's guest of honor, Shirley Knight, screened her rarely-seen 1966 film, Dutchman, in which she plays an "apple-chomping siren who taunts a young black man in a subway car. " Macdonald, in her Times review, continued "'Wasn't that woman scary?" Knight asked the audience, confessing that she hadn't sen the film in a while, and that she couldn't eat apples for two years after making it."

  John O'Brien, director of the winning feature, Nosey Parker, graciously accepted his honor before the closing night film. Sundance Channel's forthcoming theatrical feature, Dopamine, brought producer Eric Koivisto, director Mark Decena, and star John Livingston to discuss their first feature.

  Other feature and documentary filmmakers in attendance included: producer Richard Baumgartel, The Burial Society, from Canada; producer Brian McCormick, Sexless; Riley Morton, Found on Everest; director Laszlo Pal and his producer wife, Susan Pal, of Alone Against the Sea: The Dangers of Solo Sailing; director/producer Robert Lundahl, Unconquering the Last Frontier; director/writer/producer, dirctor/writer/producer Teddy Grouya of Why Vivaldi?; Randy Nargi, director of G-Sale; Brian Burroughs brought two improvizational documentaries, Suckerfish and Security, director/producer/writer Scott Macklin, Tribal Journey: Celebrating Our Ancestors. Makers of short film in attendance included Patricia O'Brian, director/ producer/ editor of Toxic Gardens; Ian Hinkle, director/producer/cinematographer of The Living Coast; Lucy Ostrander, director/producer of The Red Pines; Gina Mainwal, director/writer/producer of Signed, Stamped, Dated: The Story of the Typing Explosion; Jane Champion, director/producer/editor of Just a Little Scared; Mark Hager, director/writer, The Field; Ross Williams, eRATicate; Vance Malone, director/editor of Ocularist. The filmmaker coming the farthest was director Shane Conaty who traveled from Ireland to attend the world premiere his 11-minute drama, Easy Street.