2015 Newsletters
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2015 newsletters December 15, 2015 November 30, 2015 November 23, 2015 October 29, 2015 October 15, 2015 September 9, 2015 August 25, 2015 August 11, 2015 July 28, 2015 July 6, 2015 July 2, 2015 June 10, 2015 June 3, 2015 May 27, 2015 May 20, 2015 April 30, 2015 January 30, 2015 January 1, 2015 December 15, 2015 Evolution Is Upon Us at PTFF! Who could imagine September without Keiko, our giant inflatable screen on Taylor Street? For 16 years PTFF has created magic in so many corners of our fair city. But technology is catching up with us. The Peter Simpson Free Cinema served up 1200 seats for film lovers at no charge again this year. The American Legion Theatre was filled to capacity night after night. But all of that could be changing. We need to upgrade our projection systems to allow for high definition images and state-of-the-art exhibition sound for our filmmakers. We hope you will consider a year end donation to make our transition possible in the 5 theatres PTFF builds from scratch to make your festival happen each September. Click HERE to visit our donation page. Enjoy this marvelous season of long nights–perfect for family and friends and film! Our offices will be closed for the holidays from Dec 24th until January 4th in the New Year. Make sure you return the films you’ve seen and stock up on films from the library before we close. Wishing you and your family a heartfelt Holiday Season full of everything important Janette Force, Executive Director for PTFF 211 Taylor Street, Suite 401A Port Townsend, WA 98368 360-379-1333/ Cell 360-774-1978 www.ptfilmfest.com November 30, 2015 First Tuesday Salon, Rose Theatre, Dec. 1, 7 p.m. Spotlight, with guest Scott Wilson (Watch the trailer HERE ) (From The Toronto Film Festival, christianitytoday.com) “My biggest fear going into Spotlight, a historical drama that reenacts the Boston Globe’s exposé of clergy sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, was that auteur Tom McCarthy would find some way—probably through lionizing the journalists—to recast this horrific chapter of our history into a feel-good story. In America, we don’t mind movies that ask us to pity victims. But we sure seem to hate anyone or anything that asks us to not feel quite so good about ourselves. I had nothing to worry about. If anything, Walter Robinson’s (Michael Keaton) biggest epiphany is a bit of a Schindler moment: Why didn’t I do more? As Robinson and his team of investigative reporters act as our surrogates, they don’t lead us into the temptation of self-righteous hindsight, nor do they deliver us from realizing that we’re complicit in our silence. Spotlight is a serious film, both artistically and morally, and it wrestles with explosive content while never feeling exploitative or self-aggrandizing.” (For a professional review of Spotlight see: THIS) Join us for a conversation with local editor Scott Wilson. He’ll discuss challenges newspapers face with increased pressure for in-depth coverage of events, while newsrooms’ budgets shrink. Your membership to PTFF (that came with your 2015 Festival Pass at any price level) entitles you to a discount on admission and popcorn! Enjoy this marvelous season of long nights–perfect for film, family and friends! Janette Force, Executive Director for PTFF 211 Taylor Street, Suite 401A Port Townsend, WA 98368 360-379-1333/ Cell 360-774-1978 www.ptfilmfest.com November 23, 2015 What Are You Grateful For? Where is “The Balcony Theatre?” First Tuesday Salon, December 1! We’re grateful for YOU! Thanks to all our donors, business sponsors, volunteers and passholders for another great year! Where is “The Balcony Theatre?” Two very special donors have made it possible to transform our office into a screening room in minutes. Named “The Balcony Theatre,” we can seat 35 film lovers for a movie any time of day. Our donors provided an 80-inch flat screen, the computer to project film and handsome blackout shades for our row of 6-foot-tall windows. This winter, watch for opportunities to join us for an evening film lecture, a special event--or contact our office about a private screening. First Tuesday Salon, December 1! ‘Tis the season for incredible films. There are so many Oscar-worthy films that distributors are jockeying these films into the biggest theatres, hoping to capitalize on the suspense. As of Nov. 23, Rocky has no idea what will be screening on Dec 1. As soon as the film is committed and we have our speaker, we’ll send a notice to your email box. Remember that your membership to PTFF (that came with your 2015 Festival Pass at any price level) entitles you to a discount on admission and popcorn! Enjoy this marvelous season of long nights–perfect for film, family and friends! Warm holiday greetings to you all, Janette Force, Executive Director for PTFF 211 Taylor Street, Suite 401A Port Townsend, WA 98368 360-379-1333/ Cell 360-774-1978 www.ptfilmfest.com October 29, 2015 • Did you lose your Nikon at PTFF in September? • First Tuesday Salon Nov. 3 Bridge of Spies 7pm Rose Theatre with guest, Dr. Michael Cassella-Blackburn • Welcome our new PTFF Film Fellow, Christina Antonakos-Wallace There is nothing as sad as a lost camera! If you attended our festival in September and went home without your Nikon, call & identify so we can reunite you with your friend. First Tuesday Salon Nov. 3, Bridge of Spies, 7pm @ Rose Theatre Steven Spielberg brings us a tale from the Cold War that opens a chapter of history that many have wondered about for years. Writes Brian Tallerico on Roger Ebert.com, “As he has done at least a dozen times before, Spielberg captures the arc of a man who is caught up in something bigger than himself and somehow rises to the occasion. The “Man Under Pressure” this time is Jim Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance lawyer called into duty by his government when a man named Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance), is captured for the crime of espionage against the United States on behalf of the USSR. This role takes that ‘every man’ element of the Hanks persona and puts it at the heart of the Cold War and even American foreign policy. Since Steven Spielberg began making films in the 1970s, he’s become one of our most essential cinematic historians. He’s often characterized as a director of the fantastic, and films like “Jurassic Park” and “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” certainly bolster this viewpoint, but it is his ability to distill world events into relatable, human stories in films like “Munich,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Lincoln,” and many more that has arguably been underrated throughout his long and varied career. “Bridge of Spies” continues that tradition, in the best possible way. Our Salon conversation following the film will feature Michael Cassella- Blackburn, from Peninsula College. His Ph.D. came from Syracuse University in modern American, Russian, and European History, with a specialty in Soviet- American Relations. Welcome our new PTFF Film Fellow, Christina Antonakos-Wallace One of the exciting aspects of working with up and coming artists is the opportunity to be of tangible assistance. Created in 2014, our Film Fellowship program is designed to provide workspace and lodging for filmmakers in the midst of post-production, allowing for concentrated effort away from the distractions of daily life. This year PTFF is honored to welcome Christina Antonakos-Wallace on November 17th for a 4-month residency. Christina received her training in New York at the Parsons School of Design and The New School, supported by a scholarship from MTV. Her short films have won awards including the Media that Matters Change Maker Award 2011, the Euromedia Award for Culture & Diversity 2012, and the Aktiv für Demokratie und Toleranz award in 2014. As a girl growing up in the Seattle Greek community, “With Wings and Roots” grew out of her own questions of belonging. PTFF’s first Film Fellowship, was awarded to co-directors Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach in 2014. Their completed film, “Frame by Frame,” subsequently won awards on the Film Festival circuit throughout the United States & around the world. For more information about Christina Antonakos-Wallace and her projects click HERE and HERE. Have fun on Halloween, whatever that means for you! Janette Force, Executive Director for PTFF 211 Taylor Street, Suite 401A Port Townsend, WA 98368 360-379-1333/ Cell 360-774-1978 www.ptfilmfest.com October 15, 2015 PTFF & ACAC – Becoming Bulletproof & Free Screening of “Where’s Molly?” October 17 noon Rosebud Cinema One of the many marvelous collaborations from this year’s film festival was discovering the work of the Accessibility Community Advisory Committee (ACAC). Their mission is to help bring all abilities to our community table. Their support of the film Becoming Bulletproof allowed PTFF to bring the star of the film, Jeremy Vest, who captivated our audiences with his honest, loving presence. He was accompanied by Peter & Ila Halby, founders of Zeno Mountain Farm, where Becoming Bulletproof was created. The amazing link here in Port Townsend was with our special guests, Chris Cooper & Marianne Leone Cooper. Their son, Jesse, who was born with severe Cerebral Palsy, attended Zeno Mountain camps, years ago. Their appreciation of the film was so profound that Chris is sponsoring a screening in Los Angeles on Oct 14th, in hopes of attracting an Academy Award nomination. This is one more way that our community is working together to make the world we imagine.