A Message From The Mizzenmast...
As the famous cry “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” rings in ear even after many years away from schoolboy history books, it excites the imagination in forging ahead this year with the 24th edition of the Minneapolis/St.Paul International Film Festival. Yes, the torpedoes, and we’re not talking about the encounter at Mobile Bay in l864. Obstacles, a blockade, a movie theater, not a battleship, to defend, to forge ahead, with barely a crew on full watch… yes, the festival this year had been in jeopardy; it would be a rebuilding year as the stalwarts in the film community abandoned ship. But now the eagerly awaited annual event is here again, the annual springtime rite that more than a few were ready to signal s.o.s.
Despite many murderous facts that flew in the face of smooth festival sailing ––
everything from ever-higher film rentals from purveyors overseas, competition from other festivals, defending their territory with demands for premieres with $25,000 prize money, the rise of air transport costs, the difficulty of finding projectionists, the time crunch to mount a slate of films, the mutiny on the poopdeck, no need to go on, it’s back to the old equation between art and industry –– it’s the budget, stupid!
Not to worry, tsouris is tsouris, as we used to say in the old country, the festival is again upon us and it did not have to be postponed! It is a time for celebration, for a skeleton staff (I always lose weight this time of year), to announce that we feel this year boasts one of our strongest lineups in the almost two and a-half decades on the bounding main: more than 130 films, 40 countries, a grab bag of exceptionally interesting films from what many reviewers regard as an exceptional year of international production. (You heard them say it at the recent Oscar ceremonies!)
Given the circumstances and almost insurmountable odds, meant compromise in the attempt to represent many areas a festival should try to honor. That a festival this year exists at all is a tribute to the enthusiastic drive and financial generosity of St. Paul businessman and fest co-programmer Tim Grady, and founder of the first Minneapolis Film Festival in 1981, later morphing into the Rivertown International Film Festival two years later.
Whether we reach the proverbial 25th anniversary next year will greatly depend on your support this year!
So, for your consideration, with some apologies for a few rather arcane references above, here are some films to watch for:
It should come as no surprise that again the fest finds a rich harvest in Scandinavian films, whose production has yet to disappoint our audiences. Sixteen films, at last count, largest in recent years, will resonate with our nordic, boreal film going souls, leading off with the North American premiere of Rich Country, starring no less than the lately-elected current Norwegian prime minister of his oil-rich country uncertain if he would ever make the Rocky-like march up the steps to parliament (See special intro to Scandinavian page). We are also pleased to present a world premiere of the Native-American film Reawakening.
While no central organizing theme is possible with more than 130 films and some 40 countries, so we tried for originality in our selections. You will find innovative narrative forms from new generation filmmakers (from Russia, a film called simply 4) Guy Madden’s My Dad Is 100 Years Old, starring Isabella Rossellini in a 16-minute short that satisfies as a full meal. Don’t overlook a six-pack of originality in the 30-minute Mozart Minute, in which 30 Austrian directors each do a minute riff each on the composer all Vienna (and much of the world) is crazy about on his 250th birthday year.
A surprising bundle of new Minnesota docs at the Riverview carries forward the originality theme by burgeoning new local talent discovering the possibities of digital. (And three films involving U of M professors are for you to discover in perusing the sked). Prominence of documentary muscle in the selections is further symbolized by the fest opener, the irreverent, satiric Al Franken: God Spoke from the Don Pennebacker (War Room) team.
Some awfully good musicals could be a category that just happened, i.e. Beethoven’s Hair, Crossing the Bridge, The Long Hiss of the Tarantula, Iberia, Cazuza, and Romantico. There is the “Cities” sequence: of Souls of Naples, Istanbul in the Crossing the Bridge music film, People of Rome (a late addition) and Edinburgh in Night People -- not to mention “American pastorale”, a group including the wacky The Hole Story (Franz Kafka-lite meets Garrison Keillor in Brainerd,Mn). What pains Yours Truly are the films that had to be scratched owing to rentals, time crunch, and shipping costs, which you will probably never get to see.
Our salute to visiting veteran director Arturo Ripstein (onetime assistant to Luis Bunuel) and a three-mini-retro from Mexico underlines the social prominence of the Latino presence here.
If you threw a dart at the schedule board, you could hardly miss a bulls-eye. Tim and I feel the program this year is that strong; those important audience vote ballots we urge you to fill out we hope will bear out the prediction. Our “best of fest” and holdover days May 1 to 4 will allow for some repeats and late shows. Again “Festograms” will be used to apprise audiences of unavoidable program changes.
Again, I thank our sponsors and urge you their support, our board of directors for going forward with the festival, the Grady Bunch, and a loyal, unbelievably hard-working (and tiny) staff and volunteers who managed to put the baby to bed.
Still your obedient servant,
Al Milgrom