Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc has decided to bring their Movies in the Park series back to Ah-Nab-Awen Park for the second summer in a row. Kristopher Larson, president and CEO of Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc, said the series was initiated due to overwhelming support from the Grand Rapids community.
“We use our social media channels to test new ideas and interventions, and every so often we'll put something out there that really resonates,” Larson said. “We had seen a big movie screened in another community, and we basically just put it out through social media and got this tremendous response.”
Thus began Movies in the Park. July's selections include Dreamgirls on July 11 and Rocky Horror Picture Show on July 25.
The events are free and include food trucks, pre-movie entertainment and the option to bring your own beer and wine to sip on during the film.
“It's an opportunity to imagine a community event that wasn't fenced in,” Larson said. “That was a major driver of this, learning and understanding basically how we could produce an event without having to put a box around it.”
And if you make it out to any of the screenings, you will have the chance to vote on a special viewer's choice film, which will be shown in conjunction with Jurassic Park as a special double-feature in August. All of this, of course, goes back to the series' main goal of keeping it a community-driven event.
“We really want it to be those people that enjoy the series and attend the events, we want it to be their choice,” Larson said. “If they're the ones who are supporting and love the event, we want them to have a direct hand in being able to choose what happens on that last night for viewers choice.”
Saugatuck Shorts Calls on Filmmakers to Represent Michigan
By now everyone's familiar with the phrase, “Pure Michigan." The Saugatuck Center for the Arts (SCA) takes this one step further by calling on all filmmakers to submit their short films that best capture Michigan. From July 1 to Aug. 31, SCA will accept entries to its short film competition aptly titled, Saugatuck Shorts. The top 10 or so entries will be chosen by a panel of local industry professionals to be screened at the SCA on Oct. 18.
SCA is looking for films that capture some aspect of Michigan by either basing it in a Michigan location, using local actors or referencing Michigan history or products. All submissions must be less than five minutes.
Angela Peavey, sales and marketing manager for the SCA, said holding the competition was a no-brainer.
“We love Michigan, so we want to support Michigan films and Michigan arts, and Michigan creating those arts,” Peavey said. “We wanted to give some kind of venue where we could actually display the Michigan theme.”
Last year, SCA had 50 submissions for the inaugural competition, and a panel of judges narrowed it down to 12 shorts that were shown at a special screening. Cash prizes are given to winners in three separate categories: the student category ($500), adult category ($1,000) and the audience favorite ($1,000).
“What's great is a lot of film festivals don't have these large cash prizes like we do,” Peavey said. “So that definitely attracts the more budding filmmakers who can use that money if they win it to make their next project.”
For a detailed list of submission guidelines, visit sc4a.org.
Fire Walk with Me
On July 29, the UICA will feature a one-night only screening of Fire Walk with Me, the prequel film companion to the eerily unforgettable show, "Twin Peaks." David Lynch's signature brand of coffee and locally baked pie will be served at the event, and audiences are encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters from the show. Visit uica.org for more details.
Buzzard Film Update
If you haven't heard about Joel Potrykus's latest film, Buzzard, you've probably been living under a rock. The West Michigan-based filmmaker's most recent no-budget, paranoia-laden drama premiered at SXSW Film Fest, has already met much acclaim and has been even been picked up by Oscilloscope Laboratories for future distribution. In June, the film made its Michigan premiere at the Cinetopia International Film Festival in Detroit and Ann Arbor, as well as the Awesome Fest in Philadelphia and various other festivals. Keep an eye on this film in the coming months as it dominates the film fest circuit.
