Community cinema at ArtsPlace
KET is back with a new season of Community Cinema, the Independent Lens documentary series which screens free films on a monthly basis. September’s featured doc is Pray the Devil Back to Hell. The film chronicles the courage and perseverance of thousands of Liberian women who united in prayer and peaceful protest against the bloody civil war which ravaged their country, and whose efforts catalyzed real change in an otherwise stalled negotiation process. The film will screen at 6:30 PM on Thursday, September 15 at LexArt’s ArtsPlace on 161 N. Mill Street. There will be a reception beginning at 6:00 PM. To learn more about the series, please visit www.ket.org/communitycinema.
Final screening for Classics off the Beaten Path
Surreelfilm’s Classics off the Beaten Path series will close its first season on Monday, September 19. The series started on WRFL’s Monday movie show on July 11 and soon added a screening component co-produced by Surreelfilm, the Lexington Public Library, and the Lexington Film League. Each week a guest host picks a film to discuss on-air, and that movie is then shown at the LPL’s Central Branch theater. Titles in the screening series have included Fat City, Blue Collar, The Swimmer, Local Hero, Baby Doll, Minnie and Moskowitz, Three on a Match, and Performance. To learn the identity of the September 19th film, listen to Surreelfilm at 10 o’clock that morning. Screening information can also be found at www.lexingtonfilmleague.org.
Return of the Rosa Goddard International Film Festival
Beginning on Wednesday, September 21, Sqecial Media will host the return of the Rosa Goddard International Film Festival. The three film series is a tribute to the woman whose love of international cinema (and the historic Kentucky Theatre!) funded the original fest. Screenings will be held at 7:15 PM on Wednesdays through October 5. Fans of the Kentucky’s Summer Classics Series will note that this is the same time slot as that revered local institution and, coming immediately on the heels of the close of that series, will provide a cinematic fix for everyone who laments its annual passing. The first film in the newly revived international fest will be Jean Cocteau’s Prix Louis-Delluc winner, La Belle et La Bete (Beauty and the Beast). Wim Wenders’ Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire) will be shown on Wednesday, September 28, and the series will close with René Laloux’s animated classic La Planète Sauvage (The Fantastic Planet) on October 5. All films will be shown in their original language (with English subtitles) and in their original 35mm format. Tickets are $4. There will be prize drawings before every screening for items such as DVDs, movie posters, and gift certificates. For more information please visit www.sqecial.com or www.kentuckytheater.com.
Premiere Screening of Waterbody
The short film Waterbody, directed by Bianca Spriggs and filmed in Lexington, will premiere Wednesday, September 21 at the Downtown Arts Center. Waterbody, an urban fantasy about a lonely woman who finds an ailing mermaid and nurses her back to health, is based on Spriggs’ poem of the same name. More than a film screening, the premiere promises to be a full scale event with musical performances, cast attendance, and a live mermaid. Scheduled performers include Mason Colby and Art Mize, Michelle Hollis, Caleb Ritchie, and Coralee and the Townies. The premiere starts at 7:00 PM and is open to the public. This is a free event. For more information on Spriggs’ work, please visit www.biancaspriggs.com.
Re:Play: found media video exhibit at Loudon House
The Lexington Art League and the Lexington Film League have teamed up to present Re:Play, an exhibit of 20 videos by 18 local and national contemporary artists working with found media. Re:Play explores the conversation between appropriated images and their original source material while emphasizing the impact of new technology and platforms (think: YouTube) on this interplay. The 4th Friday opening event is September 23rd from 6-9 PM at the Loudon House. It will be followed by a Gallery Talk on October 1 and a screening of avant-garde filmmaker Craig Baldwin’s Mock Up on Mu on October 13. The gallery exhibit runs through October 16, 2011. For more information, please visit www.lexingtonartleague.org or www.lexingtonfilmleague.org.
ScareFest Horror and Paranormal Convention
ScareFest returns to the Lexington Center for a three day run, September 23 to 25. This year (the festival’s fourth) promises to be a tribue to 1980s horror complete with celebrity guests, panels, performances, and horror classics at the Kentucky Theatre. Scheduled guests include Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Howard the Duck), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Erin Gray (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century), and everyone’s favorite Mistress of the Dark, Elvira. Tickets are $20 a day for Friday and Sunday and $25 for Saturday. Tickets for screenings at the Kentucky are sold separately. For a complete list of guests and events, as well as ticket information, please visit www.scarefestcon.com.
Autism Society of the Bluegrass documentary screening
On Monday, September 23 the Autism Society of the Bluegrass will screen Autism: Coming of Age at the Central Branch of the Lexington Public Library. The documentary explores the challenges that face individuals with autism, as well as their families, and addresses the impending strain on support services as 800,000 children with autism reach adulthood in the next decade. The film starts at 6:30 PM and will be followed by an opportunity for questions and comments. To see a trailer for the film, please visit www.massmutual.com/autism.
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