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Overview: 4th Annual Black Bear Film Festival: October 17-19th
MILFORD, PA: You might not think it, but a new flood of filmmakers have begun to call Milford, Pennsylvania, their favorite haunt. Just 75 miles from New York City, this historic Victorian village along the Delaware sits at the tri-state corner of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, a region of extraordinarily pristine nature, home to bald eagles, 11 amazing waterfalls, and, of course, black bears. And black bear is the reason for the sudden focus of attention by the cinema world – not because of the bird-feeder-raiding mammals, but because of a superb autumn event called the Black Bear Film Festival.
Now in its fourth year, set for October 17-19, 2003, the annual festival has become heralded for the screening of high-quality, often yet unreleased new films, sometimes with world premieres of major movies such as John Sayles’ "Sunshine State" and Jim Carrey’s "The Majestic". But what makes the event even more special is that directors, producers, actors, cinematographers, costume designers, set designers and other creative crew attend the screenings and then come on stage to talk in detail about the making of their movies. The Black Bear Film Festival also hosts the free Film Salon, an even more intimate setting where discussions with filmmakers continue.
"Many of the directors have told us that this is their favorite film festival," says Festival Organizer Nancy Pitcher. "We don’t give out awards, so there’s no nasty competition, and they love the town and its setting, with the classic little old Milford Theatre and its neon sign, and the wonderful welcome they get from our very appreciative audience." A good proportion of the Festival organizers are themselves well-known creative folk, many of whom also have a home in New York City as well as Milford. "We even have a member of the Board who commutes between here and England," laughs Pitcher. Because of the beautiful location, Black Bear’s mission always includes films with a particular emphasis on man’s interaction with the natural world.
This year, director/screenwriter Robert Benton ("Nobody’s Fool", "Kramer versus Kramer", "Places in the Heart", "Bonnie & Clyde") has offered the Festival his new film, "The Human Stain", starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman, and surprise guests from the movie are anticipated to appear. Other major feature films have been selected, along with a host of extraordinary independent movies from all over the world. The entire schedule of events is posted about a month prior to the event on the Festival’s website, http://www.BlackBearFilm.com
"We are keeping the same essential format as in the past," says Board Member Fred Buchholz, a costume designer who has won four Emmy awards for his work with The Muppets. That format includes a major Opening Night film and Gala on Friday, October 17th; feature films, children’s films & shorts at the Milford Theatre (114 E. Catharine Street) on Saturday and Sunday; historic films at the Columns Historical Museum (Broad Street), and the Film Salon, an especially popular part of the Festival, wherein creative people in the industry come to lecture and discuss film-making. As in the past, the Tom Quick Inn (411 Broad Street) will be the site for the Film Festival’s Opening Night Gala, on Friday, October 17th.
The classic Tri-State Drive-In Theatre, which traditionally has been the venue for Black Bear historic films in nearby Matamoras, will again be the setting for a double feature on Saturday night, October 18. It’s a veritable bargain at $10 a full carload.
The highly successful free Film Salon educational lectures and workshops are where everyday people get to meet and hear industry insiders talk about film-making), and the line-up for this year includes some wonderful surprises. Last year the Salon welcomed such luminaries as Oscar-winning producer David Gropman ("The Shipping News", "Chocolat", "Cider House Rules", "Waiting to Exhale", "Nobody's Fool", "Searching for Bobby Fischer", etc), eminent independent producer Robert Hawk ("The Slaughter Rule," "Chasing Amy", etc), screenwriter Malia Scotch Marmo (Steven Spielberg’s "Hook"), Museum of Modern Art Film Preservationist Arthur Wehrhahn, and many others. No tickets or reservations are needed for the Film Salon – just show up and grab a seat.
Milford actually has a long and distinguished history of filmmaking that continues to this day. In the early part of last century, the pioneering director, D.W. Griffith, set several of his silent movies right here, starring Lillian Gish and Mary Pickford. Nearly 100 years later, in August 2003, the town of Milford - and some of its citizens - became the location and fabric for a new independent movie by InDigEnt Films. InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment) garnered universal acclaim last year by winning the prestigious Sundance Grand Jury Prize with its innovative movie, "Personal Velocity", which was one of the features of the 2002 Black Bear Film Festival. InDigEnt has been a pioneering force in using digital video photography for film-making, proving that there is nothing "poor" or "indigent" about the medium; Miramax has picked up distribution of one of their latest films, "Tadpole", for $5 million. In a great show of support, the cast and crew of InDigEnt hosted a cocktail party fundraiser for the Festival in August.
This year, there is an exciting new addition to the Black Bear Film Festival staff: Joe Revitte, a NYC-based film selector for Hypnotic Films (a division of Universal), with previous experience at Sony, Miramax and New Line Cinemas, has come aboard as Black Bear’s new programmer of films. Revitte, who has been involved in many other film festivals, including the one in Newport, Rhode Island, lives and breathes film, and thoroughly understands Black Bear’s mission of high-quality screenings.
Another source of new talent is evident from the beautiful, autumnal-toned 2003 Black Bear poster, been created by NYC-based artist Michael Laddey. Laddey, originally from Milford, is a very talented graphic designer for Sony who often creates music CD covers.
One of the most beloved parts of The Black Bear Film Festival again graces Milford’s streets prior to the Festival weekend – the Painted Bear Sculptures, an idea similar to the Painted Cows that adorned New York City. "We’ve limited the Bears this year to eight," says Pitcher. "There were 24 Sculptures in 2003, and there were just too many to manage well. Limiting them will ensure highest quality." Late in September the completed sculptures will be placed around town in front of sponsoring businesses for all to enjoy. As always, the bears will be auctioned during the Festival, a prime fund-raiser for the event. "We’re planning on contacting the auction winners of previous Bear Sculptures from the first three years to invite them to display their Bears at the Milford Theatre during the Festival Weekend," says Board Advisor Graham Rice. "We’ve never had past Bears come back, and it would be wonderful to see them again." Many interesting auction items are also available in the Festival’s Silent Auction, including an autographed Black Bear Film Festival poster signed by the cast and crew of the film, "Pizza", starring Julie Hagerty and Ethan Embry, which just finished filming in the Milford area.
The "Catch-A-Bear" picture contest will again be part of the Festival – so grab your cameras and snap a good photo of a Pike County bear, and you may be a winner. Details and entry form can be found on the Black Bear Film Festival website. 50/50 raffle tickets and Black Bear T-shirts, posters, "canned" stuffed bears and other merchandise are also part of the Festival fun.
Festival film tickets will be available after mid-month by calling 570.409.0909, although tickets go extremely fast. Even when a film technically "sells out", it is always worth getting on the last-minute "Rush Line" at the Milford Theatre prior to the screening, for there are nearly always a few spots available. Ticket prices are $125 for a Gold Pass with entry to everything, $75 for Opening Night Gala and film. Individual film tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door if available.
This year’s event has been re-scheduled away from the busy Columbus Day weekend, when the town is already crowded with visitors, to the following weekend, Friday, October 17th , Saturday, October 18th & Sunday, October 19th.
This change will draw the thousands of Film Festival visitors to the town at a time when local businesses appreciate the chance for extra trade, and allows everyone to enjoy the annual showcase of independent cinema-making without fighting the holiday congestion.
Updates and full details on the Festival, including schedule, auction items, map to find the Bear Sculptures around town, volunteer information (volunteers are always needed, from experienced to neophyte, etc. are posted regularly on the Festival’s website at htttp://www.blackbearfilm.com.
Milford’s highly acclaimed, exciting cultural event always delivers something for everyone. From family fun to thought-provoking talk and soul-soaring films, Milford’s autumn Black Bear Film Festival invites your attention and welcomes your support - so save the dates – October 17-19 – for an appointment with a film-making tradition.
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