The Montclair Film Festival 2014

"It's  Sundance. Only Jersier."  That slogan represents both the attitude and the ambition of this local and highly enjoyable annual film festival.  This is the third year of the festival and over 90 films were shown between April 28 thru May 4 in several different theaters throughout Montclair.   I saw four films this weekend on a wide range of topics.  All were a hit with me!

On Friday, I saw "The Dog", a documentary about John Wojtowicz, the bank robber who tried to rob a bank to finance his lover's sex change operation and inspired the movie "Dog Day Afternoon". My friend, who was interested in seeing the movie, couldn't help but wonder why two young directors would want to spend 10 years gathering material for this film.  Wojtowicz had an unusual story to tell!

In complete contrast, on Saturday I saw "Advanced Style", a movie based on the photographs and blog of Ari Seth Cohen, who photographs women between the ages of 62-95 who exhibit a strong sense of style.  Seven of the women were highlighted in the film and two were in the audience!  An exceptionally fun film which played to a packed theater.  Check out his blog:advancedstyle.blogspot.com/

On a similar note, today I watched "Men of the Cloth", about the art of tailoring.  The film focused on three old tailors from Italy and one young apprentice.  (One still lives in Italy, one in NY and one outside of Philly.) The producer is a young female who was a men's fashion editor.  On her trips to Italy, she became fascinated by the men who were "behind the scenes" making the clothes.  The three men she highlighted, were not really "behind the scenes", but true artisans with very successful businesses and teaching careers.  One of the men was 90 and still working, though he died in 2011.  The scenes in Italy were breathtaking- another reason to visit!

So, two of the four films this weekend focused on fashion as art, beauty, and working into very old age.  

I ended the weekend with two other friends watching the closing film, "Wild Canaries", written and produced by a young married couple both from NJ, the wife from Montclair.  The film was a wild and crazy "whodunit" murder mystery/comedy/drama starring the married couple and other more well-known TV actors. The movie was fun and we all wish them the best of luck!

That's it for the 2014 festival.  Now, the volunteers get to rest, filmmakers take their films on tour, and the audience members go back to work, all invariably enriched by the shared experience. 

Banff Mountain Film Festival

Banff National Park in Canada is Canada's first national park. It encompasses 2, 564 square miles of valleys, mountains, forests, glaciers and rivers. The Banff Mountain Film Festival is hosted each year at the Banff Centre, located in the park. The festival was started in 1976 as the Banff Festival of Mountain Films. After screening all submitted films, the Banff World Tour Team chooses about 25 films each year with a range of themes and styles. The films focus on adventure sports (kayaking, climbing, skiing, BASE jumping, snowboarding, mountain biking) as well as environment and culture. Many of the films are in the "action packed, high adrenaline" category.

On Saturday, March 6, I went to a viewing of some of these films in Phoenixville, PA. The town is an old steel town being revitalized with boutiques, restaurants, and a great brewpub. I was with an old friend, who I hadn't seen in 12 years! He is a true outdoorsman and often an adventure seeker. We had enough time to explore the town, have a few beers, and get tickets for the show. After seeing the films, I was both inspired and discouraged. How does one's life compare to these individuals who push their bodies, minds and spirits beyond what seems humanly possible?

Many of the people I saw are on YouTube: Kris Holm (unicylcist), Chris Sharma (rock climber), Roz Savage (rower).

The film with Roz Savage is the one that has stayed with me. On the outside, at age 33, she had a wonderful life: townhouse in London, corporate job, husband, good health. But, she was feeling unfulfilled. So, she decided she was going to enter a competition to row across the Atlantic, alone. She trained for a year, rowing up to 16 hours a day in the month before the race. She made it, after 103 days at sea. On her website, she has a list of "Lessons Learned", which appeared in a newspaper column in the UK on April 23, 2006. Here's one I'm pondering: Be mindful of the link between present action and desired future outcome. Ask yourself: if I repeat today's actions 365 times, will I be where I want to be in a year?