Film Festivals

If you love movies and want a date idea with dramatic flare, try going to a film festival. Whether it's a showing of classics from the big studios or cutting edge movies from independent filmmakers, film festivals offer something for every taste. From John Wayne to John Woo, this is the kind of date where you can show some intellectual thought and creativity.

Film festivals can be found almost everywhere. Many of the independent theaters have film festivals on a regular basis and there are scores of festivals around the world that showcase films in every category from animation and short films to film noir (see the next page for an explanation of "film noir.")

At many film festivals, movie screenings are followed by panel discussions or question and answer sessions. The director or actors are sometimes present, assuming it's not a revival festival and everyone associated with the film has long since passed away.

COST

It shouldn't be much more than the cost of a regular movie, unless you're flying to Cannes or Colorado.

WHERE TO LOOK

Call movie theaters and colleges in your area for information about festivals or special movie screenings.

A great resource site with links to film festival websites, addresses and phone numbers is www.marklitwak.com.

For a large list of film festivals including links to their websites, go to www.film.com. This site provides extensive information on festivals and has movie reviews as well.

Try http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Movies/Film_Festivals for a listing of more than 270 film festivals.

Visit www.festival-cannes.fr for the Cannes Film Festival site and http://institute.sundance.org/jsps/site.jsp?resource=pag_ex_home for the Sundance Film Festival site.

FILM CLUBS

Try local colleges and universities to see if they have a film club or theatre arts department. If they do, ask for information on movie screenings and film festivals in your area. There may even be a local film club listed in the phone book.

BUY THE BOOK

The Film Festival Guide For Filmmakers, Film Buffs and Industry Professionals by Adam Langer, $16.95.

ALTERNATIVE FILM FESTIVALS

While you may have heard of the Cannes (pronounced "can") and Sundance (pronounced "Redford") film festivals, there are hundreds of others all over the world. For instance, there's Roger Ebert's Annual Overlooked Film Festival (www.ebertfest.com) which is held each April at the University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana. The highly successful Slamdance Film Festival (www.slamdance.com) was started as an alternative to the Sundance Film Festival.

STAY-AT-HOME FILM FESTIVAL

You can always visit your local video store and rent movies that showcase a particular actor, director or theme.

WHAT IN THE BLAZES IS "FILM NOIR"?

Film Noir is French for "black film." It was a post-World War II term coined by French film critics to describe American movies whose mood was bleak, pessimistic, alienated and disillusioned. These films seemed to reflect the experience of Americans in World War II. The male leads were often despairing, lonely, struggling men who lived on the edge of the underworld. The females were either dutiful, loyal, wife-types or dangerous femme fatales, with the tragic hero often falling into the lair of the latter. The dark shadows that filled these films symbolized a prevailing feeling of hopelessness and despair. For more on Film Noir, stumble through Tim Dirks' anything-but-bleak website at www.tdirks@filmsite.org.