ROGER CORMAN AT THE UA
Legendary maverick independent filmmaker Roger Corman is making a special appearance at UA on Monday, Feb. 27. As a director and producer from the 1950s to the present, Corman helped launch the careers of a wide range of film notables including Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme and Francis Ford Coppola. Corman will speak about his career in film at 4 p.m. at the Harvill Building, Room 150, on the UA campus; he is speaking to a producing class, but the talk is open to the public, and there is no charge. Roger Corman's appearance is sponsored by the Hanson Film Institute, the Tucson Film Office and the UA Department of Media Arts.
CALL TUCSON SHORTFEST FILMS
Local filmmaker and musician Timothy Gassen and the Loft Cinema have joined to present the TucsonFilm.com ShortFest on Saturday, April 15. ShortFest is a one-day film festival designed to showcase independent short films from both Arizona and the rest of the United States. Local filmmakers are encouraged to submit work for consideration; the deadline is March 15, and there is no fee for submitting work. For full information, check www.tucsonfilm.com or e-mail Gassen at [email protected]. Free streaming video clips from Gassen's previous monthly Micro Cinema screenings at Club Congress are available at www.aznightbuzz.com/tucsonfilm.
EVENTS AT THE SCREENING ROOM
The Arizona International Film Festival, the oldest and largest film festival in Arizona, celebrates its 15th season April 20-30 with numerous screenings around Tucson. A pre-festival screening of random short submissions (to be announced) will be held at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Screening Room. Admission is $5.The Nuestras Raices Film Festival--part of the Nuestras Raices Literary Arts Festival celebrating Mexican-American arts and culture--is playing at the Screening Room March 4-5. Fourteen short films and one feature-length film will be screened. Programs include a Tucson showcase on Saturday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m.; a collection of family films at noon on Sunday; a collection of social and political films at 2 p.m. on Sunday; and a feature presentation of Rodrigo Garcia's Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Screening Room is at 127 E. Congress St.; there is no charge for the Nuestras Raices screenings.
Call 791-4010 or check www.tppl.org/nuestrasraices for festival information. For information on AIFF and all events at the Screening Room, check www.azmac.org.
EVENTS AT THE LOFT
Dan Richter, the bone-throwing man-ape from 2001: A Space Odyssey, will be on hand for a screening of Stanley Kubrick's famous film at the Loft Cinema on Tuesday, March 7. Richter was also John Lennon's personal assistant and is the author of the book Moonwatcher's Memoir: A Diary of "2001 A Space Odyssey." The film screens at 7 p.m., followed by a Q&A; tickets are $5. Check www.danrichter.com for further information.Filmmaker and social satirist Andy Bichlbaum will be on hand for a screening of the documentary The Yes Men at the Loft on Thursday, March 9. Made by the same filmmakers who made American Movie (including director Chris Smith), The Yes Men follows Bichlbaum and his partner, Mike Bonanno, as they conduct a series of media-related pranks posing as reps for the Bush administration, the World Trade Organization, Dow Chemical and other corporate interests. He will also show some clips from their new film, The Day After Yesterday. Showtime is 7 p.m., and admission is $5. See www.theyesmen.org for more information.
Poet, musician and activist John Trudell will be at the Loft with filmmaker Heather Rae to present Rae's documentary Trudell on Friday, March 24. John Trudell has maintained an international reputation as an artist/activist and champion of indigenous issues for more than two decades. Trudell screens at 7 p.m. followed by a Q&A; tickets are $10 for Tucson Film Society members and $12 general admission. John Trudell's Web site is www.johntrudell.com.
Local cartoonist Max Cannon of "Red Meat" fame will be at the Loft on Friday, March 31, for the theatrical debut of his 10-part animated series, Shadow Rock, which is on Comedy Central's Motherload Web site. Showtime is 9 p.m., and admission is $5. Cannon's Web site is www.redmeat.com. Cannon is also the host of the wildly popular First Friday Shorts Open Screen Night, held this month on Friday, March 3, at 9 p.m. Admission is $5.
The Loft Cinema is at 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.; call 795-7777 for all show times or check www.loftcinema.com for further information on all Loft events.
REEL INSPIRATION CHALLENGE
Tucson's Reel Inspiration--a local organization that "supports filmmakers who make films of substance"--is challenging Tucson filmmakers to make inspiring films (up to 10 minutes in length) that celebrate the good in the world for their upcoming Puro Inspiracion Film Festival. There will be a Celebrating Cultural Diversity Award for the filmmaker who best incorporates cultural heritage and traditions into his/her film. There will also be a Teen Competition for young filmmakers 12 to 18 (films five minutes or less) and a Children's Showcase for kids less than 11 years old (films three minutes or less). Reel Inspiration is currently looking for volunteers to help with their children's outreach in schools. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 6; Puro Inspiracion runs Nov. 3-5. You can contact Jana Segal at [email protected] for additional information; the Reel Inspiration Web site is www.reelinspiration.org.
