Traverse City, MI (July 21, 2006) - Traverse City Film Festival founder and Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore announced exciting news today regarding the second annual festival, set to open on July 31 and running through August 6:
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Edit page New page Hide edit links
Due to incredible demand, the Traverse City Film Festival has added several screenings to this year's lineup. Tickets for these brand new screenings go on sale at noon today online at www.traversecityfilmfestival.org, at the State Theatre box office downtown, or by calling 231-929-1506. Festival patrons will have a second chance to purchase tickets to new screenings of some of the festival's most popular films. The following films have been added at the Old Town Playhouse: "The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio" at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 1st; "Men at Work" at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 2; and "La Moustache" at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 3.
A third screening of the festival hit "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" will be shown at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 3 at the State Theatre. "An Inconvenient Truth" has been added at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 4 at the State Theatre. Two additional late night movies will also be shown: "Air Guitar Nation" will screen 30 minutes after midnight on Friday, August 4 at the State Theatre, and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" will be shown 30 minutes after midnight on Saturday, August 5.
Free Panel Schedule Announced for August 1-6 with Directors, Actors, and Industry Insiders
The 2006 free film industry panel schedule has been finalized, and will feature over 20 directors, writers, actors, and other members of the film industry. Festival founder Michael Moore will attend all six of the panels. These panels will cover a range of topics, from the resurgence of comedies to the true face of the industry as seen from the inside.
The daily panel discussions will be held at 10 a.m. on August 1-6 in the City Opera House on Front Street in downtown Traverse City. Free tickets will be distributed at the venue starting at 9 a.m. and will guarantee seating.
On Tuesday, August 1, "What's Up Hollywood" will feature panelists Malcolm McDowell ("A Clockwork Orange"), Jeff Daniels ("The Squid and the Whale"), Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), and Ari Emanuel (top Hollywood agent). Following Moore's keynote address to ring in the festival panels, these Hollywood insiders will share an inside look at the movie industry.
Wednesday, August 2 brings a discussion of "Dangerous Docs" to Traverse City with panelists Malik Bader ("Street Thief"), Jan Harlan ("O Lucky Malcolm"), Josh Gilbert (a/k/a Tommy Chong), Sabina Guzzanti ("Viva Zapatero!"), and Michael Moore. These documentary filmmakers will discuss the growing popularity of the genre, and the risks being taken by ambitious directors.
"Shooting War: You Say I-Raq, I Say I-Ran" is the topic of the Thursday, August 3 panel with Mani Haghighi ("Men at Work"), David O. Russell ("Three Kings"), Deborah Scranton and Zack Bazzi ("The War Tapes"). Directors and a veteran with firsthand war experience talk about the interest filmmakers have taken in making movies about the conflicts in the Middle East, and how those movies are impacting public perceptions.
On Friday, August 4, panelists Lawrence Bender ("An Inconvenient Truth"), Mark Dornford May ("Son of Man"), Mani Haghighi ("Men at Work") and Malcolm McDowell will host the discussion, "Is It Art? Is It Politics? Is There a Difference?" about the public's response to some of the most successful political documentaries in recent years.
"Who needs a Good Laugh?" is the Saturday, August 5 panel, when top comedy directors and producers will talk about the resurgence of the genre, and surely get the audience laughing. Panelists include Larry Charles ("Borat"),
Jeff Garlin ("I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With"), Jake Kasdan ("The TV Set"), and Sabina Guzzanti.
The festival panels will wrap up on Sunday, August 6 with "The Genius of Stanley Kubrick," featuring panelists Malcolm McDowell, Matthew Modine ("Full Metal Jacket"), and Jan Harlan (Kubrick's Executive Producer). As part of the festival tribute to the work of Stanley Kubrick, these panelists will offer an inside glimpse at the methods of one of the greatest directors in history.
Others industry notables attending the festival include Yellow Thunder Woman, Dan Crane (Bjorn Turoque), Robin Davey, David Jung (a.k.a. C. Diddy), Alexandra Lipsitz, John Lyons, and Gail Maurice.
Michael Moore and Terry George Conduct Free Student Filmmaking Workshop
The festival will also launch a new program this year with a workshop for high school and college students who are interested in pursuing a career in film. Michael Moore and Terry George will teach a group of 35 students about breaking into the film industry and how to get an internship. They will share tips and tricks of the filmmaking craft and answer questions in a private, closed-door session.
The workshop will be held in downtown Traverse City between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Monday, July 31, the opening day of the festival. Students interested in participating should email charlie@traversecityfilmfestival.org with a one-paragraph description of themselves and their interest in the workshop before Wednesday, July 26. Emails should include contact information (name, phone and email), and the name of their school. Participants will be notified of their entry into the workshop by Friday, July 28.
The Traverse City Film Festival takes place from July 31 to August 6, 2006. Many films are sold out but many good seats are available for the several remaining screenings. To order tickets online click here, visit the State Theatre box office in downtown Traverse City, or call 231-929-1506.
About the Traverse City Film Festival
The Traverse City Film Festival is a charitable, educational, non-profit organization committed to showing "Just Great Movies" and helping to save one of America's few indigenous art forms - the cinema. In its second year, the Traverse City Film Festival has already become one of the biggest film festivals in the Midwest. With its 50,000 admissions in summer 2005, the festival pumped an estimated 5 million dollars into the local economy. Founded by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Michael Moore and co-founders, local photographer John Robert Williams and New York Times best selling author Doug Stanton, the festival brings films and filmmakers from around the world to northern Michigan, creating a level of excitement one local paper said was "the best thing to happen here since the Ice Age left us Lake Michigan."