When I'm interested in a new film, the first thing I do is watch the trailer. I don't read about the trailer. I rarely even read about the film. I just want to see for myself what's being offered and make a decision based on what I've viewed.

When the 57th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival announced its 2019 lineup, I immediately began digging up trailers for the hundreds of short films and features chose from more than 3,000 submissions from more than 65 countries. As the oldest avant-garde and experimental film festival in North America, the Ann Arbor Film Festival has been screening the best of cutting-edge cinema since 1963, and my survey of the trailers for this year's fest was no exception. From bright computer animations to grainy 16 mm shorts, the  57th Ann Arbor Film Festival is ready to wow once again.

The festival runs March 26-31, and below are links to each day's programming with as many trailers embedded that I could find. I'll also be updating the press section so you can keep up on the many words that the media will surely spill on this Ann Arbor institution.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS
OPENING NIGHT:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:

U-M alumna Penny W. Stamps died from leukemia on Dec. 18, 2018, but her dedication to bringing arts and ideas to Ann Arbor community continues with the school and speaker series named in her honor.

The winter lineup of U-M Stamps School of Art & Design's Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series was announced Jan. 11 with 12 events, primarily at the Michigan Theater and many in conjunction with other performances and events at the university and in the community.

Building a month-long festival from the ground up is challenging enough when it focuses solely on one artistic discipline, such as music.

But last year's inaugural Rasa Festival was a multidisciplinary party with performing, visual, literary, media/films, and culinary arts from India, presented in various Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti venues.

It was a big achievement and the 2018 edition (September 1-October 7) looks to build on that success with more art exhibitions, dance performances, poetry readings, music concerts, film screenings, and a foodie event.

Here's the full calendar of events, many of which are free:

I saw nine films over four days at Southeast Michigan's annual Cinetopia film festival, beating my record of eight last year. While I enjoyed many of movies, the one I truly loved was opening night’s Eighth Grade.

The film follows 13-year-old Kayla during her final week of middle school as she tries to overcome her classmate’s perception of her as shy. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Drama at Sundance and is Bo Burnham’s directorial debut. If you recognize that name, it may be from Burnham’s early 2000s YouTube videos, successful comedy specials, or supporting roles in recent films including The Big Sick and Rough Night.