57th Ann Arbor Film Festival: Trailers for Thursday, March 28 screenings
THURSDAY, MARCH 28 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:
57th Ann Arbor Film Festival: Trailers for Friday, March 29 screenings
FRIDAY, MARCH 29 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:
57th Ann Arbor Film Festival: Trailers for Saturday, March 30 screenings
SATURDAY, MARCH 30 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:
57th Ann Arbor Film Festival: Trailers for Sunday, March 31 screenings
SUNDAY, MARCH 31 TRAILERS & EVENT LISTINGS:
Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Winter 2019 lineup
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.
Immersive India: Rasa Festival celebrates arts and cultural from the subcontinent
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:
Middle School Memories: Bo Burnham's "Eighth Grade" at Cinetopia
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.
Film Studies: A preview of this year's Cinetopia movies in A2
Cinetopia's website states that its film festival, which features acclaimed movies from Sundance, Cannes, and more, was "created for the people of southeastern Michigan."
That's cool, but for our Pulp preview, we're keeping it strictly provincial and have highlighted films playing in Ann Arbor at the Michigan and State theaters. (Click here for the full Cinetopia schedule.)
We've also embedded the fifth episode of the Michigan Theater and AADL podcast Behind the Marquee, which features hosts Nick, Caitlin, and Brian talking about all things Cinetopia, including some of their favorite films arriving this year.
Get out your calendars and plan your May 31 to June 10 cinematic experiences.
"Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?" is a film about threats -- racial and otherwise
“Trust me when I tell you this isn’t a white savior story. This is a white nightmare story.”
--Travis Wilkerson
If I were a moth, the story of white men reckoning with race in America would singe my wings every time. With that in mind, I was not disappointed when I went to see Travis Wilkerson’s Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun? on March 24 as part of the Ann Arbor Film Festival. In fact, there are about eight pieces I could write about this film, which was one of the 10 features in competition at the year's fest and ended up winning the Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary Film.
Diaspora Dimensions: The films in URe:AD TV grapple with black representation
“The diaspora is a cultural continuum. An ever-evolving consideration of Blackness is its vehicle.”
--Ashley Stull Meyers
The United Re: Public of the African Diaspora Television (URe:Ad TV) special program at the Ann Arbor Film Festival was an experience.
URe:AD TV is a network of creators who make print and audiovisual work by and for the African diaspora. Curated by Shani Peters and Sharita Towne, the works grapple with the meaning(s) of black representation. By "grapple," it could be said that these works record meaning, and make meaning.