Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” stars Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller.
Peggy Johnson has special a present for Tucson film lovers this month. Attending the second annual Loft Film Festival will be like opening a big eight-day cinema care package from around the world.
Taking place November 10-17, the festival is showing “films you haven’t seen,” according to Johnson, the Loft’s Executive Director. Featuring flicks culled from multiple national and international film festivals (Sundance, Palm Springs, South by Southwest, Cannes), the week-long smorgasbord of excellence will present features from all over the globe including Finland, Great Britain, France, Japan and Greece. Also filling out the schedule are films submitted to the festival and some tracked down from distributors based on word of mouth. With two-dozen films on tap, there’s something for everyone this year.
Last year’s inaugural festival was a success for the Loft thanks in part to great programming, an engaged audience and strong sponsor support. All three of those elements seem primed to return for more this year. The Loft Film Festival was also a financial success according to Johnson, and will actually be reducing the cost of a festival pass down to $75 for Loft members and $100 for non-members. Johnson says moving forward, the festival will likely continue to function as a week-long “boutique” festival that stays small and manageable.
Oftentimes, independent film lovers do not get the chance to experience the festival pathos - the total immersion in film over a concentrated time. The Loft Film Festival will bring that experience to town.
“We want to give the public a taste of what we do everyday, but in a film festival sized dose,” said Johnson.
Highlights this year include the excellent documentary on Sesame Street puppeteer Kevin Clash, “Being Elmo,” the two most talked about films from the Cannes film festival this year, Lars Von Trier’s “Melancholia,” and Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” starring Tilda Swinton. Also showing are “Le Havre” and the devastating film “Tyrannosaur.”
Johnson was nearly giddy about the screening of “House of Boys,” and the scheduled participation of legendary actor Udo Kier – a veteran of numerous films from “Flesh for Frankenstein” to “Blade” to “My Own Private Idaho” and “Ace Ventura.”
As of press time, the schedule was still being finalized. Visit the Loft Film Festival’s website, LoftFilmFest.com, for up-to-date information. All films screen at Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd., 795-7777.
