What’s New
What’s New
Women’s Film Festival, 2010
In recent years the light at the end of winter’s long tunnel has been aided immeasurably by silver screens being lit up around Brattleboro with films from the Women’s Film Festival. Beginning March 12th and continuing through March 21st, the 2010 festival will again usher in Springtime for the tri-state region with films that entertain, enlighten, and challenge.Many international award-winning features and shorter documentaries are included in the roster, culled from debut festivals around the globe such as Toronto, Telluride, New York, and Berlin, with many films procured from the directors themselves. For only the second year, the WFF has accepted unsolicited submissions, with the added excitement for festival organizers and audiences of discovering a new talent.
Here is a short sampling of festival highlights: the opening film will likely be Topp Twins by Leanne Pooley, the story of country-western lesbian yodelers from New Zealand; The Beaches of Agnes, a richly visual tour de force by Agnes Varda is a self-portrait and recounting of the director and cinematographer’s life in film; in The Jazz Baroness Hannah Rothschild tells the story of her great aunt who went to New York in search of Thelonius Monk. The festival will close with the much-ballyhooed Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg by Aviva Kempner, the story of TV pioneer Gertrude Berg, who was the creator, principal writer, and star of “The Goldbergs.”
In all, there are over twenty films shown throughout the ten days of the festival. Most films are shown twice, at least once at a handicapped-accessible venue. Director talks and panels are scheduled with some films.
An important part of the festival has come to be spotlighting women’s creativity, particularly in the art of film, but also through “Visions”, a non-juried multi-generational exhibit of visual arts held at the Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery all through the month of March. The show is a silent auction with artists donating 50% or 100% of sale proceeds to the Crisis Center. Final bidding happens at the festival’s free closing party starting at 6:00 on Saturday, March 27th, which also includes a showing of the Best of the Fest, and celebratory refreshments.
This year in collaboration with the Women’s Film Festival and “Visions” Art Exhibit, and benefiting the Crisis Center, Cappella Clausura, a women’s vocal ensemble of music professionals from the Boston area, will present a program of Sacred Music by women composers at the First Baptist Church on March 28th at 4:30.
Briefs
Millstone Antiques Moves and Expands – Ann Keller and Richard Latour, owners of Millstone Antiques have moved their business to Dorset across from the Dorset Inn (3390 Route 30). They specialize in Vermont landscapes, American folk art and American, Federal and country furniture from the 18th century to the early 19th century. They also clean and repair oil paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. millstoneantiques.com or 802-231-2500. By appointment.
Free Friday Night Theater at 8pm in Bellows Falls — MUDTIME Theater presents Mildred Taken Crazy at 17 Canal Street on the Exner Block. Friday Night Free Thea-ter was conceived by the founders of MUDTIME Theater, Steve Friedman and Denny Partridge, as a strategy for keeping warm in the winter season. Every week there will be new theatrical offerings (and sometimes music) to lift the spirit and allow Vermont natives to rub elbows with their neighbors. mudtimetheater.blogspot.com
Kudos to Eric Bass And Ines Zeller Bass Governor James H. Douglas and the Vermont Arts Council honored Eric Bass and Ines Zeller Bass as the 2010 recipients of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, Vermont’s highest arts award.⌘ Eric and Ines founded Sandglass Theater in Munich, Germany in 1982 and relocated to Putney, VT in 1986.⌘ In 1996 they opened their 60-seat theater in the heart of Putney Village. Sandglass Theater has become an internationally renowned theater company specializing in the use of the puppet and visual imagery. Their productions have toured 25 countries, performing in theaters, festivals and cultural institutions, and garnering many international prizes.
Five talented and under-the-radar Vermont painters premiere and exhibit all-new work with Women to Watch 2010 in the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn Center. The collection remains on display through Monday, March 29. Women to Watch is a biennial exhibition program developed specifically for the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Featuring the work of Kate Longmaid, Adelaide Tyrol, Susan Abbott, Carrie Gelfan, and Aline Ordman, the program is designed to increase the visibility of—and critical response to — promising women artists who are deserving of national and international attention.
Gallery at the VAULT gets top designation and has been recognized by the state of Vermont as one of three state craft centers. Also named this year was Artisans Hand in Montpelier. The gallery, a former empty storefront, is now filled with paintings, photographs, handmade jewelry, pottery and prints from over 100 artists and artisans. Workshops and classes are also offered. Galleryatthevault.com
Five-Star Award: What do the Hotel Plaza Athenee (New York and Paris), The Grand Hyatt Shanghai, The Dorchester (London) and six inns in Southern Vermont have in common? They have all earned the official Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. The awardees include Honora Winery & Vineyard in West Halifax, The Equinox Resort in Manchester, The Inn at Sawmill Farm in West Dover, The Hermitage in West Dover, The Old Tavern in Grafton and Mount Snow Resort. The award is given on a five-point scale that includes outstanding hospitality, cleanliness, service, structural and food. Based in New York City, the Academy is governed by an international Board of Trustees. Donald Trump is the honorary chairperson. stardiamondaward.com.
