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"Missed the Sundance Film Festival in January? Couldn't get a hotel room in Cannes? Consider Flint.
"The blue-collar city of 125,000, perhaps best associated with the cinematic arts as the backdrop for native son Michael Moore's 1989 documentary 'Roger & Me,' is preparing for its inaugural Flint Film Festival.
"It begins Friday with a Hollywood-style opening gala and concludes Sunday with an awards party. In between, festival-goers will have their choice of 29 original films — features, shorts, documentaries, music videos and student productions — by independent filmmakers from as far away as Germany. (emphasis added)
"'Where do you think they find all those Academy Award-winning shorts and documentaries you never heard of? Film festivals. I guarantee the quality of films are as good or better than any blockbuster you're gonna see all summer.' (emphasis added)
"Moore, who is a native of Flint but now lives in New York, was not invited to be involved in the festival in any way, and his latest film, the anti-Bush documentary 'Fahrenheit 911,' will not be shown, Fiedler said.
"'The committee told me in one of our very first meetings that they wanted this to be about local filmmakers and not about one famous one who has a way of bringing all the attention on himself,' Fiedler said.
"'He saw the press releases and he could've offered to submit something, and he didn't,' Fiedler added."
Highlights of the film fest include:
Sunday Morning
Produced and directed by Steve Schoenbach, Grand Blanc High School, grade 12
Run Time: 4 minutes Original format: High 8 video
Description: “A regular Sunday morning for me. Wake up. Eat crereal. Computer. Xbox. Read book. Fin.” (set to music from Green Day and Minnie Riperton)
and
Wild Kingdom
Producer: Martie Fellom Director: Alan Marsh School: S Eastern Louisiana University
Run time: 27 minutes Original format: DV
Description: A Junior High School student uses his knowledge of animal camouflage techniques to avoid being called on in the classroom. However, he meets defeat at every turn, either from erstwhile friends or his supernatural sister in this surreal comedy.
