Thursday, March 1

Salem Film Fest Opening VIP Reception

5:30 – 6:45 pm: at National Park Service Visitor Center. Essex Street.

A fun and casual kickoff event to the festival. Enjoy hors d’oeurves and wine in the company of fellow film lovers and visiting artists. Music by Clay Ventre and the Bond Girls. This event will also celebrate the launch of Art*Throb’s March/April issue: Inspired by Reality. Come for a great introduction to the cultural and artistic richness and diversity of the city of Salem and the North Shore. Sponsored by the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

 

Salem Film Fest Opening Night Film: ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT

7:00 – 9:00 pm: at the Peabody Essex Museum’s Morse Auditorium. Essex Street. (Regular festival pricing applies – tickets available at CinemaSalem. All-Access passes honored.)

The programming kicks off with the help of the Peabody Essex Museum – one of our major sponsors.  ALL ME is a triumphant story to get the festival going. Director Vivian Ducat and the subject of the film, Winfred Rembert will be on hand for what will likely be a powerful Q&A following the screening.

 

2012 Five Minute Student Film Contest Awards Presentation

7:00 pm at CinemaSalem. FREE!

Take a good look at the future of filmmaking by viewing the Top Ten Massachusetts High School Student Films of the year. Presented by Film North and CinemaSalem as a prelude to the Salem Film Fest, and featuring films in all genres. This free event provides a clear glimpse of tomorrow’s visual storytellers.  For more information on the contest,  check here.

 

Friday, March 2

After-Party at Finz Seafood Restaurant & Grill

9:30 pm: at Finz Seafood Restaurant & Grill (76 Wharf St on Pickering Wharf) Cash Bar

Join us for a meet and greet with the filmmakers at one of Salem’s finest restaurants. Enjoy the jazz funk sounds of Henley Douglas’s HDRnB who will also feature tracks from the upcoming REGGAE IN THE RUFF album.

 

Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4

Family-friendly Film Fest Programming

Saturday, March 3, 10:00 am: WILD HORSE, WILD RIDE at CinemaSalem.
Sunday, March 4, 10:00 am: SALAAM DUNK at CinemaSalem.

Two films that will fascinate kids 4th Grade and up, as well as their parents. WILD HORSE, WILD RIDE tells the story of the Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge, an annual contest that dares 100 people to each tame a totally wild mustang in order to get it adopted into a better life beyond federal corrals. Stunning and poignant, Alex Dawson and Greg Gricus’ debut feature documentary chronicles a handful of unforgettable characters over three months as they attempt to transform from scared strangers to the closest of companions.

SALAAM DUNK is a documentary about basketball, the next generation of young Iraqi women, and the pain of losing those we love. For these young players, basketball is not just about winning; it represents a powerful source of pride and hopeful proof that Iraq will one day be known as more than a war zone.

 

Saturday, March 3

Filmmaking Forums

10:00 am: at National Park Service Visitor Center. Essex Street. FREE!

“Documentary Filmmaking as an Activist Tool”

Film has the power to be a catalyst for change in society.  Join us for a discussion with some of this year’s filmmakers as they discuss issues surrounding their films, the challenge of changing public perception, and how they have approached drawing attention to a cause.

Moderated by Jeff Schmidt, Salem Film Fest Programming Committee 
Scheduled to attend:  Michael Collins (dir.) GIVE UP TOMORROW, Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley (co-dir.) BATTLE FOR BROOKLYN, Aaron Yeger (dir.) A PEOPLE UNCOUNTED

 

1:30 pm: at Griffen Theatre. Lynde Street. FREE!

Alliance of Women Film Journalists present “How Media Covers Documentary Film”

Join us for a discussion about how the media covers documentary film.  We’ll get the inside scoop from our panelists as they discuss the review process, as well as other issues related to documentary film press coverage.

Moderated by Erin Trahan, Editor The Independent
Scheduled to attend:  Jennifer Merin AWFJ/About.com, Janice Page AWFJ/The Boston Globe, others TBD

 

After-Party at Victoria Station

9:30 pm: at Victoria Station (82 Wharf St on Pickering Wharf) Cash Bar

The festival hits high gear as film lovers and filmmakers get movin’ and groovin’ to Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket. Cash bar.

 

Sunday, March 4

Filmmaker Breakfast

9:00 – 11:30 am: at Caffe Graziani (133 Washington St)

Start your day with a delicious breakfast at Caffe Graziani in the company of filmmakers from all over the world. Cash breakfast and a SFF prix fixe menu. Filmmakers eat free.

 

Filmmaking Forums

Noon: at the Peabody Essex Museum’s Morse Auditorium. Essex Street. FREE!

Salem Film Fest and American Cinematographer Magazine presents “Reframing Reality”

The panel “Reframing Reality” will present an in-depth discussion about the artistic and technological challenges of documentary filmmaking, moderated by Salem native Stephen Pizzello, executive editor of American Cinematographer Magazine, the world’s leading journal on motion-imaging techniques..

Scheduled to appear are two celebrated cinematographers. Buddy Squires has shot more than 80 documentaries and has been the principal cinematographer for Ken Burns since 1981′s BROOKLYN BRIDGE. His films have won 13 Emmy Awards and garnered eight Academy Award nominations, including one Oscar winner. His credits include THE CIVIL WAR, BASEBALL, NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM, UNFORGIVABLE BLACKNESS: THE RISE AND FALL OF JACK JOHNSON and JAZZ. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association.

Ellen Kuras’ documentary credits include the Academy Award-nominated THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON), Spike Lee’s Emmy-nominated 4 LITTLE GIRLS, the music documentaries NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD and NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN, and UNZIPPED, a behind-the-scenes look at fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi.
 

3:00 pm: at the Peabody Essex Museum’s Morse Auditorium. Essex Street. FREE!

“Funding, Broadcast and Distribution Tips for Documentary Filmmakers”

Making a documentary is hard work, figuring out how to tell your story is just one part of the process.  Join us for a discussion with our panelists as they share some tips about fundraising, preparing your film for television broadcast and the latest distribution trends.

Moderated by Erin Trahan, Editor The Independent
Scheduled to attend:  Eric Luskin American Public Television, Kristen Fitzpatrick Women Make Movies, Alice Apley Documentary Educational Resources

 

Thursday, March 8

Wrap/CD Listening Party/Awards Announcement

10:30 pm-ish: at CinemaSalem Café

A free celebration following the final screening of Salem Film Fest 2012. Drinks and light refreshments available while you listen to the beats of the REGGAE IN THE RUFF soundtrack during a CD listening party. SFF Jury and Audience Award winners will be announced. Sponsored by MBC ink.