Northwoods exposure: Film Festival brings variety of independent movies to Woodruff
By Laurie Lenten
The first ever Northwoods Film Festival will showcase a diverse line-up of groundbreaking and engaging films during its inaugural kick-off on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 16-17, at the Lakeland Cinema 6 in Woodruff.
According to Northwoods Film Festival Executive Director Bess Donoghue, the film festival will expose Northwoods’ movie-goers to a wide range of films that they might not normally have the opportunity to see right in their own backyard.
According to Donoghue, a Wisconsin native whose family has vacationed in the Boulder Junction area for decades, film plays a special and unique role in communities by bringing audiences together in a shared space to enjoy a shared film experience. The festival, she says, is intended to help ignite conversation about film topics.
“We are just so excited to introduce audiences in the Northern Wisconsin region to a variety of independent titles,” said Donoghue, who currently works as a Publicist at FRANK PR, a film and entertainment agency in New York.
The two-day film festival will feature a blend of independent films, documentaries, and short films, which will play before each featured film.
The line-up will include:
The Biggest Little Farm. Director: John Chester, Friday, Aug. 16, at 5:30 p.m. This documentary chronicles the eight year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade in city life for 200 acres of barren farmland where they learn about better living and a healthier planet. (Preceded by short film, Two Balloons, directed by Mark Smith. Two travelers who return to a place crossed by stars and clouds where love is at the beginning of everything.)
Wild Rose. Director: Tom Harper, Friday, Aug. 16, at 7:45 p.m. An ex-con, Rose-Lynn Harlan, dreams of trading in the working class streets of Glasgow for the stage of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. This is a story steeped in music, courage, family ties, and achieving your dreams. (Preceded by short film, Singularity Stories Vol. 1, directed by Asa Derks. One woman’s awareness of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) around the world when her Amazon Alexa refuses to play her favorite Bruno Mars song.)
Maiden. Director: Alex Holmes, Saturday, Aug. 17, at 5:30 p.m. In 1989 the thought of an all-female competitive sailboat crew was inconceivable until 24-year-old Tracy Edwards proved conventional thought wrong with her second-hand sailing yacht Maiden and her seasoned crew of female sailors. After 32,000 miles of global racing, the Maiden and her crew shocked, inspired, and transfixed the sailing world. (Preceded by short film, In This Life, directed by Bat-Sheva Guez. The unavoidable, universal and painful experience of grief; the five stages of grief in five acts.)
Juliet, Naked, Director: Jesse Peretz, Saturday, Aug.17, at 7:45 p.m. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, Juliet, Naked, explores life’s second chances as Annie and Duncan, who are stuck in a long-term relationship, come to terms with the past through Duncan’s obsession and life-changing encounter with obscure rocker Tucker Crowe. (Preceded by short film, Lavender, directed by Matthew Puccini. The story of a young gay man as he develops a complicated relationship with an older married couple that blossoms and ultimately unravels.)
Tickets for the Northwoods Film Festival are $10 per film, or $35 for a ticket bundle for all four films. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Lakeland Cinema 6, located at 1002 2nd Avenue, in Woodruff, or online by visiting www.lakeland.suicktheatres.com/
For more information on the Northwoods Film Festival, log onto www.northwoodsfilmfestival.org.
Laurie Lenten is a freelance writer who lives in Rhinelander. Her articles also appear in Northwoods Commerce, Northwoods ‘boomers and Beyond and Living on the Lake magazines.
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