The Traverse City Film Festival Announces a New Slate of Films for “Moviegoers on a Budget”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Traverse City Film Festival Announces a New Slate of Films for “Moviegoers on a Budget”
“Compliments of the Festival” Expands the Festival’s Lineup of Free Events “Affordable to Everyone”
TRAVERSE CITY, MI (July 21, 2013) — A series of free films are the newest addition to the lineup of the ninth annual Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF), founded by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore. Select movie screenings at the new Bijou by the Bay, and inside the Dennos Museum’s Dutmers Theater, will be offered free to the public.
“We want to make sure everyone in our state — especially those who are experiencing the fallout from the economic collapse — can be a participant in the Traverse City Film Festival,” said Moore, who also programs the festival. “The people have been having a hard time here in Michigan for far too long, so while somebody figures out what to do, everyone should at least be able to see some great movies, free of charge.
“And anyone who wants to see great movies, who wants take their families on vacation or just wants enjoy a night off, has the chance to do it here at the Traverse City Film Festival.”
Included in these screenings will be Michael Apted’s landmark documentary “7 Up” series. Apted will appear at the festival. Classic films “She Done Him Wrong,” “Gold Diggers of 1933” and “The Last Days of Pompeii” join documentaries “The Battle of amfAR,” “Waiting for Mamu” and “War on Whistleblowers.” And filmmaker Mark Cousins will introduce a special sneak screening of one of his films.
These new “Compliments of the Festival” screenings will join new free Evening Panels at the Cinema Salon in Clinch Park, and a “Newbie” Program for first-time festival attendees. Also new this year, TCFF invites the community and visitors to the first ever TCFF Closing Night Bash in Open Space. Free to the community, the event will feature a special screening of “The Princess Bride.” There will be live music, games and prizes, as well as “Just Desserts,” a variety of delectable confections and sweets available for purchase. Everyone is invited to join TCFF in Open Space park on Sunday, August 4 starting at 7 pm.
TCFF will also continue to offer the following free and affordable events:
*Open Space Movies: Hollywood hits projected on a 65-ft screen at dusk each night in Open Space, surrounded by Grand Traverse Bay.
*Morning Filmmaker Panels at the City Opera House: Join our visiting filmmakers as they share stories from Hollywood to New York, Berlin to Taiwan. The panel members mix it up with each other and the audience in sessions that range from the hilarious to the moving. Panels at the City Opera House are free and begin at 9:30 am daily, so you won’t miss lunch or your 12 noon movie.
*Cinema Salon: After specific 12 noon and 3 pm films, moviegoers and the general public are invited to gather in the Cinema Salon, located in Clinch Park near the new Bijou by the Bay theater, to talk about the movies.
*Kids Fest: After the $1 family movies at Lars Hockstad Auditorium, Wednesday-Saturday at 9:30 am, Kids Fest takes over the front lawn outside for games, arts and crafts, performances, sports, bubbles, music and much more. Bring the sunscreen and kids ready for fun — from 11 am to 2 pm, the entertainment is on us!
*Film School Classes: Returning this year to Scholars Hall at our sponsor Northwestern Michigan College, TCFF Film School offers twice-daily sessions Wednesday through Saturday, featuring visiting filmmakers and professionals sharing insights and experience with an audience of all ages. This year, TCFF board members Michael Moore and Terry George (“Hotel Rwanda”) will also each teach a class. More affordable than a textbook, tickets are just $5 per class.
*Music in Clinch Park: Enjoy free concerts by the best local, national and international musicians at our Music Stage on the patio overlooking the water and one of downtown Traverse City’s most popular beaches.
These free and affordable events are designed to say “thank you” to the community that works so hard to make TCFF the best possible festival experience, year after year. TCFF is a charitable non-profit organization that depends on the generosity of community volunteers, who run all areas of the festival and the “number-one-in-the-world” State Theatre.
“I think people have a real sense of ownership of this festival,” Moore says. “Every ticket our volunteers take is not just from someone going to the movies, but also from a stakeholder in this festival. We’re all founders. We all own the festival.”
For more information about the Traverse City Film Festival, ticket information and to receive updates on the 2013 lineup, visittraversecityfilmfest.org. Tickets are on sale now at our Main Box Office at 128 Union St., directly above 7 Monks Taproom in downtown Traverse City, by calling 231-929-FILM (3456), or by visiting
traversecityfilmfest.org.
Social: www.facebook.com/TCFilmFest or twitter.com/TCFF.
ABOUT THE TRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVAL
The Traverse City Film Festival is a charitable and educational non-profit organization founded by Academy Award-winning director and local resident Michael Moore, committed to showing “Just Great Movies” and to helping save one of America’s few indigenous art forms – the cinema. The festival brings films and filmmakers from around the world to northern Michigan for the annual film festival in late July to early August. The festival has grown to become one of the biggest film festivals in the Midwest and one of the most respected in the country. The Festival operates the State Theatre and Bijou by the Bay, as year-round, community-based, mission-driven and volunteer-staffed art house movie theaters.
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