Every September, the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival takes movie-lovers on a world tour of cinema with films from virtually every part of the globe. About two dozen different countries are represented in this year’s screenings, Sept. 6 to 11, festival founder Richard Paradise said. Only Italy has more than one entry.
“The programming philosophy is to find small gems of films from around the world and bring them to the Vineyard, so local audiences can learn about different cultures through the language of film,” said Mr. Paradise, who is also the founder and executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society.
He makes his festival selections by attending other festivals abroad, always with an eye to what would appeal most to Vineyard audiences.
He expects The Weekend Sailor, a Mexican-Canadian documentary, will draw sailing locals to its true tale of the middle-aged Mexican skipper who won the first round-the-world crewed race in 1974.
“I think people will really be fascinated by that,” Mr. Paradise said.
Several of this year’s features are from Latin America, selected after Mr. Paradise attended a festival in Colombia.
“People will be hearing more Spanish and Portuguese,” he said. Neon Bull, by Brazilian writer-director Gabriel Mascaro, “really gives you a sense of life in the countryside of Brazil.”
Films from Argentina (The Tenth Man) and Peru (Icaros: A Vision) are also on the program, as is Madly, an international production directed by Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal and starring Sion Sono, Sebastián Silva, Mia Wasikowska, Anurag Kashyap and Natasha Khan. Romania, Iceland, Norway and several Asian nations are represented as well.
“Some years I’ve had four or five French films,” Mr. Paradise said. This year, the one entry from France — Philippe Faucon’s Fatima — is already sold out.
Prior to the screening, actress and activist Sharon Stone will appear to accept the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society Global Citizen Award.
“We’re honoring her work internationally as a humanitarian, as someone who raises money and raises awareness for so many different causes.”
Mr. Paradise added that another reason for Ms. Stone’s presence is that she is a producer of a short documentary that made the top 10 in the festival’s juried short film competition. An Undeniable Voice makes its world premiere in the shorts program on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
This is only the second time that the Film Society has presented the award, Mr. Paradise said. The first honoree was actor-director Matthew Modine.
“We’d like to make it an annual award, but we’re still a fairly small festival.”
Festival screenings will take place at the Film Center and the Capawock theatre, both in Vineyard Haven, about an eighth of a mile apart from one another.
“Lots of people walk between the theatres, because even in September the traffic can be iffy,” Mr. Paradise said.
Instead of a freestanding box office on Main street, this year patrons may buy tickets online or at the theatres. The festival is also partnering with Main street merchants to create a “festival village” atmosphere. Retailers Bob and Jeannette Breth will be offering discounts to festival customers at their pizza, ice cream, fudge and frozen yogurt shops, and Mr. Paradise is looking into live music in their courtyard as well.
“We don’t have a big central campus, so we’ve kind of spread out a little bit,” he said.
The 11th Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival begins Sept. 6 with two nights of single-feature programs before the gala opening night Sept. 8. Detailed information is available at mvfilmsociety.com.
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