Monday, November 9, 2009 9:17 PM CST
Lincoln's life in spotlight of local film fest
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — The annual Embarras Valley Film Festival typically celebrates contributions to the film arts by individuals with connections to East Central Illinois.
The sixth annual festival, set for Thursday through Saturday, is taking a different course by honoring someone whose life and times have been the subject of many films — Abraham Lincoln.
Film showings, academic presentations, live music and other events will be offered with a “Lincoln, the Civil War, and Memory” theme in celebration of the 200th anniversary this year of Lincoln’s birth. Entry to these events on campus and in uptown Charleston is free and open to the public.
Although Lincoln has been portrayed often, festival project director Kit Morice said the challenge was finding award-caliber films in prints that were readily available for showing in Charleston.
“By opening the theme up to include Civil War films, it just gave us more to choose from,” Morice said. “By broadening the theme, we were able to draw from a number of quality films we could show.”
The film showings will begin with director John Ford’s and actor Henry Fonda’s 1940 film “Young Mr. Lincoln” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the EIU Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall.
“Young Mr. Lincoln” will be preceded by a presentation on the future president’s formative years by Library of Congress Lincoln curator John Sellers. Morice said Sellers will give particular attention to Lincoln’s time in Illinois, including his work as a circuit-riding attorney here.
“Sellers is quite an authority on Lincoln,” Morice said.
On Friday, the 1962 short film “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” based on an Ambrose Bierce story, will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Doudna Lecture Hall. The evening will end with a performance of Civil War-era music by Ben Leddy and Claire Johnson in the lecture hall.
Two films will be shown Saturday. The 1927 silent comedy “The General,” starring Buster Keaton in the tale of a captured train, will be shown at 2 p.m. at Charleston Carnegie Public Library, 712 Sixth St. The 1989 film “Glory,” featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Denzel Washington, will be shown at 7 p.m. at Will Rogers Theatre, 705 Monroe Ave.
In addition, a series of presentations regarding Lincoln, the Civil War and filmmaking are scheduled for throughout the day Friday on EIU’s campus. Topics include “Our American Cousin: Melodrama and the Civil War;” “Lincoln, the Civil War, and Race;” and “Film and History.”
Conference co-chair Robin Murray said Hollywood screenwriter Craig Titley, a Mattoon native, is scheduled to offer a screenwriters workshop at 10 a.m. Friday in the EIU Tarble Arts Center Atrium.
Murray noted that Titley recently wrote the screenplay adaptation of author Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” and the finished film is scheduled for release in February.
EIU Booth Library also is scheduled to host an exhibit in connection with this year’s Embarras Valley Film Festival.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 238-6861.
Embarras Valley Film Festival schedule
Thursday
6:30 p.m., Library of Congress Lincoln curator John Sellers to discuss Lincoln’s early years prior to “Young Mr. Lincoln” showing, EIU Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall.
Friday
10 a.m., Hollywood screenwriter/Mattoon native Craig Titley to offer screenwriters workshop, EIU Tarble Arts Center Atrium.
1 p.m., “Our American Cousin: Melodrama and the Civil War” presentation by Chris Mitchell, Tarble Atrium.
2:30 p.m., “Lincoln, the Civil War, and Race” presentation by Kevin Anderson followed by “Film and History” presentation by David Smith and Joseph Heumann, Doudna Lecture Hall.
7 p.m., “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” film showing followed by Civil War-era music performed by Ben Leddy and Claire Johnson, Doudna Lecture Hall.
Saturday
10:30-noon, Lincoln-related craft activities for children, Charleston Carnegie Public Library, 712 Sixth St., call 345-1514 for reservations.
11 a.m., Stop Motion Film Workshop showing of works by area middle school students, public library.
2 p.m., “The General” film showing, introduction by Urbana-based film critic Chuck Koplinski, public library.
7 p.m., “Glory” film showing, introductions by local Civil War re-enactor/”Glory” extra Randy Jackson and Arlington Heights Daily Herald film critic/Chicago Film Critics Association President/Charleston native Dann Gire, Will Rogers Theatre, 705 Monroe Ave.
Add your comments
Not already registered?
Then click Here.
Comment policy:
JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.
In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.
We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
No comment may contain:
* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.
If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.
|
|
|
|
|
