Arts & Entertainment
No Shortage of Interest in Short Films at Black Maria Film Festival
More than 260 people of all ages turned up to see groundbreaking and experimental cinema from throughout the world on Friday night. The festival saw a nearly full house at the Richey Suncoast Theatre in New Port Richey.
The annual now in its 30th year, showcases short films from around the world during a 65-stop tour of the United States. Louis Libitz is the assistant director of the Black Maria Film Festival and was in New Port Richey last Friday night, introducing the films and taking questions from an appreciative audience.
“There’s no money in short film making,” explained Libitz. “The filmmakers do it simply for the love of film.”
The playlist of 10 films shown on Friday night was customized specifically for the New Port Richey audience. The films were selected from a final shortlist of 70 films, which in turn had been selected from over 700 entries.
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The show included a variety of filmmaking styles from animation and stop motion to documentary and narrative. The films were thought-provoking, informative, amusing and visually impressive.
One film, entitled “Mrs. Buck in Her Prime” showed a day in the life of the remarkable Mrs. Geneva Buck. Buck, who lives in Washington, N.C., is the pianist at her local church and just happens to be 104 years old. The touching insight into the life of this energetic and enthusiastic centenarian garnered loud applause from the New Port Richey audience.
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It was not just the older generations represented at the screening. Two New Port Richey students had their work shown as an introduction to the Film Festival. Both Dylan Bukowczyk and Krystal Boerson currently study at MTEC vocational school, and their films “UFO” and “The Cirque” were very well received.
The Black Maria Film Festival is named for Thomas Edison’s New Jersey film studio. which was dubbed the Black Maria due to its resemblance to the police wagons of the day.
This is the second year that the Black Maria Film Festival has come to New Port Richey, and the man responsible for bringing this Academy-recognized festival to town is Robert Mateja.
Mateja teaches video production at MTEC and is hoping that the festival will help generate enthusiasm for film and opportunities for filmmakers in New Port Richey.
“We brought the festival here to spark interest,” said Mateja. “At the moment, there’s no outlet for young local talent. It was a great turnout, even better than I had expected. There’s many more people here than last year so let’s hope that trend continues.”
Not that film lovers will have to wait a whole year for their next dose of experimental film. In November this year, the Thomas Meighan Project and Richey Suncoast Theatre will be hosting the 1st Annual Digital Arts & Film Festival, comprised of the work of local talent. Submissions are still being accepted. For more information visit www.tmfilmfest.com
