Last week, the Akron Film Festival launched a contest called “The
New History of Akron.” The concept is for local filmmakers to make
a mockumentary about Akron that explores an “alternate history” of the
city. “I want filmmakers to explore Akron and shoot in Akron, plus take
a look at the city’s history,” says organizer Rob Lucas. “I hope to
make it an annual event. It’s a little different, and I hope we’ll see
different styles of documentaries. It can be as simple as still
photographs, so you don’t need to shoot it on video. They can do a Ken
Burns-style documentary or something totally different. The idea is to
make it as much fun as possible.” Films can’t be longer than five
minutes, and entries are due December 6. They can be submitted online
at akronfilm.com. Lucas is putting
together a panel of judges and says the winning film will get a cash
prize of $250 and be shown at the 2010 Akron Film Festival. Winners
will be announced at a wrap party at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, December 10,
at the Akron Art Museum. Entry fee is $15.
The third annual The Big Lebowski bowling party
returns to the Corner Alley (402 Euclid Ave., 216.298.4070, thecorneralley.com) from 7-9 p.m.
Sunday, November 29. White Russians will be served, and anyone who
wears a bathrobe while bowling gets a coupon for free popcorn at any
Cleveland Cinemas theater. If the aforementioned references don’t make
sense to you, rent the movie or see it when it screens at 9:30 p.m. and
midnight on Saturday, December 5, at the Cedar Lee Theatre as part of
its Cult Classics Series. Go to clevelandcinemas.com for more
information.
While Red, an adaptation of a Warren Ellis
graphic novel, will be primarily shot in Toronto and Louisiana, its
lead character, a retired CIA operative named Paul Moses (played by
Bruce Willis), lives in Cleveland. Willis and the cast have no plans to
come to town for filming, but the filmmakers are trying to make the
Cleveland scenes look as authentic as possible. They’ve solicited help
from Positively Cleveland, which sent them take-out menus, a Grady
Sizemore bobblehead, empty Great Lakes beer bottles, a Browns helmet
and newspapers (both The Plain Dealer and Scene).
Flightplan’s Robert Schwentke is directing the movie, which
starts filming in January and is slated for release in November
2010.
This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2009.
