This year’s East Lansing Film Festival begins Wednesday evening, November 9, with films at the Hannah Center in East Lansing, Wells Hall at Michigan State University and Celebration! Cinemas on South Cedar in Lansing. The festival continues through Thursday of the following week (November 17).
Please sample some of the selections below.
This clip is from Alleged, written and produced by Haslett’s Frederick Foote
ALLEGED (Tom Hines – Lake Michigan Film Competition (LMFC): Feature) – This romantic drama is based on events surrounding the famous Scopes ‘Monkey Trial’ of 1925. Charles Anderson, a talented young reporter, feels trapped working for his deceased father’s weekly newspaper and living in a tiny town in steep decline. He sees the Monkey Trial as a once in a lifetime opportunity to break into the journalistic big leagues. However, he is torn between his love for the principled Rose, his fiance and his eagerness to please the unscrupuous H.L. Mencken, America’s most influential columnist. Starring Brian Dennehy, Colm Meaney and Fred Thompson.
Sunday, Nov 13 – 5:30 – Wells Hall D at MSU
BUCK – (Cindy Meehl – 2011 – Documentary) – Buck, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Buck Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life “horse-whisperer”, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect. A truly American story about an unsung hero, BUCK is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds. If you love animals and want to be inspired this film is for you. Rated PG
Fri, Nov 11, 7:00 p.m. – Wells Hall Theater C at MSU
Wed, Nov 16, 8:30 p.m. – Celebration! Cinemas
THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Charles Kinnane – 2010 – Documentary) – From Grassroots Films of Brooklyn, New York comes The Human Experience – Winner of the 2008 Maui Film Festival for ‘Best Documentary’ — the true story of a band of brothers who travel the world in search of the answers to the burning questions: Who am I? Who is Man? Why do we search for meaning? Their journey brings them into the middle of the lives of the homeless on the streets of New York City, the orphans and disabled children of Peru, and the abandoned lepers in the forests of Ghana, Africa. What the young men discover changes them forever. Through one on one interviews and real life encounters, the brothers are awakened to the beauty of the human person and the resilience of the human spirit.
Sat, Nov 12, 6:30 p.m. – Wells D at MSU
Mon, Nov 14, 6:30 p.m. – Celebration! Cinemas
DONOR UNKNOWN (Jerry Rothwell – 2011 – Documentary) – Growing up, the only thing JoEllen Marsh knew about her biological father was that he was Donor 150. Using the Internet and social networking sites, JoEllen sets out to locate and meet for the first time her half- brothers and sisters scattered across the country. JoEllen and her newfound siblings decide to initiate contact with the bearer for their shared genes, Donor 150. Enters Jeffrey Harrison, an eccentric, colorful fifty-something hippie living out of an RV on Venice Beach. This wonderfully unique man donated sperm for $20 a pop and years later became a “pop” to a diverse but exceptionally normal group of kids. Here truth is stranger than fiction and the argument of “nature versus nurture” is put to the test.
Fri, Nov 11, 7:00 p.m. – Wells Hall A at MSU
Monday, Nov 14, 8:30 p.m. – Celebration! Cinemas
INCENDIES (Denis Villeneuve – 2010 – Feature Film) – Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Academy Awards®, this powerful, captivating mystery tells the story of Quebecois twins who discover dark devastating family secrets upon the reading of their mother’s will. So shell-shocked, they embark on a quest to the Middle East to find answers. In this viscerally cinematic and spellbinding tale of tragedy and reconciliation, director Denis Villeneuve masterfully spins his complex narrative across the recent history of a troubled region, crafting a haunting and suspenseful drama of epic proportions with twists that will leave you stunned. It is impossible not to be affected by this great film. Rated R
Sat, Nov 12 – 9:15 p.m. – Wells C at MSU
Tues, Nov 15 – 8:30 p.m. – Celebration! Cinemas
WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM (Heather Courtney – 2011 – Documentary) –
We see them on news, we hear of their deaths but do we know the men and women who are fighting our wars? This stunning film profiles 4 men from the small town of Hancock in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula who, enticed by the $20,000 bonus, signed up for the National Guard. Director Courtney follows these high school graduates from the time they leave home, endure boot camp, fly overseas, patrol one of the most dangerous places in the world and make the difficult return home. We learn in this personal story how America’s ongoing wars affect our youth, their families and communities.
Wed, Nov 16 – 7:30 – Hannah Center
