When your science teacher tells you to “do your research,” be aware that knowing the truth could be the most rewarding, most burdening, or the most dangerous, position to be in.
That’s one of the take-aways from the Bonita Springs International Film Festival this weekend, May 21-23. (Details and ticket information are in the accompanying box.)
Co-chair Frank Blocker, theater and film organizer for the festival’s sponsor, the Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, noticed that. The unexpected results of digging deeper dominated the nearly 100 films entered in the festival, he mused: “For some reason, a lot of films used the idea of research.”
One young filmmaker short details the lengths Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota goes to document the effect of human interference on sea life. The word is even in its title: “Research, Rescue, Release” (3:10 p.m. Saturday, May 22)
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The most chilling example comes from the true story of “Mr. Jones,” scheduled for 12:59 p.m. Saturday, May 22. An enterprising reporter makes the horrific discovery that Stalin has created his “economic miracle” by extracting a percentage of crops that literally starves to death Ukrainians under Russia’s control. That slow massacre of millions was little publicized, and “Mr. Jones” explores just how it was kept so secret.
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“The State of Rodeo” (2:50 p.m. Sunday, May 23) documents its origins in Florida. It details the history of the riding and roping pageant for 500 years, from Native American cow keepers and Spanish conquistadors to range herders and computer-age cowboys. Yet another, the Canadian documentary “Sustenance” (4:40 p.m. Saturday, May 22) sleuths out who did the work, who got the money and how those ingredients that traveled to your dinner plate impact Earth.
Kathy Saldivar, festival cochair, said she was impressed with the number of young filmmakers entering. Saldivar, IT specialist for the center, has worked in some capacity with the festival since its inception seven years ago, and she says the pandemic probably stoked creativity.
“We had a lot of young filmmakers under 18, and they sent in a little bit of everything. Some must have been putting on film what be what they’re feeling this year,” she said. “It’s like ‘Every kind of emotion I have,’ but somehow these kids managed to make good stories from it.”
They’re wrapped into the two Young Filmmakers Shorts packages at 10:30 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. Saturday. Storylines are both creative — a real estate agent confronts the poltergeist that keeps him from selling a house — and poignant, in the last meetings of high school friends bound for different colleges. There’s romance, or attempted romance. People survive apocalyptic times and dead-end jobs.
The youth shorts also offer one of two LGBT+ films in its “Dreamer.” The other, a feature film, “Dating Amber” (12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22), details the complications of two gay friends faking a heterosexual romance to fit into their high school culture.
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The Bonita Springs International Film Festival tries to create a cross-section of films, said Blocker, which means they recruit several works that haven’t been entered. And by chance one of those, “Another Round” (7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22) won the Oscar for best foreign film.
“And we already had it booked here,” Blocker said. “We got lucky.”
The “r” word returns, as four Danish friends test a scientific theory that humans function better with just a slightly higher level of alcohol in their blood. Every day, they take a nip. The results ripple toward delightful, and eventually chaotic.
It and the other films have talk-back sessions with staff or specialists in the areas they deal with. So stick around, and you’ll be able, for instance, to talk with Rose Brady, former bureau chief for Business Week in Moscow, after you see “Mr. Jones.”
And don’t forget the entertainment. Nightbird, a Stevie Nicks tribute band fronted by Angela Chang, warbles through the star’s hits from her time with Fleetwood Mac to solo on opening night Friday, May 21. There’s also a red carpet cocktail party at 6 p.m., with cocktails at 5, and a screening of — appropriately for an arts center sponsor — “Paint.” It follows three art school friends who try to sell their first painting in that most bizarre of markets, New York City.
And if “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad,” imagine getting three out of three with Meet Loaf, a tribute band to the star who made that song a hit. The closing night party Sunday, May 23, includes its concert with a cocktail party at 5 p.m. and a screening of the documentary, “The Last Sermon” at 6. Awards follow the screening.
Harriet Howard Heithaus covers arts and entertainment for the Naples Daily News/naplesnews.com. Reach her at 239-213-6091.
What: Seventh annual Bonita Springs International Film Festival, featuring films all day Saturday and Sunday and opening night and closing night parties.
When: 5 p.m. Friday (opening night red carpet party, film and Nightbird concert), May 21, to 5 p.m. Sunday, Mary 23. An entire schedule of films appears on its website at artcenterbonita.org
Admission: $12 per film, $5 for students with ID; opening night red carpet party plus film and concert, $75; closing party plus film and concert, $65; 10-pack film pass, $100; festival badge including 10 films and both parties, $200
To buy:artcenterbonita.org
