PTFF News
Newsletter Archives
December 1, 2008
Contents
Join the Port Townsend Film Festival Annual Fund Drive to Help Meet $30,000 Goal by December 31!
Donate now and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar (up to $15,000)
by a generous, long-time PTFF supporter!
Individuals are at the heart of the Port Townsend Film Festival’s success. Whether filmmaker, a volunteer, a guest, or an audience member, you are an integral part of PTFF's mission to create unique experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world.
Each year, PTFF must raise $200,000 from individuals, business sponsors, memberships, and ticket sales to keep our festival and increasing year-round programs going. Despite some cost-cutting and about a 10 percent increase in attendance in 2008, we fell a bit short given the national economic climate that has severely impacted local businesses.
The current economic crisis has hit many local nonprofits as well as businesses hard. Contributions in these times have to be based on individual priorities, and we hope that you will give the Port Townsend Film Festival your very serious consideration for year-end giving.
As a child, movies were my window on the world; they revealed individual lives and cultures that my small town environment could not even imagine. Although I ultimately became a serious reader, I’ve never lost my love for film, for its visual story-telling ability that can reveal in one scene what might take pages to describe.
Your participation helps PTFF to foster a more informed community, one that is aware and alive through sustaining year-round film activity, such as the current Global Lens film series screening Saturday mornings at the Rose Theatre and at Peninsula College in Port Townsend. Students are admitted free and non-students pay only $5 to see 10 films from around the world.
On Wednesday, December 3, the Port Townsend Film Festival and Centrum will announce a collaborative Winter Film Series, and a film residency program to be held immediately prior to the 10th annual festival which will be held September 24-27 (note: one extra day). We are spending much of December establishing our 10th anniversary pre-festival activities which we will announce around the first of the year. It will be an exciting year.
If we are able to meet the $30,000 goal (half of which has already been pledged), we will not only be able to pay down our line of credit, but we’ll have a bit of a cushion to start off the new year. Please join us in this effort. (If everyone on this email list gave $5, we’d raise $11,000 toward the final $15,000.)
You may make a contribution by sending a check to PTFF, P.O. Box 594, Port Townsend, WA 98368, or by calling me at 360/379-1333.
Thank you for your consideration.
Peter Simpson
Artistic Director
The Lavender Hill Mob: A Gem of a Comedy
“This is a hidden gem of a comedy,” says Joey Pipia about The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), “and it’s virtually unknown today.”
Starring Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, and introducing Audrey Hepburn in her first film appearance, The Lavender Hill Mob will screen Friday, December 5, as the third in a series of Funny First Friday screenings at the Chameleon Theatre.
The film won an Oscar for Best Writing and Guinness was also nominated for Best Actor. The film also won several international awards, rare for a British film to be so honored.
The story is sly and unexpected: Holland (Guinness), a shy retiring man, dreams of being rich and living the good life. Faithfully, for 20 years, he has worked as a bank transfer agent for the delivery of gold bullion. One day he befriends Pendlebury, a maker of souvenirs. Holland remarks that, with Pendlebury's smelting equipment, one could forge the gold into harmless-looking toy Eiffel Towers and smuggle the gold from England into France. Soon after, the two plant a story to gain the services of professional criminals, Lackery and Shorty. Together, the four plot their crime, leading to unexpected twists and turns.
Funny First Fridays presents classic comedy films and is co-sponsored by The Chameleon Theater and the Port Townsend Film Festival. Films are shown the first Friday of each month. Live entertainment will precede the film.
The film screens at 7:30 pm. Adults: $10 and kids under 12: $6. This is a family film.
The Chameleon Theater is at 800 W. Park Avenue in the Port Townsend Business Park (enter the park near Goodwill off Sims Way, and follow the signs. There is plenty of parking.) For more info, please call 379-1068, or e-mail joey@olympus.net. Reservations are not required.