We explore the impact that films can have on us. Going to the movies is often seen as an escape--or as sheer entertainment. But movies can also challenge us, and expose us to different worlds and perspectives. We'll talk with some film aficionados linked to the Bates Film Festival about why going to the movies can be enriching and educational.
Panelists:
Jonathan Cavellero, associate professor; Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies, Bates College
Nancy Savoca, director; worked with director John Sayles on his film The Brother from Another Planet and with director Jonathan Demme on Something Wild and Married to the Mob. Her feature film debut True Love won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival. Her follow up feature Dogfight starred River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. Her film Household Saints, was thought to have been lost but will be shown at the Bates Film Festival and was the inspiration for her founding the organization Missing Movies.
Cole De Magistris, served on the board of directors for both the 2022 and 2024 Bates Film Festivals. He will graduate from Bates College in May with a degree in Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies and Economics.
VIP Callers:
John Sayles, filmmaker and author; his award-winning film Lone Star is being shown at the Bates Film Festival
Marianne Leone, author and actress; her husband is the actor Christopher Cooper. She and Chris made the short film "Nuts," which features scenes from their marriage and was shot during the pandemic.
Matthew Tyler, filmmaker and composer from Maine; his short film "The Looming Cloud," premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and will be shown at the Bates Film Festival
Resources:
Missing Movies is working with Letterboxd to list 101 movies in need of rescue; read about that work here
