SNOB Film Festival: November 9-11, 2007

[From our friends at the SNOB (Somewhat North of Boston) Film Festival.]

CONCORD: The SNOB (Somewhat North of Boston) Film Festival is back and better than ever, celebrating its sixth year with 3 days of independent film, discussions with filmmakers, a movie-making challenge and much, much more, all taking place in Concord, New Hampshire. Join SNOB as it celebrates the spirit of filmmaking with international, national, regional and local films of distinction from Friday, November 9 through Sunday November 11th (Veterans Day weekend).

Opening night of the festival will feature the world premiere screening of Sharp Dressed Men, directed by Ti Alan Chase and shot in Portsmouth, NH. Thirty years ago, Bill and Lorraine met, fell in love and didn’t get married. Now they have four children, a son-in-law and an ex-daughter-in-law, and they are finally ready to tie the knot. This is the story of their wedding day. For more information, visit http://laurelinslight.blogspot.com/2007/10/sharp-dressed-men-5-minute-preview.html.

Also screening Friday night is Abel Raises Cain – a documentary about Alan Abel, infamous underground media prankster. In this loving portrait of an eccentric father, Alan's daughter, Jenny, tells her firsthand account of what it was like growing up with a prankster. Abel Raises Cain takes the audience on a roller coaster ride through the myriad of elaborate hoaxes and schemes that Abel pulled off over the years, all of which were designed to provoke and amuse...while at the same time, make people question everything that they see, hear and read. Alan Abel will be at SNOB all weekend - don’t miss your chance to see the original Borat! For more info visit http://www.abelraisescain.com/home2.htm

On Saturday at 6:15 p.m. at Red River Theatres, don’t miss High & Outside, the documentary biography of Bill “Spaceman" Lee, legendary pitcher for the Red Sox from 1969 through 1978. In the 1970s, Lee, a.k.a."The Ace from Space," became a folk hero to the Fenway faithful. He lived in a world like no other; where competitive fire, Tibetan Buddhism, slapstick comedy, and counter-cultural medication lived together in relative harmony. He baffled opposing hitters and management alike with a variety of pitches and verbal aerobatics. As a pioneer in the baseball labor movement, he bean-balled corporate duplicity and worked to end the era of indentured servitude in baseball. Was he blackballed from the game as a result? You bet he was! Director Peter Vogt brings the legend down to earth and finds a legendary human being in "Spaceman", whose carryover wisdom from the 60s still rings true today.

This year SNOB has separated the student films into a block at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord (NHTI) on Saturday morning. Felicia Menard, who is coordinating the SNOB Student Film Focus said, “SNOB is all about grassroots and community art, and on Saturday, we not only encourage the arts, but support student filmmakers as they express their creative vision. Alternately witty, sensitive, brilliant, and always genuinely creative, the student film showcase at NHTI delivers a powerful, heartfelt, and unique movie viewing experience.”

“Every year, we have been able to bring some new aspect to SNOB and Concord and this year, one of the most exciting things is partnering with Green Concord. Green Concord, which is made up of over 10 stores and organizations in downtown Concord, has partnered with SNOB to provide and ‘man’ recycling stations at all the SNOB venues as well as provide information to the public about how they can become more green. I hope this is a part of SNOB that continues every year from now on,” said Michael Eschenbach, Co-Chair of this year’s SNOB Film Festival Committee.

Returning for a second appearance at SNOB is the filmmaker challenge, designed to inspire and encourage people to make films. – The 451° Filmmaker Challenge. For this event, SNOB is partnering with The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library’s Big Read: NH Reads Fahrenheit 451.

This year’s filmmakers will be challenged to create a film, no more than 4 minutes in length that is based upon any of the themes, concepts or ideas in Fahrenheit 451. There is no experience necessary and those who have never picked up a camera but always wanted to are encouraged to give it a whirl. Participants will have 5 days to create a film, which must be submitted on DVD to The NH State Library at 20 Park Street in Concord by 5 p.m. on November 8th. The films will be screened on Saturday night at RRT. Everyone who enters a film in the 451° Filmmaker Challenge will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a $250 gift certificate from S & W Sports in Concord.

“The diversity of films this year is pretty impressive,” said Kristen Vermilyea Harbaugh, Co-Chair of this year’s festival. “When we were screening the submissions, we did everything from laugh and cry to look at one another in confusion and debate on behalf of films that moved us in some way. And not all of us reacted the same way at the same time. That is what is so amazing about the power of film. I think we’ve successfully created such a program for SNOB 2007 and hope that our loyal audience will feel the same.”

Tickets are $5 for each film block, $25 for a day pass (Saturday and Sunday only) and just $50 for a full festival pass, which entitles you to all events and films during the festival. Festival pass holders receive an authentic, handmade SNOB Festival bead bracelet crafted by local artisans from the Sudan. Passes are now on sale at Red River Theatres box office and at their website: http://www.redrivertheatres.org/snob.php. Individual tickets will also be available at RRT the week of the festival. Student Film Focus tickets will be available at NHTI at the door.

For much more information about venues, tickets, film schedule and program with links to films’ sites, visit www.snobfilmfestival.org.

The Somewhat North of Boston (S.N.O.B.) Film Festival is a joint project of Red River Theatres, Inc., a registered 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, and the New Hampshire Technical Institute.