"King Gimp," the Oscar-winning film by Baltimore filmmakers Susan Hadary and William Whiteford, will open this year's Maryland Film Festival. "Panic," the feature debut of former "Homicide" writer Henry Brumell, will close the festival, along with the previously announced "Spring Forward."
"King Gimp," which took honors for best documentary short subject at this year's Academy Awards, will have its Baltimore premiere at the festival on April 27 at the Charles Theatre. Dan Keplinger, an artist with cerebral palsy whose life is the subject of the film, will attend with Hadary and Whiteford, and they'll bring their two Oscar statuettes and Keplinger's paintings.
It will be the only chance for Baltimore filmgoers to see the movie before it's shown on HBO in June, and it will be "Panic's" only festival screening this year outside of Sundance, where it made its world premiere in January.
"King Gimp" will be preceded by the short film "A Whole New Day," directed by William Garcia and starring "Sopranos" stars James Gandolfini and Katherine Narducci. "It's one of these wonderful examples of a young filmmaker who hustles hard and gets something done," festival founder Jed Dietz said.
Recent additions to the festival include the 1980 cult movie "The Forbidden Zone"; artist Joyce Scott presenting "The Long, Hot Summer," Martin Ritt's 1958 adaptation of the William Faulkner story; Darryl LeMont Wharton presenting the 1975 film "Cooley High"; and "The Battle of City Springs," Jon Palfreman's documentary about the embattled Baltimore elementary school.
"Spartacus" has been added to the festival's 70 millimeter program. Guest speakers William Miller of the investment brokerage firm Legg Mason and Boston Globe film critic Jay Carr have agreed to present films.
The Maryland Film Festival will be held April 27 through April 30 at the Charles and Senator theaters. For information about programming and how to purchase tickets, call 410-752-8083, or visit www.mdfilmfest.com.
Maryland film memorabilia
Posters, costumes, scripts, sets and memorabilia will tell the story of a century of filmmaking in Maryland when the Maryland Historical Society opens its "Filming Maryland" show Saturday.
More than 350 objects from 40 films will be on display, including the notorious white shoes from John Waters' "Serial Mom," Ricki Lake's "cockroach dress" from Waters' 1988 movie "Hairspray," and a collection of neon signs from Barry Levinson's most recent film, "Liberty Heights."
