The Films
For the most updated film description list and information on the shorts programs, visit www.mdfilmfest.com/2005.
9 Songs (Hosted by Bob Myerson of Tartan Films): Matt, a young glaciologist, recalls his love affair with Lisa, whom he met at a concert at London's Brixton Academy. Through their passionate sexual encounters and the concerts they attend, the entire arc of their relationship is revealed. Director Michael Winterbottom uses sex to make a movie about love.
After the Apocalypse (Hosted by director Yasuaki Nakjimi): A futuristic drama about five survivors of World War III who must get along in the bleak post-urban landscape, forced to communicate without words as a result of destructive gases from the war.
The Bicycle Thief (Hosted by comic book author Harvey Pekar): Oscar-winning 1947 classic from Vittorio De Sica about the struggles of a man trying to support his family in the rampant unemployment and poverty of post-World War II Italy.
Black-Eyed Susan (Hosted by director Jim Riffel): Low-budget script-driven thriller about two friends who decide to rob a dead man's apartment but get more than they bargained for when they take something left behind by the dead man's relatives.
Blackmail (With live musical accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra): This 1929 silent film from Alfred Hitchcock, full of intrigue and suspense, will be presented with live musical accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra, which will perform its original score for the film.
The Boys of Baraka (Hosted by directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady): Focuses on four "at risk" boys from Baltimore chosen to attend seventh and eighth grade at the Baraka School, an experimental boarding school in Kenya.
Burn to Shine (With Pancake Mountain) (Hosted by directors Christoph Green and Scott Stuckey): Burn to Shine captures a moment in time with music as bands perform songs in houses destined to be destroyed -- one in Washington (featuring Bob Mould among others) and one in Chicago (featuring Wilco and eight other bands). Pancake Mountain takes a new spin on the regular children's television programming, giving it edge with appearances by musical acts such as Thievery Corporation and Henry Rollins.
Code 33 (Hosted by director David Beilinson): Florida police investigate a serial rapist.
The Dying Gaul (Hosted by producer David Newman): Adapted by Craig Lucas from his play -- the story of the personal and professional entanglements among a screenwriter, a producer and the producer's wife.
The Education of Shelby Knox (Hosted by director Rose Rosenblatt): The story of Texas high school student Shelby Knox, who sets out to reform her school's Abstinence Until Married sex education policy. Her efforts in conservative Lubbock polarize the town.
The Edukators (Hosted by Sarah Lash of IFC Films): German film about a group of young radicals who break into the homes of the wealthy and rearrange their furniture. When one of their pranks goes awry, they must decide whether to take an even bigger act of rebellion.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Hosted by director Alex Gibney): Based on the book by Peter Elkind and Bethany McLean, Gibney's documentary details the Enron scandal, shedding light on the corporate culture of the 1990s.
Euphoria (Hosted by director Lee Boot): Informational film that covers topics such as neuroscience, psychology, anthropology and history in an examination of what creates euphoria.
Fearful Symmetry (Hosted by director Charles Kiselyak): Charles Kiselyak uses interviews with those involved to chronicle the making of the Oscar-winning classic To Kill a Mockingbird. He also reaches back to the time when Harper Lee wrote the novel and profiles the town and time in which Lee set her story.
Gorilla at Large in 3D (Hosted by Sun critic Chris Kaltenbach): See stuff fly at you for no reason! See a thrilling sequence shot atop a roller coaster! See Charlotte Austin, who went on to star in Ed Wood's 1958 film The Bride and the Beast and then vanished from movie acting! Generations of casual 3D movie fans know Gorilla At Large mostly from occasional screenings on television, while hardcore 3D fans love the film for its use of Technicolor and depth effects, the all-star cast and the campy-but-nevertheless-entertaining storyline.
In a Nutshell: A Portrait of Elizabeth Tashjian (Hosted by director Don Bernier): A look at the Nut Museum and its curator, Elizabeth Tashjian (aka the Nut Lady). Once a late-night TV talk show favorite, she is now a ward of the state, penniless and confined to a nursing home.
Jonathan Demme Show and Tell: Baltimore Sun critic Michael Sragow hosts a conversation with Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme covering his career with clips from his films.
