The Fargo Forum

Now that it's been over for a week, it is perhaps time to summarize this year's Fargo Film Festival. This will not be easy since I did not say a majority of the films. I did see all the winners except the Native American Voices Narrative Feature winner and several more. "The Reawakening," the Native American Voices Narrative Feature is just one of the movies I had really wanted to see, but missed. Another is "Ed & Vern's Rock Store," which for me would have been nostalgia.

This years festival was bigger and better than ever. The movies were very well attended(the first and last nights played to full houses and then some). I didn't attend any of the parties, but in some sense the festival was a week-long party. I don't think I'll ever forget the opening on Tuesday night, then the only showing was "Raiders of the Lost Ark: the Adaptation." The movie, as most will know by was a childhood project of some seven years of three boys who made their own screen-by-screen adaptation of the real thing. Their work got the attention of Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas and was relaeased in 2004. Two of the filmmakers, now in their 40's, were present to introduce the movie and to answer questions after the movie.

To set the evening, and the festival, off on the right foot, the evening(after the organ concert) opened with the lights dimmed and Marggie Bailey(executive director of the Fargo Theatre), wearing a leather jacket and hat, running down the center aisle being chased by a 5 foot diameter globe rolling after her.

The treat of the festival for me was the "Best in Fest" film, the children Leningradsky. The directors, who are Polish,

were present, and also received the best director award and the film was, of course, the best documentary short.

Saturday night is always the awards night, and the best of several categories are shown. This year there was also

a long, tearful tribute to Rusty Casselton, who passed away in December and was inspirational to many in the Fargo-Moorhead film scene. I thought, as appropriate as this tribute was, it was either too long or should have been done somewhere else.

Anyway, about some of the winners. "Quincey and Althea" was the student narrative feature winner. It is about

two Katrina survivors(married) who bicker consantly, even more so when they return to what used to be their home in New Orleans. Funny, predictable, very reminiscent of "Amos and Andy," if anyone can remember back that far and the more recent, "The Jeffersons."

The top three films from the "two minute film festival" were shown. These are always a hoot and this year was no exception. The winner in the experimental category was "High Plains Winter." I don't understand modern experimental films, but the message of this one was clear: show it to anyone that wants to move here that you don't want to be your neighbor.

One of the best films in the festival, in my opinion was the narrative short winner, "Hiya," a Spanish entry that examines the meaning of prejudice. The move is about a muslim high school girl in a non-Catholic school in Spain.

Her teacher insists she take off her scarf, which is worn in Islamic female style. Not because it's Islamic(afterl all, it’s a public school), but we don't want anybody to be different. Finally the girl takes off her scarf and enters her classroom, where, of course, the other students are wearing all manner of headgear.

I must say, as much as I enjoyed the festival, I was disappointed with the Narrative Feature entries. The Narrative Feature winner, "Greeting from the Shore" was innovative on the surface of it and had some splendid acting and actors, it was at the end of the movie, just boy meets girl, good guys beat the bad guys, who just happen to be rich, and girl and boy live happily ever after. Now there are many people who wouldn't mind something this formulaic, and the setting is a bit unique, so many will like this film.

I'm already getting anxious for next year's festival to get here.