Kent Fest Schedules Offbeat, Zany Flicks

KENT — Once again, Frank and Patrice Galterio are bringing four days’ worth of independent films to town, and a number of  workshops conducted by people in the biz, too. This year’s Kent Film Festival runs March 26 - 29.

Eighteen of the movies are documentaries, “Airplay,†for one, about pioneers of rock radio battling business interests for the soul of this genre. Others include “Autism, Made in the USAâ€; “Blue Gold: World Water Wars,†about battling for civilization’s most precious resource; “Flying Kites†about Ben, an HIV-afflicted orphan in  Kenya; and “Lost in America†about a writer/singer struggling with feelings of isolation in Brooklyn.

In “Bunker Hill,†one of a dozen features on the schedule, a Wall Street executive leaves prison (!!) and heads for a much more sinister world in small-town Kansas. Yes, that’s what the program says.

Another feature follows the efforts of a scientist who ices up to align his age with a 14-year-old art student in the best-titled film of the lot: “Freezer Burn.â€

A favorite of the Galterio’s is “The Crimson Mask,†described as “a modern-day parable that takes its viewers on a dramatic thrill ride.†It features Robert Clohessy and promises “a world where greed, lust, pride, anger and envy force two men into a deadly ritual of redemption.â€

Honest.

And then there are the shorts which range from 3 minutes in length, as does “A Night With Nixon,†in which a date with the one-time president goes sour, to “Bronx Paradise†at 108 minutes in length, involving a racist Mafia killer, deadbeats, ghouls and killers.

Among the shorts is “On the Bus,†a nice and imperfect 14-minute film about a shambling fellow taking a ride in a dusty town in New Mexico. He talks to kind and sometimes callous fellow passengers about his troubles, visits his therapist and recalls a devastating event in his life. The movie stumbles in the winding-it-up part, but it tells a big story simply, and in very little time.

The films are shown in Kent’s Community House and the Kent Memorial Library. For information, go to info@kentfilmfestival.org or call 203-681-5929.

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