Award-winning journalist, non-fiction writer and novelist Jess Walter will be hosting an event featuring actor/director Matthew Modine during the 2012 Spokane International Film Festival.
The Spokane International Film Festival (SpIFF) is an annual event now in its 14th year. From January 26 to February 5, they will be screening films and presenting a variety of other special programming.
According to the SpIFF website, "The Spokane International Film Festival is a small, selective offering of world-class films. These are the very best features, documentaries and shorts that have been made around the world during the past two years but have not yet been commercially released for wide distribution. In fact they are the same films as those seen each year at the Cannes, New York or Toronto film festivals, and our programmers travel widely to screen and select them.
"A major attraction of the festival is the presence of the filmmakers and performers themselves as our guests. They meet the audiences, share their own stories and anecdotes about the making of their films, and answer questions from you the audience. The discussions are lively and educational and a favorite part of the festival for both filmmaker and audience.
Walter is a Spokane-based writer who is probably best known for novels such as "The Financial Lives of the Poets" or "The Zero", but he has also written screenplays and he has been published in newspapers and magazines such as Newsweek, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. He may be uniquely qualified to participate in SpIFF as a local expert.
According to the SpIFF Facebook page, "Join us for a special screening of 'Jesus was a Commie' with director Matthew Modine, who will discuss acting and movies. Spokane's Jess Walter will host the event, which will be held at The Bing Crosby Theatre on Friday, January 27 at 7 p.m.
"'Jesus was a Commie' will also be screened as a part of the World Shorts screening on Saturday, January 28, at 11:30 a.m.
"Tickets are now available to purchase online."
Modine's short film presents ideas that he originally explored in an article he wrote in 2010.
According to the SpIFF website, "In January of 2010, Finch's Quarterly Review published 'Oh Commie All Ye Faithful' written by actor and filmmaker, Matthew Modine. The article explored utopian communism and how Jesus might have aligned himself with those political theories and ideologies. Editor/filmmaker Terence Ziegler envisioned the article as an influential film. The article was retitled and evolved into the narrative short, Jesus Was a Commie. On July 30, 2011 the film won the Founders Prize for Best Short Film at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival (the film's first US festival)."
The discussion of this film could be really interesting. In addition to Modine's unconventional take on religion and politics, they could end up talking about subjects such as the transition from print to film, Modine's writing process and possibly even Walter's own experiences as a screenwriter.
Modine is also scheduled to appear during a special showing of "Vision Quest" at The Garland Theatre on Saturday, January 28 at 7 p.m. "Vision Quest" holds a special place in the hearts of many Spokane residents because the movie was filmed here in 1984.
Some familiar places, such as the Monroe Street Bridge, the Ridpath Hotel and The Onion's downtown location are featured prominently in the coming of age story of a high school wrestler who decides he needs to do something truly meaningful during his senior year. Not only is "Vision Quest" a wonderful film, but fans may get a chance to ask Modine what it was like to shoot scenes in the old Shadle Park High School gym.
Tickets for the event featuring Walter and Modine are on sale now at the SpIFF website. Admission is $10. For more information, check out their Facebook page or call (509) 720-7743. They also have an email list that provides people with festival updates and other useful information.
According to the SpIFF Facebook page, "The event will be followed by a special VIP party for SpIFF pass holders and SpIFF partners at Simply Dance Studio (820 West Sprague), with libations provided by Stella Artois."
Tickets for "Vision Quest" are $3.50. They will be available at the door.
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