If you are looking for something to do during the first week of March, check out the 7th annual all-documentary Salem Film Fest . Salem Film Fest will be held March 6 – March 13, 2014, in Salem, MA, with a strong line-up of 37 films from 14 different countries. Twenty-three of these films will be making their World, North American, US, East Coast, New England or Massachusetts premiere – the most “first looks” ever in the festival’s seven year history – including the World premiere of KASHEER, directed by Salem filmmaker Elayne McCabe who will be at the festival to present.
Spread out over eight days with film screenings at three different venues in downtown Salem, the festival will kick off at CinemaSalem with the New England premiere of A FRAGILE TRUST, which tells the shocking story of Jayson Blair, the most infamous serial plagiarist of our time, and how he unleashed the massive scandal that rocked The New York Times and the entire world of journalism. A Q&A with filmmaker Samantha Grant will follow. Other festival premieres include ELEKTRO MOSKVA, an “electromagnetic fairytale” showcasing Russia’s electronic music history; WEB, a thought-provoking film that explores the human and societal impact of global connectivity; POWERLESS, which examines the class battle over electricity in India; EVERYBODY STREET, about the lives and work of New York’s iconic street photographers; and RICH HILL, which recently won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Filmmakers will be present for over half of this year’s screenings, providing audiences with a unique opportunity to learn more about the documentary filmmaking process.
All film screenings will be preceded by our homegrown and wildly popular shorts Salem Sketches. Shot, edited and produced by festival organizers Joe Cultrera and Perry Hallinan and a mix of Salem Film Fest alumni filmmakers and filmmakers-in-residence, these short vignettes capture the heart and soul of Salem and bring to light some of the city’s hidden gems. “It seems we have discovered a way to add a touch of Salem to our lineup while also creating original content for the festival that was about the city. It’s something I don’t think any other film festival is doing,” says Cultrera. “I think it’s something that will organically grow each year as other filmmakers come here to show their work, enjoy the city and see these Salem Sketches. It’s becoming Salem Film Fest’s unofficial filmmaker-in-residence program.”
An exciting addition to the festival awards this year will be the presentation of The Michael Sullivan FRONTLINE Award for Journalism in a Documentary Film, a $1,000 cash prize that will be awarded to the filmmaker judged to have presented a tough, controversial story through engaging and fair minded investigative reportage. The award is in honor of the late Michael Sullivan, a guiding figure behind PBS’ FRONTLINE as well as a Salem Film Fest participant and supporter. FRONTLINE Executive Producer David Fanning will be on hand to present.
“We have a diverse group of films from all over the world screening at this year’s festival, yet there is something in each and every one of these films that anyone can relate to,” says program director Jeff Schmidt. “As one of America’s oldest port cities, there is something special about that notion of the stories from far off lands that were shared in the old trading days that we’ve been able to recapture with this festival that’s a lot of fun in today’s instant gratification via the Internet world.”
For more information about Salem Film Fest visit www.salemfilmfest.com, follow Salem Film Fest on Facebook (www.facebook.com/salemfilmfest) and Twitter (@_SalemFilmFest).
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