The Greenwich International Film Festival, which runs through June 2, is featuring more than 70 events this year – including premieres, panel discussions and star-studded parties. The Changemaker Gala on May 30thhonored Eva Longoria Bastón for her exceptional work with the Eva Longoria Foundation, and Bobby Walker for his tireless devotion to the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich. On Saturday, June 1 a performance by Kesha at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester will celebrate the Festival’s EPIC anniversary.
But the film’s the thing, and this year’s lineup features more than 30 screenings to be shown over the weekend, covering every conceivable genre and running the gamut from war-torn Eritrea (“Luce”) to an examination of New Haven’s Italian-American heritage (“Pizza, A Love Story.”) If “Making Montgomery Clift” – a documentary co-directed by Monty’s nephew, Robert Clift – provides a fresh look at the iconic actor’s contribution to Hollywood, weightier topics are examined in films like “Auggie” – the acclaimed story of a guy who falls in love with his ARC (augmented reality companion) – or “Artifishal,” a documentary which looks at the destruction of the natural habitat of fish.
Sport gets more than a look in too, in films like “Brian Banks,” the true story of the eponymous high school football star Banks (played by Aldis Hodge), who finds his life upended when he is wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit, and “Brittany Runs A Marathon,” the tale of a 27-year-old whose horizons stretch no further than the newest nightclub until a health scare turns her into an unlikely marathon runner instead. In Ben Hackworth’s “Celeste,” a renowned opera singer who has retired early to live in the rainforest, returns to the stage for a final performance, while in the thought-provoking documentary feature, “Community First, A Home for the Homeless,” director Layton Blaylock spotlights a unique community transforming the lives of homeless people in Austin, Texas.
Something for everyone then – the only concern being how to fit it all in.
For showtimes and more, visit greenwichfilm.org.
– Jeremy Wayne
