Reception for special filmmaker guest, Robbie Leppzer, Friday, July 22, 6:00pm- 8:00pm, Bert’s Cove, Function Room, Second Floor, Rt 3a, Plymouth. $15

Join filmmakers and special guests at Bert’s Cove function room for a special reception for our 1st Annual Filmmaker’s Retrospective to honor the films of Robbie Leppzer.

From the anti-nuclear power protests of the 1970’s, to the nuclear disarmament, labor and Central America solidarity struggles of the 1980’s, to the protests of indigenous peoples across the Americas and peace activism during the 1990’s, to the growing global peace and social justice movement of the new millennium, award-winning independent documentary filmmaker Robbie Leppzer has chronicled grassroots activism over the last 25 years. Leppzer has directed over twenty independent film, video and public radio documentaries over the past 25 years for national and international distribution. His critically acclaimed works about contemporary social issues, grassroots activism, and multicultural themes have been globally broadcast by CNN International and broadcast nationally in the United States and Canada by PBS, Cinemax, Sundance Channel, The Learning Channel, Free Speech TV, Pacifica Radio, National Public Radio, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

“Filmmaker Robbie Leppzer is remarkably sensitive regarding the nuances of his subject matter and protagonists. The result is filmmaking that is both compelling and thought provoking.” Geoff Gilmore, Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival


Steve Sweeney Comedy Night with Special Guest, Dick Doherty. Proceeds to benefit the Jesse Cooper Foundation, Friday, July 22, 8;00pm (doors open at (7:00pm), Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor, Ballroom.

Laugh to the comedic stylings of comedy legend Steve Sweeney and special guest Dick Doherty while supporting The Jesse Cooper Foundation.

STEVE SWEENEY – BOSTON COMEDY LEGEND

During the early 70's, In the beginning days of comedy clubs as we know them today, a small group of Boston 'would-be' comedians joined together in a back street Chinese restaurant off Inman Square, in Cambridge, Ma. - the now famous Ding-Ho. This group included such unknowns as Lenny Clarke, Kevin Meaney, Jay Leno, Bobcat Goldwaithe, Steven Wright, and of course, Steve Sweeney.

Known for his use of dialects and great insight into the New England political scene, Steve Sweeney has been performing to sold out crowds from day one. The first of the Boston super-stars to break into television, Steve was the star of "Park Street Under", a very successful Boston based sit-com. He has been a regular on all the Major TV shows, David Letterman, Evening at The Improv, HBO, Caroline's, The Cam Neely - Dennis Leary COMICS COME HOME SPECIAL and many others!

Many will recognize Steve from his special appearances with THE RYDER CUP, his narrations of "Peter and the Wolf" with THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA or one of many featured roles in films such as Rodney Dangerfield's BACK TO SCHOOL, CELTIC PRIDE, BRASS RING, ENOUGH ALL READY, NEXT STOP WONDERLAND, SOUTHIE, SOMETHING ABOUT MARY or his most recent role in "ME, MYSELF & IRENE" with Jim Carey.

Most recently, Steve has taken over the Boston radio airwaves with the Steve Sweeney Morning Show on 100.7 FM WZLX. A well-rounded and seasoned entertainer, Steve Sweeney continues to keep audiences laughing through the years, maintaining his status as New England’s top comic.


DICK DOHERTY - "THE IMPROPER BOSTONIAN"

Dick started out in the early-sixties as a folk singer and happy hour performer and grew for two decades through extremely successful periods as rock singer, blue-eyed soul singer, and pop singer. As much as music had been an important foundation from which Dick could present his comedy talents in rooms across the country where comedy had never been done, a more suitable format has now presented us with the perfect conditions to enjoy "The Stand-up Comedian" Dick Doherty; The Comedy Club.

In 1987, to the delight of thousands of Bostonians, he opened Dick Doherty's BEANTOWN COMEDY VAULT. Conveniently located on Boston Common in Boston, downstairs at REMINGTON'S Eating and Drinking Exchange. A room with ambiance, charm, and intimacy unlike any other in New England (certainly Boston) was perfect for those who re-discovered the many talents of Dick Doherty.

Today Dick Doherty is at the center of the New England Comedy scene. Although Dick operates 3 of the finest comedy clubs in New England: Dick Doherty's BEANTOWN COMEDY ESCAPES located in –LOWELL MA & THE WHITE MOUNTAINS NH & Dick Doherty’s BEANTOWN COMEDY VAULT located in BOSTON. His dynamic presence as a performer has called out for his return to the limelight. In just a few short years, he reclaimed his position as one of New England's top Headliners, working every major comedy club in New England, often for clubs that compete in the market with his own. So respected is his position in the Boston and New England Comedy Community, the Boston press has titled him "THE GODFATHER OF BOSTON COMEDY."


ABOUT THE JESSE COOPER FOUNDATION:

A foundation has been set up in the name of Jesse Cooper who passed away on January 3rd, 2005 at age 17. He attended public school while living with Cerebral Palsy. His parents are advocates for children with special needs.

From Marianne Cooper: Our son, Jesse, had severe cerebral palsy, limiting his physical movements, but not the movement of his heart and soul, which touched many lives while he was here.

In honor of his gracious spirit, we wish to continue touching lives. The foundation will support AccesSportAmerica, an organization which provides extreme sports for severely challenged kids: windsurfing, tubing, and outrigger canoe. Jesse spent many hours flying across the water, laughing with delight, thanks to this wonderful program. We also pledge to support the inclusion of students with disabilities in public school settings by funding groups that provide advocacy to parents at little or no cost to them.

For more information, or to make donations, make checks payable to:

Jesse Cooper Foundation
P.O. Box 390
Kingston, MA 02364


Animated Discussion with Bill Plympton, after the SHORTS: ANIMATION screening at 4:00pm, Saturday, July 23, Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor, Amphitheatre, $8.

Join Bill Plympton and other special guests after the 4:00pm screening for a Q&A, Meet & Greet, and autograph signings. The Plymouth Independent Film Festival is proud to present several animated shorts including Oscar nominee, Don Hertzfeldt’s THE MEANING OF LIFE (premiered at 2004 Sundance), and three animations by Oscar nominee and special guest, Bill Plympton, GUARD DOG (2004 Oscar nominee), THE SPIRAL (New England Premiere!) and THE FAN AND THE FLOWER (New England Premiere).

THE TUNE was animator Bill Plympton's first full-length feature. His short films have been seen widely around the country, highlighting many animation festivals. His oblique, off-center sense of the ridiculous in everyday life has made the "Microtoons" and his other shorts a popular MTV offering. His distinctive style has even invaded the world of advertising. Commercials for both Trivial Pursuit and Sugar Delight make us chuckle and gasp.

In 1968, he moved to New York City and began a year of study at the School of Visual Arts. Making the Big Apple his home, Plympton served a long tenure as an illustrator and cartoonist. Between toting his portfolio and catching cheap matinees, he designed the magazines: Cineaste, Filmmakers Newsletter, and Film Society Review. His illustrations have graced the pages of The New York Times, Vogue, House Beautiful, The Village Voice, Screw, and Vanity Fair. His cartoons appeared in such magazines as Viva, Penthouse, Rolling Stone, National Lampoon, and Glamour. In 1975, in The Soho Weekly News, he began "Plympton," a political cartoon strip. By 1981, it was syndicated in over twenty papers by Universal Press.

All his life Bill Plympton has been fascinated by animation. When he was fourteen he sent Disney some of his cartoons and offered up his services as animator. They wrote back and told him that while his drawings showed promise, he was too young. It wasn't until 1983 that he was approached to animate a film. The Android Sister Valeria Wasilewski asked Plympton to work on a film she was producing of Jules Feiffer's song, "Boomtown." Connie D'Antuono, another of the film's producers "sort of held my hand through the whole process," Plympton says. "It was a great way to learn to make a film."

Immediately following the completion of "Boomtown," he began his own animated film, "Drawing Lesson # 2." Production of the live action scenes was slow, due to inclement weather, so Plympton decided to start on another film. For this one, he contacted an old friend with whom he had performed in a Country Western Band (he played pedal steel guitar). Maureen McElheron, whose band it had been, agreed to score "Your Face." Due to budgetary considerations, she also sang. Her voice, eerily decelerated to sound more masculine combined with a fantastically contorting visage helped garner the film a 1988 Oscar nomination for best animation.

"Suddenly people began returning my phone calls," remembers Plympton. His work started appearing with more and more frequency on MTV and showing in the increasingly popular touring animation festivals. After a string of highly successful short films ("One of Those Days," "How to Kiss," "25 Ways to Quit Smoking," and "Plymptoons"), he began thinking about making a feature film. His shorts were winning prizes like crazy and he wanted a new challenge. And, as he puts it, "I wanted to make a full-length movie ever since I was a kid."

Plympton’s second live-action feature, GUNS ON THE CLACKAMAS, a behind-the-scenes look at an imaginary disastrous Western, was shot in Oregon and New York. Plympton says the idea came from the 1937 movie "Saratoga", in which star Jean Harlow died during the filming and a stand-in was used to finish. "It was supposed to be a drama," says Plympton, "but it ended up being funny. Every time Harlow was in a scene, a box or something blocked the view."

In 1998, Bill completed another animated feature, titled "I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON". It's a heartwarming story of a newlywed couple on their wedding night. Grant, the husband, starts experiencing strange, supernatural powers and Kerry, his wife, can't cope. Whenever Grant thinks of something, it becomes reality, yet he doesn't know where these magical powers come from. Once again Bill Plympton has single-handedly drawn and financed an animated feature extravaganza - only this time it's for adults and the unpolitically correct.

Bill's animated feature, "MUTANT ALIENS", the story of a stranded astronaut returning to Earth after 20 years in space, was completed in January 2001 and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It won Grand Prix in Annecy 2001 and was released in theatres in 2002.

Bill’s latest feature film, "HAIR HIGH", is a gothic '50s high-school comedy about a love-triangle that goes terribly bad, with two young, murdered teens returning to their prom to get revenge. Plympton is still charting new territory in animation, this time by broadcasting all of his drawing for the film live on the web at www.hairhigh.com. The film was completed in January 2004.

Bill’s short film “GUARD DOG” has been a hit at film festivals and it brought Bill his second Oscar nomination in January 2005.


Sweeneyfest, Saturday, July 23, 4;30pm – 8:45pm, Plimoth Plantation, Theatre I, $8/$15 double feature (each followed by Q&A with featured guest Steve Sweeney)



SOUTHIE
This film was advertised with the tagline, "The toughest thing about South Boston is coming back." Irish bad boy Danny Quinn (Donnie Wahlberg) returns home to South Boston from New York after three years to find his family in turmoil and his buddies caught up in a turf war. Winner of the American Independent Award at the Seattle Film Festival.

95min; feature; USA; 1998.
Directed by John Shea


THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
Rhode Island talents Peter and Bobby Farrelly followed Dumb & Dumber (1994) and I (1996) with this critically-acclaimed comedy. Nominated for a Golden Globe, it is regarded by many as the funniest film of the 1990s. Living in Providence, Rhode Island, nervous Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) looks back on his high school years, realizes he is still hung up on dazzling Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz) and hires private investigator Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to track her down. In Miami, Healy becomes so smitten by Mary that he gives Ted false information to keep him away. However, Healy encounters another suitor, haughty academic Tucker (Lee Evans), who adores Mary and doubts Healy's bogus claims designed to impress her.

119min; feature; USA; 1998.
Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly

Steve Sweeney has appeared in many films including:

ME, MYSELF & IRENE SOUTHIE SOMETHING ABOUT MARY THE VIG NEXT STOP WONDERLAND CELTIC'S PRIDE BACK TO SCHOOL BILLY GALVIN THE BRINKS JOB THE TRIAL OF SACCO AND VENZETTI VICTIMS BOSTON NAVAL SHIPYARD THE POOL

FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE MAIN ROLE FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE FEATURED ROLE

MIRAMAX INDEPENDENT FEATURE INDEPENDENT FEATURE INDEPENDENT FEATURE MIRAMAX HOLLYWOOD PICTURES ORION PICTURES AMER. PLAYHOUSE THEATRE INDEPENDENT FEATURE INDEPENDENT FEATURE INDUSTRIAL INDEPENDENT FEATURE

Awards Ceremony and Reception with special guest, Loretta Laroche, Saturday, July 23, 8:30pm -10:30pm, by invitation only.
Awards designed and handcrafted by local artist, Leslie Allen
Awards will be given in the following four categories for outstanding achievement:
Best Film
Best Short
Best Film with an Environmental Theme
Best Film with a Diversity Theme

In addition, we will be giving two honorary awards:
The Spirit Award for generous donation of time and support to Steve Sweeney
Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary actress, Julie Harris

Loretta LaRoche has helped people deal with everyday stress for over thirty years. With irreverent humor and an innate sense of the absurd, Loretta helps people see how needlessly complex and stressful our lives can become. Loretta's wit, wisdom and humor is a common-sense view of life that leaves audiences inspired, motivated and roaring with laughter. Often irreverent--always hilarious--keynote speaker and lecturer Loretta helps people discover how thoughts, feelings and behaviors can affect work performance, relationships, success and self-worth. Loretta shows how humor can benefit the health of an organization and its employees, and improve productivity in the workplace.

An international consultant and lecturer in the field of stress management, Loretta is widely known as star of six award-winning specials on PBS, including favorite titles, The Joy of Stress, Humor Your Stress, How Serious is This, Relax! You Only Live Once, Get a Life, and her newest addition, Life is Short! - Wear Your Party Pants. She has appeared as a guest-expert on the CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC networks.

Through hilarious anecdotes and practical exercises, Loretta's best-selling books Relax - You May Only Have a Few Minutes Left (Villard 1998), introduces the power of humor to overcome stress in everyday life and Life is Not a Stress Rehearsal (Broadway Books 2001) brings yesterday's sane wisdom into today's insane world so we can slow down, smell the roses, and learn to laugh at ourselves again. Her newest book, Life is Short! -Wear Your Party Pants (Hay House 2003) brings her one-of-a-kind perspective for living an optimistic and resilient life in these challenging times.

Every year, Loretta conducts over 100 lectures, seminars and training workshops, for healthcare professionals, hospitals, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Clients include NASA, FAA, IRS, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, MD Anderson Medical Center, IBM, Hewlett Packard and Dun & Bradstreet. At the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Loretta teams up with Joan Borysenko, Mind/Body scientist, clinician and teacher for a series of weekend conferences for women.

Loretta LaRoche is an adjunct faculty member at The Mind/Body Medical Institute of Boston, affiliated with Beth Israel and Harvard Medical School, and is a contributing writer for The Wellness Book by Dr. Herbert Benson, Mind/Body Medical Institute. She has been published in many magazines and newspapers, including USA Today, The Boston Globe, First, Woman's Day and Self. Her weekly column, Get a Life, is published every Monday in The Patriot Ledger's Lifestyle section.

I LOST IT AT THE MOVIES

This summer, from July 21st to July 24th, you can enjoy losing it at the movies while keeping calm and collected. The New Art Forum is presenting an exhibit of paintings with movie themes to help celebrate the 1st Annual Plymouth Independent Film Festival Some works in the exhibit are on loan from private collections.

I Lost it at the Movies, taken from the title of a book by Pauline Kael, was the title of last summer’s successful New Art Forum show at the Yankee Barn, Main Street, Kingston

The exhibit I Lost it at the Movies is being hosted by the Cordage Commerce Center located on Rte. 3A in North Plymouth, in the Building 3 Conference Room, 36 Cordage Park Circle. Across the hall from the UMass Plymouth Campus. Hours: noon to 6 p.m. July 21st to July 24th. Admission is free. Building is handicap accessible.

For information contact Lilias Cingolani, 781-585-5622 or Grace Rudolph at grace@plyfilmfest.org 508-747-4271


“spheres” - War of the Worlds, Beverly Steele (use this one as the image for the text – the way you laid out the portraits of people.