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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2017)
OCTOBER 19, 2017 // 11 James Andrew Beard “A Man Called Ove” (2015) is a dramedy about an unexpected friendship. “Whiplash” (2014), about an aspiring drummer and his intense teacher, won J.K. Simmons an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. At the time of his death in 1987, Baldwin had only completed 30 pages of a book meant to be his personal account of the lives and assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Medgar Evers, three of Bald- win’s close friends. “I Am Not Your Negro” is filmmaker Raoul Peck’s approach to finishing the story Baldwin was unable to. The film will be followed by a one-hour forum for viewers to dialogue about the events, people and truths it portrays. Astoria resident Elaine Bauer, who has attended the festival several times and volun- teers on occasion, said Craig typically hosts a forum of this sort “after his most profound offering of the season.” Craig will sometimes pose a question, but largely allows the audience to drive the discussion, share their views and make their own discoveries. “It’s fun — it’s very dynamic,” Bauer said. The forums are “not nearly as well-attended as they deserve to be,” she added, but atten- dance seems to have grown over the years. Also on the marquee Other films showing Friday and Saturday include the 2015 Swedish comedy-drama “A Man Called Ove,” written and directed by Hannes Holm; the 2014 drama “Whiplash,” directed by Damien Chazelle; the documen- tary “Dina,” by Dan Sickles and Antonio Challenging worldviews Santini; a collection of 1998 shorts Some viewers may be unaware by the Portland Oregon Women’s of events and people that shaped Film Festival; and “The Noble Spir- past and present social movements it,” a documentary about Fred Noble and have forced critical change in directed by Dane Henry. the country. The final social event of the fes- Craig does not condemn them for tival will be a croissants-and-coffee their ignorance of certain bench- gathering Sunday morning, where marks in human rights or other revolutionary movements. Rather, The film festival festivalgoers can enjoy pastries he believes he owes it “to them and will present a col- provided by Blue Scorcher Bakery myself to have a forum so they can lection of 1998 & Café and coffee from Columbia discuss those social issues.” shorts by the Port- River Coffee Roasters. Craig includes this because he’s Another film at this year’s festi- land Oregon Wom- found that “the people who started val that addresses racial and cultural en’s Film Festival. at 5 o’clock on Friday, they’ve seen segregation is “Neither Wolf Nor enough films they feel that they would like to Dog,” which will be shown Saturday after- discuss them.” noon and again Sunday morning. From there, out-of-towners may head An adaptation of Kent Nerburn’s book of home or stick around with locals to catch the the same name, the film follows Nerburn, a final features: a second showing of “Neither white American writer, as he travels to the Wolf Nor Dog,” and “The Defiant Ones,” Dakotas to transcribe an oral history preserved a 1958 crime drama starring Sidney Poitier by Dan, a 95-year-old Lakota elder. A social and Tony Curtis that won Academy Awards clash ensues, as the writer struggles to connect for cinematography (black and white) and with Dan’s story. The experience forces original screenplay. Neburn to come to a new understanding of events and a history he thought he knew. In memory of James Beard “Dina,” a comedy documentary about an eccentric couple. the area. It’s an honor for me to be able to honor him.” After the screening, festival-goers are encouraged to stop by Baked Alaska, where 12th Street meets the Riverwalk, to pay tribute to Beard. They can share their favorite story about the renowned chef and foodie, even if they did not know him personally. Craig’s personal, and brief, encounter with Beard took place in Paris in the 1970s. Heading back to a hotel with his wife to relax for the evening, the couple crossed paths with Beard, whom Craig recognized on sight. Craig remembers telling Beard how much he appreciated his work and that he was a big fan. Perusing Craig’s grocery bag full of cheap French beer and potato chips, Beard joked, “Yeah, it looks like you are.” For a local subject, there will be a screen- ing of the 2017 documentary “James Beard: America’s First Foodie,” directed by Beth Federici. Beard, who was born in Portland and died in 1985, was a chef, a pioneer of the food media industry and an early champion for the importance of sustainability and localism. He spent many childhood summers in Gearhart. “We always try to do something connected to this region,” Craig said. “James Beard was one of the creative and talented people from ABOVE: “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” (2016) follows a white American writer who travels to the Dako- tas to transcribe an oral history preserved by a 95-year-old Lakota elder. BELOW: “The Defiant Ones,” Stanley Kram- er’s 1958 crime drama starring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, will be the last film of the 2017 festival. Social significance Bauer, who typically attends as many of the films as she can in any given season, said she is impressed by the caliber and sin- cerity of the festival under Craig’s direction. “Almost everything he does has some very important social significance to it,” she said, adding that, over the years, the event has exposed her to several thought-provok- ing films she might not otherwise have seen. The cost for admission is $10 per film or $80 for a full festival pass. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more informa- tion, visit goaiff.com/ CW “The Noble Spirit” (2014) is a short documentary about Fred Noble, an or- phan who became an ex- treme skier, windsurfer and paraglider, and continued living life to the fullest even after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
