Festival Showcases Seldom-Seen Art Films

At the risk of sounding obvious, let’s admit up front that Spokane is no haven for art films.

Anyone wanting to see something more challenging than “Stuart Little” has to depend on the main movie chains to bring in the occasional “Magnolia” or “Mansfield Park” with little advance notice and even less ongoing publicity. It’s no wonder that such films tend to disappear quickly.

The alternative is to wait for the irregular screenings that former Magic Lantern co-owner Kathryn Graham holds for her Art Cinema at The Met film series.

An even rarer opportunity was exemplified by the second Spokane Northwest Film Festival, which ended its three-day run Sunday night at The Met. Organized by KPBX movie critic Robert Glatzer, and underwritten by the Contemporary Arts Alliance and The Met, the festival represents an attempt to bring professional-level festival-type films to an appreciative audience.

It worked, for the most part, on both counts.

There were glitches, the kind that happen at most film festivals. Friday night’s sell-out premiere, Jasmine’s Dellal’s documentary “American Gypsy: A Stranger in Everybody’s Land,” saw a box-office crush - caused by last-minute ticket-buyers and an overburdened festival staff.

The result: The scheduled 7:30 p.m. start was delayed by more than 40 minutes.

And then there was the short film, Julia Sweeney’s “Shadow Life,” that caused momentary panic by showing up in an unfamiliar video format. Thanks to quick work by North by Northwest Entertainment, the video was fixed in time to end Sunday night’s shorts program.

Overall, however, the festival proceeded smoothly. Since the festival is still in its infancy stage, and because there were so few entries - three documentaries, two feature films, the shorts program - Glatzer didn’t hand out awards.

That won’t stop me. Following are my choices for Best of the 2000 Spokane Northwest Film Fest:

Best Actor

Tie: Max Danger, “Stuff”; James Marks, “American Gypsy.”

Danger is a 20-year-old keyboard player for the Vancouver rock band Deadly Snakes. Though “Stuff” was just his first film, he plays his part - as a young man burdened by his neurotic mother and guided by a mysterious ring that falls from the sky - with all the skill of a veteran.

Marks is well-known to most Spokane residents, being the head of the Gypsy family that has been in litigation with the city government since 1986. Marks and his family showed up to the premiere in a white stretch limo, and he was dressed in a black tux. As for why the film was a success, Marks told the applauding crowd, “It’s Gypsy magic.”

Best Actress

Peter Outerbridge, “Better Than Chocolate.”

Outerbridge plays a woman born in a man’s body who, while going through the operations necessary to change his anatomy, falls in love with a lesbian. Throughout this maze of gender-bending emotions, Outerbridge projects a balanced sensibility that makes his character the most-grounded person in Anne Wheeler’s entertaining feature film.

Best Short

“Lights … Camera … Action Figures,” directed by David Jahns.

Jahns creates a world where kids are more interested in playing with movie action figures of crew grips than with those of spoiled stars such as Liam Neeson (whose “Star Wars” figure whines, “I went from `Schindler’s List’ to this?”). Imaginative and fun.

Best Documentary Film Director

Jasmine Dellal, “American Gypsy.”

Best Documentary

“American Gypsy”

Dellal’s film misses on some levels. For one thing, she asks few hard questions of the Gypsies themselves. But she shows an ability to meld different film formats, original footage with old home movies. And she offers viewers access to a world - that of the Marks household - that few of us have ever visited. The result, on Friday, was a film that the full house applauded.

Best Feature Film Director

James Dunnison, “Stuff.”

Best Feature Film

“Stuff”

Made on credit cards and shot on digital video, writer-director Dunnison’s “Stuff” has the rough look that exemplifies alternative film. But his story, a bizarre tale that blends family dysfunction and Middle Eastern metaphysics, holds together. And it has what much other low-budget filmmaking does not: good acting by a no-name cast.

Miscellaneous commentary

Festival organizer Glatzer solicited the final-night crowd for suggestions, criticism, etc. Here are my contributions:

Improve the ticket sales process so that future opening nights won’t be delayed as long and so many people won’t be turned away.

Stress to fest-goers that films need to start on time. Throughout the festival, people casually strolled in five minutes after the film was scheduled to start.

Consider charging less for shorter programs, such as Sunday night’s selection of short films. Tickets were $9 to every program, from Saturday afternoon’s two-and-a-half hour pairing of two documentaries to Sunday night’s 35-minute screening of seven shorts.

See you all next year.