Maryland Film Fest: See 'The Deep Blue Sea'
The Maryland Film Festival will screen 120 feature-length and short films during its 18th annual celebration from May 4 to 8 at venues around Baltimore’s Station North Arts and Entertainment District.
This year’s hot ticket is director John Waters’ pick, “The Deep Blue Sea,” starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston. Waters will present the 2011 romantic drama by director Terence Davies. Each North American feature-length screening will be hosted by a filmmaker.
The event will also feature “Do Not Resist,” Craig Atkinson’s documentary about the flow of military equipment to local police forces, including Baltimore. The work won Best Documentary Feature at this month’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Additional highlights include So Yong Kim’s feature film “Lovesong,” starring Riley Keough and Jenna Malone; the documentary “Untouchable,” which examines sex offender laws; and the documentary “Life, Animated,” which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, about an autistic child who finds a door to communication through his love of Disney movies.
Festival organizers spent a year curating the selections from thousands of submissions and suggestions. The result is a lineup of features and short films of all varieties -- narrative, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid.
As always, the festival will include a vintage silent film with live musical accompaniment. This year it will be the French sci-fi picture “L’inhumaine” (1924) with music by the Massachusetts-based Alloy Orchestra.
The festival also forgoes competition and categories, instead making the event a celebration -- exploring and elevating the passions of filmmakers, with an emphasis on connecting filmmakers and audiences.
Festival hours are 7-11 p.m. May 4; 4-11 p.m. May 5; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. May 6 to 8.
A Tent Village, located in the Ynot Lot at Charles Street and North Avenue, will feature free panel discussions, the festival box office, food vendors, and free happy hours sponsored by Union Craft with DJ sets.
Individual screening tickets are $12 to $15, or buy three for $30. An all-access pass is $375 by phone only. Tickets can be purchased online, at 410-752-8083 or on-site.
For a complete list of titles, find the film guide at md-filmfest.com.
Baltimore’s Station North neighborhood is just north of Penn Station, bordered roughly by 20th Street, Greenmount Avenue and Amtrack’s Northeast Corridor tracks.
