Screen scene: Local film news

BIG SCREEN ADVENTURE: The movie Denali is one of the offerings of the 5Point Film Festival. It's a tribute by photographer Ben Moon, pictured, to his dog who helped him through cancer. Photo by Lisa Skaff

• Western North Carolina adds to its reputation as a home for outdoor and adventure art with the 5Point Film Festival, set to take place Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14 and 15, in Asheville. Now in its eighth year, 5Point is a four-day concert-style festival, held each year in Carbondale, Colo. As the Southeast regional hub, Asheville joins Somerville, Mass., and Bellingham, Wash., as host sites for two-day festivals that organizers plan to eventually grow into four-day gatherings.

In addition to consecutive nights of short films at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, events include a free panel discussion with top Asheville athletes Anna Levesque, Will Harlan, Jay Curwen, Sam Koerber and Adam Hill at New Mountain’s Sol Bar; live music and a community picnic and ice cream social. Tickets and festival passes start at $20 and can be purchased through the 5Point Film website. 5pointfilm.org

 

• Wilderness therapy leader SUWS of the Carolinas will host a free community screening of the award-winning film Girl on the Edge on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at The Altamont Theatre. Directed by Jay Silverman and starring Elizabeth Peña and Peter Coyote, the film is based on a true story. It follows a young woman who finds healing through the wilderness in the wake of a horrific trauma. Some content and language may not be appropriate for children younger than 13, and the event’s planners recommend that children younger than 16 be accompanied by an adult.

Upon the film’s conclusion, a panel discussion on mental health issues will take place. Panelists include SUWS of the Carolinas therapist Trysh Huntington, a former student and others. There is a suggested donation of $10-$20 per ticket, which will benefit the California-based Sky’s the Limit Fund, a nonprofit that transforms the lives of at-risk youths through wilderness therapy programs. To reserve tickets, visit the Sky’s the Limit Fund’s website. skysthelimitfund.org

 

Throwback Theater continues on Saturday afternoons at the North Asheville Library, featuring live-action, family-friendly Disney films from the 1960s and ’70s. Selections include The Love Bug (Aug. 1), The Gnome-Mobile (Aug. 22), Blackbeard’s Ghost (Aug. 29), the original Escape to Witch Mountain (Sept. 5), The Apple Dumpling Gang (Sept. 12), the original Freaky Friday (Sept. 19) and The Black Hole (Sept. 26). Throwback Theater screenings begin at 2 p.m. in the library’s meeting room and are free and open to the public. avl.mx/1d0

 

• On Thursday, Aug. 13, at 2:30 p.m., the South Buncombe Library hosts a screening of the documentary short Yes You May: The Story of Christopher’s Garden. Director Bill Torgerson and the film’s subject, Asheville gardener Christopher Mello, will be in attendance and lead a post-film Q&A session on gardening and filmmaking. The event is free, open to the public and takes place in the library’s meeting room. avl.mx/o9

Send your local film news to ae@mountainx.com

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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