Screen scene: Local film news

TRULY COMEDIC: The cast of the Asheville-based web series When Fact Met Fiction goofs off after wrapping the show's first season. To help fund production of eight new episodes, the series' creators have launched an Indiegogo campaign. Photo courtesy of Stefan Liner

• Film historian Frank Thompson’s latest book, Asheville Movies Volume I: The Silent Era, is now available for purchase. An exploration of the films made in and around Asheville, from 1900 to ’29, the work chronicles how such major film companies as Edison, Selznick, Vitagraph, Metro and Paramount discovered that Asheville provided the ideal backdrop for everything from urban dramas to mountain adventures. menwithwingspress.com

• The Asheville-based web series “When Fact Met Fiction” has launched a crowdsourcing campaign on Indiegogo to help fund its second season. Co-created by the mother-and-son team of Robin and Stefan Liner, the romantic comedy continues the exploits of the Southern Sunset magazine staff, including secret best-selling romance novelist Jon Frank (Jeff Ryan Alexander) and technical editor Olivia Smith (Rebekah Babelay). The campaign runs through the second week of May and seeks to raise $120,000 to increase the overall production value, hire a professional editor and provide other technical enhancements. avl.mx/3lx

• The McDowell Arts Council Association’s Spring Silent Film Series continues Friday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Greenlee Theatre in downtown Marion. Pianist Nathan Shirley will provide live, improvised music to a collection of newly restored short films of Buster Keaton. Tickets are $5. Call 562-8610 or email mcdowellarts@gmail.com to reserve seats. mcdowellarts.org

• The West Asheville Library’s Pixar Film Series continues Friday, April 21, at 4:30 p.m. with a screening of The Good Dinosaur. The feature presentation will be preceded by the Pixar short film Sanjay’s Super Team. Free. avl.mx/1z5

• On Friday, April 21, at 7 p.m., the Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa and the Friends of the Swannanoa Library host a screening of The Lorax in Grovemont Park. Bring a folding chair or blanket. Free. swannanoafans.org

• Grail Moviehouse celebrates Earth Day with a screening of Tomorrow on Saturday, April 22, at noon. Directed by Mélanie Laurent, the documentary offers concrete solutions to humans’ environmental impact on the planet, sourced from around the globe. Tickets are $7 and available online or at the Grail box office. avl.mx/3ly

• On Tuesday, April 25, 6-8 p.m., Mechanical Eye Microcinema hosts a workshop titled Weaponize Your Media. The course will teach students about their rights under fair use, how to rip footage from YouTube and ways to use a variety of programs to edit, export and share their remixed media. No experience is necessary. Students with their own laptops are invited to bring them, but should download iMovie, Windows Movie Maker or another video editor (e.g., Premiere or Final Cut) prior to the class. Tuition is $30, payable via cash/check on the day of class. Register onlineavl.mx/3lz

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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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