By Dave Montalbano
AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com
Exciting news for locals – The 17th Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) will have many events right here in Boca Raton at the Mizner Cultural Arts Centre.
Highlights of the festival include June Lockhart, an actress since the 1930s, receiving a Lifetime Achievement award in West Palm Beach.
In 1938, Lockhart made her screen debut in A Christmas Carol, playing one of the Cratchit children. Her real parents, Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, played Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit.
In the 1950s, she was Lassie’s mommy and, in the 1960s, she was the matriarch in “Lost in Space.”
In the 1970s, she smashed sexual stereotypes by portraying a medical doctor on Petticoat Junction. Still active on the independent film circuit, she will be screening her latest film at PBIFF, Zombie Hamlet, which co-stars Shelley (Cheers) Long.
Speaking of Hamlet, Alex Hyde-White directs and stars in Three Days (of Hamlet), a documentary about a stage production of Hamlet. In three days, he confronts actors and the ghost of his own father, British Character actor Wilfrid Hyde-White.
This year, PBIFF will present some good documentaries. Be on the lookout for the following films:
• 7 Years Underground: A 60s Tale, which pre-dates Woodstock, is a documentary about Café Au Go Go and features unseen footage of stars like Lenny Bruce and Cass Elliot as a waitress in Greenwich Village.
• In Cartoon College, young people go to cartoon college in New Hampshire to become the next Walt Disney or Robert Crumb. This documentary features endearing students, some with learning disabilities, and caring teachers who love their craft.
• Los Dioses De Verdad Tienen Huesos (True Gods Have Bones) shows young doctors trying to move people from Guinea Bissau, an impoverished environment, to Europe, only to have their mercy mission bogged down by bureaucratic red tape.
• The Lost Bird Project features the wood sculptures of birds that have become extinct, created by Todd McGrain. These sculptures can be found all over the United States, including one statue in Florida.
• Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story (from Israel) is a documentary about the older brother of the Israel Prime Minister. As the squad leader, Yoni contributed to the raid on Entebbe, circa 1976.
• Totem & Taboo (from Canada) makes its world premier.
• eMANNzipation is a German dark comedy about domestic abuse against men.
Schedule: http://pbiff. festivalgenius.com/2012/schedule/week.
Enjoy your seder or have a Happy Easter!
