MIDDLETOWN — Coyote Film Festival, Lake County”s own independent film festival, will showcase our love of animals during the Saturday, May 16, screenings at the Calpine Geothermal Visitors Center in Middletown. A 1:30 p.m. matinee and a 7:30 p.m. screening will highlight an assortment of short films and animation.
Short documentaries include Rattus, a series of quirky interviews about rats and the people who love them! This 14-minute documentary by Carlos Barbot is on the independent festival circuit and voted Best Short Documentary at the 2008 New York City Short Film Festival.
Another documentary in our lineup is, Herd of Two, where we take a 26-minute journey and learn about Theresa and Tehya, first time horse and first time owner. While on vacation in 2004, Theresa Demarest decided to take some horseback riding lessons. That”s when she came nose to nose with a little 6-month-old highly spirited half-Arab, half-saddlebred filly named Tehya Takoda. This film is about their compelling journey to becoming a “Herd of Two.”
“Hot Dog” by renowned animator Bill Plympton, who brought us the academy award nominated Guide Dog / Guard Dog, highlights a fire house dog. In addition, we screen the poignant animation, “The Sparky Book,” by Newfoundland filmmaker, Mary Lewis. This film takes a sensitive, often humorous, look at the power of friendship when a child faces a life-threatening illness. We also have the hilarious “The Day of the Grackle” by Michael Berry and Sweetie Productions, which is a multi-award winning short comedy.
Calpine Geothermal Visitors Center is located at 15500 Central Park Road in Middletown. There is plenty of parking, restrooms, great sound and a great screening room.
Tickets are $10 at the door and $5 for children aged 16 and younger. Fresh popcorn and concessions will also be available.
The entire program will be approximately 90 minutes. In June, we bring a wonderful compilation of films about the written, spoken and unspoken word. For further information, visit www.CoyoteFilmFestival.org.
Coyote Film Festival is a fundraising arm of EcoArts of Lake County, a 501c(3) non-profit arts organization dedicated to bringing visual art opportunities and ecologic stewardship to the residents and visitors of Lake County. For more information, visit www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org.
