‘Off the Square’s’ August Film Series Announced

The Mystic Art Gallery is pleased to reveal the lineup of the third Off-the-Square Screening Room session on Saturday, August 17 at 7:30 pm.

The August screening will feature four short films and a feature, some of which were produced by student filmmakers:

– Riff Raf: A short narrative fiction about a jazz trumpeter who, after missing the train to the biggest gig of his career, accidentally ends up in a classical orchestra. Produced and directed by Jeremy Weiss.

– Jar’d: An animated piece that captures “The frustration of human determination portrayed in a lighthearted approach.” The film was done in 2009 by Helen (Qianyun) Shi, an animator at Harvard College.

– Oh No, BoBo!: A bratty young girl scout visits the Zoo and gets taught a lesson in manners by a clever monkey named BoBo. Austin Broder wrote and directed this animated piece, along with Ian Hirschfeld and their classmates in the Animation Studio 2 class at Northeastern University.

– Notes from Next Door: “A young artist struggles to concentrate as his ‘colorful’ neighbors continuously create copious amounts of noise and distraction.” This piece combining both live action and animation, it was created by Jon Lawitts, Jaime Klein and Dave Maggio, all animation majors who graduated from Northeastern University in 2011. The film faced off against, and was the only competition for, Oh No, BoBo! in its category at the First Annual Boston Student Film Fest (BSSF).

– Cocksomb Jaguar Proud: The evening’s feature is a 2009 documentary, whose film editor was Tony Hale of Medford; Hale’s mother, Adele Travisano, is the founder of the original “Doc” Kountze Film Festival. Hale’s film is about the world’s first jaguar reserve, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize. Developed as an educational outreach campaign in the buffer communities of the Cockscomb Basin in Belize, the film explores the greater significance of the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve, its historical significance, current research in the area, the importance of the jaguar as an indicator species and possible ways to mitigate threats to them and their habitat.

Also, directors Jeremy Weiss (Riff Raf) and Jon Lawitts (Notes from Next Door) will be in attendance, and a brief discussion and Q&A will take place about their respective films.

The shorts are presented with assistance from the Boston Student Arts Network (BSAN) and its showcase, the Boston Student Film Fest (BSSF). The online film festival launched in 2012 and highlights the works of talented New England students. Kelly Soule, founder and director of BSAN, has been graciously providing the Gallery access to a number of her member’s work and allowing the Screening Room to show them.

July marked the move of the Screening Room to a larger venue – the Hyatt Place hotel in Medford Square – and the evening provided wildly successful, filling the lager space with attendees who enjoyed dinner and refreshments from the hotel bar before and after the session.

“The Hyatt is the perfect location for us,” said Screening Room organizer and Medford Arts Center, Inc. (MACI) President Mike Oliver. “It’s large and comfortable for our guests, and the ability to grab a bite or a cocktail at the bar before joining us makes it even more pleasurable. It’s proving to be a fun and popular night out, and the crowds have gotten bigger each time.”

As with the previous sessions, admission to the Screening Room is free but there is a $5 suggested donation at the door.

For more information on the BSAN and BSSF, please visit http://www.bostonstudentfilmfest.org/about.htm or https://www.facebook.com/BostonStudentArtsNetwork.

For future Screening Room sessions, the Mystic hopes to feature films by other local producers, and is actively seeking submissions. If you have work you would like to submit or recommend, contact info@mysticartgallery.org.

For more information on the Mystic Art Gallery, its latest schedule of events and MACI, visit us on the web at www.medfordarts.org or www.facebook.com/TheMysticArtGallery, or call 781-396-ARTS (2787).

– Submitted by MACI