Every flavor of festival

Can't go to Cannes? Check out the local wave of film celebrations.

By STEVE PERSALL, Times Film Critic

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 5, 2000

Springtime, and film festivals are in bloom. Some as far away as the French Riviera, and others as close as your kitchen cupboard. You can get there with a passport, a tank of gas or a DVD player.

In Orlando, the Florida Film Festival seeks volunteers. Tampa Bay's art houses want canned food for a festival of charity. A new DVD enterprise focused on film festivals wants your attention.

And, we all want to go to Cannes, but who can afford it?

Take a look at some alternatives, and take your pick:

FILM FEST REQUEST -- How will you spend your summer vacation? The Florida Film Festival has an idea for dedicated film buffs.

Volunteers are signing up to serve at the festival, to be held June 9-18 at Enzian Theater in Maitland, a suburb of Orlando. Jobs includes ushers, ticket sellers, merchandisers and all kinds of administrative tasks. You might get a job as a driver, and who knows who will be in the back seat? Past festivals have attracted the likes of Oliver Stone, Dennis Hopper, Paul Newman and Peter Fonda.

Last year, the big news at Enzian was the impending phenomenon of The Blair Witch Project, created by five graduates of University of Central Florida, some former employees of the theater.

Work shifts usually are four to six hours each; a minimum of 20 hours total is requested and evening shifts are available. In lieu of pay, volunteers can watch any of the 100+

films during their off-hours, if space permits.

An informational meeting for prospective volunteers will be held at Enzian Theater on May 20 at noon. Applicants must contact Jane Bohn at (407) 629-1088, Ext. 232, before attending that meeting. Enzian Theater is at 1300 S Orlando Ave. in Maitland.

The festival schedule of films is still shaping up and will be announced soon. The festival Web site (http://www.floridafilmfestival.com) will open soon with film and ticket information.

DVD FESTIVAL TICKET -- A very cool film festival DVD "magazine" is now available through online sales. Film-Fest costs $4.99 plus shipping and is worth every cent.

The third issue was made available for preview, with independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch on the cover. Plug in the disc and you get 130 minutes of loose-limbed press conference responses from actors including Kevin Spacey, Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman. Jarmusch, documentarian Errol Morris (Mr. Death) and lesser-known but equally interesting filmmakers are profiled.

An extended feature on the Toronto Film Festival is enlightening. Even better is a visit to the Santiago, Chile, film festival where tear-gas riots greet moviegoers exiting to the streets.

One segment of the DVD is devoted to short films, including the Oscar-nominated When the Day Breaks, a brilliant farm-animal allegory, and Desserts with Ewan McGregor showing why chocolate eclairs found on the beach should not be eaten. Another segment offers previews of off-beat films including Ghost Dog, Black and White and East is East.

Interactive menus allow viewers to skip to their favorite chapters, or just let it play from the beginning. Either way, this is a promising idea that will collect footage at Telluride and Cannes in the coming weeks. A visit to Sundance 2000 is scheduled for issue 4, with festivals in Berlin and Austin planned for issue 5.

Film-Fest is currently sold only online through Amazon.com, Express.com and Reel.com. Single issues or subscriptions are available.

CAN FILM FESTIVAL -- Tampa Bay's primary art-film outlets are using the Cannes Film Festival as an excuse to do some good. From May 10-21 (the same span as Cannes), Tampa Theatre, Beach Theater and Burns Court Cinema in Sarasota will collect canned foods for charity.

Donations will be turned over to All Faiths Food Bank, a network of 120 agencies assisting people in need. The project's official name is the Florida West Coast Can Film Festival. The idea is even better than the play on words.

Moviegoers don't get anything in return for their donations except the satisfaction of helping someone. Charity begins at home. Somewhere around the kitchen.