Doc Kountze Art/Film Festival March 27

The following is an announcement from organizers of the Doc Kountze Art and Film Festival:

The Doc Kountze Film festival will be held Saturday, March 27th, at the Cohen Auditorium, located at 40 Talbot Avenue at Tufts University from 11AM-7PM. This event is sponsored by the Medford Arts Center, Inc., Massachusetts Cultural Council and Medford Arts Council.

Starting at 11AM Magician and Puppeteer Janine Rogers will perform for children. Janine is a full time professional entertainer with more than twenty years experience and is the winner of three first place awards for excellent performance of magic. Rogers is a graduate of California’s prestigious Chavez School of Magic. Her show promises to be fun for the whole family.

Following Roger’s performance there will be a silent movie on film pioneer Georges Melies. The Melies film will be followed by “Heroic Hero,” a short, silent movie by local filmmaker and Emerson grad Johnathan Carr that pays homage to the “Perils of Pauline.”

“May I be Frank,” a documentary directed by Gregg Marks and Ryland Englhart will air at 2PM. “May I be Frank” is about an ex-addict and alcoholic who undergoes a transformation due to the caring of three young coaches from Café Gratitude. The documentary will be followed by a talk with its subject, Frank Ferranti.

“Neshoba,” a story about a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice 40 years after the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, will air at 4PM. Although Klansmen bragged openly about what they did in 1964, no one was held accountable until 2005, when the state indicted preacher Edgar Killen, an 80-year-old notorious racist who is an alleged mastermind of the killings. A question and answer session will follow the film.

At 6PM Joel LaRue Smith and his jazz trio, featuring Renato Malavasi on drums and Tai Gamlieli on acoustic guitar, will perform.

For questions on the film festival contact Patty at 978-290-8884 and visit www.medfordarts.org for more information on all of the films and artists.