Dan's Papers - October 5, 2007 - Film Festival? Sounds Fun.

What Would The Hamptons International Film Festival Look Like On The North Fork?

International film festival. When I hear those words I think of some tiny European country filled with visiting movie people all dressed up to watch exotic films.

Now I could go to an international film festival from October 17-21, but I wouldn't have to jet to Europe. I could take a couple of ferry rides over to the South Fork. I'd wear my best skirt and blouse and put on the pearl earrings my daughter gave me. Then I'd go to the 15th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival. I could see as many as 120 films and go to film seminars in East Hampton, Southampton, Montauk and Sag Harbor. Some of the films are world premieres. Such as "I Am An Animal" and "Do You Sleep In The Nude." Others have strange titles, like "Teeth." I know if I go to the Hamptons festival, I'll return to the North Fork with lots of stories to tell my friends.

And I know just how they'll respond. "Aw, come on," they'll say. "You always talk about "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "Breaking Away." And how you can watch "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" over and over again." My friends will want to know if I'm abandoning my long-held movie loves for what is new and different and glamorous.

The answer is decidedly no. What's more, I'm sure the North Fork could whip up its own film festival. Maybe our titles wouldn't be new, but they'd be beloved. I think that's important, don't you? Our festival would have films from the past. And they'd be nominated by North Forkers who have to travel a number of miles to get to a movie theater.

For example, the North Fork guy I live with (that's show biz talk for husband) really likes movies. He can even tell you the birth date of Judy Garland, just like that. He'd want you to see "The List of Adrian Messenger." Lots of stars in that one - Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, George C. Scott. And he likes "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." But enough about our choices. Let's see what other North Forkers would include in our very own international film festival.

Meet Dr. Lisa Cowley, a Southold chiropractor who helps us stand tall and walk confidently. Lisa, a Meryl Streep and Robert Redford fan, votes for "Out of Africa." The film takes place in Kenya from 1914-1935. Lisa says that's like going to another world. Every now and then, Lisa likes that.

Lisa's husband, Vic Westgate, is a real movie man. Well, he's handsome, but that's not what I mean. It's just that he watches a lot of movies. Rents then, too - I see him returning them to a video store in Southold.

Anyway, Vic's nomination could bring a little sophistication to our North Fork International Film Festival. It's "Cinema Paradiso," an Italian film. The actors don't speak English! Right off, that's classy. And it's the story of a guy who wanted to be a filmmaker since childhood. Seems appropriate.

Now to another movie duo - Paul and Jodi Gillen of Cutchogue. Their choices win them the North Fork's Most Romantic Couple Award. They like Frank Capra's 1934 film "It Happened One Night" with Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable and the John Huston 1952 movie "The African Queen" with Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.

Finally, Paul and Jodi nominate anything, anything at all, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Can't be topped for beauty, grace, and pure joy, they say. I'd bet most North Forkers agree.

Well, we have the films. What about the venue? (That's show biz talk, too.) Now North Fork theaters - one in Greenport and one in Mattituck - are small. And the Greenport theater is closed for the season until April 2008. A nice voice on tape told me. So my proposal is this.

Why not have a year-round film festival on the North Fork - Greenport in summer, Mattituck in winter? If there's an overflow international crowd of moviegoers, I think the brand-new auditorium at Mattituck High School might be available. The Board of Ed will agree, I'm sure. After all, at a North Fork festival you'd see no film rated R.

And we'd grab film festival headlines away from hot spots like Cannes and the Hamptons. As that guy Elmer Fudd used to say, "That's all, folks."