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July 29, 2005
Sharks and Moore on first full dayFestival off to bustling startByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Moviegoers who came to the Traverse City Film Festival expecting to catch a glimpse of Michael Moore probably weren't disappointed. Moore seemed to be everywhere on Thursday, the festival's first full day. He led a panel discussion on filmmaking at the City Opera House and introduced a screening of "Czech Dream" at the Old Town Playhouse. The day was marked by a minor glitch or two - most of the earlier screenings began late, and some callers had trouble getting ticket information by phone - but there was lots of good news, too. Parking was plentiful, thanks to the downtown parking structure and all-day festival shuttles between venues; at least two screenings were sold out; and the festival and Traverse City received a nationwide plug on CBS Radio. At the waterfront Open Space, boaters and curious spectators leaned against railings or sat on concrete walls for a noon preview of Thursday night's "Jaws" pre-show entertainment. While a sound system broadcast the famous shark theme - duh-DUH, duh-DUH, duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH - four custom-made automated fins circled in the bay. Nearby, a rubber dinghy sped through the water towing a toothy "shark," giving the illusion the boat was being chased. "Are there real sharks coming?" asked 6-year-old Liam Tank, a Central Grade School first-grader who watched with his mom, Jennifer Tank, and 4-year-old sister Molly. Those arriving for screenings at the City Opera House also were treated to pre-show entertainment. A jazz and rock ensemble of Traverse City Central High graduates - veterans of the school's Chorale, Choralaires and other music groups - performed a 15-minute set before the start of each film. As moviegoers lined up at the Old Town Playhouse for a showing of the Czech Republic film "Czech Dream," volunteers grabbed a quick bite to eat and anxiously awaited delivery of festival T-shirts to sell. Jan Hinds took advantage of the lull to knit a scarf. "You have to bring a book or something so you don't go nuts in between," said Hinds, who had just come from a volunteer stint at the morning's panel discussion. Ken and Marge Philp drove from their summer home near Torch Lake to be first in line. High school and university teachers who live in Texas the rest of the year, the Philps said they prefer counterculture films and films about the "human condition" and support the festival's intellectual diversity. "Wherever you live, these kinds of films are so hard to find," said Marge Philp.
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Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner
