By Mark Bialczak
LPL Communications Specialist
The Liverpool Public Library’s Carman Community Room will host a one-night international film fest the evening of Thursday, May 18.
Turn on the floodlights and cue the music, thanks to the good folks from the Syracuse International Film Festival.
“Around the World with Animated Films: An International Perspective” will feature a trio of animated film shorts and include insight into that art form from an expert representing the local organization that puts on two prestigious fests of its own every year.
Filling the big CCR HD-projector screen will be “The Wishing Well,” an American short that’s won a handful of best-of awards at fests around the U.S.; “The Life,” from Korea; and “Pictures at an Exhibition,” from Russia.
The Korean film looks at a national legend, while the Russian short is an animated musical tour of a museum.
The American short comes entirely from the mind and sweat of special-effects artist and actor Rod Maxwell. He created all the prosthetics and fat suits for the 26 men, women and children in his story, and there was nobody else in front or behind the camera when he shot it with a green screen in his living room.
“In the spirit of Charlie Chaplin, Mr. Bean and Jacques Tati, Maxwell breathes life into a world of characters without uttering a single word,” said a bio on YouTube.
The talking will come from the presenters, who will discuss how to look at film with a critical eye, talk about what it takes to create an animated film and bridge the concept of different points of view according to a film’s culture of origin.
The event at the LPL is just one in a series the SIFF folks will take to Onondaga County library branches.
Also scheduled:
Skaneateles, today, “The Life,” “The Wishing Well,” “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Tully, May 25, “Mary and Max (Australia). Baldwinsville, June 1 and Marcellus June 8; “Flat Love,” “The Sexual Practices of Trees ,” “Ballum” (all U.S.). Fayetteville, June 15, “The Legend of Black Tom,” “My Home,” “The Wishing Well” (all U.S.).
All sessions start at 6:30 p.m., and are free.
