Blog posting written by Abby Sophir, Television/Radio '14, FLEFF Intern, St. Louis, Missouri.

With FLEFF week just over two weeks away, my excitement is boiling! As I review the film schedules (now posted on the website!) I am intrigued by nearly every film I read. 

Although I have already begun to clear my week and get ahead on homework, there’s one small problem: too many interesting films, not enough time! As much as I don’t want to admit it, I won’t be able to see them all. 

Therefore, I have made a list of the on-campus (or very close to campus) films I most want to see. This list is highly tentative and will likely change several times prior to the festival as I continue to hear more about the films. But for now, in no particular order (ranking them was pushing it just a little too far)...

Note: I have a slight bias toward documentaries.

1. Objectified by Gary Hustwit-- As a critic of our society’s consumerist ways, I am drawn to this feature-length documentary that provides an inside-look at the people and work that go into creating the manufactured items we consume. (Showing: Tuesday, April 12 @ 1:10 PM Center for Health Sciences 208)

2. Cattle Camp by Alijan Nasirov-- Although I’m not normally a fan of subtitles, I am looking forward to escaping civilization with this rare 28 minute documentary set in the quiet mountains of Kyrgystan. (Showing: Monday, April 11 @ 5:25 PM, Friends 205)

3. The New Metropolis, USA by Andrea Torrice-- I cannot pass up this two-for-one showing which integrates two half-hour documentaries, A Crack In The Pavement and The New Neighbors, to tell a story of evolution, struggle, integration, and revitalization in American suburbia. (Showing: Thursday, April 14 @ 1:30 PM, Longview)

4. What’s the Economy for Anyway? by John de Graff-- I look forward to laughing and cringing with this economic monologue that challenges the ways we measure economic success. (Showing: Monday, April 11 @ 11 AM, Center for Natural Sciences 115)

5. Dirt! by Bill Benenson-- As someone concerned with the preservation of the environment, I am extremely intrigued by this film that focuses on an unlikely subject: soil. However, I was surprised to read that Hollywood star, Jamie Lee Curtis narrates the film. (Showing: Wednesday, April 13 @ 1:10 PM, Center for Natural Sciences 119)

Honorable mention goes to Money Driven Medicine (Showing: Friday, April 15 @ 10 AM, Center for Health Sciences 202) and Who Am I? The Found Children of Argentina (Showing: Monday, April 11 @ 5:25 PM, Park 273)

Anyone care to join me at these showings? Any suggestions of other films similar to these that I may enjoy?