Rescue Fest

I thought I was done with film festivals for the year, but there was one left! A brand new festival, the 1st ever Rescue Fest, created by Indie Collect. Rather than screening new films, this festival was dedicated to screening acclaimed independent films that have been restored, in hopes of giving them a new life & new appreciation.

The weekend-long festival at the Laemmle Monica Film Center began with a new restoration of “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” with star Lily Tomlin attending, and her friend Jane Fonda moderating the Q&A. Fonda attended again for the screening of her 1972 Vietnam documentary “F.T.A.”

I attended the Sunday program. The day started with a fascinating panel about the importance of preserving these classic indie films, and the dangers faced by even recent indie films, who can easily be lost thanks to changing media or distribution troubles.

Next, I got to see NORTHERN LIGHTS in a cinema! I’ve been a huge fan of this film for several years, and even interviewed directors John Hanson & Rob Nilsson for this blog. Finally, the film has been restored by Kino Lorber, who will hopefully put it out on BluRay soon. The Q&A featured Nilsson, stars Susan Lynch & Joe Spano, crew member Richard Kletter, and moderated by Associate Producer Sandra Schulberg. The talked about filming the exteriors in a freezing North Dakota winter.

Finally, I saw the wonderful documentary THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT by Jan Oxenberg. A hilarious & poignant portrait of her relationship with her dying grandmother, this beautiful film should be seen by anyone who has lost someone dear to them. Jan was funny and thoughtful about her film, how it’s a film about “not accepting death.” The film is available on the Criterion Channel, but it needs a physical release ASAP.