The Boonies International 2013 Invites the World

The Boonies International Film Festival at Warren, Pennsylvania, USA is August 14 – 17, 2013.  It presents free local, regional, national and international films.  There is no charge to the public for the sponsor driven international film festival.

You can watch comedies, dramas, horror, sci-fi, documentaries and music videos.  The festival and the movies are at no cost to the public.

Movies include a local connection as filmmaker Melodie Bryant’s short film “A Home in the Theatre” tells a story of the struggle of former yet longtime Warren resident Edith O’Hara, now in her 90’s.  The struggle to keep and preserve her 13 Street Repertory Theatre, which is also her home, is ongoing as developers desires come up against indie theatre and Edith O’Hara in this charming and insightful real life documentary.

From Minnesota a feature film titled “Vacationland” by filmmaker Jamie Hook and starring Karen Black is also a Boonies 2013 “Official Selection”.  The feature film tells the story of relatives attending a family reunion which they did not know had been cancelled.

“Siberia. Monamour” comes to The Boonies International from the Russian Federation.  This film from filmmaker Slava Ross tells a story of survival and of love.  Leshia, a 7 year old boy, Ivan his grandfather, an abandoned village, a missing father and a pack of feral dogs, one of which is Leshia’s best friend all part of this compelling story brought to film.

A movie from a director originally from Franklin, PA, the film is “Technically Crazy” and the director is Dan Riddle.  He co-director with Greg Shouse, who plans to attend.  While Riddle remains in California working on a TV show.  Their film is moving story of a sixteen-year old bipolar runaway who breaks into the house of a suicidal ex-cop.  Sparks fly as life unfolds.

The Boonies 2013 has received numerous regional films and takes pleasure in announcing Mark Robinault’s documentary film titled “Sun gazing with Stanley Barton”.  His film is a very nice short doc featuring the current hot topic of sun gazing.  It’s an ancient practice now growing in a surge of interest.  The focus is local resident Stanley Barton a talented, thoughtful and interesting sun gazer.  Robinault is a recent graduate of Edinboro University and a valuable Boonies volunteer. Also showing is the action short from Sean Perry “Diamonds are a Con’s Best Friend”.  Perry is a Kane, PA resident and a busy filmmaker.  His apt use of actors with little film experience and his precision use of a professional crew appear to be a formula that works for this regional helmer.  See the festival web site www.thebooniesinternational.com and their social media areas for more about the films.

The Boonies International Film Festival is August 14-17, 2013.  The festival is free to attend, as are all movies, the Tech Center and other Boonies events.  A schedule of films and descriptions, screening times, and suggested audiences will be posted publicly as the festival draws closer, is currently on the festival site and a festival film catalog will be on sale during the event.

Other movies showing at The Boonies include movies from Ireland, Switzerland, Brazil, Spain, Italy, The Russian Federation, Iran, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom and the US.  A total of 73 movie and 10 Music Videos will show in Warren, PA at 5 downtown locations. The Struthers Library Theatre; Allegheny Outfitters; Blair Museum, (right inside their retail store); Cambridge Warren and The Warren County Public Library.  There are movies to suit many interests and all ages all at no cost.

Boonies Executive Director Jeff Clark states, “The festival is film-education-based and is for filmmakers of all ages and at all levels of their careers. In 2011 filmmakers from local high school students to Academy Award nominees attended.  It also provides the public a chance to see films from around the world which they may never otherwise have a chance to, including many which have screened at larger festivals, such as International Film Festival Rotterdam, South By Southwest and Sundance.”