Seven Days of Opening Nights

I was fortunate enough to score tickets to the Geoffrey Gilmore's Seven Days of Opening Nights film screening. Let me give you a little history of this event. We have a phenomenal film school at FSU and employed within that film school is the director of the Torchlight Program Paul Cohen who is a film marketing and financing guru (http://film.fsu.edu/Programs/The-Torchlight-Program). I believe it is Paul's personal relationship with Geoffrey Gilmore, directer of the Sundance Film Festival for 19 years, that encourages him to come to Tallahassee annually to host a film screening as an event of the Seven Days of Opening Nights Festival. 

The event hosts a film screening and allows the audience to engage in a Q&A and a reception with the director and producer of the film being showed. The film is not yet released to theaters and is not revealed until the leading credits are rolled across the screen. The movies I've seen at this event have included 500 Days of Summer, Blue Valentine, Being Flynn, and this year's War Witch. These movies are not a watered down perspective of daily life; they are an intimate, heart wrenching reality check on the most intrinsic human values. They feature elements of love, death, family, romance, torture, and everything in between. If you haven't had the opportunity to attend these screening or see these films, I highly recommend doing so.

This year's screening of the foreign film War Witch had elements of war, action, drama, romance, and an enormous depiction of cultural truth. It was set in sub Saharan Africa in a region where tribal warfare is relentless and barbaric. The story line begins with a well known African military tactic where villages are pillaged and children are taken and converted into soldiers. War Witch may be set in this terrifying landscape, yet magical realism occurs and love finds a way to shine through the depressing militant conflict and break the grips of the militia. This film had the audience in tears and laughter and left them with feelings of concern and relief. This film is not for the feeble minded but is a surreal illustration of a young girl's emotional adventure.

Check out the line up from this year: http://www.sevendaysfestival.org/performers/

You Missed ItPRISM
Featuring top music students from Florida State’s world-renowned wind and percussion programs, PRISM covers the spectrum of band activities at Florida State – Florida State Chamber Winds, the Campus Band, University Concert Band, Seminole Sound, University Symphonic Band, University Wind Orchestra and of course, the Marching Chiefs – covering a huge amount of musical terrain.

Bernadette Peters

Tony® Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage and television, in concert and on recordings – and now she will dazzle Tallahassee!

Still to ComeSecond City Touring Company
Tuesday, March 05, 2013 - 8:00pm
Wednesday, March 06, 2013 - 8:00pm
Thursday, March 07, 2013 - 8:00pm

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers Featuring Edie Brickell
Saturday, May 25, 2013 - 8:00pm