WW's Longbaugh Film Festival

In case you haven't been paying attention, Willamette Week's Longbaugh Film Festival, presented by Comcast, is less than a month away. The program and schedule are now online at www.longbaugh.com, and you can also find programs all over town.

This year, we have worked hard to put together an eclectic program that covers a diverse range of topics. Some are films you may have already heard of—like Black Gold, which comes to us after its critically acclaimed debut at Sundance. A revealing documentary about the coffee industry and "free trade," Black Gold provides a glimpse at the life of coffee farmers in Ethiopia. Presented by Stumptown Coffee, this thought-provoking documentary is one of the "don't miss" films of Longbaugh 2006.

Along with Black Gold and some of the other higher profile films like Lonesome Jim, Wordplay and The Great New Wonderful, there are films you've probably never heard of, by names you don't know, starring people you won't recognize. These are the films that are the most exciting part of Longbaugh, because they are the true discoveries—the films that will leave you talking for days. These films run the gamut from The God Who Wasn't There, a powerful documentary that seeks to dispel Jesus as little more than a myth, to the comedy In the Land of Milk and Money, an entertaining throwback to the cautionary B-movie science-fiction thrillers of the 1950s. To help draw attention to some of these films, Longbaugh has created the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, taking place on Saturday, April 8. At participating venues, the first film of the day is $1. That's all there is to it—$1 for a movie. The only catch is that if you like what you see, we ask you to consider coming back to see more films at the festival. And even if you don't like what you see (which is highly unlikely), you're only out a buck.

That's about it for now. Make sure you pick up a program or check out the website, and keep your eyes peeled for updates (we're working on a few exciting things as last-minute additions).

Longbaugh online www.longbaugh.com

WWeek 2015