Manhattan Short Film Festival comes to Hartford

Still from the short film Mozambique by Alcides Soares

The Manhattan Short Film Festival started last night at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford. If you weren't there, you have three more days to check out these 10 compelling short films from around the globe and vote for the one that you feel is best. According to their website, "the MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival received 428 Short Film Entries from 36 Countries and selected 10 Finalists' Short Films. [...] between the 19th and 27th of September 2009 and will screen 532 times in 173 Cities across 5 Continents in 1 Week."

Join me there Friday/Saturday, at 7:30 pm for the screening with discussion to follow.
More info about the films and stills after the jump...

Still from the short film Hammerhead by Sam Donovan (UK)

The 2009 10 finalists are:

• Boundary (USA) – Julius Onah
  A family on its way home is forced to deal with circumstances they would never hope for.
• Mozambique (Mozambique) – Alcides Soares
  Sixteen-year-old Alcides Soares is one of a half a million AIDS orphans living in Mozambique today. American television writer Neal Baer and movie director Chris Zalla gave Alcides a movie camera and taught him how to shoot.
• Parking (Spain) – Jorge Molina
  An executive goes to get his car…when he discovers that someone else has beaten him to it.
• Plastic (Australia) - Sandy Widyanata
  Whilst Anna is preparing for a first date with Henry, a man she has secretly loved for years, everything goes wrong until she discovers the impossible – to sculpt her appearance like clay to any shape she desires.
• Lashabiya (Israel) – Yehezkel Lazarov
  In an elementary school courtyard, a young Palestinian man plays a dangerous game with an armed squad of Israeli soldiers.
• Love Child (Sweden) – Daniel Wirthberg
  A young girl enjoys the perfect life of being the only child, when one day a new family member arrives.
• Skizein (France) – Jeremy Clapin
  After being struck by a 150-ton meteorite, Henry has to adapt to living precisely 91 centimeters from himself.
• A’Mare (Italy) – Martina Amati
  Andrea and Felice are two kids whose lives centre around the sea. During a fishing excursion their usual routine is disturbed when something unexpected appears from the water.
• Miente (Spain) – Isabel De Ocampo
  Doina wants to make a birthday present to her young sister, but it isn’t easy to get it.
• Hammerhead (UK) - Sam Donovan
  Boris tries to reunite his separated parents on a shark-spotting trip. The only problem is, his biggest enemy is along for the ride: his mother’s new girlfriend.

For interviews and more about the 10 finalists, visit the festival's website.

Still from the short film Lashabiya by Yehezkel Lazarov (Israel)

Underscore Orkestra playing at La Paloma Sabanera 9/23!

The Underscore Orkestra Plays the Boyash Gypsy song

Looking for some live music tonight? Then run, don't walk, to our favorite local coffeehouse, La Paloma Sabanera on Capitol Avenue to catch The Underscore Orkestra, visiting our fair city from Portland, Oregon. Thanks to friend of the blog, Councilor Cotto for the invite and heads up!

La Paloma Sabanera Coffeehouse is located at 405 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT. Support local businesses. (Tell Virginia I sent you!)

More about the band after the jump...
From the invite description:

The Underscore Orkestra is a Portland OR based band, playing a blend of Balkan, Klezmer, Gypsy Jazz and Swing, with a repertoire consisting of both original and traditional material from fast bulgars and melodious waltzes to odd meters and swinging rhythms. Our instrumentation includes violin, accordion, guitar, banjo, clarinet, horns, flute, harmonica, bass, vocals and percussion. Each of the members comes from various backgrounds and musical disiplines from as far away as Russia and as close as our own North West. The Underscore Orkestra has been performing for the past 3 + years, touring all around the western U.S., Mexico and Guatemala and has been seen from intimate coffee shop setting all the way to huge outdoor festivals.

If the video is any indication, this event will be a great time.

World Car Free Day

Late notice, but hey, try to ride your bike or walk today! Much better than putting on that exoskeleton vehicle! It's World Car Free Day; let's show them that America knows how to do things better! (yes, yes, appealing to the rabble). More after the jump.
Speaking of 'car free days', how about this image of President Theodore Roosevelt riding an electric automobile on his visit through Hartford, CT, with police escort on bicycles?!

From Mira Hartford

Photograph courtesy of the Connecticut Historical Society.

I really like this photograph and feel it's important for several reasons:

• President Roosevelt was the first president to ride in an automobile
• It was an electric automobile, escorted by cops on bicycles
• It took place in Hartford, where the electric automobile, bicycles, & tires were manufactured
• It illustrates the ingenuity and industrialism that makes Hartford a fascinating historical city
• It befits that it was President Roosevelt who rode in an electric automobile, as he was also the president to promote natural conservation
• It's got bicycles! Made in Hartford!

Don't get me wrong; I realize that the manufacture of those items more than likely helped to pollute and deplete some of Hartford's natural resources (such as the Park River which was a dumping ground that ran through the city). But, the thought was nice.

PHH: *ALL* things considered? I'm highly skeptical!

Hey, anybody watch the emmys? Why? Why do we subject ourselves to caring about award shows that give awards to *other award shows*? This year, man-child Doogie Patrick Harris tried his darnedest to keep our interest for 18 hours of self-congratulating and absolutely nothing happening. (C'mon, Kanye...get on that!) And this year, they had the great idea of grouping the genres together. Comedy, Drama, Real-things, Variety, Dog-Swapping, and 18th Century British Literature categories were all done at the same time, which created large blocks of time for us all to go to the bathroom and watch some of that foot-ball. The emmy broadcast was just a foreboding reminder that the death of teevee is nigh. That and Tom Delay being on a popular dancing porn show, and people being excited to spend time watching it. Look no further than whatever the hell is happening at NBC, who has apparently just given up on creativity by firing all 10 pm writers and letting the horrible chin stem-cell experiment, JayLeno, walk around and bobble his gigantic melon instead of telling interesting stories.

So now that Jay Leno killed television, there's only one place to turn to...NPR. Yes, that rabble-rousing communist propaganda tool Nationalized Public Radio can fill the political geek entertainment void with the excitement of calm essay reading and proper diction. It's also the best place to hear awkward ends to interview segments, as very few people can gracefully respond to some radio nerd saying "thanks for coming on my show." Oh, and don't get me started on
**BUZZZZZ**

We're sorry to interrupt, but we have hit our annual pledge drive on PHH, and we'd like to remind you free-loading heathens that we are user and listener supported. If you enjoy the rants on this email list, please allow us to guilt-trip you into turning over your weekly paycheck to us in exchange for some crappy tote bags and beer koozies. Oh, you think it's a free ride, do you? Well, what would CLICK AND CLACK say about that? hmm? OK, they would just cackle at each other for 15 straight minutes, but you would be charmed by their ridiculous Boston accents and down-home Banjo-based theme music from the back-woods hamlet of Cambridge, MA. How else can we continue to bring you the beloved nerd-hipster king Ira Glass and his nasally hosting street-cred? Think of the crippling folksiness of Garrison Keillor, the off-point ramblings of "On Point" host Tom Ashbrook, the thoughtful, halting interview stylings of Terry Gross, and the non-greedy market analysis of Kai Ryssdal. We've already cut Ira Flatow down to Science Friday, and I hear he's working on a bomb. These humble radio hosts need not suffer because of your scrooginess?

It's a simple question, really: DO YOU WANT MICHELE NORRIS AND ROBERT SIEGEL TO BE LIVING IN A REFRIGERATOR BOX IN THE SEWER NEXT WEEK?? Then empty those pockets, you heartless bastards. The pledge-time fun continues tonight at Red Rock Tavern, on Capitol Ave. in Hartford. Progressive Happy Hour! Starting at 9:30 pm. There will be a Public Radio theme-song sing-off. We'll see who can do the best Daniel Shore and Diane Rehm warbling impressions. A street fight between the National Public Radio (NPR) loyalists and the Public Radio International (PRI) upstarts will go down! Remember, a donation of a pitcher of libations will get you a plate of "Weekend Edition" curly fries. And maybe, just maybe, special guests John Nowacki, Chion Wolf, and John Dankosky will stop by*!!!
(*special guests not actually scheduled to appear)
--Carl Kassell

Farmers Markets in Hartford

'Tis the season to reap the benefits of the harvest. Artist Anne Cubberly reminds us to "Love thy neighbors... buy local!" at these local weekly farmers markets:

Farmers Markets
Old State House: 800 Main St.
Mon.,Wed., Fri. from 10:30 to 3 pm

Walgreen’s Parking Lot, Corner of Park and Washington Streets
Mondays 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church Next to Bushnell, 156 Capitol Avenue
Mondays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

West End Market: Corner of S.Whitney & Farmington
Tuesday and Friday from 4-7 pm

Northend Senior Center, 80 Coventry Street
Wednesdays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Billings Forge: 563 Broad St.
Thursdays, 11am to 2:30 pm

Free Hartford! (September 21)

Local artist & friend of the blog, Anne Cubberly sends weekly emails listing free events happening in the City of Hartford for everyone to enjoy! This week's listings of free events & offerings after the jump!
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

Hartford Public Library: 500 Main St. www.hplct.org
Welcome to Spain: Enjoy a discussion of the book Welcome to Spain by
Mary Berendes. Learn to make natilla, a Spanish Dessert afterwards.
3:30 - 4;30 pm

Billings Forge: 539 Broad St. jlamotta@billingsforgeworks.org
Artists Residency : Tour the studios of artists Miguel Carter Fisher,
Kimberly Gill, Robert Charles Hudson & Greg Russell
some studios may be open from 6 - 9pm

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Real Art Ways: 56 Arbor St. www.realartways.org
Gelah Penn: Clash by Night, her site specific installation explores drawing
in 3-dimensional space. Exhibit runs through October 11
Artist Talk: 6 pm

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

La Paloma Sabanera Coffeehouse : 405 Capitol Ave www.lapalomasabanera.com
Open Mic : Poetry, music, dance, comedy... bring it !
7 pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art: 600 Main St. www.wadsworthatheneum.org
Community Days: Whirls &Twirls, spin your yoru way over to the Atheneum for a day of
art activities, music, dance, film and more.
10 am - 5 pm

Hartford Art School: Silpe Gallery: 200 Bloomfield Ave 860-527-3205
Common Ground: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Show, Joyce Conlon &
Susan Bradley. Sept. 25 - Oct. 1
Opening Reception 5 -8 pm

Charter Oak Cultural Center: 21 Charter Oak Ave www.charteroakcenter.org
The Colors of Music Concert Series: Featuring Tierra Mestiza
and InfinitiTango.
7 pm

Artist's Collective: 1200 Albany Ave 860-527-3205
John Blake: Premier violinist John Blake will be featured in the opening
event of the Jackie McLean International Arts Festival.
8 pm


For More Free Events go to www.letsgoarts.org and look under " Fill your Social Calendar".
The Greater Hartford Arts council has put together this great resource to find events.
You can even do a "free" search !

CALL TO ARTISTS..............................

Artists wanted for DIRT: an original performance written and created by Dan Blow and
Anne Cubberly. Performances are scheduled for October 30, 31 & November 1
in the Atheneum's Aetna Theater. We are looking for volunteer kuroko,
Techies, back stage hands, bang-on-a-can drummers, stage manager
and performers. Questions ? email jknelson37@aol.com

La Paloma Sabanera Coffee House is looking for artists interested
in displaying their work and /or writers interested in starting a writer's group
or book club. Contact Virginia Iacobucci 956-5003, viacobucci@snet.net


Hartt School is hosting a Community Block Party and looking for artists
to perform or give workshops at The Handel Performing Arts Center on
Saturday October 10. For more information contact:
Diana Moller Marino, Hartt Theatre Division, 860-768-2465, moller@hartford.edu


VOLUNTEERING..................................

Hands On Hartford: 40 Pratt St. www.handsonhartford.org
Volunteer ! Check out there website and see all the ways you can connect with your community.

Hartford Stage: 50 Church St. www.hartfordstage.org
Ushers see the shows for free, go to the website to find out more.