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Mountainfilm on Tour returns to Southampton this Friday and Saturday, September 14 and 15, for the fourth year, showcasing inspiring short documentary films from around the world that highlight “the power of film and the arts to create social change.”Mountainfilm is an annual film festival that has taken place every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, Colorado, since 1979. Elyn Kronemeyer, now a board member of the Southampton Arts Center, first brought the festival’s touring arm to Southampton in 2015.
Ms. Kronemeyer—who lives in Water Mill and has a second home in Telluride with her husband, Jeff Kronemeyer—selected about 20 films to show in Southampton that screened during Mountainfilm in 2018. She said that documentary films are her hobby and her passion.
“This is a gift to the community. This is why we do it,” Ms. Kronemeyer said. “We feel the films are educational—they are inspiring—a way to learn more about the world through film.”
Mountainfilm on Tour’s Southampton events take place at Southampton High School on Narrow Lane, in a program geared toward intermediate school students, and at the Southampton Arts Center on Jobs Lane, in programs designed for families and the public at large.
“On Friday afternoon, we do a program at the Southampton High School for the Southampton and Tuckahoe students,” Ms. Kronemeyer said. “We have over 1,000 students and teachers come for a program of short docs selected for students.”
This year’s student program will include a Q&A with the subject of the film “Escape,” Jean-Aimé Bigirimana, aka DJ JaBig, a Montreal DJ originally from Rwanda who in 2016 bicycled across Canada to the Arctic, and National Geographic Young Explorer Asha Stuart, the director of “Lost Tribe of Africa,” about an African community in India descended from a tribe that arrived there 500 years ago.
Then on Friday night at the Southampton Arts Center, seven films ranging in length from as short as three minutes to as long as 32 minutes will be screened, including “Lost Tribe of Africa.” Ms. Stuart will be in attendance to take audience questions. Admission is $15.
The “family matinée” on Saturday at 4 p.m. will include seven Spanish-language shorts with English subtitles exploring Latin American culture, current events and athletic adventures. Admission is $5.
A chance to meet Mr. Bigirimana and Mr. Stuart comes on Saturday at 6 p.m. during the filmmakers reception at the Southampton Arts Center. Tickets are $50, with proceeds benefiting film programs at the arts center year-round, and include admission to the Saturday night film program.
The closing night screenings on Saturday at 7 p.m. will include “Escape” and Mr. Bigirimana will be there for a Q&A. Admission is $15.
This will be the first Mountainfilm on Tour at Southampton Arts Center with the facility’s new audio video system, enhancing the filmgoing experience.
“People should come out and experience the films because what I’ve found through the years is it’s incredible, the connection people in the community have with these films,” Ms. Kronemeyer said.
For reservations, full lineups and more information, visit southamptonartscenter.org.
on Sep 11, 2018