Although it’s still four weeks before the films begin to roll at the Seventh Annual Black Cat Picture Show, passes are almost sold out.
“We’ve sold about three-quarters of the passes,” said Duane Brown, who coordinates the event, which will take place Aug. 20-22 at Le Chat Noir. “This is the first time we’ve had that problem.”
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Brown believes the main draw is David Lowery’s film “The Green Knight,” starring Dev Patel, who is known for his performance in the Oscar-winning movie, “Slumdog Millionaire.”
“The Green Knight” is a fantasy re-telling of the Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, according to A24’s website.
Brown said A24 contacted him about screening a different film, but it was on the verge of being released on streaming platforms. After some negotiations, A24 agreed to have it including in this year’s Black Cat Picture Show.
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The film festival will feature 33 movies from 19 countries including Saudi Arabia and Argentina. All films are judged by a panel according to the same rubric, he said. In previous years, some locally-produced films have been screened, but none are represented in this year’s festival.
Brown, who is a filmmaker, said he started the festival because of events he’d traveled to in other cities, and he wanted a world class event in his hometown.
“We want this to stand out,” he said.
He threw the idea around with Krys Bailey, who owns Le Chat Noir, and the two of them initially decided to try it for two years. If it failed, they’d move on, but so far, it’s gone well.
In most years, the theater is full during the festival.
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Bigger film festivals often run several days in multiple venues.
Brown believes the Black Cat Picture Show will one day be too big to have completely at Le Chat. It could be the hub for the festival with other venues added.
Films represent a variety of genre including documentaries, animation, student film and horror.
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A complete list of selections is available at https://www.lcnaugusta.com/black-cat-picture-show.
The festival will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20 with a reception at 10 p.m. Screenings begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, and at 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 22, following the 10 a.m. brunch. Festival passes are $27-$64.80 and are available at the website.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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