A weekend celebrating music in the movies with Bill Mays, May 11-13
Milford, PA. (April 24, 2012) – On May 11-13, 2012 Black Bear Film Festival will present a live jazz concert by the Bill Mays Trio and three films showcasing the talents of Bill Mays at the Milford Theatre.
The treasured Pike County resident, whose eclectic, prolific career as a pianist, composer and arranger has spanned five decades, will be joined by Tim Horner on drums and Martin Wind on bass for Mays at the Movies.
In addition to his reputation as a jazz pianist, Bill is well-known for his compositional and arranging talents with deep roots in jazz, gospel, pop and classical music. On hundreds of recordings, television and film soundtracks, Bill’s concert and studio credits include a ‘who’s who’ of modern music, from Benny Golson and Gerry Mulligan to Sarah Vaughan and Frank Zappa.
“Music in film is a most important aspect of understanding the process of filmmaking,” explained Black Bear Film Festival Founding President Jerry Beaver. “It helps create the mood and attitude of the story being told. It enhances the experience of the viewer. Once you begin to really pay attention to the music in any film the effect will be profound.”
The schedule for Mays at the Movies includes a new American classic, a children’s matinee and the ultimate Mother’s Day film in addition to a live jazz performance. Each film will also include an introduction and Q&A with Bill Mays.
Friday, May 11th 8:00 p.m. – Fargo (Rated R/1996)
This American dark comedy was produced, directed and written by Joel and Ethan Coen and stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of homicides, William H. Macy as a car salesman who hires two criminals to kidnap his wife, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare as the criminals, and Harve Presnell as the salesman’s father-in-law.
The film earned seven Academy Award nominations, winning two for Best Original Screenplay for the Coens and Best Actress in a Leading Role for McDormand. It also won the BAFTA Award and the Award for Best Director for Joel Coen at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. In 2006 it was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and inducted into the United States National Film Registry.
Saturday, May 12th 2:00 p.m. Matinee – Where the Wild Things Are (Rated PG/2009)
The Saturday matinee children’s film, is an American fantasy drama directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak‘s 1963 children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. The film centers around a lonely eight-year-old boy named Max who sails away to an island inhabited by creatures known as the “Wild Things”, who declare Max their king. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics and computer-generated imagery. Starring Max Records and the voices of James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara and Chris Cooper.
Saturday, May 12th 8:00 p.m. – Bill Mays Trio LIVE Jazz Concert “Mays at the Movies”
The Bill Mays Trio featuring Bill Mays (piano), Tim Horner (drums), and Martin Wind (bass) will perform live on stage.
Sunday May 13th 2:00 p.m. – Mother’s Day Classic – Terms of Endearment (Rated PG/1983)
The ultimate Mother’s Day movie, this drama adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson, covers thirty years of the relationship between Aurora Greenway (MacLaine) and her daughter Emma (Winger). It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson, and Best Actress for Shirley MacLaine, and four Golden Globes.
Film tickets are $10 and concert tickets are $20 each. The Movie Pass, which includes admission to all three movies, is $25 per person. The Bill Mays Pass which includes all the films and the jazz concert is $45 per person. Tickets are on sale at www.blackbearfilm.org, Upriver Home on Broad Street, or at the Milford Theatre Box Office prior to each film (subject to availability). For more information, please visit www.blackbearfilm.org.
About Black Bear Film Festival:
The not-for-profit Black Bear Film Festival (BBFF) was born in Milford, PA. in 2000 when a small group of culturally-minded creative types set about creating an event to support and promote innovative, independent films. It celebrates Milford’s rich filmmaking heritage and the conservation movement in tribute to Gifford Pinchot, “father of the American conservation movement”. Zane Grey, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish and John Barrymore are just a few of the legends who graced Milford’s alleys long before us.
The BBFF packed the town and sold out every show the first year, and has continued to thrive for more than a decade, featuring engaging movies, fantastic parties, a free film salon and more. Today BBFF is has returned to its home in the historic, refurbished Milford Theatre, under new leadership, and continues to support innovative and independent films, artistic expression, education, diversity, and cultural enhancement, while promoting the region’s clean air and water, abundant wildlife, natural beauty and the entities that protect them. It also recognizes the area’s history as the birthplace of the American conservation movement and as a popular filmmaking location. For more information, please visit www.blackbearfilm.com or “like” us on Facebook.
