Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The annual Downtown Lawrence Film Festival starts this Thursday with a showing of “Woman of the Year,” a 1940s film starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. This is the first of six films starring Hepburn and Tracy that will be played during the summer.
The festival starts at 8 p.m. in the empty lot next to the parking garage on Ninth and New Hampshire Streets with live music performed by the band Two Much Fun, free popcorn and prize drawings that will include t-shirts and gift certificates. The movie begins at 9:15 p.m. and will be projected on the wall of the parking garage.
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Downtown Lawrence Film Festival
June 11 - Woman of the Year June 25 - Without Love July 9 - State of the Union July 23 - Adam’s Rib August 13 - Pat and Mike August 27 - Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
Each event starts with live music, free popcorn and prize drawings at 8 p.m; with the movie proceeding at 9:15 p.m. next to the parking garage located at 9th and New Hampshire. Bring blankets and lawn chairs.
Those attending can bring blankets or lawn chairs. In case of rain, the festival will be moved to the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.
Jane Pennington, director of Downtown Lawrence Incorporated, said that this was the third year for the event and that the past two had attracted between 250 and 300 people. Pennington said the festival was originally conceived as a film noir festival, which would include darker films with crime, murder and sexual themes. This year the board of Downtown Lawrence Incorporated wanted the films to be more family friendly.
Duane Peterson, parks and recreation special events supervisor, selected the musicial acts preceding the films. Peterson said Two Much Fun was a local band that had put on good performances before and that had a variety of styles he thought people would enjoy.
Dan Hughes, president of Downtown Lawrence Incorporated, has been involved with the festival all three years and will act as master of ceremonies for the event. Hughes said that people in the past had really enjoyed the film selection and that he thought this year’s theme of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy would have the same resonance. He said he hoped there would be a younger audience attending the event.
“Having the film festival outdoors and projecting it on the side of the parking garage is kind of a novel way of showing the films,” Hughes said. “It’s free, there’s free popcorn, you can bring your family and it’s a great way to kind of spend the evening.”
“Woman of the Year” won Academy Awards for best writing and original screenplay in 1943.
— — Edited by Zach White
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