Soapiff Announces Films & Events

Southern Appalachian International Film Festival gearing up..

OCTOBER 22 – 31, 2009
An exhibition of films from around the world presented by the Southern Appalachian International Film Festival (SOAPIFF) will open on

October 22nd and run through Halloween, October 31st in the Tri-Cities region.

OCTOBER 22nd
The festival opens at the Paramount in Downtown Bristol with a rare screening of the silent film classic, STARK LOVE. Considered one of the top ten films of 1927, it will be presented with a score written for the film and performed on the theater’s Wurlitzer. Considered lost, the film was discovered at Prague, Czechoslovakia (Now the Czech Republic) in 1969. It has never been transferred to VHS or DVD and has only been shown twice in the region since its discovery.  The World Premier Documentary THE MAKING OF STARK LOVE and a panel to discuss the importance of the original film will follow. Brought to you by ETSU’s Center and Archives for Appalachian Studies, Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, Humanities Tennessee and SOAPIFF. The festival winners and this years recipient of the Mary Jane Coleman Award will also be announced.

OCTOBER 23rd-30th
The festival moves to the campus of East Tennessee State University on Friday, October 23rd through October 30th.  Go around the world in 8 days with a screen dedicated to foreign films brought to you by Pellissippi State, The Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS.org), In collaboration with ETSU Departments of Anthropology & Sociology, Art & Design, and English under the College of Arts & Sciences. SOAPIFF also offers documentaries, independent features, shorts, in an array of styles and genres to include environmental, gender issues, cultural minorities, animation, Appalachian, horror, and student films, Sponsored by The Film Studies Minor and Environmental, i-Tunes U, and Dishmag.com For complete listing of screens and schedules, please visit www. soapiff.com or e-mail Festival Director at markcompton@soapiff.com.

OCTOBER 28th
A panel discussion by Appalachian Filmmakers co-organized by the Film Studies Program and the Mary B Martin School of the Arts is scheduled for October 28, Wednesday at 5 p.m. A reception will follow for all Appalachian filmmakers participating in this year’s festival and also the Festival Jurist at The Charles, in Downtown Johnson City.

OCTOBER 29th & 30th
The public is also given a rare opportunity to view original Andy Warhol films during the festival. Brought to you by Dishmag.com and SOAPIFF.  An exhibition of original Warhol’s will also be on display at Slocumb Galleries October 21st to November 6th as well as the Reese Museum October 13th to January 7th on the campus of ETSU.  

OCTOBER 1st – 30th
SOAPIFF in conjunction with i-Tunes U will offer our first ever people’s choice award competition for student films.  Go to the SOAPIFF website to link, watch, and vote. The top ten will be announced on October 31st.  Remember not only are the i-Tunes U student films free but all films screened at ETSU are open to the public free of charge with handicapped accessibility. While on campus take time to vote on all the films you see for the Dishmag.com Audience Choice Award October 23rd – 30th.

OCTOBER 31st
Friends of Olde Downtowne Johnson City (The folks who bring you the Blue Plum Music and Arts Festival every June), JCDA, Johnson City’s Downtown Merchants, and SOAPIFF invite you to join us on October 31st in Downtown Johnson City for our first annual Halloween Hollywood Hootenanny. Children’s films will be playing at the Johnson City Library during the day, then bring your children downtown to trick or treat with Johnson City’s Downtown Merchants.  Enter your pets in a pet costume competition sponsored by Everything Under One Woof. Enter the Thriller Dance Off or dress up as your favorite movie star or movie character and walk the red carpet.  Bring a chair for the screening of THE BELLS (1926) with an original score by Brock Henderson and THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) with an original score by Phil Ponder. Live Rock and Jazz bands will be accompanying these classic silent horror films. 

The announcement of the Dishmag.com Audience Choice Awards and the winners of our i-Tunes U Student Film Peoples Choice Awards will follow this. Our last film of the night is called SITA SINGS THE BLUES, a family friendly animation film about the greatest break up ever with the vocal styling’s of Annette Hanshaw, the original voice of Betty Boop. Check out our website, www.soapiff.com, more details will follow.

For more information contact
Mark Compton
423-743-SOAP (7627)
markcompton@soapiff.com