KSU's Creative Arts Show is including film for the first time this year, and Akron Film was invited to be the group bringing it.

This art and music event welcomes a variety of media so in that spirit we have a group of shorts that are not made like other shorts or each other. The trailer will give you an idea.

It's free and happening this Saturday, April 24th from 12-3pm at the KSU Museum at the corner of Lincoln and State Route 59 in Kent. The films start at 1pm.

You'll also get live music by Randy Horvath and Abby Kondas! All in one afternoon?!

Our friend Kim Ann Pfau, organizer of numerous film programs around Canton, compiles a companion guide (PDF) for CIFF each year. It's vital. What are you going to see? Don't forget the code AIFF for $2 off tickets.

I heard it's good. Use code AIFF to get $2 off tickets by web, phone, or in person at Tower City. www.clevelandfilm.org

This Thursday at 5:30 we'll be at the Akron Civic Theatre for the free preview party for the Cleveland International Film Festival. Come say hi and find out what CIFF has in store for March 18-28.

You'll probably want to be buying CIFF tickets now if you're a member with them, or on March 5th if you're not. And since you're reading this on akronfilm.com, here's a secret: use the code AIFF to get $2 off tickets online, by phone, or at the festival store at Tower City Cinemas.

This weekend is FilmFest 2380, the festival organized by the University of Akron student filmmaking group the 2380 Project. Their goal is to make a feature every year. This year's project, Myra, directed by Mike Campanizzi, opens the fest on Friday night. It's a hot ticket, so alternately consider the encore Sunday at 7:15pm. It's all happening at the UA Student Union. Here's the Facebook event page, and here's the Myra website.

No time to chat -- the schedule is online here.

The Myers School of Art's Collider 2 is here, and this time it's an exhibit of the work of interactive video artist Camille Utterback, who just received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (the "genius grant"). She's giving a free public lecture THIS evening, Tuesday, 1/26, at 6:30pm at UA's Folk Hall. I literally cleared my schedule to go to this.

On January 3rd, over sixty kids and parents drew and painted on strips of blank 16mm film as part of Kendra's cameraless filmmaking activitiy at the Akron Art Museum. She edited them all together, Joseph Minadeo provided sound and music, and we showed the results at Spark: Family Film Fest on January 16th. Now you can see them right here:

Spark Cameraless Filmmaking from Akron Film on Vimeo.

**Update: This event is now Friday, February 5th from 6-9 at the Cormony Development Space in Canton. The short films will be repeating throughout the evening. You'll probably want to check out these directions.**

Kim Ann Pfau made a short documentary about Cleveland Cinematheque director John Ewing as part of the previously written about Reelate program. It premieres soon! I'll let her give the details:

I can not believe my film has come to fruition! My short documentary, JOHN EWING: THE EARLY YEARS premieres [February 5th]. The exhibit is open to all.

My film is part of the REELATE Program (Andrew Rudd has made a micro-documentary about my short film program for this program ~ under "Sandy Valley Independent Short Film Night Hosted by Kim Ann".)

REELATE will be exhibiting the stories made by local filmmakers this year. This is a great time to meet some of these new filmmakers, some of the film subjects and other folks who are interested in community, storytelling and the revitalization of Stark County.

I look forward to sharing my film JOHN EWING: THE EARLY YEARS with you!

Kim Ann