Cape May Film Fest Opens this Weekend

This weekend, Cape May will be bustling with filmmakers, writers, and actors as the annual Cape May Film Festival begins. Voted the best film festival in New Jersey, each year they select new and unique films to have their premiere right here in Cape May.
This year, there will be more films than ever that have never been seen in New Jersey. You can’t see them in theaters, on TV, or on DVD, and up until next weekend you couldn’t have seen them anywhere in New Jersey.
The weekend opens with our Friday Night Opening Reception. We will be screening a special video tribute to Bob Prosky from Oscar winning producer/director Michael Mann. The reception will be held at the Inn of Cape May.
On Saturday, the film screenings move to Congress Hall where there will be more than 50 films screened during the daytime alone. Saturday night will feature a documentary about legendary jazz guitarist, Pat Martino. Martino will be joining the audience as special guest of honor. The Geno White Trio will play a tribute to him at a special reception at 6:15 p.m. at Congress Hall’s Ballroom.
The film, entitled “Unstrung,” follows Martino on his road to recovery after a brain injury. Supported by such musical legends as the recently deceased Les Paul, Carlos Santana, and Pete Townsend, the film is a moving tribute to the human will to survive.
Strongman, which took Best Documentary Feature at the Slamdance Film Festival, will be presented by filmmaker Zach Levy.
The film follows Stanless Steel, billed as the strongest man in the world at bending steel. He power lifts trucks with his legs and can bend pennies with his fingers. But as strong as Stan is physically, he also struggles with personal relationships, aging, and the uncertain future. Meet Stanless Steel and Director Zach Levy.
Now, for a hilarious documentary, make sure you see The Triumph of William Henry Harrison, directed by Daniel Califf-Glick. You may wonder how a film about William Henry Harrison can be hilarious, but you will have to trust us. Without giving too much away, if you are a fan of Christopher Guest and movies such as Spinal Tap, or if you ever wanted to know what a “mockumentary” is, check out this very smart and well-done film.
“The Yes Men Fix the World,” a true story about two political activists (Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno) who pose as top executives of giant corporations. They lie their way into big business conferences, major network news to pull off the world’s most outrageous pranks. It opened to a packed house at Sundance, and has just been nationally distributed—but it has never played in New Jersey until now.
There are also a host of great short films that will be essential viewing at this year’s festival, so be on the lookout for “And One for the Organizer,” a masterful tale of suspense, and a handful of animated shorts as well.
Check the Web site often for updates about the official selections for this year’s festival. For more information call 609-884-6700 or visit www.cape mayfilm.org.
Legendary Jazz Guitarist Pat Martino will be Special Guest of Honor with his documentary “Unstrung”