Published: June 10, 2008 11:15 pm      

Residents can cast votes for festival films

Huntsville’s Main Street Program has been organizing a summer film festival at the Old Town Theatre for the past four years.

This summer, program manager Harold Hutcheson wants Huntsville residents to cast a vote on movies they would like to see on July 25-26.

The deadline to submit the names of foreign and American movies is noon Friday.

“What we are trying to do is survey the community in advance and tell us what they would like to see,” Hutcheson said. “We thought it would be fun to give residents the opportunity to tell us what they want.

“We are dropping the French film, but we want the public to tell us what two foreign films they would like to see on Friday when we show an early and a late movie.”

Since the Main Street office does not have a French intern this summer, Hutcheson and Main Street intern John Paul Corkill want to change things up a bit and show a foreign film from another European country or Asia.

“(Foreign films) really present our audience with a different view of classic and contemporary works from around the world,” said Corkill, a Sam Houston State University master’s student.

Historically, the film festivals have included four films shown over a period of two days, and this year’s film festival will include another group of four films including, the foreign films chosen and other selections.

“We will have a Saturday matinee,” Hutcheson said. “That typically tends to be a classic favorite. Then on Saturday night, we have a blockbuster from the past.”

Classic and contemporary blockbusters such as “Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Shane” and “Dazed and Confused” have been shown in the past.

Film start times for Friday are tentatively set for around 7 p.m. and around 9 p.m., and the Saturday film times have not yet been determined, Corkill said.

The movies will be shown on a 25-foot screen and are played with Dolby Digital sound.

Admission is $5 and proceeds go toward grant programs that will help beautify downtown.

Hutcheson said he is enthusiastic about this summer’s film festival and looks forward to the participation of people interested in seeing the movies.

To request a film, contact the Main Street office by phone at (936)-295-2150 or by e-mail at jcorkill@huntsvilletx.gov.