Traverse City Record-Eagle

2010 Traverse City Film Festival

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  • Attendees of the Traverse City Film Festival's Closing Night Party socialize, sample food and beverages, and listen to live music Sunday at the Park Place Dome. Keith King/Record-Eagle

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  • The Windy Ridge Quartet performs at the Park Place Dome on Sunday during the Traverse City Film Festival's Closing Night Party. Keith King/Record-Eagle

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  • Volunteer Sandy Miller, of Traverse City, holds a trash bag as she and other volunteers clean Lars Hockstad Auditorium on Sunday prior to the next movie being shown there during the Traverse City Film Festival. Keith King/Record-Eagle

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  • The audience in Lars Hockstad Auditorium laughs as Michael Moore talks Sunday at Central Grade School during the Traverse City Film Festival. Keith King/Record-Eagle

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  • Michael Moore talks to the crowd in Lars Hockstad Auditorium prior to revealing the "Mike's Surprise" movie Sunday at Central Grade School during the Traverse City Film Festival. Keith King/Record-Eagle

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August 2, 2010

Awards, party accompany film festival's end

By VANESSA McCRAY vmccray@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Film fans picked their favorite pictures and toasted the end of the Traverse City Film Festival.

The sixth annual festival concluded Sunday night with more movies, a closing night party and awards. The festival audience voted for "The Concert" for best fiction film and "The Most Dangerous Man in America" as best nonfiction film.

But there was plenty of room for debate amongst those who waited in long lines Sunday to view the final films of this year's festival.

Howard and Mary Cook, of Traverse City, picked the French film "Welcome" as among the best they saw. The two watched a dozen films and discussed their selections as they waited outside the State Theatre for "The Secret in Their Eyes," the movie house's final festival screening. They had already seen that film once before, in Chicago.

"It's a chance to see films that you wouldn't see in Traverse City," Howard Cook said of the festival.

"You see films here that shift your whole frame of reference," added Mary Cook.

Tony Goggin, of Traverse City, had caught eight festival films by the time he took a seat Sunday afternoon inside Lars Hockstad Auditorium for "Mike's Surprise." Each year, festival founder Michael Moore picks a film to screen without telling ticket buyers what it is. Goggin guessed it could be outtakes and extra footage from Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story."

Instead, Moore chose the first film made by a former Brigham Young University student — a documentary about opposition to Moore's scheduled visit to a college campus in Utah during the 2004 presidential election campaign.

Goggin's favorite films so far were "RUSH: Beyond the Lighted Stage" and "U2 3D." He enjoyed the festival week.

"It brings a lot of energy back to downtown, and it creates friendships. I see people once a year (here)," Goggin said.

The still-popular "Mary Poppins" showed Sunday at the Open Space, closing out the lineup of free movies at the bayfront. Violet Crow and Andria Carmien, both of Traverse City, sat in chairs and listened to live music before the movie started. Both also attended "Twister," the first Open Space movie of this year's festival.

"Who could not do this? Look at this. It's gorgeous," said Crow, gesturing toward the water and shoreline.

The State Theatre hosted the festival's closing night screening of "The Girl Who Played With Fire," which will return to the State for more screenings.

Admissions at this year's festival increased to 105,000, up from 96,000 last year. Moore thanked the crowd gathered at the Park Place Dome, site of a twinkle-lit, food-filled final party Sunday evening.

"We've had many people tell us on the street that this has been the best festival of the six years," Moore said.

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