Watertown is hosting the first Snowtown Film Festival this weekend. It's one of the few indoor events in a series of winter activities that are part of this month’s Snowtown USA festival. Fourteen films with winter themes will be screened in a full day marathon this Saturday. A majority of them are written and directed by local filmmakers.
The event kicks off Friday evening with a screening of the movie "Fargo." The popular 1996 dark comedy by the Cohen brothers is set in the frigid Minneapolis winter. Kylie Peck, an organizer of the Snowtown Film Festival, says it’s a fun start to a film festival that celebrates the joys and doldrums of winter.
“Anybody who lives in the North Country knows this time of year We are starting to look for Spring to come. We are looking for something to do that may be not outside since its 20 below zero. It was kind of a nice fit," said Peck.
The first indie film on Saturday will be “The Coldest Winter” a story of two soldiers wounded in battle during WWII's Battle of the Bulge. The writer and director Michael Mustizer lives in Watertown and shot the film locally. He and other area filmmakers will be on hand afterwards to answer questions about their movies.
Peck says Snowtown festival organizers are happy to bring an appreciation for arts and culture to Jefferson County.
“I think its something that is lacking in our area. There are groups around –- the North Country Arts Council who we have worked with -- has definitely been trying to bring film to Watertown and this will help it along the way," said Peck.
The festival will also screen a series of short films from International filmmakers including a few longer documentaries.
Anyone interesting in attending the festival can get tickets Friday and Saturday at the Dulles State Office Building. $15 will get you a full day pass for movies on Saturday or you can pay $5 dollars for just one movie. Go to www.snowtownfilmfestival.com to see this weekend's schedule.
