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By Lisa J. Curtis
GO Brooklyn Editor
Among the 11 documentaries in competition at this year's Brooklyn
International Film Festival - which were culled from more than
560 submissions - is Amy Nicholson's hilarious "Muskrat
Lovely."
Nicholson's doc is a portrait of a rural, close-knit community
in Dorchester County, Maryland, that is gearing up for its annual
muskrat-skinning competition cum beauty pageant.
The film's humor is derived from juxtaposing these two very different
pursuits, rather than laughing at the earnest townspeople who
are banding together to put on a bloody good show. Nicholson
cuts back and forth between the trapping, killing, skinning and
cooking of these furry little creatures and the elaborate beauty
rituals of the high-school-age pageant contestants vying to be
Miss Outdoors 2004.
There are several scenes that mimic a cooking show. Nicholson
features one woman - who will later compete in the skinning match
against a predominantly male lineup - explaining that any good
muskrat meal involves ripping out that pesky musk gland. Viewers
will be thankful for this DIY tip (after all, muskrat isn't a
meat you're likely to find at the new Fairway).
Meanwhile, the beauty pageant contestants allow the cameras into
their bedrooms, tanning booths - and even bathrooms - as they
explain that this event is one of very few opportunities to feel
glamorous around the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. Despite their
best efforts to go for the gold, er, crown, the competition is
friendly; one gal happily reveals her hidden assets to her peers:
a pair of faux breasts in a box.
This is the 50th anniversary of the pageant and the organizers
pulled out all the stops, even orchestrating a lavish opening
number ("Without dance!" laments the show's choreographer).
As it gets closer to curtain time, Nicholson succeeds in pulling
the viewer closer to the edge of his seat for the dramatic conclusion
- just like any televised pageant. (Perhaps in an effort to preserve
the contestants' dignity - or viewers' attention span - this
documentary omits most of the opening number and the talent competition.)
The camera cuts between reactions of the panel of judges - including
the stern, tiara-wearing Mrs. Maryland - and the finalists who
must answer one question, which elicits surprisingly preposterous
answers (to the audience's delight).
In the end, the documentary is really a portrait of a town and
the community spirit that this event fosters year after year,
as the volunteers and contestants band together to celebrate
their love of muskrat.
"Muskrat Lovely" - preceded by Yao Guofa's "The
Racer," a documentary from China about a female dragon boat-racing
team - will be screened for free on June 3 at 5 pm as part of
the Brooklyn Museum's "First Saturdays" series.
About the festival
It's that time of year again when the borough's celluloid-hungry
creatures file into the darkness of the Brooklyn Museum's Cantor
Auditorium for another edition of The Brooklyn International
Film Festival.
This year's series runs from June 2-11, and includes a children's
film festival (June 4), a drive-in movie, and even programs submitted
from other organizations on June 11: LunaFest, Interfilm Berlin
and Subway Cinema.
BIFF's mission is to discover, expose and promote indie filmmakers
while drawing the world's attention to Brooklyn as a center for
cinema. For the ninth edition of BIFF, titled "Enigma-9,"
all eyes will again be seated in the auditorium, except for drive-in
movie nights (June 5 and 6), when they'll be in their cars in
the parking lot out back.
Among the highlights of the festival - which encompasses feature-length
narrative, documentary, short subject, experimental and animation
films - is the opening night flick, "Sangue, La Morte Non
Esiste (Blood, Death Does Not Exist)," by Italian filmmaker
Libero De Rienzo. Opening night kicks off at 8 pm with a ceremony,
followed by a screening of the film, and an opening night party,
which will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Italian
Republic, with DJ Domewrecka and Italian band Avion Travel in
the Museum's Beaux-Arts Court. (Perhaps the party's theme was
the idea of the festival's molto-Italian director Marco Ursino?)
De Rienzo's feature film is about a day in the life of a woman
who has been accepted to a ballet academy in New York and wonders
how she will break the news to her dependent brother. De Rienzo
will be available for a Q&A following the screening.
Other BIFF highlights include the East Coast premiere of the
narrative feature, "Factotum," starring Matt Dillon
as the alter-ego of writer Charles Bukowski; the East Coast premiere
of the Australian documentary "In the Shadow of the Palms:
Iraq" by Wayne Coles-Janess; and the world premieres of
Julio Soto's "Radiophobia" (from Spain), about the
consequences of the Chernobyl disaster 20 years later, and "Kokoyakyu:
High School Baseball" (from the U.S.), about 4,000 baseball
teams striving to make it to Japan's national championships,
by Kenneth Eng.
At the end of the festival, the Chameleon statuette will be awarded
to the best film in each category. The festival board selects
the best film of the year from among the five winners, awarding
it the Grand Chameleon Award ($30,000 in film services) at the
closing night ceremony on June 11 at 10 pm.
The Brooklyn International Film Festival
runs June 2-11 at the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington
Avenue in Prospect Heights). Opening night tickets are $25 and
include the screening of "Sangue," concert and party.
A full festival pass is $150 and includes admission to all 35
films. A festival four-pack is $25 and allows admission to four
films, except opening night. Single tickets are $10, $8 seniors
and students. For a complete festival line-up, visit the Web
site www.wbff.org.
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