Destiny Grose, executive director for the Park City Film Series (PCFS), was happy “Gasland” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.
She was also was happy Recycle Utah wanted to show it as a fundraiser and as part of the PCFS.
“It was such a great movie,” Grose told The Park Record. “We definitely wanted to show it and it always helps when other people climb on board to work with us.”
While the April 20 “Gasland” screening in the Jim Santy Auditorium is an event in itself (see accompanying story), Grose said the other films will shine during this leg of the Park City Film Series that begins April 22.
“King’s Speech,” which won an Oscar for Best Picture this year and was directed by Tom Hopper, will screen April 22 through 24.
The version that will be screened is rated PG-13, Grose said.
“We chose, through a number of circumstances, to show this version,” she said. “One reason was the film’s distributor, the Weinstein Company, had pulled the R-rated version before we could book it.”
While there was some national controversy regarding the language edits, Grose said she’s confident more people will come see the film.
“I think it might turn out pretty good, because school groups can attend,” she said.
The first of two films starring Paul Giamatti to be screened during the series is “Barney’s Version,” directed by Richard J. Lewis. The film, which is rated R, will screen April 29 through May 1.
The film also stars Dustin Hoffman, and is based on the 1997 book by Canadian author Mordecai Richler, Grose said.
“The story is about a man who meets the love of his life at his wedding,” she said. “The catch is it’s not the bride, which is pretty funny.”
“Cedar Rapids,” directed by Miguel Arteta, was a big hit at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in January and stars Ed Helms and John C. Reilly. The film, which is also rated R, will be screened May 6 through 8.
“It’s about an insurance convention in Cedar Rapids, which seems to be the highlight of Ed Helms’ character’s life,” she said. “It’s warm-hearted and funny and shows how this guy, who hasn’t had too many friends in his life, opens up and sees the world and life in a different perspective.”
The irony about “The Last Lions,” the Dereck Joubert documentary about a pride of lions in Botswana, which will be screened May 13 through 15, is the fact that it’s narrated by Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons.
Irons, as many young movie fans know, voiced the evil lion Scar in Disney’s “The Lion King.”
“He has that sonorous voice that gives the movie a lot of gravity,” Grose said. “Maybe he narrated ‘The Last Lions’ to make up for being the bad guy.”
The filmmakers took six years to shoot the film, which puts the viewer in the middle of the pride.
“It’s exciting and gorgeous, and I think it will be good for the family,” she said. “It’s rated PG, but we need to remember that nature is cruel. Not all the lion cubs grow to be adults, but when I saw it, I was touched.”
One of the more poignant films of the series is Jim Kohlberg’s “The Music Never Stopped,” which will be screened May 20 through 22.
“Since the Park City Film Music Festival will run for 10 days after that weekend, I looked for the most musical film I could find,” Grose said.
The film, which was another hit at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, is based on Oliver Sacks’ case study “The Last Hippie” and is rated PG.
“It’s a sad story about a family whose son has lost his memory and the only way he really wakes up is through the music, because it does remind him of the past,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a great way to start the film-music-festival week because it has a great soundtrack featuring the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills and Nash and the Beatles.”
The second Paul Giamatti film in the series Tom McCarthy’s “Win Win” was also a hit at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
The film, which is rated R, will screen June 3 through 5.
“I know it looks like we’re having a Paul Giamatti festival, but it just happens that he’s putting out some great stuff right now,” Grose said.
While Giamatti is the star, Alex Shaffer, an actual state-champion wrestler who plays the high-school wrestler Kyle, makes an impression.
“He was fabulous for someone who has never really acted before,” she said. “I have never been a fan of wrestling, but this is a real feel-good movie about sports. But it also tells another story about realizing the family you need isn’t related to you.”
The last film of the season is “Soul Surfer,” directed by Sean McNamara.
The film, which is about surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm during a shark attack, will screen June 10 through 12.
“Since this was going to be the movie that ushered in summer, we thought we should show a family movie,” Grose said. “This film is inspiring and stars AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany, and Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid play her parents.”
The film is rated PG, and handles the shark attack with class.
“It is a little bit scary, but not graphic in any way,” she said. ” the way, the real Bethany Hamilton did the stunts in the movie.”
This leg of the Park City Film Festival will also feature some changes, Grose said.
“In the past, we did a lot of giveaways before the screening,” she said. “We found that there were some people who didn’t care for them and would show up late. So we decided to cut back on the giveaways and start the films in a more timely fashion, although it’s funny because when I sell a ticket, everyone asks if it’s a winner.”
The Park City Film Series takes place Fridays through Sundays in the Jim Santy Auditorium of the Park City Library. Friday and Saturday screenings start at 8 p.m. Sunday screenings begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $7 for general admission, $6 for students and senior citizens, and can be purchased by calling (435) 615-8291 or visiting www.parkcityfilmseries.com.