This April at the Bridge: Cinema de Lux, Penn literati will have more options than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, including lesser-known films like Vibrator and The Legend of the Evil Lake.
The Philadelphia Film Festival, now in its 13th year, will be showing independent, foreign and short films at four city theaters, including two on campus -- the Bridge and International House.
Organized by the Philadelphia Film Society, the events, which will run from April 8 to April 21, will include 295 film screenings, an annual award ceremony, roundtable discussions and parties at local dance clubs.
This is the first year that Penn will host a majority of the film screenings.
UniversityPresident Judith Rodin said that the Bridge which opened November 2002 at the corner of 40th and Walnut streets has brought increased interest in University City as a cultural hub and as a focal point for the festival.
"We actually had been working with [the Philadelphia Film Society] for a couple of years, and we didn't have a good enough venue," Rodin said.
"This is good for us because it continues our effort to brand University City as a ... great neighborhood for a variety of activities, including art and culture," she added.
Andrew Preis director of media relations for TLA Entertainment Group Inc., which is co-sponsoring the festival praised Penn's involvement in bringing the film festival to West Philadelphia.
"The University of Pennsylvania came to us and said, 'What can we do to help?'" Preis said.
"They worked hard with us to get a better relationship with [the] Bridge, which is now giving us two screens instead of one," he added.
In addition to providing sites for festival events, Penn will also be involved in the film festival in other ways. This year, the Cinema Studies Program will be profiled by the festival, and a number of faculty members have submitted short films.
Penn students are also expected to make up a large segment of the audience for festival films.
Last year, the Bridge showings "saw good attendance across the board," according to Jennifer Hanson, spokeswoman for the Bridge's parent company, National Amusements.
"It was a success from our standpoint," she said.
Preis was also pleased with attendance, adding that the Bridge "got a lot of students" and that festival organizers "felt incredibly welcome" in University City.
Both predict greater success this year, since the local theater will be screening more films.
The film festival will include events in Old City, Center City and University City. Artistic achievement awards will be given to actress Mary-Louise Parker and horror film director Tobe Hooper, and there will be three world premieres and a silent film screening.
Though some Penn students had not heard of the film festival, others were enthusiastic about its increased presence on campus.
"I personally know 12 or 13 kids who are going to opening films this weekend," College junior Wesley Barrow said.
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