Couldn’t make it to the Sundance Film Festival this year in Park City, Utah? Don’t worry. The Independence Township Public Library has a solution for that.
The library recently teamed up with Film Movement, an independent film distributor, to bring first-run indie films to the smaller screens of the greater Clarkston area.
‘Many of the films played in limited release in Detroit,? Patience Beer, head of adult services, said. ‘Some of these films haven’t even been shown.?
The library will receive a new ‘current? title once a month. While the program is brand new to the library, summer movie shipments have arrived and are available for check out.
Beer sees programs such as the Film Movement initiative as a good way to try a film that you might have passed over at the mainstream movie houses.
‘We buy the blockbuster favorite films, but in building the collection, we have films you might not have seen,? Beer said. ‘Why not take a chance on a new film??
Since the movies are so new when they arrive to the library, they lack a rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, according to Beer.
‘These movies are for adults,? Beer said. ‘They probably would have an ‘R? rating.?
In addition to the unique choices associated with the Film Movement titles, the library also features an extensive foreign language collection.
Movie titles are available in 26 different languages. The languages with the most titles available tend to be French, Japanese, Spanish and Italian.
‘The foreign films have a different set of insights into another culture,? Beer said. ‘Or they tend to experiment in the film world. Some stretch the boundaries of film.?
The movies available for check are categorized by language. A complete list is available at the library.
‘There certainly have been a lot of titles released in Chinese recently,? Beer said of the selection.
When selecting a new film for the collection, Beer turns to film catalogues and checks the reviews of major critics.
‘Foreign films certainly do have their fans,? Beer said. ‘Other people like them because they’re different.?
Currently there are 200 foreign language titles available at the library.
With all the movies coming into the library recently, an increase in DVD purchases has resulted as the demand for the medium continues to grow.
‘People who are really into film probably have gone to DVD,? Beer said.
The library is currently looking at adding more DVD titles to its current selection, no matter what the film genre may be.
Movies are available at the library for free during a three-day loan period. However, a late fee will be charged for returns past the due date.
For more information, contact the library at (248) 625-2212.