The Sixth Annual Akron Independent Film Festival is set for April 2-5, 2009 at the Akron Art Museum! We thank the museum directors and staff for their generous support. You may submit your film for consideration until January 31st, 2009, and we hope you will. Here’s the submission form in PDF and DOC format.

We’re a few days away from opening submissions for the 2009 film festival, but there’s an event to look forward to just around the corner. On Thursday, October 23rd at 7 PM, AIFF will present The Freakishly Short Animation Festival at the Akron Art Museum. This free program will feature animated shorts from around the world. Look for more details along with the launch of our new website in the coming weeks.

Tomorrow evening (Saturday, June 14th), two new local documentaries are showing at the Cinematheque. First up, at 7:40 PM, is Catching Salinger, by Charles Moore and James Renner (a juror at AIFF ’08). It’s about their journey to follow in the tracks of Holden Caulfield, the subject of The Catcher in the Rye, looking to find insight into the inspiration of his creator, JD Salinger. They also hope to find the reclusive author himself.

Next, at 9:30 PM, is Mike Wendt and Jennifer Danolfo’s The End of the World As We Knew It, their long in the making story about the rise and fall of rock radio station 107.9 The End.

Go to their respective sites for more information! It’s a big night for indie film in Ohio.

Josh Gippin’s documentary God As We Understand Him, about Alcoholics Anonymous and the interpretations of its religious basis, premiered yesterday at Stan Hywet, and will show again today (Sunday, June 8th) at the Akron Main Library at 2:30 PM. It is free to the public.

On June 10th, the movie will have it’s broadcast premiere on PBS channels 45 and 49 at 10:00 PM. Here’s the site, with a preview and more info.

The first and only movie about a typeface will show tomorrow evening (June 5th) at 6:30. Here are some clips. I’m into this. It’s free, and here are the details straight from the museum.

You can join the just-forming Akron Independent Movie Lovers group on Yahoo and go with them if you like!

Ironically, you are probably reading this post in Arial.

The Cleveland Independent Movie Goers group is going to the Cedar Lee to see Priceless at 7:20 on Tuesday, June 3rd. They’re doing dinner beforehand, at 6:00, and dessert after; get all the details here. You’ll see me there! Whoa, obviously worth the drive then.

What is it? It’s painting on a wall and then photographing it, again and again. In this case, it’s so much better than it sounds. It’s this, by Blu.

Since the group’s meetup.com home is about to close for lack of a new organizer, member Cindy Murphy has started a new group on Yahoo. Their first outing will be to the Akron Art Museum’s free June 5th screening of Helvetica, which I’ll post more details about soon. For now, you can join Cindy’s new group — it’s free.

Jean Luc Godard’s Contempt is this month’s selection for The Screening Room. The group meets each month to watch and discuss a film that one of its members is passionate about. It’s free and public so go join them!

It’s on May 20th at 7:30 PM at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (4120 Cleveland Ave N.W., Canton).

The Sandy Valley Branch library offers us another set of shorts tonight (Wednesday, May 7th) at 6:30. Here are synopses via the series’ organizer, Kim Ann Pfau:

“City ~ Just how differently can two people experience and interpret the same event? An Iraqi cabdriver in New York has a candid conversation with a Wall Street passenger about Muslims and the post-9/11 world.
Seven Miles Alone ~ Are you willing to sacrifice who you are for what you could become? In the confines of a small fishing town and in the borders of a boxing ring, two brothers must decide whose dream will become reality.
Traumalogía ~ At the wedding of Antonio, the eldest of a five-sibling family, his father has a heart-attack. The wedding is interrupted and the whole family goes to the hospital, where all the traumas and miseries appear during a tense night wait.
* Local Filmmaker
Reunion ~ A man pins all his hopes for love on a class reunion.
* Local Filmmakers
Marvelette vs. the Rubber City Madman ~ This film was an entry in the 48-hour Film Project for the 2008 Akron Independent Film Festival. Can Akron’s protector save the city from yet another devious villain? Starring Sharon Purvis, Jeff Pixler, and John Leonard, with music by Ian Kline.”

Here’s the library’s site.