Fall film festival around the corner

Byron Berkley, owner of the theater, said this fall's event marks the 10th anniversary of the film festival. The event began in 1998 under the sponsorship of KTPB, the former Kilgore College Public Radio station. The festival remained an integral part of the KTPB's efforts to bring classical music and fine arts to East Texas until the station was sold and changed formats in 2006.

At that time, sponsorship of the festival reverted to the theater where it has continued to grow in popularity among film aficionados and those who prefer more upscale movie entertainment.

Titles for this year's festival have not been selected; negotiations with the film distributors can become very difficult, since many of them don¿t consider East Texas a significant outlet for their product. Final selections are often not made until a few weeks before the start date. However, according to the theater's film booker, the theater has received tentative commitments for

"Man on Wire," the fascinating documentary about the man who walked a tightrope between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, when they were still standing; "Frozen River" about two desperate single moms who earn a living smuggling immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River and "Tell No One," a French thriller involving a doctor, his murdered wife and attempts to blame him for the crime many years later.

Also on the list are "Mongol," a Russian historical epic about the life of Genghis Khan; "Then She Found Me," the first directorial effort by Helen Hunt, starring Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, and Bette Midler in a drama about a woman¿s midlife crisis; and "The Duchess," starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, which chronicles the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, the 5th Duchess of Devonshire.

In discussing the tentative film titles, Berkley stressed that none of them have been confirmed yet and that he will make further announcements once they are. Berkley has suggested that interested filmgoers e-mail him with any suggestions for titles, and their availability will be checked. Berkley¿s e-mail address is kilgoremovies_@ yahoo.com.

In conjunction with the festival, the theater will once again provide a catered reception as part of the opening-night activities. The reception will feature gourmet snacks and a wine tasting prior to the evening's screening and is at no additional charge. The 4 Star Cinema is located on Highway 259 in Kilgore. For further information contact the theater manager, Rob Elworth, at 903-983-1249.