Oscar nominated director among 5 directors attending Modern Film Fest

Posted September 5, 2012 at 8:40pm by Michael Knox

Five directors are scheduled to attend this year’s Modern Film Fest, including Oscar nominated director Nicholas Meyer. Directors from this year’s Modern Film Fest line up will give a Q&A after their movie, screening at the historic Gem Theatre, Kannapolis, N.C.

 Meyer will give a Q&A after the 30^th anniversary screening of his movie, “Star Trek: Wrath of Khan” at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5.

 Meyer is probably best known for his involvement in the Star Trek films, but also wrote the Sherlock Holmes novel, “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” which he adapted into a screenplay that landed him an Oscar nomination.

His collaborations with producer Harve Bennett and later Leonard Nimoy resulted in the most popular and profitable entries in the Star Trek features canon. In addition to directing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), he also wrote the shooting script for that film (uncredited). This was done in the span of two weeks using material from several other writers occasionally attached to the ever-evolving project. His script contributions to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) involved the centre section of the film taking place in 1986 San Francisco. He had previously written about San Francisco with, “Time After Time,” featuring Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells chasing after Jack the Ripper in 1979. Meyer also directed the class science fiction film.

On Saturday, Oct. 6, at 12 p.m. the documentary, “Colored Confederates: Myth or Matter of Fact?” will screen with a Q&A with Ken Wyatt.

Wyatt’s documentary asks the question, “Did blacks actively 'fight' for the Old South during America's Civil War; and if so, why?” Experts and historians hash out this 150-year-old debate.

 Following that movie will be, “Atlantic” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 with director Neal Hutcheson.

 “Atlantic” tells the story of how along Core Sound lies a string of small fishing villages where many families have lived and worked for centuries, adapting to the harsh environment, unique ecosystem, and ever-changing geography of the Carolina tidal basin. Maintaining traditions based around this adaptation in the climate of a frontier culture, the original residents are now seeing their rich traditions eroded by an array of challenges, including water pollution, development and relocated outsiders. Atlantic depicts ancestral attitudes of interdependence between community and ecology being eroded by a rising tide of free market forces, and a ferociously independent people organizing to fight for their mutual interests.

Then at 5 p.m. that day will be the documentary, “Martin Hill: Camera Man” with director Joanne Hock.

 Hock’s movie tells the story of Martin Hill, who lives in the small town of Midland, NC, and has been collecting the artistic tools of master filmmakers. His story is one of passion and preservation, obsession and compulsion, expectation and disappointment. In “Martin Hill: Camera Man," Hock takes a six year journey with Martin through his dilapidated bowling alley, where he buys, houses and hoards an array of historic film equipment. His priceless treasures include classic motion picture cameras that were used to create some of Hollywood’s most iconic movies including “Star Wars," "Gone with the Wind," "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Ten Commandments”.

Sunday at 3 p.m. the Cannon Mills/Kannapolis, N.C. documentary, “Stitched In Time” will screen with director Jonathan Greene giving a Q&A afterward.

This documentary tells the story of Cannon Mills and the City of Kannapolis. Using historical photos and interviews from former employees, this documentary shows the creation of a community that survived the closing of a textile giant.

In addition to the directors attending the screenings there will be a discussion panel at 2 p.m. in the Gem Theatre featuring extras from, “The Hunger Games” discussing the growing North Carolina film industry. Also, Burgess Jenkins, the actor who plays the villain in, “Jimmy” is scheduled to attend the festival.

All of the directors, as well as Burgess Jenkins are scheduled to attend this year’s after party, which takes place at Restaurant Forty Six after the screening of, “Jimmy” on Saturday. “Jimmy” screens at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6.

Tickets for the festival are $4 for each movie. “The Hunger Games” discussion panel is free. The tickets for the after party at Restaurant Forty Six, which includes admission to, “Jimmy” are $40. For more information visit www.modernfilmfest.net