A hitman reluctantly agrees to a contract, even though it’s his birthday. The members of a Japanese punk band struggle with their personal identity. A celebrated African-American musician tries to build bridges of understanding with members of the Ku Klux Klan. If you want to experience stories like that on the big screen, then it’s time to head to the… library?
These kinds of films and more will be exhibited at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library’s Film Focus Series, a biannual celebration of independent movies.
“With Film Focus, you can kind of go back to that— or continue to embrace— the experience of coming into a room and letting the world fall away by entering the world on the screen,” says Tracy Montri, manager of the Audio-Visual and Popular Library-Tech departments for the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.
A labor of love
Now in its 13th year, the Film Focus Series presents lesser-known films, both foreign and domestic, at free screenings in the McMaster Center located in the Main Library downtown. This fall’s edition of the program begins October 20, and continues on Thursdays through November 17.
“The mission of the program is to find great quality films that we hope people will appreciate coming out to see…. films that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” Montri said.
The Film Focus Series is a true labor of love for Montri, who has worked for the library for nearly two decades. Year-round, she scans reviews and takes in film festivals to find movies to present as a part of the event.
Wonderfully eclectic
The selection of titles is wonderfully eclectic, as usual. The festival begins with two offbeat titles, presented in association with the Holy Toledo Laughfest: the dark Dutch comedy “Schneider vs. Bax” (October 20) and the bizarre docu-comedy “Mad Tiger” (October 27).
The festival’s tone becomes more introspective with the remarkable documentary, “Accidental Courtesy” (November 3), a look at African-American musician Daryl Davis’ efforts to befriend members of the Ku Klux Klan and, ultimately, convince them to leave their racism behind.
“I’m hoping it can start a major discussion locally,” Montri says of the film.
The fall series closes with the Festival of Shorts (November 17), a 90-minute selection of short films in a wide variety of genres.
Montri is especially excited to exhibit “Wait ‘til the Wolves Make Nice,” which focuses on a group of young kids in a crumbling Detroit neighborhood.
“It’s a nice, little, somewhat-of-a-low-budget short, shot in Detroit. I think it’s a really great narrative metaphor for a lot of what is going on– certainly in Detroit, and we can certainly extend that to Toledo,” she says. “That sort of war of identity. ‘What is our history? What is our current experience? Where do we see ourselves going forward?’
“I was so engrossed by that, because …this captures everything that Film Focus is about in many ways, and then it has that kind of local tie.”
A community experience
Whether they see one film or all of them, Montri says she hopes attendees of the Series leave with a deeper respect for independent movies, and for the library itself.
“I hope they get an even greater appreciation of the power of film. I hope that they learn to, or continue to, refuel their passion for non-mainstream art. And I hope that they can appreciate the community experience that they can have at the library, through this program.”
The Film Focus Series will be screened
Thursdays at 7pm | October 20 through
November 17 | No presentation on November 10
Admission is free.
Toledo Lucas County Public Library Main Branch McMaster Center
325 N. Michigan St. | 419-259-5200 | toledolibrary.org
