Eighth annual Praxis Film Festival debuts this week featuring 35 films
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on April 28, 2018 9:45 PM
One of the festival documentaries, "The Imaginary Village of Allan Gurganus," is also generating excitement due to local efforts to secure the documentary about the noted author, known for his novel "Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All."
The documentary will take viewers into Gurganus' eccentric, historic home in Hillsborough, where he generates ideas for his novels, short stories and plays.
"It is a gorgeous film," said local writer Margaret Boothe Baddour.
Baddour and members of the Goldsboro Writers Group, who saw the documentary at the N.C. Writers Conference last summer, worked to make it a part of this year's Praxis Film Festival.
"We are hoping Wayne County book clubs, artists and writers will attend," she said.
The documentary is scheduled to show at 10 a.m. Saturday. The producer, Wil Weldon, with Growler Productions in Durham, will be at the festival and will speak after the showing.
Some of the producers, actors and others involved in creating the films and documentaries will be at the festival to talk about their productions and answer questions.
After each showing, the audience will be able to vote on each film or documentary. Audience awards will be presented for the best narrative feature, narrative short, documentary feature, documentary short, animation short and student film.
Tickets to the festival are on sale at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets are $15 per day or $25 for both days.
VIP tickets are also available for $50 and include access to the festival both days and a Friday night reception, with festival directors and actors. The reception is from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Waynesborough House, on Center Street in downtown Goldsboro. The event includes heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
The Praxis Film Festival first started at Wayne Community College and has continued to grow in popularity and attendance each year. The festival has become a regional attraction and its downtown location is expected to increase visitor activity to area restaurants and shops.
"It's developed into a regional film festival," he said. "This is the first time we're doing it in May. Now, our whole objective is to bring people to Goldsboro to make Goldsboro a place, a destination."
Additional film information is available at www.praxisfilmfestival.org.