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By Gina Carbone
gina_carbone@comcast.net
October 02, 2009 2:00 AM
PORTSMOUTH — The New Hampshire Film Festival is like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Everyone involved seems to have five different roles on 10 different films, many shot by friends and colleagues on the Seacoast.
Several of those filmmakers and organizers gathered Thursday night at The Page for the NHFF Media Party.
The NHFF started as a "film expo" in Derry with around 70 film submissions and a program of roughly 50 films. Now it's entering its ninth year with more than 700 submissions from around the world and a program of 80 films from Oct. 15-18 in downtown Portsmouth.
"It's the best ever. The deepest ever," said Zac Gregg, festival finance director. "Some years it's been hard to fill the program. This year, it was hard to say no to a lot of people."
Headlining films this year include "Serious Moonlight" with Meg Ryan, Kristen Bell, Justin Long and Timothy Hutton; "Paper Heart," featuring Michael Cera of "Juno" and "Arrested Development"; and "Mystery Team," a comedy shot in New Hampshire from Manchester filmmaker Dan Eckman.
Some bold-faced names acting behind the scenes include George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, executive producers of the documentary "Playground"; and Morgan Freeman, executive producer of the documentaries "Delta Rising" and "Prom Night in Mississippi."
The festival will include around 30 New Hampshire films, with several shot at least partially in Portsmouth. Some of those hyper-local films include "Crooked Lane," "Ear Whacks," "Killing Dinner," "Drawing from Life," "Tweet" and "Mito-Kids."
Ann Cusack — sister of actors John and Joan Cusack and one of the stars of "Crooked Lane" — will be in attendance and serve on the Grand Jury.
NHFF Executive Director Nicole Gregg said the quality of the festival "improves exponentially every year."
"In addition to the headliners and probably our most accomplished New Hampshire Night ever, we have the most consistent program all the way through," she said. "Our most proud program through and through."
And there are new venues this year in which to showcase the films: Seacoast Repertory Theatre and the Moffatt-Ladd House have been added as screening locations.
"Part of the festival is to highlight Portsmouth," Nicole Gregg said. "It's really rounding out the program nicely."
Because the festival has reached out on a global level — with more than a dozen countries represented — Gregg said filmmakers are flying in from all over the world and putting themselves up in local hotels to attend the festival.
"Close to 90 percent of the films will be represented by filmmakers," she said.
On Thursday, at least 50 area filmmakers and supporters drank, talked and watched the debut of the 2009 NHFF trailer.
Among those mingling were City Manager John Bohenko; Marc Dole, writer/director/producer of "Mito-Kids," co-writer/director and actor in "Tweet," executive producer of "Ear Whacks" and producer of "Drawing from Life"; Alfred Thomas Catalfo, writer/director/producer and actor in "Ear Whacks"; Mark Constance, producer of "Killing Dinner" and executive producer of "Crooked Lane"; and Chase Bailey, who acted in "Ear Whacks," "Tweet" and "Killing Dinner," was an associate producer on "Mito-Kids," an executive producer on "Killing Dinner" and the Keira Knightley film "The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers," and wrote/directed/edited "Crooked Lane," starring Brett Cullen and Ann Cusack.
Cullen, whom fans may recognize from "Lost" and "Apollo 13," has featured roles in three NHFF films: "Crooked Lane," "Killing Dinner" and "The Burning Plain."
Cullen also co-starred in "The Life Before Her Eyes," which played at the festival last year and which was co-produced by Bailey. The two are both starring in "Killing Dinner."
In addition to executive producing the Keira Knightley film showing on N.H. Night, Bailey was also an executive producer on the 2004 Johnny Depp film "The Libertine."
Bailey has been a supporter of the NHFF for years — serving on the Grand Jury at one point and currently a member of the Board of Directors, along with Constance and Dole. He spent Thursday night chatting with local peers.
"This is my hometown," Bailey said. "I love it. And it's so well run."
Of the films he's not involved in, he's most looking forward to: "Mystery Team" ("I've heard nothing but great reviews about it"), "The Burning Plain" ("I really want to see that") and the documentary "Food, Inc.," which will include an appearance by Stonyfield Yogurt CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg.
One of the strengths of the festival is its small-town location, and Bailey hopes it keeps that appeal while also continuing to grow in quality.
"I want it to be the East Coast Sundance," Bailey said. "It's got a lot of years (to get there), but it could."
