Documentary film has gained a wider audience recently, as feature length docs like Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” screened in multiplex theaters across the country—and stirred up a storm of controversy. However, outside of an occasional breakthrough, it’s not easy to see quality documentaries if you don’t live in a major metropolitan area—or near The Campus Theatre in Lewisburg, PA. The 2006 Campus Theatre Documentary Film Festival, November 3-9, 2006, features sixteen award-winning films and the chance to meet directors up close and personal.

In June, I had the opportunity to attend SilverDocs, the AFI (American Film Institute) International Documentary Film Festival in the historic Silver Theater in the D.C. suburb of Silver Spring, MD. SilverDocs is a week-long documentary lover’s dream come true—film screenings day and night; receptions and Q&A sessions with directors of some of the hottest new films on the international film scene, and breakfasts and lunches with distributors and TV program producers. And now, central Pennsylvania cinema lovers have the opportunity to attend an exciting documentary film festival right in our own back yard. From November 3 to 9, many of the films that premiered at SilverDocs, including Jesus Camp, which won the top award, the Sterling Feature Award, will be screening at The Campus Theatre’s 2006 Documentary Film Festival. (See Stacey Butterfield’s review on page 15.)

I asked Mary Bannon, Executive Director of The Campus Theatre, how she chooses films for the festival and she said, “We spend all year viewing and reading about documentaries so that we can bring the ‘best of the best’ to our area. After all these years, people now trust our judgment. They may not have heard of a film, but, if they’re the least bit interested in the subject matter, they know that they won’t leave unsatisfied. The festival has become hugely popular. We have people coming from as far away as Philadelphia and Baltimore. It’s really exciting to be able to attract so many people with what started out as a little documentary series.”

The Lewisburg festival opens on November 3 with the World Premiere of Nicholas Jarecki’s “The Outsider,” a feature-length documentary about the power of film to create, to move, and to endure. Filmed over an 8-month period, “The Outsider” follows one of America’s most obsessive and intriguing filmmakers, James Toback, through all phases of the making of his new film, “When Will I Be Loved.” The result is an entertaining examination of the film industry. Both director Nicholas Jarecki and Academy Award winner James Toback will be available for a Q&A after the film, giving local cinemaphiles a rare opportunity to meet and mingle with an internationally known film director.

Also on opening night, Pennsylvania independent filmmaker Todd G. Bieber will screen his new documentary short, “The History of the Campus Theatre.” “We’re very excited to have the movie kick off this year’s festival,” said Mary Bannon.  “The Theatre has such a rich history and it seemed really appropriate to have Todd create a movie to tell its story.”

Saturday, November 4, the theme is music. “Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man,” directed by Lian Lunson, is an intimate look at the songs, poetry and life of one of music’s most celebrated and influential troubadours, with performances by the musicians he has influenced. Jeff Feuerzeig’s “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” reveals manic-depressive singer/songwriter/artist Daniel Johnston in this portrait of madness, creativity and love. “The US vs. John Lennon,” directed by David Leaf and John Scheinfeld, traces Lennon’s metamorphosis from darling of the Ed Sullivan show to anti-war activist to inspirational icon as it reveals the true story of how and why the U.S. government tried to silence him. In “loudQuietloud: A Film About Pixies,” the band that inspired some of the most innovative rock acts of the new millennium reunites to conquer the globe 12 years after calling it quits, and filmmaker Steven Cantor is there to capture it all. Steven Cantor was nominated for an Academy Award for his probing film on controversial photographer Sally Mann. He was back at SilverDocs this year with his 2005 update on Mann’s latest controversial work.

On Sunday, November 5, director Eric Metzgar will present the PA premiere of “The Chances of the World Changing,” a story about time, death, art, love, and turtles. After a Q&A with the director, you can pet tortoises in the Lobby, courtesy of Reptiland, or stay for Wordplay, which is what I will be doing since this popular film was sold out at SilverDocs.

If you missed Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” when it played at The Campus and you are wondering why the weather is so crazy, or why the critics were so crazy about this film, you get a second chance to see it on Monday, November 6, in a double bill with “Who Killed the Electric Car?”

Tuesday, November 7, Bucknell and Susquehanna Universities treat the community to a free screening of “God and Gays: Bridging the Gap,” and the opportunity to meet director Luanne Beck and producer Kim Clark.

Don’t miss the Wednesday, November 8 PA premiere of “When I Came Home,” an unflinching and startling look at the life of Iraq War veteran Herold Noel. Both Noel and director Dan Lohaus will be present to discuss the film. The final day of the festival, November 9, features my personal favorite from SilverDocs, “Jesus Camp.”

And if a week of great documentaries you won’t see anywhere else close to home doesn’t get you to Lewisburg, the stunning Art Deco theater itself is worth the trip.

A LITTLE HISTORY

When the Campus Theatre opened in Lewisburg in January of 1941, The Lewisburg Journal called it “the most modern showplace in Pennsylvania.” The Art Deco building, designed by Philadelphia architect David Supowitz, featured an innovative design for the 1940s, including air conditioning, chrome turnstile for “ticketless” entry, and seats containing springs that automatically raised when not occupied. The building’s luxurious Art Deco interior, from its mirrored lobby and lounge furnishings to the wall and ceiling murals and light fixtures, rivals larger period movie palaces. Today, sixty-five years later, nearly all of the interior and exterior décor and fixtures remain intact. The former balcony area is now furnished with plush couches, chairs and tables for enjoying coffee and biscotti or more traditional movie fare—soda, gooey chocolate and hot buttered popcorn.

As one of the few remaining neighborhood theaters in the country and a beautiful example of Art Deco architecture, The Campus Theatre is an important piece of Lewisburg history. Equally important—especially to cinema lovers—it is one of the few places that consistently shows quality first-run, independent, art, and foreign films and organizes annual film festivals, bringing an exciting array of independent, documentary and foreign films and directors to Central PA. It is the only place in the area where you can attend a first-rate documentary festival this month and meet a number of the directors.

The Campus Theatre 2006 Documentary Film Festival is sponsored by Weis Markets and Sovereign Bank. Additional sponsors are PA Partners in the Arts, Brookpark Farm, The Lewisburg Hotel, The Daily Item, Buck’s Service Station, Bucknell University Office of LGBT Awareness, and Susquehanna University Jewish Studies Program.

For full descriptions of the films featured in the festival, go to: http://www.campustheatre.org/DocFest2006.shtml. See The Guardian calendar for a selection of documentary show times.