September 29
Ten years ago, Movies at the Mill Easton (MME) began as an experiment to display the potential of the old Simon Silk Mill site to future developers. A decade later, MME has grown to be an international film festival with more than 2,000 attendees and a seminar series featuring illustrious film-industry professionals. This month, the festival returns to the mill that gave it its name for this special anniversary.
The site, now known as Silk, is well on its way to becoming a complex of retail, restaurant and residential opportunities, already offering apartment living, salons, breweries and other businesses that will be open for perusal during the festival. Simple concessions such as popcorn and hot dogs don't make the cut: Sette Luna, Ocean and other local favorites will furnish exquisite eats for an event featuring short films from regional, national and international filmmakers.
For the local filmmaker, it's also a chance to network and to learn, with a seminar series themed on “The Art of Filmmaking.” Past presenters have included writer/director and multiple Academy Award nominee Gary Ross, known for films such as Pleasantville, The Hunger Games, and Seabiscuit, to name just one of the film-arts experts who have taken time from blockbuster careers to be part of the festival. This year's keynote speaker is award-winning filmmaker Julian Schnabel, director of At Eternity's Gate, starring Willem Dafoe as Vincent Van Gogh.
Check out Silk business specials, live music and tours of both the Karl Stirner Arts Trail and the finished apartments that have been going like hotcakes. It's a celebration not only of filmmaking but of Easton's ambitious development, going hand in hand with the artists and entrepreneurs breathing new life into this old mill.
Advance: $30; Door: $40 | 6–11 p.m. | Simon Silk Mill | N. 13th St. & Simon Blvd., Easton | moviesatthemill.com
