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“I love just digging out strange corners of overlooked horror and exploitation cinema,” said Minkin, who was running on two hours sleep when interviewed on Sunday morning. “There’s so much imagination to be found in them.”
Sunday morning, it seems, was his only free moment since the festival began. He’d been up most of the night at a late screening/dance party of The Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” and risen early to have breakfast with visiting filmmaker Les Blank.
Minkin couldn’t stop grinning as he talked about the festival’s offerings, which include just the fourth screening in 87 years of a long-lost Alfred Hitchcock film, as well as three Northwest premieres and a closing gala.
“Then of course there’s All Freakin’ Night, which I’ve got big plans for this year,” he said, laughing, about the fest’s horror film marathon. “There will be a guest director in attendance, Brian Yuzna, and movies about killer worms and all sorts of different kinds of monsters, incredible handmade gore effects and mutant orgies.
“And following All Freakin’ Night, we’ll be having a victory brunch at The China Clipper for everybody who was able to survive and anyone who wants to join us the next morning watching some Scooby-Doo cartoons.”
The festival’s final three days are strong on the horror theme:
All Freakin’ Night (doors open at 11 p.m. Saturday, screenings begin at midnight) includes five films, beginning with Yuzna’s “Society.”
The festival also will screen the first three reels of Alfred Hitchcok’s long-lost film “The White Shadow” at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. The reels were rediscovered this summer in a New Zealand archive. Since then, the film has shown in Los Angeles, New York, Milan – and now Olympia.
How did Minkin manage that? “I asked,” he said with a laugh.
The silent film will be accompanied by an original score by Seattle’s Michaud Savage and followed by screenings of some rare shorts preserved by Portland collector Dennis Nyback, who’s been known to dig through Dumpsters in search of interesting finds. (One example: “On With Your Life,” a 1970s educational short in which Peter Graves visits the proctologist.)
The weekend also includes three Northwest premieres:
“The Turin Horse,” 8:15 p.m. Saturday: Inspired by the story of Friedrich Nietzsche’s final moments of lucidity, this is the final film by Hungarian director Bela Tarr, known for his very long takes.
“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia,” 7:15 p.m. Sunday: The featured film of the closing gala, this Turkish crime drama appears here fresh from its Grand Prix win at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. “I’m expecting it to be the best film of the festival,” said festival director J.R. Baker.
The gala, beginning at 6:30 p.m., will include hors d’oeuvres by Swing and bellydancing by Tess Sox of Troupe O-Wa. “Since it’s a Turkish movie, we decided to stick with the Turkish theme,” Baker said. “We’ll have a little Turkish bellydancing and a little Turkish music.”
“Kill List,” 11:30 p.m. Sunday: For those who do survive All Freakin’ Night and have the energy to stay up late one more time, Minkin has a final frightening flick up his sleeve. “It’s a British genre-bending thriller-horror film-drama-kind-of-dark comedy,” Minkin said. “You never really know quite where it’s headed.”
Olympia Film Festival
What: The 28th annual festival enters its final weekend with Northwest premieres, a showing of a long-lost Alfred Hitchcock film, the horror-film marathon All Freakin’ Night, and a closing-night gala.
When: Through Sunday
Where: Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. S.E., Olympia, with workshops at The Mark, 407 Columbia St. S.W., Olympia
Tickets: Regular screenings are $10, $7 for Olympia Film Society members, $4 for children younger than 13. All Freakin’ Night (includes five films) is $15 general admission, $10 for members. Workshop fee is $5 (advance registration required).
More information: 360-754-6670, ext. 16, or olympiafilmfestival.org
