ahFest 2018 Film Festival on Wednesdays in October

2018 ahfest 2018 film festival

On Wednesday evenings throughout October, the 2018 Muskegon Writers’ Series will show and discuss five films associated with “Truth,” which is the 2018 Muskegon Arts and Humanities Festival (ahFest) theme this year.

The first four films will be shown at the Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W Webster Ave. in downtown Muskegon. The fifth film, on Oct. 31, will be shown at MCC’s Overbrook Theater, 221 S. Quarterline Rd. Admission is free and open to anyone over 18 years of age. Each movie will be followed by a group discussion led by MCC English and Film instructor Mary Tyler or MCC Theater Instructor Tom Harryman.

All films begin promptly at 6 p.m. Doors will be closed at 6:05 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early. A cash bar for beer and wine will be available for anyone with a valid ID.  Free popcorn will be served. For more information, contact Mary Tyler at (231) 777-0327.

The dates and featured films are:

October 3 – “Doubt,” a 2008 film which earned five Academy Award nominations, was written and directed by John Patrick Shanley and based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning stage play Doubt: A Parable. The film takes place in a St. Nicholas school led by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). Sister James (Amy Adams) tells Aloysius that Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) might have too much personal attention with the school’s only black student Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), thus leading to Aloysius starting a crusade against Flynn. The film also features Viola Davis as Donald Miller’s mother.

October 10 – “The Shape of Water,” winner of the 2018 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best production Design, and Best Original Score. Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Starring Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, and Richard Jenkins. Set in Baltimore, Maryland in 1962, the story follows a mute custodian at a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian creature.

October 17 – “The Drop,” winner of the 2014 Zurich Film Festival’s Best International Feature Film Award, is directed by Michaël R. Roskam from a screenplay written by Dennis Lehane. Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood’s past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living – no matter the cost. Also starring James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace, and Matthias Schoenaerts.

October 24 – “Moonlight,” which won the 2017 Academy Awards for Best Picture, was directed by Barry Jenkins. Starring Mahershala Ali, Naomi Harris, Trevante Rhodes, and Janelle Monáe. The film presents three stages in the life of the main character; his youth, adolescence, and early adult life. It explores the difficulties he faces with his sexuality and identity, including the physical and emotional abuse he endures growing up

October 31 – “Ruin Me” is a 2017 film directed by Preston DeFrancis. Alexandra (Marcienne Dwyer) reluctantly tags along for Slasher Sleepout, an extreme event that is part camping trip, part haunted house, and part escape room. But when the fun turns deadly, Alex has to play the game if she wants to make it out alive. Also starring Matt Dellapina, Chris Hill, and MCC’s Theater instructor Tom Harryman. A Halloween Costume Contest will be held with prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.