The Grand Cinema's Blog

TFF…from the eyes of the new girl.

thegrandcinema — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:45:16 +0000

Hello! My name is Kirstyn Ricker, and I’m the Marketing Director here at the Grand. If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, that’s me filling your news feeds with Grand Cinema news, events, and other things I find to be cool. (If you don’t follow us, please do!) Read the paper? I put those ads together. My job is to get people to learn about, come to, and ultimately love the Grand. In short, I try to spread the word around Tacoma about all of the great things the Grand has to offer.

So I’m the new girl. I was hired in June and have since been submerged in all things film. (Which I LOVE.) I’m loving it here even more now after the TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL!

As with anything that is unknown, I was a bit nervous about the festival at first. (You know, when you’re the new guy with a bunch of seasoned professionals.) Putting on an city-wide event of this magnitude is no small undertaking. With films, events, filmmakers, and just plain old logistics, there are a lot of moving parts! However, I am proud to announce that with the help of my coworkers, I survived the Tacoma Film Festival… and REALLY enjoyed it!

With amazing programming and coordination by Emily, the planning of sponsorships and spectacular events by Rachel, and the scheduling of much-needed volunteers by Jen, this was the MOST SUCCESSFUL TFF to date! It’s a huge effort, but the payoff is so gratifying. It feels great to know that I was able to help bring people to the Tacoma Film Festival and the Grand Cinema to enjoy and celebrate the art of film. I can’t wait for next year!

And now onto the next awesome Grand event…

Cheers,

Kirstyn

Official Tacoma Film Festival Press Release!

thegrandcinema — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:55:20 +0000

It sounds so official doesn’t it? Check out this release which has ALL the details you need about how to participate in the Tacoma Film Festival. From dates, to events, to ticketing information, IT’S ALL HERE. This is going to be one AWESOME event. Get ready, Tacoma. You’re about to get Film Festivaled.

THE 2011 TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL BEGINS IN ONE MONTH

Hosted by the Grand Cinema – October 6-13, 2011

Tacoma, WA – Over a hundred independent films, both local and international, will be showcased at the 2011 Tacoma Film Festival that runs October 6-13, 2011.

Heading into the seventh year of existence, the Tacoma Film Festival has the best line-up of films to date – check out the schedule www.TacomaFilmFestival.com. There is a movie for everyone – from family flicks to documentaries, foreign films to animation and an entire two days dedicated to our Pacific Northwest local films.

You can buy your All Access Festival Pass right now for only $110 (regular price $125 after Sept. 15) or your Weekend Festival pass for only $40 (regular price $50 after Sept. 15). For more information call 253-572-6062 or visit www.TacomaFilmFestival.com. The official 2011 Tacoma Film Festival program will be distributed Thursday, Sept. 15. All festival movie and event tickets will be available to the public on Sept. 15. For media or industry passes please contact tacomafilmfestival@gmail.com.

Great things happening @ the 2011 Tacoma Film Festival:

- Opening Night Thursday, October 6: start the festival off with a delicious Gala at 6:30 p.m. at the Annie Wright School, located at 827 N. Tacoma Ave. All in attendance will receive hearty appetizers provided by Jonz Catering and a viewing of the Opening Night movie selection, Natural Selection, starring Saturday Night Live’s Rachael Harris.

- Friday Night Film Presentation of Young Goethe in Love (playing at the Blue Mouse)

- After Hours Parties all weekend @ Doyle’s Public House and Farrelli’s Pizza on 6^th

- FREE Saturday Morning Filmmakers Workshop presented by Warren Etheredge

- Filmmakers in attendance all weekend long (check schedule for those films www.TacomaFIlmFestival.com)

- Sunday Awards Celebration, October 9: Awards will be given out for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Short, Audience Choice, Best Animated and Best Regional film starting at 3:00 p.m. @ the Pacific Grill Events Center (1530 Pacific Ave.). Yes – food is included!

- Sunday Night Festival Highlight Presentation of the hilarious comedy, Losing Control and meet director Valerie Weiss.

- Closing Night Thursday, October 13: all good things must come to an end, but not before the must see Closing Night film, The Off Hours playing at the Grand Cinema. The film will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a post film discussion with filmmaker, Megan Griffiths and evening treats.

The Tacoma Film Festival’s mission is to connect our community to film. Hosted by the Grand Cinema, Pierce Counties only non-profit art house movie theater.

The 2011 TFF Poster has been selected!

thegrandcinema — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:21:46 +0000

Hey everyone!

We just wanted to share with you the design chosen as the 2011 Tacoma Film Festival Poster! Get ready to see in and around Tacoma!

We want to tell you about the winner, Benson Shum of Vancouver, WA. After graduating from Capilano University and Sheridan College from the Commercial and Computer Animation program, Benson now works in the animation industry. Recent work includes a feature played at The Grand, “Tree of Life”. He also just wrapped up work on “The Smurfs”. Benson’s first time to Tacoma was three years ago when he met his partner Justin Leighton. Currently, Benson and his partner split their time living and working in these two beautiful cities. A big CONGRATS, Benson!!

Both our patrons and staff liked the clean design and subtlety of the poster as well as its tie-in to one of our city’s landmarks–the Tacoma Dome. We can’t wait to use it to promote the Tacoma Film Festival!

Get ready, Tacoma, because October is right around the corner!

The 6th Annual Tacoma Film Festival is in the works!

thegrandcinema — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:35:14 +0000

Hi all!

This is Emily Alm, the Director of the Tacoma Film Festival. I’ve been working for the Grand Cinema for over 4 years now, and have most recently taken over all operations having to do with the Tacoma FF. Believe it or not, there is work to do year -round for the festival – we started accepting entries for our 2011 festival (October 6-13) last December! I’ve been tracking, organizing, reviewing, and talking about the 380 entries (a new record) for many months, so you can imagine how familiar I have become with each of them. Of the bunch, about 1/3 of the films have some tie to the Pacific Northwest – which is exactly what we want to see! We strive to highlight the best independent films out there, while simultaneously supporting and celebrating the filmmakers in our very own backyard. We have entries from Australia, Sweden, Peru and India (just to name a few), entries that have played at the Sundance, Seattle, Tribeca, Dubai and Palm Springs festivals (among many more), and entries that range in length from 1 minute to 138 minutes. What a diverse pool of submissions! The higher quantity, and the wider variety translates to higher quality films… aka the BEST Tacoma Film Festival yet.

The last few weeks have proven to be some of the busiest, since I have been watching films non-stop in order to meet our final decision deadline of August 5th. The pile is dwindling slowly, but there are still plenty more movies to watch, think about, and review. It’s not an easy task, but it’s a privilege to be able to see so many great works of independent film from around the country (and the world). My goal is to hand-pick the best films of the bunch, and provide that “filter” – so you won’t have to! Having seen nearly all films that will be ultimately picked will contribute to my success in programming the festival and highlighting the movies that I think you’ll like best. I think you’re going to like what you see.

Final decisions will be made in August, and the program will be announced in early September. Keep an eye out! This will be your chance to see hard-to-find quality films right in your own neighborhood.

See you at the movies!

- Emily

AMAZING movies right now… and we’re not just saying that

thegrandcinema — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:24:05 +0000

Hey everyone! Hope the approach of the holiday weekend finds you feeling great and excited for whatever festivities you have planned. If you get a chance, take a couple hours out of the weekend and come see a movie here at the Grand. We have an AMAZING lineup of great movies with stories to be told.

‘Beginners’, starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer opens today. We just screened it, and believe me, it will make you laugh and cry in the span of minutes. It’s based on a true story, and is beautifully acted. It’s a drama, comedy, and romance wrapped in a simply wonderful package.

If you’re feeling like you want some inspiration this weekend, you might want to consider ‘Buck’. It’s the story of Buck Brannaman, who goes from an abused young boy to a man who can “speak to” and miraculously transform horses.

Have you already seen ‘Midnight in Paris’? If not, you must. If so, see it again. Yours truly saw it for the second time this week, and if you can believe it, it’s BETTER the second time. Knowing the story allows one to really pay attention to the witty dialogue and the beautiful costumes and scenery. Take my word for it.

We also have the enthralling ‘Incendies’ and the dreamy “Tree of Life’ starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. Hope to see you all here this weekend! And next week, and the week after, and so on and so forth.

Any artists out there?

thegrandcinema — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:42:57 +0000

Hey everyone!

It’s been a while! We hope that all of you are well, and enjoying the great movies we’ve been showing here at the Grand! If you haven’t yet, be sure to come check out Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, and The Beaver! The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, is opening this Friday, so make plans to see it this weekend with friends and family.

We also want to tell you about an exciting opportunity we have for all those artists out there…

Feeling artistic? Want to have YOUR poster artwork all over Tacoma? Boost your portfolio and show the Grand some love by creating our poster for the Tacoma Film Festival. Did we mention that $350 is on the line? Here are the details:

* Prize: $350 + Joint Membership to the Grand Cinema + two (2) VIP passes to the 2011 Tacoma Film Festival.

(We will also be asking the winning artist to assist in creating some print ads and miscellaneous other uses of the artwork.)

Deadline: June 30, 2011

Please provide an 11 x 17 pdf or jpeg to the email address: rachel@grandcinema.com

The poster must include:

2011 Tacoma Film Festival

October 6-13, 2011

www.TacomaFilmFestival.com

Theme/Tagline: “CATCH IT FIRST”

Please make sure to leave space for sponsor logos on the poster. Other than that, have fun and be creative. All entries will receive two (2) complimentary Grand Cinema movie passes.

Looking forward to seeing all of your designs, you amazing artists!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

thegrandcinema — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 19:17:09 +0000

Where has the time gone? Sorry there has not been a post on this blog for WAY TOO LONG! We are happy to report from the Grand Cinema that all of our movies are doing great and if you haven’t been down here to see King’s Speech, Black Swan, True Grit or I Love You Philip Morris – you better get down here! All these films are going to get Academy Award nods and you want to see them now so you can have your opinion:-)

See you soon at the Grand Cinema:-)

NOVEMBER CLEARANCE SALE

thegrandcinema — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:51:28 +0000

We are doing a little bit of Fall cleaning around the Grand Cinema and we found some great stuff to pass on to you. Here is what we have to offer during the month of November:

MOVIE POSTERS

3 for $15 (Grand Members)

2 for $15 (non members)

List of available Movie Posters: http://www.grandcinema.com/page.php?id=101

FILM FESTIVAL TEES: $7.50

GREY CREWNECK SWEATSHIRTS: $20

Purchase these great items now before supplies run out!

www.GrandCinema.com

or Stop by the Grand Cinema 606 S. Fawcett Tacoma, WA 98402

THANKS:-)

THANK YOU – TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL

thegrandcinema — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:39:23 +0000

The Tacoma Film Festival staff would like to say - THANK YOU – to everyone who attended the 2010 Tacoma Film Festival or supported the event in some way. We had record attendance at the films, fantastic sponsors and of course wonderful volunteers that all together made it happen.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

The Opening Night Gala crowd

It is so hard to believe another Tacoma Film Festival has come and gone. It is already time to start planning for the 2011 Tacoma Film Festival. With that being said, we welcome any and all feedback from this year’s event. Please comment here or send us an email: tacomafilmfestival@gmail.com. We learn something new every year and hope to capitalize on each failure and success. The festival continues to grow because of loyal patrons like yourselves and the amazing filmmakers who produce great films.

Filmmaker Kevin Tomlinson, of the award-winning Best Documentary Back to the Garden, spoke to the Opening Night Gala crowd.

Oh, what a festival!

Plenty of food provided by Jonz Catering – everyone was full!

Tacoma Film Festival NEXT WEEK!

thegrandcinema — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:23:18 +0000

I can’t believe that the 2010 Tacoma Film Festival is next week – starting Thursday, October 7th! There are so many great films to see AND opportunities to immerse yourself into the world of film: meet filmmakers, learn about filmmaking, after hours parties, post film discussions, etc.

www.TacomaFilmFestival.com

Opening Night Gala is Thursday, October 7th @ Annie Wright School. Gala begins @ 6:00 p.m. and the film Cold Weather starts @ 7:45 p.m. in the Kemper Theater (Annie Wright). Over 30 filmmakers are attending the Opening Night Gala along with the lead actor from the Opening Night Film Cold Weather, Cris Lankenau! This is a MUST attend event, so purchase your tickets now! Gala is limited to 100 more guests, but you can always see the movie and take part in the post film Q&A if the Gala sells out. Gala & Movie – $20 ($17 members); Movie $11 ($9 members).

We look forward to seeing new faces at the festival this year along with our loyal faces:-)