As a big, busy, culturally diverse city, Boston has attracted filmmakers for decades, and this yearthe Boston Public Library is celebrating those movies.
BPL’s film series “Made in Massachusetts” is showcasing locally produced and filmed movies every Monday night for all of 2010.
“It’s a way to bring people here,” said BPL staff member Denice Thornhill. “”Made in Massachusetts’ was a theme I thought of when they were making two movies here last year, which people seemed to be interested in.”
The library has been showing movies once a week since the early 1980s, first providing film strips for children and book-based movies for adults. But in the 1990s, in order to attract more people, the library decided to switch to specific genres instead of book-based movies, showcasing a new theme each year.
“They are trying to send a message out through movies,” said attendee Ron Viglio. “Many different kinds of people can learn about life through movies.”
Boston University students may remember Suri Cruise and Katie Holmes’ romp around the Nickerson Field track last semester, during Tom Cruise’s Fenway-area filming of the upcoming action flick “Knight and Day.”
At the BPL, each month this year will have a different theme, but all movies screened will still have been filmed in the Bay State.
About 125 people attended Monday’s showing of the 1998 Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Hope Davis romantic comedy “Next Stop Wonderland,” which was one of three movies shown for February’s Romance theme.
“I remember I liked it, and now I have a new perspective &- it’s about places I’ve been,” said moviegoer Fay Strigler.”I think it’s great they have these themes.”
Strigler has been coming to Monday movie nights on and off for the past year and said the library is providing a good setting and a good public service with its series.
Mary Lam, a regular at the library’s film series, said she came last week to see “Sabrina,” a 1995 rom-com starring Harrison Ford.
The various genres in the “Made in Massachusetts” series include Baseball, Back to School, and Slightly Scary. The movies also vary in time period, with some older movies such as “Captains Courageous,” made in 1937, and contemporary movies such as “Gone Baby Gone” from 2007.
The film series is also providing screenings of some award-winning classics, such as “Field of Dreams,” which was nominated for three Oscars in 1990.”Jaws” will be showing on July 19, along with “Good Will Hunting” on Sept. 20.
For the month of May, the library will be showing films made by local artists and filmmakers, who will also be attending to answer questions about their films after the screening.
All movies are pulled from the Boston Public Library’s vast media collection, with this series featuring over 40 films.
“They take suggestions, so college students should come,” Strigler said. “That way they could discuss the older, historic movies, and hopefully learn from them.”
The upcoming genres for the months of March and April are Crime &’ Courtroom, featuring movies such as “A Civil Action” on March 22, “Mystic River” on April 5 and “The Departed” on April 12.
All movies are free and are shown in the Boston Public Library’s Rabb Lecture Hall on Monday evenings at 6 p.m.
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