Watching an obscure film from the comfort of your couch is one thing, but soaking up hard-to-find visuals on a theatre screen is a completely different experience. The 21st annual Rochester International Film Festival — April 15 to April 21 at Wehrenberg Galaxy 14 Theatre — gives area residents a chance to catch up on boundary-pushing art from throughout the world, while seeing it as it was meant to be experienced.
We think the effort deserves the community's support.
Hungarian director László Nemes' "Son of Saul," an Oscar-winning film set in the Auschwitz concentration camp, is the biggest name on the festival's roster, which features more depth than ever before. Among movies such as a family-friendly drama from Kyrgystan, an Oscar-nominated adventure film from Colombia and Venezuela and a dramedy from Kazakhstan is "Dragonfly," a female-led, Minnesota-produced film. The full schedule is available at rifg.org.
Rochester's growth has long been linked to an increase of cool stuff to do, but it all needs support to continue. Anyone wanting more out of movie theaters than mediocre comedies and redundant super-hero epics must put their dollars in play and support visual art.
Our only complaint is that "Son of Saul" didn't come to Rochester before we filled out our Oscar ballots this year.
