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Curtain rises tomorrow for BIFF

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Photo by Jody Wittnebel/For the Stateline News

The Sneak Peek for the eighth Beloit International Film Festival drew a crowd Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 30 contries and 100-plus filmmakers.

BELOIT — The Beloit International Film Festival kicks off Thursday and runs through Sunday, featuring more than 125 films from 30 different countries.

The films will be shown at Bushel and Peck’s Local Market, Bagels and More, Domenico’s, Nikki’s Café, La Casa Grande, the Rotary River Center, the Eclipse Center, the Wilson Theatre and the Hendricks Art Center in Beloit, as well The Speakeasy Restaurant and The Armory in Janesville and Franchesco’s Ristorante and Katie’s Cup in Rockford.

The festivities kick off at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Eclipse Center with the Launch and Laurels event, which will include the presentation of the “Biffy” awards, as well as an opportunity for attendees to meet with several of the filmmakers. The cost to attend Launch and Laurels is $10.

Organizers are teaming up with Beloit Regional Hospice to host BIFF Cares at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Eclipse Center and 2 p.m. Sunday at The Armory. The program will include a presentation of “Consider the Conservation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject.” Both screenings will be followed by a panel discussion from local health officials and Michael Bernhagen, the co-producer of the film.

“This film has been groundbreaking nationwide with the attention it has brought to this topic,” Sarah Kruse, director of community outreach for Beloit Regional Hospice, was quoted as saying in a news release. “It is a privilege for us to have the filmmakers with us to discuss this important work and the effects it has had on the medical community and beyond.”

A portion of the proceeds for BIFF Cares will be donated to Beloit Regional Hospice.

For residents who are looking to spend a quiet evening to share, dinner-and-a-movie events will be held at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Armory. The Friday dinner will include a showing of “Last Stop: Salvation,” and the Saturday event will feature “Ruthless People.”

Another highlight of the festival is the Silent Film Showcase, which will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Eclipse Center and will feature a showing of Harold Lloyd’s “Speedy.” The film is about a soda-jerk who loses his job and heads to Coney Island for the day with his girlfriend. He then organizes a group to stop the railroad from putting the last horse-drawn trolley, operated by his girlfriend’s grandfather, out of business. The Beloit Janesville Symphony will perform an original score for the film.

Tickets are available at www.beloitfilmfest.org or by calling the Beloit Janesville Symphony office at (608) 313-1200.

BIFF Latino will be held Saturday at La Casa Grande, 618 Fourth St. in Beloit. A new event for this year’s festival is BIFF Plus Music, which will be held from 10 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and will feature musicians performing at Merrill & Houston’s Steak Joint, Suds O’Hanahan’s and Rivals Sports Bar in downtown Beloit.

The festival will end with BIFF Classic that will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Eclipse Center. BIFF Classic will feature a free showing of “The Naked Gun” and an answer and question session from director David Zucker, honorary chair for this year’s festival. Zucker has directed several movies including “Airplane!,” “Ruthless People,” “Phone Booth,” “A Walk in the Clouds” and the “Naked Gun” and “Scary Movie” franchises.