March has arrived in true soggy fashion, but this month does host the first day of spring — officially, although I always feel like spring doesn’t really start here until May. Maybe all of this rain will mean an abundant growing season — not that I have a vegetable garden but many other more industrious people I know do, and they will be happy with all this moisture.
Of course this month here on the Island also means the MV Film Festival, March 18 to 20, held at the Community Center. You can check out the amazing lineup at tmvff.org. One of the highlights will surely be “We Still Live Here,” a film about Jessie Little Doe Baird and the Wampanoag language that she rescued and has brought back to life. It will be shown Sunday, March 20, at 2:30. The director and Jessie will be present for a Q&A after.
Film Festival fans got a taste of what they are in store for last Saturday night at a special screening of “Inside Job” at the Capawock. A documentary about the financial crisis of the past few years and the (mostly) men who brought it about. It was a shocking, disturbing movie that left me feeling kind of sick about our country. I saw a bunch of Aquinnahans who made the trek down to Vineyard Haven to see it including the Newmans, Lang Gerhard, and Spa. The film then captured the best documentary Oscar on Sunday (no doubt because of our screening).
Speaking of Oscars, I spent Oscar night at Anne Vanderhoop’s house at a ladies only party hosted by her daughter-in-law, Lisa. There was quite a spread of goodies, and lots of champagne, (it was the Oscars after all) and an actual red carpet. I organized the Oscar pool and everyone critiqued the dresses.
Many of us were very excited for the nomination of Vineyarder, Sara Neeson in the documentary short category. Alas, she did not win, but how cool that she was nominated for her film “Poster Girl”! Congratulations, Sara. Juli Vanderhoop and her friends, Melissa and Lisa, were the first to pack it in about half way through the event, Juli had bread to bag. And a few other people left before the final best picture Oscar was given out, but about seven of us hung in there until the end tallying up our “wins” and talking about movie stars we liked (Jude Law) and movies we loved (“The King’s Speech,” “Winter’s Bone”). Anja’s boys fell asleep, one on the couch and one across her lap, but Anne Vanderhoop stayed up through the whole show. It does take some viewing stamina and it helps to love movies and dresses. Congratulations to all who won.
Congratulations to us for making it through most of the winter. This week is a tough week to get through as it is school vacation week and if you are not in Jamaica or someplace like that you can feel a little left out. Not to mention the fact that your kids are around all the time. I have been typing this to cries of “Mom! Come here, come see what I did.” So now I must go, I have put him off long enough.
