I used to live in Rochester, New York. It sits nestled on Lake Ontario. In the fall, the foliage is spectacular. In the winter, the town competes with Buffalo for who gets the most snow (the last year we lived there, Rochester won -- if you can call it that -- with 92"). There's a cute little indie theater nestled near downtown Rochester called The Little Theater, where Rochesterians can sample a fine selection of independent film -- maybe not quite as soon as the folks down south in New York City get to see them, but they do get them pretty darn quickly. What they didn't have when I lived in Rochester, though, was a film festival. Now that I live 3,000 or so miles away in Seattle, of course, they have one.

2006 marks the sixth year of the High Falls Film Festival, one of the few fests in the country that focuses on Women in Film. This makes sense, because conservative Rochester has a rich history of feminism under its surface. Susan B. Anthony lived in Rochester (if you're going to be in Rochester for the fest, you can take a tour of her house while you're there), and Rochester is also the home of Eastman Kodak founder George Eastman -- the man whose ideas helped make it possible for us to have movies today. It's a great city to host a regional film festival

This year's fest runs November 8-13, and features a pretty impressive slate. The fest opens with Copying Beethoven, and other films I'd recommend include Ten Canoes ( which got good buzz around Telluride and Toronto), Deliver Us From Evil (I'm curious how that film will play in Rochester, which has so many Catholics that the Friday Night Fish Fry is a local tradition -- mmmm, fried haddock), Little Red Flowers, American Blackout, The Lives of Others, After the Wedding, and 13 (Tzameti), which doesn't have any women in it, but is a good film nonetheless. You can check out the full schedule here.

Regional film festivals are one of the best ways to see the kinds of films that play major fests like Sundance, Cannes and Toronto, without having to travel too far from home. If you're in upstate New York, and you make it to the High Falls Film Festival, pop on back here and let us know how it is. Oh, and stop off at Kelly's Apple Farm and pick me up a Dutch Apple Pie while you're out that way.

[via Movie City News ]

Awhile back we told you how Géla Babluani was already keen on helming an English-language remake of his film 13 (Tzameti) (released in the States this past summer) using an all-American (as in all of the actors are American, and not just Abercrombie and Fitch models) cast. Since I haven't seen the film yet, all I know is that Kim loved it, Chris hated it and, supposedly, the trailer ruins the film's secretive plot.

That being said, the New York Post reports Joaquin Phoenix, Tobey Maguire, Heath Ledger and Leonardo DiCaprio are all circling the film's lead role, though a clear and distinct front-runner is yet to be seen. Babluani also confirmed that he will indeed helm the film and has already started scouting locations in New York and New Jersey. Based on the plot description (some dude gets caught up in a high-stakes game of Russian roulette), I would say either Phoenix or Maguire would be best here. However, if you've seen the film, feel free to chime in with your opinion too.

The full synopsis of Géla Babluani's 13 (Tzameti) is not quite a secret in the same way as those of a lot of modern thrillers. The end is not a surprise, nor is it a twist, but for me to give it away would certainly ruin one of the film's greatest elements, which is its suspenseful first act. Sadly, the film's trailer, official plot outline and other critics are giving it away, and if you haven't already happened upon the spoilers, it may be difficult to avoid them. Just be aware that going in with knowledge of what the second act entails could make you bored for awhile.

The film opens with 22-year-old Sébastian (played by Géla's brother, Georges Babluani) starting a new roofing job, one which promises a good sum of money to help him support his poor family. After a few days of work, though, he begins to doubt whether he will be receiving his advance, let alone his total amount. Then one day Sébastian overhears his client, Godon (Philippe Passon), discuss a lucrative job he's about to undertake. The assignment, details of which Godon doesn't reveal, is hush-hush enough that its instructions are to be only partially delivered to him via post. When the envelope arrives it contains only a train ticket and a prepaid hotel bill.

While camping over the weekend, the group I was with decided to play one of those board games where you ask a question and then, based on the answers, one person has to guess who said what. One of the questions was, "In your opinion, what's the worst way a person can die?" Lovely game, huh? Especially when you're in the middle of the woods and just recently watched The Blair Witch Project for the umpteenth time.

Being the creative genius that I am, I believe I came up with an elaborate answer that involved some sort of adult-sized shredder. Damn, would that suck. Ever since 9/11, our society has been plagued by the 'what ifs'. What if it happens again? What if they bomb a train, a plain, a bus, a building or a school? What if they use toxic gas? What if they pollute our water? Each and every single day, we're forced to walk around with the belief that, at some point in the near future, all of our worst fears will come true ... again.

The following films all examine the fear of death, placing their characters in situations where tough choices need to be made ... and fast. Now, I don't think we have to worry about a monster rising out of a lake, destroying the nearest town. Yet, a dirty bomb going off in the middle of Los Angeles, no matter how it plays out on screen, is still a very real threat. What are your worst fears? Welcome to this week's Trailer Park:

Hey, we're not the only ones covering the Seattle International Film Festival. Lots of other folks are here too. Here's a round-up of what other sites are saying about what's happening around SIFF:

• The Stranger has reviews of Japanese drama The Hidden Blade by film critic and Police Beat scribe Charles Mudede, and Annie Wagner reviews Snow Cake, which I'll be getting to next week.
• Greg Dunlap from Cineblog has a write-up on Princess Raccoon posted over on the NW Source blog, and has a nice summary of other SIFF bloggers, including Ken Rudolph, who drove up from L.A. to spend six weeks watching an amazing 120 films! Now that's a film lover. Greg also throws some love Cinematical's direction (well, he mentioned we're there, anyhow, so thanks for the shout-out, Greg!)
• Jake Ludington at Hollywood Reviews dropped a line to let us know about all the awesome interviews with directors at SIFF he has up. Jake has interviews up with Kirby Dick (This Film is Not Yet Rated), Will Becton (aka Tommy Chong), Merl Reagle (Wordplay), and Neil Burger (The Illusionist). Jake also writes up one of my fave films from Sundance, 13 (Tzameti), and as he notes, if you haven't seen it, go. If you're hanging in Seattle, it screens on Friday at 9:30.  Jake also gets a peek at the contents of the VIP Opening Night Gala swag (which I, being very much NOT a VIP, was sadly not gifted with). The gift bag included a bottle of Bombay Sapphire (booyah!) and Starbucks Coffee for that post-Bombay hangover. Very cool stuff, Jake.
• There's a SIFF photo pool going on over at Flickr (started by SIFF-goer Roya), including the one above right, which is a shot of the sign at Atlas Clothing Co, located conveniently on Capitol Hill near two SIFF venues, The Egptian and Broadway Performance Hall. Check out the Flickr group, and if you're attending the fest and snapping pics, upload away.
• And last (but most certainly not least), one of my fave websites for all things cultural in Seattle, Three Imaginary Girls, has a SIFF preview up by imaginary boy embracey. The girls (and their boy) are witty, clever, and they have cool pink matchbooks in the Hospitality Suite.

If you're in Seattle and blogging about SIFF, drop me a line at kim.voynar@cinematical.com . I'll be doing more round-ups throughout the fest. Off to see The King (starring Gael Garcia Bernal and his cheekbones). I have some cool interviews and more film reviews coming up, so check back often!

(Ed.'s Note: Greg from Cineblog is Greg Dunlap, not Greg Nelson. Apologies, Greg.)

Odds and ends for Wednesday:

• For some reason, I love words that feature the letter 'T' followed by the letter 'Z.' Not sure what it is, but don't be surprised if I wake up hungover one Sunday and you see the name Tzerik Davis next to one of these posts. Now that things are a bit awkward, director Géla Babluani announced he will remake his award-winning film 13Tzameti in English. Even after finding a ton of success at Sundance and Venice, Babluani probably realized if Americans are going to watch this film, it will have to come in color, with a side dish of (Insert hot A-List actor here.) Oh, and hold the subtitles.

• Not in a million years had I ever considered placing the words Sarah Jessica Parker and "snuff film" within the same sentence. Wow, that was strange. The Sex in the City star has signed on to topline the thriller Vacancy for Screen Gems. Parker will play one half of a couple who check into a motel unaware that, not only are they being recorded, but they're also about to become participants in a snuff film. Please don't have her star opposite Matthew Broderick. That would be too, um, weird for me.

• Phew! Tea Leoni is still working. And here I was formulating some sort of protest (Save Tea? Free Tea? Tea Who?) to help combat those keeping her off the screen. The actress, along with Ben Kingsley and Luke Wilson, has signed on to star in the mob-ish comedy You Kill Me for Code Entertainment. Pic will revolve around a hitman from Buffalo who is sent west to "dry out" and attend AA meetings. While there, he finds a job in a mortuary and befriends the relative of one of his victims. Also on-board are Dennis Farina and Bill Pullman. If Farina can churn out a Midnight Run-esque performance, then I'm on line for a ticket as we speak.

One of the ways in which a filmmaker can start a good story is to begin the film by either having the key character experience some sort of change in his life, or putting him into some real or perceived peril. Alfred Hitchcock was a master at creating tension in his films from square one, and 13 (Tzameti) writer/director Géla Babluani follows in the traditions of Hitchcock and great film noir by starting his first feature film off with a double whammy. Twenty-two year old Sébastien has been working a job making repairs to a house belonging to Jean-François, an old man with a serious morpine habit.

The man has promised Sébastien the first part of his pay in three days. Sébastien overhears a conversation Jean-François has with another man, talking about an opportunity where he can make a lot of money. He is awaiting the delivery of an envelope with instructions; he seems very nervous about the upcoming job, saying he may not return from it . Mysterious men are watching the house, also awaiting the arrival of the envelope. The envelope arrives, bearing a train ticket and a paid hotel reservation; Jean-François promptly puts it away, and takes a long, hot bath and a morphine overdose. When he later comes back to retrieve his gear, Sébastien unwisely takes the ticket and reservation and decides to go on the trip in Jean-François' place.