Black Bear Film Festival begins tonight

The Black Bear Film Festival begins at 8 p.m. tonight, Oct. 19, with "Great White Hope," a story patterned after real-life boxer Jack Johnson and starring Jane Alexander, James Earl Jones, Hal Holbrook, and Moses Gun. The showing at the Milford Theatre, 114 East Catharine St., will be followed by a Q&A by Jane Alexander and John DiLeo, who will discuss Alexander’s career and the importance of this film today. DiLeo will also join Lorna Luft, Judy Garland's daughter and author of a new book, for a talk tomorrow, Oct. 20, after the 2 p.m. showing of the documentary "A Star Is Born: Movie Tribute to Judy Garland." Other main stage screenings, which continue on Saturday, include "Legends of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole"; "Seeking The Greatest Good," a documentary about the conservation legacy of Gifford Pinchot; "Block Island," a thriller about four high school friends on a trip from hell; "The Hero," about a Western icon whose best performances are long behind him; "The Girl He Left Behind," about a spoiled college student overly reliant on his protective high society mother; "Starfish," a story about grief, healing, friendship, and family; "Hidden Kisses," about a 16-year-old bullied for giving another boy a kiss; "Living Treasures of the Yucatan," about women and the Mayan tradition; "After The Sun Fell," a heart-wrenching and hilarious look into a family living on the edge of hope and despair; and "Saying Goodbye," in which Julia Quinlan tells the story of the fateful night when her daughter lapsed into a coma. There are also a host of free film salons on Saturday and Sunday, at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and the Milford Public Library, on a range of subjects, from a documentary about Tourette’s Syndrome to a Bollywood-style musical set in India, plus 90 minutes of delightful short films. For a full schedule visit blackbearfilm.com.