Filmmaker Steve Gentile will visit Sweet Briar to screen his
"Loaded Gun: Life and Death and Dickinson" and "Never Live Above a Psychic" on Tuesday, March 1 as part of the Southern Circuit Film Series. The Tyson Auditorium screenings begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the general public.

Southern Circuit is an annual touring program that showcases and supports the work of independent filmmakers at seven venues in the Southern United States. Gentile is one of six artists to visit the SBC campus through the 2004-05 academic year to screen and answer questions about his or her film and the creative process.

"Loaded Gun" concernes a 'filmmaker' who is stumped but captivated by Emily Dickinson's poetry and searches for 'flashes of insight' into the elusive poet. Unsatisfied by those offered by his lively but traditional interviews with experts such as famed actress Julie Harris and U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, he turns to alternative sources: therapists, a stand-up comic, a rock band - even a fan with "Emily" tattoo across his back. Still unsatisfied, he holds auditions in which dozens of actresses recite poems and improvise Dickinsonian answers to questions about God, and Death, and Love.

Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe called the film "a brisk, often brilliantly funny documentary."

Now in its 29th year, Southern Circuit provides an opportunity for internationally recognized filmmakers to travel with their works while interacting with viewers and leading discussions about their films.

Eleanor Salotto, SBC film studies director and associate professor of English, sees the series as a unique opportunity for the College and the surrounding community. She includes the series in the syllabus of her film studies classes, and filmmakers often visit her classroom for a discussion.

"What's so unusual," she said, "is that filmmakers come to campus and students can learn a great deal from them about their art and professional opportunities. The films themselves are contemporary and innovative [and created by] independent filmmakers. It gives the community the opportunity to see top quality films not geared for mass distribution."

Salotto serves on a selection committee with a representative from each of the other six venues. The group looks for works that appeal to students and faculty, explore topical issues of interest, or simply stand up as good quality feature films. "We're interested in films that raise questions and make people think," she said, noting that aesthetic qualities remain important.

A couple of this season's highlights, she said, have included "Parallel Lines" and "Funny Ha Ha." The former is a documentary in which the filmmaker travels around the U.S. in fall 2001 asking people what they think about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, while the latter is a romantic comedy about a "post-college identity crisis" that won the 2003 Independent Spirit Award.

"We're really fortunate to be involved on the tour," she said, "because it showcases the work of creative, young, and talented filmmakers."

All Southern Circuit films begin at 7 p.m. in Tyson Auditorium. The series is a program of the South Carolina Arts Commission and local sponsors. For more information on the series, please visit southerncircuit.com.

Southern Circuit Film Series - Spring 2005 Schedule

• February 1 - Screening of "Big Enough" with filmmaker Jan Krawitz


• March 1 - Screening of "Loaded Gun: Life and Death and Dickinson" and "Never Live Above a Psychic" with filmmaker Steve Gentile


• April 5 - Screening of "Morning Sun" with filmmaker Richard Gordon