All are invited for a weekend of cinema at the 17th annual Ashfield Film Festival, set for Sept. 19 and 20 at Ashfield Town Hall on Main Street.
On Friday night, attendees can enjoy a showing of “Fanny: the Right to Rock,” directed by Bobbi Jo Hart, which features legendary musician June Millington of Goshen.
June Millington and her sister Jean Millington were founding members of the rock group Fanny, the first all-women band to issue an LP with a major record label, Warner/Reprise, in 1970.
“One of the most important female bands in American Rock has been buried without a trace: Fanny. They were one of the finest f#*@king bands of their time. They’re as important as anybody else who’s ever been, ever,” David Bowie told Rolling Stone in 1999.
“Fanny: the Right to Rock” is a biographical film telling the story of the band, how they rose to fame, and what the members have done in the years since they disbanded in 1975. The film has a runtime of just over an hour and a half, and will be shown at 7 p.m. on Sept. 19. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Lynn Dole, one of the festival’s organizers, said the film was selected due to Millington’s connections to western Massachusetts. Following her time as a rockstar, June Millington went on to establish the Institute of Musical Arts (IMA) in Goshen, a performance and recording space that also offers residential summer youth programs where the next generation of female musicians develop their skills.
“We’re always trying to makes some kind of connection locally. The IMA is susch a wonderful resource locally and several members of our board have had such wonderful experiences there,” Dole said.
Following the film, local filmmaker Mary Patierno will facilitate a discussion with June Millington.
“It’s exciting to have someone we know and have her be able to come and share her experiences,” Dole said.
Saturday brings the return of the annual short film competition. Dole said this year the festival received over 30 submissions of five-minute-or-less short films, all with a connection to the hilltowns of western Massachusetts.
“We had a record breaking number this year. In all my years, we’ve never had so many submissions,” Dole said. “There was a rich variety of entries as well. It’s so exciting to see the creativity and skill of our neighbors.”
Dole said it was a challenge for the judges to select the winning films as there were so many submissions and so much talent displayed.
This year, filmmakers will have a chance to win $2,000 in cash prizes and awards in the following categories: Best Documentary, Best Natural World, Best Music Video, Best Animation, Best Original Concept, Best Local Humor, and the audience choice award.
Dole said that, thanks to an anonymous donor, the festival is also offering a $1,000 cash prize for the best history-themed film.
Film screenings begin at 7 p.m. but attendees who wish to arrive early can enjoy a performance from the Ashfield Community Band beginning at 5:30 p.m. Doors to Town Hall will open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for both nights of events are $7 and can be purchased at Ashfield Hardware Store or through ashfieldfilmfest.org