LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT:

Creative Alliance Holds Winter Film Fest

• Fri. Jan. 7--"Camm Slamm" Re-Run
  If you missed the "Camm Slamm" in Oct., here's a chance to see this program again. Wild and varied 10-minute films vary from self-help for dog owners, sci-fi lesbian super heroines, the search for fluff justice, and sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll. Program organizers say, "You'll be truly amazed at what a group of crazed filmmakers can do in a weekend!" 8pm. $8, $5 mbrs.


• Thu. Jan. 20--Amplify: Megaphone Project Documentary Series
  "Juvies" (2004, Neale) with "Infected: The Baltimore City Detention Center's Hidden Health Crisis" (2004, Megaphone Project)
        Mark Wahlberg's narration and Mos Def's poetry show us teens in jail for crimes they didn't commit in Juvies. US Dept. of Justice says health conditions in Baltimore City Detention Center violate the constitutional rights of detainees. Advocates say dozens have died as a result. "Infected" producers Megaphone Project and the Public Justice Center get the story from detainees, their families, and the correctional officers union. 8pm. $8, $5 mbrs.


• Fri. & Sat. Feb. 18-19 --Silent Sounds
  The music of Ann Watts and Boister is a smash-and-grab virtuoso thrill ride, quoting everything from rock to lounge jazz to country music to commercial jingles, in original compositions and devastatingly witty covers (did we mention there's an accordion?). Their mixed influences are put to phenomenal use as they perform their original live scores for two hilariously brilliant silent films by Buster Keaton.


• Fri. Feb. 18--"Steamboat Bill Jr." (1928, Keaton) w/ Boister
  With their superb musicianship and passionate neo-cabaret sensibility, Anne Watts and Boister are Buster Keaton's equals. Their witty, incisive scores amplify his comic genius with what Roger Ebert calls "spot-on timing." Death defying stuntman Keaton walks through an imploding house in a hurricane in this tour de force of slapstick comedy and poignant characterization. Boister's first Buster score, it hasn't been performed in Baltimore for almost four years! 8pm $15, $12 mbrs.


• Sat. Feb. 19--"Seven Chances" (1925, Keaton) w/ Boister
  Keaton wrote and collaborated on the special effects in this film shot on LA streets. A would-be heir needs to marry asap to qualify for his millions. Perhaps responding to Keaton's failed marriage, romantic pursuit becomes a frantic, comedic chase as Keaton escapes a horde of white-gowned, would-be brides. The MD Film Fest commissioned score rolls from Duke Ellington to Pink Floyd with Boister's own Brel/Weill/Coltrane/Zappa tendencies. 8pm. $15, $12 mbrs.


• Fri. Mar. 11--Camm Ides of March Animation Invitational: We Got the Beat -Animators and Musicians
  Animators collaborate with musicians on work inspired or influenced by sound or music. From Brussels, Baltimorean Christina Vantzos brings "Dead Texan," co-created with musician Adam Wiltzie. Quirky, hand-drawn animations by Brent Green have live narration and score by an all star ensemble from DC's music underground: Brendan Canty (of Fugazi) Amy Domingues (of Helium,) Brandon Butler (of Canyon.) New work by Skizz Cyzyk, Eric Dyer, Mark Stansberry and Karen Yasinsky. 8pm $10, $7 mbrs.


• Thu. Apr. --Amplify: Megaphone Project Documentary Series
  "Prison Lullabies" (2003, Isralson & Matta) with "Hearts in the Darkness: Baltimore's Prostituted Women Speak Out" (2005, Megaphone Project)
        "Prison Lullabies" shows pregnant women serving time in New York State who are allowed to keep their babies while participating in child care and anger management classes and drug counseling. In "Hearts in the Darkness," a short documentary produced by Megaphone Project and YANA Place, prostituted women tell stories filled with unimaginable suffering and amazing inner strength. 8pm. $8, $5 mbrs.


• Thu. Apr. 21--WAVE#5 The 5th Annual Wide Angle Video Extravaganza and Benefit
  Wide Angle's teens have filmed all year, making videos that challenge, inform, and inspire. Watch the newest reports on school reform, hear the scoop from Cherry Hill to Reservoir Hill, and find out how you can take action in your own neighborhood! Dessert is included in the price of admission. Proceeds support Wide Angle. 7:30pm $10, CA & WA mbrs $8, Youth 18 and under, $1.


• Fri. Apr. 29--Camm College Film/Video Bake-Off
  A screening and party with the best in college film and video! Trophies! Cash Prizes! Great Cake! Cheap Beer! Jury selects the dramatic and the funny, docs, narrative, installation and experimental. Come have a bit of Bake-Off Cake (compliments of Charm City Cakes), and cast your votes. MICA, Towson, UMBC, Goucher, Morgan, Villa Julie and more! 8pm. $7, $5 mbrs & stus. Submit work on vhs by Fri Mar 11. Free to submit. Prizes awarded. Info: kristen@creativealliance.org. Sponsored by Charm City Cakes.