Presidential film festival returns
After a year off, the the third annual American Presidents Film & Literary Festival will be as big as ever with seven short films and four feature films competing for prize money.
Kristina Smith, marketing and committee chair for the festival, said the two weekend event will also feature a play, “Looking Over the President’s Shoulder,” at 7 p.m. at the Little Theater at Ross High School Sept. 25.
The play is told from the unique perspective of the chief butler who served four U.S. presidents and their families: Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 festival was canceled, something that curtailed the momentum that had built up as the 2019 festival was well-attended and featured multiple film submissions including fiction features, documentaries and short films.
“We felt like there was a lot of momentum with it, so it was disappointing we had to cancel in 2020,” Smith said.
“We’re really excited about all the events we have, and hopefully building on that momentum again from 2019.”
Arthur “Chip” Bok, an award-winning political cartoonist, will be the keynote speaker for the festival, which will take place Sept. 25 and Oct. 1-3 at various locations in Fremont.
Bok, a syndicated political cartoonist through Los Angeles-based Creators Syndicate, will speak during the Red Carpet Event on Oct. 2, at The Strand Concert Theater. The event is from 5 to 7:15 p.m.
This year’s festival will be bigger than ever as submissions from 2020 will carry over to make one large, combined festival for 2021.
The Oct. 1-3 events include options
for a two-day movie pass for $30 and an all-access pass for $85 that allows festival-goers to see all the films at the festival, along with attending the red carpet event, a lantern tour at the Hayes Center and the play, “Looking Over the President’s Shoulder.”
Once again, the festival will be spread out throughout Fremont, with blocks of film competitions to be shown at several stops around the city, including the
Hayes Center at Spiegel Grove, the Strand Theater, 220 S. Front St., Birchard Public Library, 423 Croghan St., Live Edge Center, 115 S. Front St., and Fremont Middle School, 1250 North St.
The annual wreath-laying ceremony at President Rutherford B. Hayes’ tomb at Spiegel Grove also will take place this year as part of the festival.
Military representatives sent by President Joe Biden will lay the wreath and speak during the ceremony. This event is at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, and is in honor of President Hayes’ birthday, which is Monday, Oct. 4. Admission is free.