Hello Everyone!

This is going to be a fun weekend for film lovers in Dayton. In addition to a one-week-only engagement of this year’s Academy Award winning film IN A BETTER WORLD, The FilmDayton Festival has something for everyone. (Incidentally, I saw IN A BETTER WORLD in Toronto last year. It’s absolutely wonderful…don’t miss it!) I AM will stick around for another week.

Synopsis for IN A BETTER WORLD: “Anton is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark, and his work at an African refugee camp. In these two very different worlds, he and his family are faced with conflicts that lead them to difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness. Anton and his wife Marianne, who have two young sons, are separated and struggling with the possibility of divorce. Their older, ten-year-old son Elias is being bullied at school, until he is defended by Christian, a new boy who has just moved from London with his father, Claus. Christian’s mother recently lost her battle with cancer, and Christian is greatly troubled by her death. Elias and Christian quickly form a strong bond, but when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences, their friendship is tested and lives are put in danger. Ultimately, it is their parents who are left to help them come to terms with the complexity of human emotions, pain and empathy.” (Sony Pictures Classics)

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The FilmDayton Festival is here. Their website is up and running with details about each film, each party, numerous special events and links for tickets. Check out the website by clicking the image below.

Here are FilmDayton Festival screenings at THE NEON:

Friday, May 20 at 7:00 & 9:30 – WSU’s BIG LENS Film Festival

Saturday, May 21 at 10:30am – SCREENLESS SCREENING

Saturday, May 21 at 11:50am – FILMICALLY PERFECT

Saturday, May 21 at 1:00 – HOMERUN SHOWDOWN

Saturday, May 21 at 3:15 – BEAUTIFUL NOISE

Saturday, May 21 at 5:30 – INTO ETERNITY

Saturday, May 21 at 7:00 – NEW LEFT MEDIA Shorts

Saturday, May 21 at 8:15 – MARWENCOL

Saturday, May 21 at 10:30 – HUSK

Sunday, May 22 at 12:15 – SUNDOG & FILMDAYTON SHORTS

Sunday, May 22 at 2:40 – BILAL’S STAND

Sunday, May 22 at 4:45 – WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM

Sunday, May 22 at 7:00 – ROCKIN’ THE WALL

This just in…The YMCA has cancelled the screening of THE OTHER SIDE on May 26.

A panel is in place for our screening of a powerful and moving documentary called WE WERE HERE. “WE WERE HERE is the first documentary to take a deep and reflective look back at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco. It explores how the City’s inhabitants were affected by, and how they responded to, that calamitous epidemic. Though a San Francisco-based story, We Were Here extends beyond San Francisco and beyond AIDS itself. It speaks to our capacity as individuals to rise to the occasion, and to the incredible power of a community coming together with love, compassion, and determination.” WE WERE HERE will screen on June 16 at 7PM. Tickets are $8 each and are currently available at THE NEON box office. This screening is sponsored by The Greater Dayton LGBT Center. Be sure to take a look at the trailer, and get your tickets early. After the film, we will have a discussion with representatives from AIDS Resource Center Ohio, Miami Valley Poz 4 Poz, an early HIV/AIDS community educator, and more. Additionally, we will have the opportunity to see a series of incredible photographs in THE NEON’s lobby. I’ll give you more details about this special installation next week.

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If you’ve been to THE NEON lately, you’ve more than likely seen our note at the front counter about pricing. Here’s what it states: “Effective June 3, 2011. At THE NEON, we strive to have the best films, the best customer service and the best prices. While we don’t intend on changing these goals, we must unfortunately raise our admission prices. On June 3, all General Admission, Matinee and Senior Citizen tickets will increase by 50 cents. Our ticket prices have not increased since August of 2008…and our new ticket prices will still be at least $2 less expensive than all the first-run multiplexes in the region. Thanks for your understanding.” We hope this won’t deter you from coming to THE NEON…as we have dozens of great films coming our way in the weeks and months ahead.

Thanks so much for your interest in THE NEON.

Take care,

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for May 20 – May 26:

IN A BETTER WORLD (PG-13) 2 Hrs

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 3:00, 7:15

Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:30, 8:00

I AM (NR) 1 Hr 17 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:15, 5:30, 9:40

Monday – Wednesday: 3:15, 5:15, 7:45

Thursday: 3:15, 5:15

FILMDAYTON