Festival brings worldwide
films and videos to Detroit

Originally printed 6/9/2005

By Donald V. Calamia

The third annual Planet Ant Film & Video Festival hits the screen June 16 through 19 at multiple high-profile venues, including Hamtramck's Planet Ant Theatre and Detroit's Majestic Theatre.

The 2005 Planet Ant Film and Video Festival is a celebration of independent movies and the people who make them, featuring comedies, dramas, documentaries, animation and music videos from Detroit and around the world. Industry professionals and university and film school faculty will take part in the panel of judges, workshops and seminars with an awards ceremony wrapping up the festival.

Planet Ant Theatre is determined to make this film festival an exciting part of Detroit's creative scene, filling a void that has existed far too long in a city known to be one of the top centers of filmmaking in the country. Confirmed jurors include Larry Joe Campbell ("According to Jim," ABC), Josh Funk ("Wild 'N Out," MTV), Keegan-Michael Key ("Mad TV," Fox), Charles F. Cirgenski ("Stardust", HBO) and John Maxwell (director of the 2003 and 2004 Planet Ant Film Festivals).

Scheduled films include the North American premiere of "FAQ" (Spain), "Crushed" (USA), the world premiere of "2 Years" by Larry Joe Campbell and "Serious Fitness" (Russia).

The eclectic band Quasar Wut-Wut will provide the soundtrack to Buster Keaton's silent film, "The General" called one of the greatest comedies of all time.

The 2005 Planet Ant Film and Video Festival is adding more programming and special events every day so check www.planetant.comfor a complete schedule.