TRAVERSE CITY -- A print traffic issue may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Michael Moore and the Traverse City Film Festival.
After announcing that the renovated State Theatre would reopen Nov. 17 with the Michigan premiere of "August Rush," the group discovered it couldn't get a print of the film after all. Its replacement? An adaptation of one of the most successful books of the decade -- "The Kite Runner" -- with Afghanistani American author Khaled Hosseini and some of the actors in attendance.
"It truly was a toss-up," said Moore, who also considered the film "Atonement" -- based on another popular book -- as a substitute. "But 'The Kite Runner' will send a stronger statement about the kind of movies we want to show."
A 2003 novel about an unlikely friendship between two boys in Kabul, "The Kite Runner" is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan to the Taliban regime. It spent 103 weeks on The New York Times bestselling list and elevated Hosseini, a California physician, to celebrity status.
The PG-13 DreamWorks film, directed by Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball," "Finding Neverland," "Stranger Than Fiction") with a screenplay by David Benioff, premiered at opening night of last month's Chicago International Film Festival and is set to be released Dec. 14.
"The Kite Runner" now is just one of four Oscar-contending films that will get advance screenings during opening week at the State, Moore said.
"Atonement" with Keira Knightley, "Margot at the Wedding" with Nicole Kidman and Jack Black, and the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" with Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger and Richard Gere, also are scheduled to run at 6 p.m. Nov. 18, 7 p.m. Nov. 19 and 7 p.m. Nov. 20, respectively, at regular State Theatre admission prices.
"While we can't have another opening night gala, we thought it would be nice to have a few more Michigan premieres and make it a week-long thing for everyone," Moore said. "It's essentially a mini-version of the Traverse City Film Festival for opening week."
Daytime events during the week now include: Open House Day on Nov. 18, with free tours of the theater from noon to 5 p.m. featuring screenings of Academy Award-winning shorts at the top of every hour; 1916 Day on Nov. 19, with matinee showings of "Intolerance," "Court House Crooks" and another film at 1916 prices -- 15 cents; 1949 Day on Nov. 20, with matinee showings of "It Happens Every Spring" and other films at 1949 prices -- 35 cents; and a "Lord of the Rings" marathon from noon to around midnight on Nov. 21, at $5 a film or all three for $10.
First-run films will begin Thanksgiving weekend at regular State Theatre prices, which will be $8 for adults, $7 for senior citizens 65 and older, and $6 for children 12 and under.
Tickets for the opening night gala still are available; for more information, call 534-4796 or log on to www.traversecityfilmfestival.org.
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