Margaret Mead and Elaine S. Charnov

Margaret Mead and festival curator, Elaine S. Charnov generously endorse ¨The Water Front¨ as a favorite in this years incredible festival program in this New York Times article.

“We want to bring up issues, ethical issues, that don’t usually get addressed in the mainstream cinema. Films that provoke extreme emotions, including dislike, interest us; if the experience voiced is authentic, there can be a value in that. We don’t just select the films that make the curator happy.” Although she does have her favorites. Take this year’s “The Water Front,” which chronicles a community battle over water privatization in Highland Park, Mich. “Films like this,” she says, “are a way of putting a mirror to our society.”