Jared Gonzales and Joey Weaver live in a renovated ballroom in Dover, Ohio, and they’re turning it into an art, music, and film venue. Their first event, a month long retrospective of the films of Wes Anderson, kicks off this Friday, July 3rd at 9 PM with a free screening of Bottle Rocket. Here’s a bigger version of the poster at left and a poster for the retrospective. Each film will have its own poster designed by Rosemary Travale. Cool? Yes.

Like most of Anderson’s films, Bottle Rocket gets better every time I see it, so I’ll see you there. The Dover Ballroom is at 123 W.3rd St. #301.

Monday, June 29th at 6:30 PM at the Richfield Branch Library, join us for the second and probably last chance to see the 2008 Freakishly Short Animation Festival!

The Ohio Independent Film Festival (in Cleveland) is going on right now, and the Geauga Film Festival (in Chardon) starts this Tuesday, June 9th. Notice on the latter schedule that our own Rob Lucas’s film American Stories will be showing Thursday, June 11th at 8:10 PM!

This weekend is the premiere of Butch Maier’s The Bride and the Grooms, which was shot in Akron, Pittsburgh, PA, and Charleston, WV. It will be showing in twelve states. Local chances to see it are tomorrow (Saturday, April 25th) at 2 PM and 7 PM at the Highland Theatre in Akron, and Sunday, April 26th at 2 PM at the Highland Theatre and 4 PM at the Cedar Lee in Cleveland. The showings Saturday at 2 (Highland) and Sunday at 4 (Cedar Lee) will feature Q&As with the cast and crew. More info at the movie’s site.

The University of Akron’s student filmmaking organization The 2380 Project is holding its annual film festival tonight and tomorrow at the Student Union (303 Carroll Street).  It features the premiere of this year’s film, cAveMan20 is typing…, (directed by Jason Moliterno) tonight at 8:30. It’s only $3 per day or $5 for both days. More info on the fest site.

Malone University’s annual student film festival takes place tonight at 10 PM in the Johnson Center Chapel at Malone University. Doors open at 9:15 and it has filled up in the past! More info at the Open Frame Blog.

Our jury has selected Sita Sings the Blues as best feature and Consulta 16 as best short. You chose The Rock-afire Explosion as viewers’ choice feature and A Practical Guide for Imaginary Friends as viewers’ choice short!

This evening at 6:20 is the documentary that looks into the lives of a group of fans who dedicate themselves to that animatronic rock band you may remember from your youth: The Rock-afire Explosion. Then, at 8:00, it’s The Animated Shorts of Studio aka, which contains the BAFTA-nominated Varmints and the hilarious series LOVESPORT. And then, finally, Shorts Two!

Friday evening brings to AFF the winner of a special jury prize at SXSW: Audience of One, a gripping and funny documentary about a man trying to make the greatest movie the world has ever seen. After that is Shorts One, and then the real Superman origin story, Last Son, an exploration of the Cleveland roots of the comic icon.

Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues opens the fest on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. This comedic animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana is set to the jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. Along with scheduling it for Ebertfest later this year, Roger Ebert wrote about the film, “I am smiling from one end of the film to the other. It is astonishingly original. It brings together four entirely separate elements and combines them into a great whimsical chord.”

Sita Sings the Blues will be preceded by the short comedy A Practical Guide for Imaginary Friends by Spanish director Ciro Altabas, winner of last year’s Viewer’s Choice Award for his film DVD.

Get tickets here.