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News flash: MuseArts, Inc., a Web development company in Somerville, Mass., was honored as one of five finalists in the Best Animation category of the FlashForward2000 Film Festival for the "Everyman" episode of its "Guinea Pig Theater" series. "Everyman," which was chosen from more than 2,000 finalists, is one of "Guinea Pig Theater’s" interactive Flash adaptations of classic dramas. Also included in the series are "Romeo and Juliet" and "Prometheus Bound." To view the series, go to http://www.musearts.com/cartoons; and for more about MuseArts, the award-winning digital design group that specializes in Web development, please visit http://www.musearts.com.

The 16th Annual Boston Gay and Lesbian Film/Video Festival runs from May 4-20 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The non-competitive festival features entries from all over the world that celebrate gay and lesbian issues and culture through documentaries, shorts and features. For show times and ticket prices, please call the MFA box office at 617-369-3770.

Women in Film and Video/New England presents the second annual Image Awards for Vision and Excellence Gala on May 16. The honorees for this year’s awards in Vision and Achievement, Lifetime Achievement and WIFV/NE Member Achievement include Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of WGBH’s "Masterpiece Theatre" and "Mystery!"; documentary filmmaker Michal Goldman, founder of the Boston Jewish Film Festival and founder and president of the Filmmakers Collaborative; writer/producer/director Judy Richardson, formerly of Blackside, Inc., where she helped develop the landmark civil rights series "Eyes on the Prize" and served as co-producer of the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentary "Malcolm X: Make It Plain"; Connie White and Marianne Lampke, co-directors of the Brattle Theatre and Beacon Cinema Group and co-founders of the Boston International Festival of Women’s Cinema and the Provincetown Film Festival; and our own Michele LaMura, founder of online independent filmmaking community sites NewEnglandFilm.com and BuyIndies.com. For more information about the event, contact Rebecca Richards at recrich@aol.com.

"Mud Season," the first feature by filmmakers Anthony Hall, Rob Lewbel and Edward Filian, took home its third Grand Jury Prize at last month’s fifth annual Film Fest New Haven. Previously recognized at regional California festivals, "Mud Season," which was filmed entirely on location in Vermont, had premiered at the Slamdance Festival in Park City, Utah. To read a NewEnglandFilm.com interview with the filmmakers, go to https://newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/99february/mudseason.htm.

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Director Michele LeBrun will be present at the MFA’s first two screenings of her documentary "Death: A Love Story" on May 20 and 25. The film records the final years of Lebrun’s husband, Mel Howard, following his diagnosis with terminal liver cancer. Howard was the former chairman of Boston University’s School of Broadcasting and Film. For show times in May and June, call the MFA box office at 617-369-3770.

Throughout the month of May, the Museum of Fine Arts presents encore screenings of Mary Mazzio’s "A Hero for Daisy" and Carol Cassidy’s "Run Like a Girl." In both, the local filmmakers address the complex and timely issue of girls and athletics. Long before the empowering "I Can" Nike commercials, there was the historic protest of the Yale women’s crew team for equality under Title IX, the subject of "A Hero for Daisy." "Run Like a Girl" offers individual portraits of younger girls involved in sports, and how participation in athletics can foster feelings of self-confidence and self-worth. The double feature screens on May 5, 6, 20 and 27, and will continue through June. For information on show times and ticket prices, please call the MFA box office at 617-369-3770.

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Calls for Submissions

The 12th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival (November 2-12) is seeking submissions for this year’s program. The non-competitive festival, named one of the best film series of 1999 by the Boston Society of Film Critics, welcomes films in any genre and of any length that deal with themes of Jewish culture, heritage or history. Deadline for submission is May 31. For more information or entry forms, please call BJFF at 617-244-9899, or email info@bjff.org.

For the fourth year, Providence, R.I. hosts the Rhode Island International Film Festival. RIIFF combines art and business, with a goal "to recognize achievement and innovation in a variety of filmmaking and storytelling disciplines while providing an opportunity to secure wider distribution." Further distinguishing itself from the pack, RIIFF takes advantage of its proximity to Canada by encouraging, both this year and in the past, an artistic exchange between New England and Canadian filmmakers. Deadlines for submission are as follows: for the screenplay competition, May 15; for the Festival, whether in or out of competition, May 31; and for Y2-KidsEye (for young filmmakers, ages 8-16), June 1. For more detailed information, please visit RIIFF’s Web site at http://www.film-festival.org/, email flicksart@aol.com, or call 401-861-4445.

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Also in the News

Calling all actors: Portland, Maine’s Newborn Pictures, the award-winning producer of "Reindeer Games" and "Pennyweight," starts production on "Foreign Body" this August. Newborn Pictures will hold open auditions on May 13 and 14 for the action-comedy, which is scheduled for a six-week shoot in Maine. Also needed are production and post-production personnel. All those interested should send resumes and reels to Newborn Pictures, 32 Pearl Street, Portland, ME 04101-4131. For more information, visit the Web site at www.newbornpix.com, or call 207-761-0110.

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