Letter to the Editor: Column on NRA wrong about gun association and naive about threats to society

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Life Deconstructed: Preparing for our, I mean her, wedding

<p>MILFORD &#8212; Since its establishment in 2000, the Black Bear Film Festival in Milford has occurred annually during the weekend after Columbus Day. This year, along with the screening of critically-acclaimed films like &#8220;Love &amp; Mercy,&#8221; &#8220;Ex Machina&#8221; and &#8220;The End of the Tour,&#8221; BBFF will screen actor-turned-director Dylan Baker&#8217;s &#8220;23 Blast.&#8221; The 10 a.m. Saturday screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Baker, who counts &#8220;Selma,&#8221; &#8220;Secretariat&#8221; and &#8220;Requiem for a Dream&#8221; among his acting credits.</p><p>&#8220;I think I&#8217;ve always had a desire to direct,&#8221; Baker said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve actually directed a dozen plays here and there since 1991 but I had sort of given up the idea of directing a movie once we had our daughter 22 years ago. I figured it was just too much time to try and raise the money, so I put it on the back burner.&#8221;</p><p>Baker&#8217;s directorial aspirations moved from back burner to front burner when family friend Toni Hoover presented a script based on the life of Travis Freeman, a high school football player who lost his sight to bacterial meningitis. Baker, who dropped his daughter off for her freshman year of college just before seeing the script, had the time and the story he needed to push him into the director&#8217;s chair.</p><p>&#8220;23 Blast&#8221; won the Audience Choice Award at the 2013 Heartland Film Festival and has seen nationwide release. The film, which features a cast Baker calls &#8220;amazing,&#8221; includes Freeman among its ranks.</p><p>&#8220;Travis actually plays a small part in the film, which was an idea I had about a week after meeting him,&#8221; Baker said. &#8220;I just thought he was a compelling figure. We decided to have a preacher, a minister, in the story who speaks directly to Travis and I thought who better to do that than Travis himself?&#8221;</p><p>The festival will also offer two free &#8220;film salons,&#8221; which will host guest speakers, moderate talkback sessions and show short films and documentaries. BBFF Salon 1 will be located at the Pike County Public Library, while the new BBFF Salon 2 will be at Middletown Community Health Center&#8217;s Milford location. While free, seating is limited, so tickets will be offered at screening locations on a first-come/first-served basis 30 minutes prior to showtime.</p><p>Salon 1 will run from noon until 8 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Salon will feature a young filmmaker&#8217;s showcase, a documentary about Pennsylvania folklore (&#8220;Ghosts in the Mountain&#8221;) and a local documentarian panel. Salon 2 will screen &#8220;Under Our Skin 2 &#8211; Emergence&#8221; at 1 p.m. on Saturday. This documentary focusing on the understanding and treatment of tick-borne diseases will be followed by a panel discussion.</p><p>Prices and showtimes vary by film and venue. For more information and a full, printable schedule of BBFF events, visit blackbearfilm.com.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Black Bear Film Festival will host a screening of &#8216;23 Blast&#8217; at 10 a.m. Saturday. The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with film director Dylan Baker. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_23Blast-Flyer_v2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Black Bear Film Festival will host a screening of &#8216;23 Blast&#8217; at 10 a.m. Saturday. The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with film director Dylan Baker. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Baker.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Actor Dylan Baker has appeared in multiple films, including &#8216;Requiem for a Dream,&#8217; &#8216;Anchorman 2&#8217; and &#8216;Selma.&#8217; &#8216;23 Blast&#8217; marks Baker&#8217;s directorial debut, and on Saturday, he&#8217;ll follow up its screening at Black Bear Film Festival in Milford with a question-and-answer session. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Baker.jpg</photo1><caption1>Actor Dylan Baker has appeared in multiple films, including &#8216;Requiem for a Dream,&#8217; &#8216;Anchorman 2&#8217; and &#8216;Selma.&#8217; &#8216;23 Blast&#8217; marks Baker&#8217;s directorial debut, and on Saturday, he&#8217;ll follow up its screening at Black Bear Film Festival in Milford with a question-and-answer session. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Gene Axton</p><p>gaxton@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Gene Axton at 570-991-6121 or on Twitter @TLArts</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Sixteenth Annual Black Bear Film Festival set for Oct. 16-18 in Milford