Harry Dean Stanton Fest celebrates the Kentucky native with film screenings, concert

The Lexington Film League, in partnership with the Lexington Public Library, Downtown Lexington Corporation, and KET, will kick-off the second annual Harry Dean Stanton Fest on Friday, May 18.
 

In its second year, the three day festival honors Kentucky native Harry Dean Stanton, the celebrated actor whose cinematic career spans almost sixty years and over 180 IMDB credits.
 

This year’s festival will begin with an outdoor screening of Pretty in Pink at Triangle Park on Friday, May 18. In addition to launching the Harry Dean Stanton Fest, the screening will be the first in a summer-long series of Fountain Films on Friday presented by Downtown Lexington Corporation and sponsored by Hilliard Lyons. The free screening beings at dusk. Bring blankets and lawn chairs.
 

The festival continues on Saturday, May 19 with two special Harry Dean events. There will be a free screening of Straight Time at 3:00 pm at the newly renovated Farish Theater at the Central Branch of the Lexington Public Library. Then, beginning at 8:00 pm, the Green Lantern Bar will host a “Repo Man” night. The evening will begin with a screening of the film, and will continue with musical sets including a “Repo Man” soundtrack tribute by Palisades (the band has been hard at work for the last 2 months learning all the songs on the album and bringing in guest vocalists) and a punk rock set by All American Werewolves. The charge for the Green Lantern event is $5.
 

The festival will conclude on Sunday, May 20 with two pecial screenings. In partnership with KET, Lexington Film League will host a free showing of Tom Thurman’s Kentucky Muse documentary Harry Dean Stanton: Crossing Mulholland at the Farish Theater at 3:00 pm. Then, at 7:00 pm, we will show Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid at the Kentucky Theatre.
 

Donnie Fritts, the esteemed singer/songwriter/actor, will be on hand to discuss his involvement in the film and his 30-plus year friendship with Mr. Stanton. In addition to being a longtime collaborator with both Stanton and Peckinpah, Fritts has appeared in a number of Tom Thurman’s documentaries. The evening will conclude with a conversation between Mr. Thurman and Mr. Fritts and a Q&A with the audience. The cost for this event is $5.
 

The Lexington Film League will be selling limited edition Harry Dean Stanton Fest t-shirts, with artwork by Stacey Earley, at most of the screenings.
 

For more information on the festival, please visit www.harrydeanstantonfest.com.
 

From the Lexington Film League
 

Check out Jeffrey Scott Holland’s column featuring Stanton here.