MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL   FRIENDS OF THE CHARLES As we hope you know, the Maryland Film Festival 2010 starts Thursday night at MICA, moves to the Charles Friday morning, and fills the five screens for the whole weekend. Other venues are used- this year, UB, Windup, and MICA- but the center of the MFF "Campus" is the Charles. So for Charles patrons, here are some tips on how to get the most out of the MFF 2010 : - Discover. Since a lot of the films are new, how do I find out about them ? The Maryland Film Festival website is a good place to start and end- because you can buy tickets there. www.mdfilmfest.com Check the schedule and you can double click on any title to get a full description and screening times and venues. The blog is a good way to view things through the eyes of MFF staff, and you can find the MFF on Facebook. But there are a lot of other information sources, too: 1) The Sun has a special web section with Mike Sragow's and Chris Kaltenbach's picks. http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/movies/ 2) The City Paper does a special Film Fest Frenzy issue every year, and the hard copy can be picked up around town in the usual boxes starting Wednesday. Their website is : http://www.citypaper.com/ 3) There are a bunch of good blogs, too, that cover all things movies and are already anticipating MFF 2010 films. Two that come to mind are: Sragow for the Sun: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/movies/blog/, and Max Weiss writing for Baltimore Magazine: http://www.baltimoremag.com/maxspace/ 4) WYPR, WEAA, Fox 45, WJZ, and others are doing multiple stories this week. Their websites will also have stories about MFF movies. 5) You can type any movie title and the word "movie" in to Google and you'll find a lot of information. - Buy. How can I be sure to get a ticket ? The best way before Friday is to go to the MFF website. After that, tickets can be purchased starting Friday morning in the Box Office Tent in the Filmmakers Tent Village across the street from the Charles. Screenings do sell out, so purchase EARLY. If what you want to see is sold out, try something else- some of the best moments we hear about are those "surprise" screenings. - Question. How is this different than just going to a movie ? One of the best things about MFF screenings are the Q&As afterwards with filmmakers. These are fascinating people, and they come from all over the world. You will be hearing and reading about them in the national press as their work emerges in the marketplace; here's a chance to interact and get special insight in to their films. If you have other questions, call the MFF number- 410 752-8083. New this year- phone calls will be forwarded directly to the Box Office tent starting Friday morning. DO NOT CALL THE CHARLES. Just come down- it's fun. The Filmmaker Tent Village panels on Saturday and Sunday are FREE, and much of the on street parking is FREE, too. Many restaurants in the area are doing special MFF promotions, and places in the area like Metro Gallery are doing special MFF-related programming and activities.