for the ARTS record

COURTESY KINGDON COUNTY PRODUCTIONS From left: Actors Chris Farmer and Kris Kristofferson, and writer/director Jay Craven.

"DISAPPEARANCES" AT ATHENEUM Vermont filmmaker Jay Craven will present his new independent feature film, "Disappearances," in a special screening at 7 p.m., this Friday, Oct. 26 at the Nantucket Atheneum. Writer/director Craven will introduce the film and lead post-screening discussion.

"Disappearances" tells a North Country tale of high-stakes whiskey-running along the Vermont- Canadian border. The film is based on the award-winning novel by Howard Frank Mosher and stars Kris Kristofferson in his first lead role in 20 years. The picture also features Academy Award nominee Genevieve Bujold ("King of Hearts," "Anne of a Thousand Days"), Gary Farmer ("Smoke Signals"), "William Sanderson" ("Deadwood"), Lothaire Bluteau ("Black Robe"), Luis Guzman ("Traffic") and 15 year-old Charlie McDermott in his debut role.

The Nantucket screening of "Disappearances" comes as part of the film's national United States release that Kingdom County Productions is managing to cities and towns including New York, Cambridge, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Boise, Denver, Dallas, Ithaca and many more. As with each of his films, "Disappearances" was shot in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom and northern New Hampshire.

"Disappearances" completes a film trilogy of what director Jay Craven calls, "Vermont frontier films" that includes "Where the Rivers Flow North" (starring Rip Torn, Tantoo Cardinal, Michael J. Fox) and "A Stranger in the Kingdom" (starring David Lansbury, Enrie Hudson, Martin Sheen).

Set during Prohibition, the film tells the story of Quebec Bill Bonhomme (Kristofferson), an impossible dreamer and schemer who needs fast cash after a freak lightning storm destroys his barn. Despite forebodings from his skeptical and mystical sister, Cordelia (Bujold), Quebec Bill hatches a plan to steal 20 cases of liquor from feral Canadian whiskey pirate, Caracjou (Bluteau), and smuggle it back across the Vermont-Canadian border. He takes along his 15 year-old-son, Wild Bill (McDermott), his inscrutable brother-in-law (Farmer), and his cranky hired man (Sanderson). Together, they cross the border into Canadian wilderness - and a haunted and elusive past - for three unforgettable days "full of terror, full of wonder." What they find is the stuff of genuine legend. The film is rated PG-13.

"Disappearances" and Craven have been selected as one of eight U.S. films and 11 international films to travel to Asia, Africa and Latin America as part of the American Film Institute's (AFI) first-ever AFIProject 20/20 for 2007 international cultural exchange. Project 20/20 is co-sponsored by the AFI, The National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, The President's Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the U.S. State Department, the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.

For more information contact the Nantucket Athenaeum at 228-1110 or Kingdom County Productions at 802-592-3190 or visit www.kingdomcounty. com or www.DisappearancesMovie.com where a movie trailer is available.

FOUNDATION SEEKS OBJECTS, PHOTOS, STORIES In preparation for its exhibition to open in May 2008 at the Coffin School, the Egan Maritime Foundation is looking for the input of Nantucketers.

The exhibition will look in-depth at boat building on the island from the age of whaling through today and invites your ideas, your stories and your artifacts for possible inclusion in the exhibition for summer 2008, opening May 28, 2008.

As it has done with its previous exhibitions, the foundation will continue its path of opening doors to Nantucket's past and celebrating the island's maritime heritage. Contact Jascin Leonardo Finger, Curator at 228-2505, jfinger@eganmaritime.org or by mail at 4 Winter Street Nantucket, by Dec. 15, 2007 with your thoughts or ideas.

DRAKE ON THE SIREN CALL The Nantucket Historical Association presents Dan Drake, Nantucket Independent associate publisher, who will host "The Siren Call of Nantucket" at the popular Food for Thought Series on Thursday, Oct. 25, in the Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street, at noon. Free admission; bring your lunch.

Drake's family started summering here before he was born, and he began working as a summer child on Nantucket in the 1950s at Hardy's Paint & Tackle shop. After a busy professional career in America he moved to Nantucket full time with his wife in 2000. He is now happy to be back on the Little Grey Lady, bookending his livelihood as the associate publisher of The Nantucket Independent. His topic will focus on why someone who knows how awful the winter weather can be would actually want to move here full time!

On Nov. 1, the Food for Thought Series will continue with "Newspapers on Nantucket" hosted by Lee Rand Burne. Bring your lunch. Each talk begins at noon and is free to the public.

For additional information about the Brown-Bag Luncheon Series, please call 228-1894, ext. 0, or visit www.nha.org to view the full schedule.

NANTUCKET IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE

by 6-year-old Ariela Rosenzweig

The mist charms a Nantucket day
I feel the wind blowing through my hair
I step onto the porch swing
It's wet and soggy like everything around me
Nantucket is a beautiful island
I never want to leave here
I