From talking sock puppets to surfin’ safaris, a wide host of movies is being featured at this weekend’s Hardacre Film Festival in the eastern Iowa town of Tipton. Fest director Troy Peters says there are 24 films this year, including features, shorts, documentaries, student films, animation and foreign entries. Peters says tonight’s selection is “edgy” and includes the film “The Truth About Beef Jerky” which centers on a Ted Nugent-type character who shoots hippies and turns them into beef jerky. “Riding Giants” will show on Saturday night, a Sundance selection that captures the rich visual history of big-wave surfing. Peters says there are several other standouts that’ll hit the screen. “The Lady from Sockholm” is a feature-length sock puppet movie, apparently the first one ever made. Peters says it’s actually a high-quality film into which the director put a lot of effort with brilliant sets and lighting. The director will be in Tipton to introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards. Peters says about a half-dozen of this year’s movies are from Iowa directors, including “Caveman” by Max Allen Collins of Muscatine. Peters says the venue is unique. The festival takes place in the Hardacre Theatre in downtown Tipton, which was originally built as an operahouse in 1916. It’s still used as a movie theatre daily, in art deco style with an intact marquee. The first of five films goes on at 7 o’clock tonight, with the other 17 showing Saturday, starting at 9:30 AM. For more information, surf to “www.hardacrefilmfestival.com” or call (563) 886-2175.
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