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The Reel Stuff Film Festival of Aviation begins March 12 at Sinclair’s Smith Auditorium.
The second annual Reel Stuff Film Festival of Aviation begins on Thursday, March 12. The film festival, presented by the National Aviation Hall of Fame, runs until March 15 and includes 13 screenings of aviation-based films at four different locations in the Dayton area, including Sinclair Community College, the Engineers Club of Dayton, the Victoria Theatre and the Dayton Convention Center.
“We’re showing a mix of films that haven’t been seen yet and we’re showing classics that people will recognize,” said National Aviation Hall of Fame Executive Director Ron Caplan.
The national film festival opens with 1944’s “Memphis Belle” at 9:30 a.m. in the Smith Auditorium located in Building 12. Other films shown in the Smith Auditorim include 2009’s “Barnstorming” and 2007’s “The Wonder of it All.” All screenings cost $10 per person. Caplan said the festival’s number one goal is to raise money for the Hall of Fame.
Caplan said Walt Davis, Sinclair’s Aviation Department chair, encouraged him to reach out to the school to land a portion of the festival at Sinclair.
“We hoped that Sinclair aviation students would have easy access to see some of these films,” Caplan said.
Each the 13 films will be presented by a person in direct connection with the film or the subject.
“We don’t show anything unless we have somebody to introduce the movie and talk about it,” Caplan said. “It’s a great opportunity if you’re looking to get into film production to talk to people who are obviously directly involved.”
“This gives the Hall of Fame a chance to come into downtown and share a little bit about our mission and at the same time offer an arts related event for the community,” Caplan said.
The National Aviation Hall of Fame, located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force was established in 1962. The first of the 199 members enshrined were Dayton’s own, Wilber and Orville Wright.
“The Hall of Fame is to aviation what Cooperstown is to baseball,” Caplan said. “We honor the people side of aviation and air and space advancement.”
Caplan hopes the event continues to build and gain interest.
“We hope it grows for many years,” he said. “I’d like to see the community support grow for the festival because I do think it’s a valuable edition to the arts community. It’s a great way to bring some positive attention to the region.”
Film times and locations for the Real Stuff Film Festival of Aviation
- Memphis Belle (1944), 9:30 a.m. SCC, Smith Auditorium
- Barnstorming (2009), 11 a.m. SCC, Smith Auditorium
- The Wonder of it All (2007), 2:30 p.m. SCC, Smith Auditorium
- “Opening Night of the Stars” Reception (1958), 6 p.m. Engineers Club of Dayton
- Captain Eddie (1945), 10 a.m. Victoria Theatre
- Twelve O’Clock High (1949), 1:30 p.m. Victoria Theatre
- Strategic Air Command (1955), 7 p.m. Victoria Theatre
- Memphis Belle (1990), 10 a.m. Dayton Convention Center Theatre
- We Were Soldiers (2002), 1:30 p.m. Dayton Convention Center Theatre
- The Pilot (1980), 5:30 p.m. Dayton Convention Center Theatre
- The Fly Boys (2008), 10 a.m. Dayton Convention Center Theatre
- Der Rote Baron (2008), 1:30 p.m. Dayton Convention Center Theatre
- Always (1989), 5:30 p.m. Dayton Convention Center Theatre