By Christopher Bonet

IFC News

[Photo: "Rear Window," Paramount Picture, 1954 — screening as part of the Fashion in Film Festival]

Miami International Film Festival

Mar. 2-11

For early spring breakers hitting South Florida, the Miami International Film Festival might be a great time to check out Paul Verhoeven's latest film, "Black Book," or perhaps the Luc Bresson tribute. Regardless of what film is playing, the frostbitten IFC News team is jealous.

Pimps, Prostitutes and Pigs: Shohei Imamura's Japan

Mar. 2-29

2006 saw the loss of one of Japan's premier New Wave directors, as Shohei Imamura passed away at the age of 79. Often seen as the "anti-Ozu," Imamura rejected the middle-classicism of the celebrated 1950s Japanese filmmakers and instead focused on the portrayals of the downbeat and downtrodden of Japan's lower classes. Films to be screened in this series include "Vengeance is Mine," "Warm Water Under a Red Bridge" and "The Pornographers."

South by Southwest Festivals

Mar. 9-18

This popular interactive, film and music conference has been hitting Austin, TX every year since 1987, and we here at IFC News will descend upon the Texan town along with other journalists, industry types and cineastes everywhere. This year's festival will include panels with "Grindhouse" director Robert Rodriguez, "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane and mainstream/independent director Richard Linklater, and will feature the world premiere of Scott Frank's "The Lookout."

"Infernal Affairs": The Complete Trilogy

Mar. 9

Check out the original Hong Kong police thriller recently re-made by Martin Scorsese into 2006's Best Picture Oscar winner, "The Departed," at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in D.C. Also included in the screening of the original "Infernal Affairs" are the two sequels that followed, which each explore what happened before and after the events of the first film.

A Panel on "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

Mar. 15

As Matthew Broderick continues his career as one of the strongest stage actors in New York, we still think of his fondly as our favorite 80s teenager, Ferris Bueller. From a pre-nose job Jennifer Grey to an ever-quotable Ben Stein, John Hughes' "Ferris Bueller" remains as one of the smartest-written films in a decade most of us would rather forget. To celebrate the release of "Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes," a new collection of essays based on the works of John Hughes, the IFC Center will feature a panel discussion with the writers (of which there are many). Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Fashion in Film Festival

Mar. 17-25

The Museum of Moving Image in Queens presents this interesting collection of feature films, documentaries, video art, experimental films and newsreels that investigate how the art of fashion is presented through film. Films to be screened include Alfred Hitchcock's Anita Colby-inspired "Rear Window," the Howard Hawks silent satire "Fig Leaves" and a collection of newsreel and doc footage curated by fashion expert Marketa Uhlirova.

"Network," with special guest Sidney Lumet

Mar. 19

Legendary director Sidney Lumet ("The Wiz"!) will be on hand for this screening of his Oscar-nominated 1976 television satire "Network" at the Academy Theater in Beverly Hills.

"Live Free or Die" with Andy Robin

Mar. 22

Stamford, CT native and former "Seinfeld" writer Andy Robin directs his first independent feature, "Live Free or Die," about a ragtag group of criminals attempting to stage a heist in the Granite State. Robin will be on hand at the Avon Theatre in Stamford for a Q & A session after the film.

Lost & Found: "The Curse of Quon Gwon" and "Her Wild Oat"

Mar. 29

"The Curse of Quon Gwon," long thoughts of as a lost example of early Asian-American cinema, and "Her Wild Oat," an early Colleen Moore flapper comedy of the silent era, receive restoration treatments from the Academy and will screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Michael Mortilla will provide a live piano accompaniment at the screenings — swank!

The 9th Annual Method Fest Independent Film Festival

Mar. 29 - Apr 5

The only film festival solely dedicated to the art of acting, the Method Film Festival hits Calabassas, CA, for a week, showcasing independent features and shorts of actors embracing their inner Stanislavsky. Somewhere, Ryan Gosling is stoked.

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