Directed by Linas Phillips, "Walking to Werner" follows the filmmaker in the summer of 2005 as he walked from Seattle to the Los Angeles home of German director Werner Herzog, Phillips' inspiration The trek sought to honor Herzog's own pilgrimage in the winter of 1974, when he walked from Munich to Paris to see his dying friend, Lotte Eisner.

Other awards went to:

Special Jury Award: "The War Tapes," directed by Deborah Scranton

Best Documentary Short: "Jungle Remedy," directed by Kirk Jackson,.

Honorable Mention Short: "Lieve Monster," directed by Marco DeStafanis,

Best New England Film: "Independents Under Fire: The Battle for the American Bookstore," directed by Jacob Bricca.

Audience Choice Award: "Asparagus! (A Stalkumentary)," directed by Anne de Mare and Kirsten Kelly.

"The competition this year was the most intense to date," said Festival Director Michelle Fino. "There was such a range of subject matter and with that, a unique opportunity for not only the judges, but for the festival-goers to expose themselves to something completely new."

The festival's panel of judges featured David Kleiler, founder of Local Sights and Boston Underground Film Festival; Lois Smith, a legendary publicist and voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who lives on Plum Island; and Rick Smith, a professor in the film and communications department at the University of Rhode Island and former executive director of the Rhode Island Film Commission.

Former Port ballplayer relives youth in 'Chasing Buckner'

Former Newburyport resident Christoph Gelfand seeks to absolve first baseman Bill Buckner of sole responsibility for the Boston Red Sox's 1986 World Series loss to the New York Mets in his new short documentary film, "Chasing Buckner," which debuts this weekend at the sixth annual New Hampshire Film Expo in Portsmouth, N.H.

The 24-minute film produced by Gelfand will be screened with five other shorts on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Muddy River Smokehouse in Portsmouth.

Destined to be remembered as the goat of the 1986 World Series when the ball went through his legs, costing the Red Sox the game and the championship, Gelfand believes Buckner deserves a better fate. He interviews radio host Bill Littlefield and others, while also drawing on his own brushes with glory during his Little League career and subsequent futility at baseball to defend Buckner's name and prove that baseball isn't nearly as important as it seems.

"It's half about me and half about Buckner," said the 30-year-old Graham, who was 10 at the time of Buckner's ill-fated error. "It looks at failure in sports being inevitable, just as failure as a human being is inevitable. You can't blame someone for their mistakes.

Gelfand is a 1994 graduate of The Waring School in Beverly and 1998 graduate of State University of New York, where he majored in film. He recently moved to Philadelphia from Brooklyn, N.Y., and runs his own film company, Poultry Productions.

"Chasing Buckner" is one of 67 short and feature-length films chosen for the New Hampshire Film Expo, which runs through Sunday. Gelfand's mother, Rebecca Wish Gelfand, who lives in Newburyport, will be among the family and friends accompanying her son to Sunday's premiere.

For more on the film, visit www.poultryproductions.com. For more on the festival, visit www.nhfx.com.

Port send-off for Making Strides walkers

Newburyport is once again preparing to send off a contingent of walkers for the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Sunday. Free transportation to the walk in Boston will leave from the Rupert A. Nock Middle School on Low Street in Newburyport.

Registration will begin at the Nock School at 7 a.m. Buses are scheduled to depart promptly at 7:45 a.m. The return buses will leave Boston at 12:30 p.m.

The event is expected to draw 50,000-plus walkers and raise more than $3 million in the fight against breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among woman, who have one in seven odds of developing it.

Newburyport's Ilene Harnch-Grady continues to chair the North Essex Unit of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The unit has raised more than $400,000 in the past 10 years. For details, to participate or to donate, call Harnch-Grady at 978-465-6860.

Odonata Community talking green architecture

The Odonata Community, an ecovillage community initiative that is seeking to develop in the Newburyport area, is hosting its first public presentation focused on green architecture on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Yoga Center of Newburyport, 12 Maple St., Newburyport.

Green architect Tullio Inglese, an environmental designer based in Amherst, will discuss his work developing projects that are environmentally responsible. Typically, Inglese's projects incorporate passive solar design, nontoxic materials, and other principles of ecological architecture that he has helped research and promote.

For more on the Odonata Community, visit www.OdonataVillage.org.

Families exploring 'Wetland Wonders'

"Wetland Wonders" is the focus of a Parent-Child Walkabout tomorrow from 1 to 3 p.m. presented by Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport.

Teacher-naturalist Lisa Hutchings and Mass Audubon volunteers will lead the outing, which starts with a brief introduction at the Joppa Flats Center at 1 Plum Island Turnpike and then continues with an trip to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island.

The program, which takes place rain or shine, will focus on the ecology, sights and sounds of a coastal habitat. Marine life, birds, collecting techniques and environmental awareness will be featured.

Another Parent-Child Walkabout, featuring a stroll of the Joppa Flats Sanctuary, takes place Saturday, Nov. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The cost for each program is $8 for Mass Audubon member adults and $10 for nonmembers, and for children is $6 for members and $8 for nonmembers. Enrollment is limited to 24 participants. Advance registration is required. Call 978-462-9998 or visit www.massaudubon.org.

Ham and beans at Neptune hall

A ham and bean supper takes place tomorrow from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Neptune VFA, 40 Hancock St., Newburyport.

Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12. All proceeds go to charity.

Spaghetti on menu at Merrimac Fire Station

A spaghetti supper hits the table Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Merrimac Fire Station on East Main Street.

The supper is sponsored by the Couplings. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children, with ages 6 and under invited for free.

Figure drawing classes at Yellow School

The Yellow School Center for the Arts in Byfield is holding its second in a series of three figure drawing classes on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.

"Undressed Art" features three nude models. Coordinated by John Monroe, the class draws its name from the Peter Steinhart book, "Undressed Art: Why We Draw." While most participants in the class draw, a few paint using watercolors and oils.

The final class in the series takes place Nov. 12.. Registration is required by calling the Yellow School at 7 Central St. at 978-499-7731, or visit www.yellowschool.org.

Filipino poets sharing verse from their homeland

Filipino poets Luisa Igloria and JosÉ Edmundo Ocampo Reyes share their native poetry at the Powow River Poets monthly reading next Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Newburyport Art Association, 65 Water St., Newburyport.

Igloria, an associate professor of English at Old Dominion University in Virginia, has published nine books of poetry, most recently "Trill & Mordent." She has also edited the anthology "Not Home, But Here: Writing From The Filipino Diaspora."

Originally from Baguio City in the Philippines, she moved to Chicago in 1992 as a Fulbright Fellow. Igloria has received several national and international literary awards, including the 2006 Stephen Dunn Award for Poetry, the first Sylvia Clare Brown Fellowship from the Ragdale Foundation this summer, and several Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature in the Philippines.

Reyes was born and raised in the Philippines, and holds degrees from Ateneo de Manila and Columbia universities. He was featured in the most recent New Writers issue of The Hudson Review, and his poems and translations have also appeared in several magazines and publications in the United States and Philippines.

Reyes is the recipient of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award and a two-time winner of the Der-Hovanessian Translation Prize.

Next week's reading is open free to the public. Visit www.newbuyportart.org or e-mail mcantor@prodigy.net.

Old-Time Radio Players up to old tricks

The Old-Time Radio Players of Seabrook return to Seabrook Library next Wednesday, Oct. 18, for an hour of nostalgia.

The group presents "Return Trip," a suspense episode that first aired in 1946 that is still spell-binding audiences 60 years later. The program will also feature "Liz's Radio Script," a Lucille Ball vehicle .

The Old-Time Radio Players give two performances, at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. Homemade snacks will be available at intermission.

The performances are sponsored by the Seabrook Library. Call 603-474-2044 or e-mail ocean@sealib.org for more.

Stage set for 'Christmas Carol' auditions

Auditions for Theater in the Open of Newburyport's holiday production of "The Christmas Carol" are set for next week at the Gatehouse, 1 Spring Lane, Newburyport.

Auditions will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 17 and 18 from 7 to 9 p.m. All ages are invited to try out, including adults ages 20 to 70.

"The Christmas Carol" will be staged Dec. 15 through 23 at the Firehouse Arts Center in Newburyport's Market Square. Call 978-465-2572 or visit www.theaterintheopen.org.

Musician Janis Ian looks back, ahead at Firehouse

Singer-songwriter Janis Ian looks back on her career when she performs next Thursday, Oct. 19 at Newburyport's Firehouse Arts Center.

After enjoying a successful music career in the 1960s and '70s, Ian is back on the scene with her first all-original recording in 25 years, "Folk is the New Black."

The CD is being called a benchmark effort in a career that has spanned more than 40 years. Her new music is filled with satiric wit, edgy humor and inspiration.

Ian, who left home at 15, wrote and sang her first hit single, "Society's Child," which told the story of an interracial romance forbidden by the narrator's mother and frowned upon by her peers. Although it was banned from play lists, it became a national hit and reached number 14 on Billboard's Hot 100.

"At Seventeen," a bittersweet commentary on adolescent cruelty and teenage angst released in 1975, was her most successful single, capturing Billboard's number three spot. She was nominated for a Grammy for her work on the soundtrack of the Jodie Foster film, "Foxes.

Ian's 2006 tour will take her through the United States, Canada, and all over Europe and Japan, with plans to return to Singapore and Australia at some point.

Next week's Firehouse concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30, with a $2 discount for Firehouse members. Call 978-462-7336, or visit www.firehouse.org.

Port suffragist focus of historical talk

Meet Ann Withington, a Newburyport woman who was a leader in the Massachusetts suffrage movement, in a program next week at the Cushing House Museum, 98 High St., Newburyport. Elizabeth Petty, a member of the Historical Society of Old Newbury, will chronicle Withington's life in a lecture on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.

Withington (1868-1933) was an extensive traveler who devoted her life to radical social and political movements of her time. Her organizing skills and writing talent were evident during the 1914 and 1915 campaigns to obtain the vote for women in Massachusetts.

She was also a founding member of the Political Equity Union in 1912, and she worked with trade unionists in Lawrence, Gloucester, and Haverhill starting in the early 1900s. She championed for fair wages and better working conditions for women and children and for the education of immigrant laborers in Massachusetts.

Petty will provide a glimpse at life at the turn of the 20th century and illustrating the impact Withington had on life today.

Admission is $8. Members of the Historical Society are invited for free. The society's lecture series is sponsored by The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank. Proceeds support the historical society and the Cushing House Museum.

Reservations are requested by calling 978-462-2681. Visit http://www.newburyhist.com for more.

Georgetown singer is Hometown American Idol

Georgetown's Jenney Dale Richards won over the judges and audiences to be crowned the first Hometown American Idol earlier this month at the Yellow School Center for the Arts in Byfield. Jenney claimed the $500 first prize for her performance of "Cabaret."

Matthew Kotowski of Rowley won second place and $250 for his medley of Billy Joel songs, including "She's Got a Way." Matthew accompanied himself on keyboard and occasionally mixed in the harmonica.

Alec Harrison of Rowley finished third for his rendition of "She's Risin," an original song by the singer and keyboardist. He won $150.

The judges were musician, producer, teacher, and recording artist EJ Ouellette of Pine Island Music Resource in Newbury; Fontaine Dubus, artistic director of Newburyport's Exit Dance Theatre; and Jim Kawski, a musician and patron of the arts. But the audience cast the deciding vote.

The event was a co-production of the Greater Georgetown Rotary and the Yellow School.

Buddhism talk at Newburyport Library

The Portsmouth, N.H., District Nichiren Buddhism Group is holding an introductory meeting next Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Newburyport Public Library, 94 State St.

Members of the group will present the basics of the practice. There will be time for questions and answers. Nichiren Buddhism is a Buddhist practice based on chanting that promotes world peace and individual happiness.

Call Johanna Rossi at 978-465-7043 for more.

Keeping watch for owls and fall migrants

Newburyport Birders focuses on owls and a bird-watching primer in two programs next weekend.

A saw-whet owl natural history program takes place next Saturday, Oct. 21 from 6 p.m. at Lookout Rock in Northbridge. Participants will learn all aspects of the saw-whet owl's life in the banding program, which is being offered in conjunction with Strickland Wheelock and his volunteer staff at Lookout Rock, an owl research station along the Blackstone River. The group will observe owls as they are banded, measured, and weighed, and listen for the call of the saw-whet owl.

The cost is $30, which will be donated to the owl research project. Attendees will meet at the Lookout Rock parking area. Enrollment is limited and registration is required. E-mail Sue McGrath at newburyportbirders@comcast.net or call 978-462-4785.

Also next weekend, Newburyport Birders offers a two-part "Introduction to Birdwatching." The lecture takes place Saturday, Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon, with an outing planned for Sunday, Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon.

McGrath will help new birders learn how to watch birds. Bird behavior, bird identification techniques, habitat preference and bird vocalization will be covered. The outing will involve walking over primarily gentle terrain at a slow pace.

To learn more and register, visit www.newburyportbirders.com or call North Shore Community College at 978-762-4000.

A sleep-over at historic Newbury farm

Step back into the 17th century with Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury as it throws its first "All Night at the Farm." Families are invited for a fun-filled overnight experience on Friday, Oct. 27.

Guests will arrive at 4 p.m. and follow farm routines and traditions passed down for generations, from helping put the animals to bed to enjoying stories by the fire. Activities will center on farm life through the centuries, and will include flashlight tours, treasure hunts, and entertaining performers.

Fall asleep in the upper chamber of the 17h century manor house, where you will sleep in a bedroll (or a sleeping bag will do), just as children did for centuries. Adults may bring air mattresses or pads. Or opt to sleep under the stars or in the Visitor Center.

Wake up to a traditional flapjack breakfast, help with the morning chores, and head for home and the 21st century at 10 a.m. A bedtime snack and breakfast will be provided. Bring your own picnic dinner or reserve one at the farm.

The cost is $26, or $19 for members of Historic New England. Reservations are required by calling 978-462-2634.

Port Lions thinking sight on Fright Night

The Newburyport Lions and Leos clubs will be trick-or-treating for used eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses in Newburyport this Halloween. Members of the club will be going door-to-door on Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Eyeglasses can also be dropped off at the Newburyport Public Library, the U.S. Post Office, Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank branches, Watts Eye Associates, and Appleton Eye Associates.

Used glasses provide assistance to patients in third-world countries who would otherwise go without services. Visit www.lionsclubs.org. To volunteer with the eyeglass collection or for more details, call 978-463-3746.

Amesbury arts center planning its premiere

The new Millyard Center for the Arts in the upper Millyard in Amesbury is seeking artists to participate in its debut exhibit in December.

Painting, photography, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, fine crafts, jewelry and pottery may be entered. The show, which will run Dec. 8 through 10, is open to artists from throughout the region.

Entry forms are due by Nov. 13. For details, call Meg Lustig at 978-887-9835 or e-mail meglustig@comcast.net.

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