PORT TOWNSEND — In accordance with what has become a Port Townsend Film Festival tradition, special guest Buck Henry made his first public appearance in front of a group of high school students.
Henry, 80 — a writer, director and actor — is the special guest for the festival that began Friday and ends today.
Seventy movies were scheduled for screening on screens throughout Port Townsend over the three days of the 12th annual celebration — and there’s a full day’s lineup today, with screenings from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Henry spoke informally to a group of about 40 students in the Port Townsend High School Library on Friday, telling stories about his career as an actor, writer and director.
He was interviewed by Seattle film critic Robert Horton, often eliciting laughter with grumpy answers.
“So do you want to wrap things up by telling us what you are working on next?” Horton asked at the interview’s end.
“No, absolutely not,” Henry said.
“I never talk about what I am working on because I won’t be working on it next week.”
While Henry is perhaps best-known for his screenplays for “The Graduate” and “Catch: 22” and for a series of appearances on “Saturday Night Live,” high school students might recognize him as Tina Fey’s father on “30 Rock.”
Henry said he has had no desire to work on “Saturday Night Live” since 1980, the last time he hosted the show, since it was the last time the original cast worked together.
He doesn’t watch the show regularly but feels it has squandered the opportunity to produce political satire.
“When I was on the show, ‘Weekend Update’ was my favorite,” he said.
“Now, they don’t do satire; they just write jokes.
Henry said SNL occasionally hits the mark, such as when Fey and Amy Pohler portrayed Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, respectively.
“There is a great opportunity to do political satire today because we are surrounded by political garbage who are running, or trying to run, the country,” he said.
“When Tina Fey and that other girl do our two leading female politicians, it’s well worth watching because no one else is doing it,” he added.
Henry took questions from Horton and the students, spicing up the answers with anecdotes from his 50-year career.
The answers were often circuitous, and he would end his discourse by saying, “I’m sorry. I forgot the question.”
This happened several times, with the questioner always responding, “That’s OK. You answered it.”
Henry shared his first feature film directing job with Warren Beatty on 1978’s “Heaven Can Wait.”
Beatty had cast Julie Christie in the lead female role.
The two had broken up acrimoniously.
Henry said one of his duties was to act as intermediary between Beatty and Christie, and one day, Beatty asked Henry to ask Christie to look directly into Beatty’s eyes during a scene.
“There is this scene where the two are walking through this lovely area with gorgeous trees doing the traditional ‘love walk,’ which was visual but with no sound,” he said.
“The sound guy had miked them in case anything interesting happened, and you could hear her say, ‘How can you do this s–t year after year? There are people who are making important films, and you are doing this crap,’ all the while smiling and looking in his eyes like I told her to.”
Henry, asked to compare acting, writing and directing, said acting is the only one of the three pursuits he actually enjoys.
“I worked on a movie over the summer where I did some acting and participated in directing,” said student Kristin Mounts.
“Can you tell me what was more difficult?” she asked.
“Being a director is horrendous work because it requires you to get up early and answer questions,” Henry said.
“You work all morning and then break for lunch and eat while you watch the morning’s rushes, and then you go back to work where people ask you even more questions,” he said.
“How were you involved with directing?” Henry asked Mounts.
“I was a gopher, which meant I ran and got people drinks,” Mounts said.
“But when you say ‘participate in,’ it sounds much cooler,” she added.
“Well, you convinced me,” Henry said. “I was about to hire you.”
Henry participated in an outdoor interview Saturday afternoon.
“Taking Off,” a 1971 movie that Henry starred in, was screened Saturday night.
He is scheduled to appear at 3 p.m. today at the Rose Theatre, 235 Taylor St., to speak about his screen-writing career during “An Afternoon with a Scribe.”
Interviews with filmmakers, actors and other guest will begin at 11 a.m. today on Taylor Street.
A “Panel for Filmmakers,” focused on the finances of the craft, will begin at 11:30 a.m. today at The Upstage Restaurant, 923 Washington St.
The panels are free for pass-holders, $5 for the general public and free for students with school identification.
The winners of the festival will be screened today after being announced late Saturday night at a gala that began at 9:30 p.m. at the Northwest Maritime Center.
The best documentary will be shown at 6 p.m. at the Peter Simpson Free Cinema in the American Legion, 209 Monroe St.
The Best Narrative Film will be shown at 6:30 p.m. at the Uptown Theatre, 1120 Lawrence St.
During the festival, films are shown at the Uptown Theatre at Lawrence and Polk streets, the Pope Marine Park Theater at Madison and Water streets, the Rose Theater and Rosebud Cinema, and The Upstage Restaurant and Theatre at 923 Washington St., as well as offered for free at the Peter Simpson Free Cinema and the Taylor Street Outdoor Cinema.
Tonight’s outdoor movie will be “Moonstruck” at 7:30 p.m.
It will be preceded by a 6:45 p.m. pre-show “surprise” with Joey Pippia.
Passes are available online at www.ptfilmfest.com — which also contains a full program of films and events — and at the hospitality center, 607 Water St., which will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.
Rush tickets are $10 each and sold on a first-come, first-served basis at each venue.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.