Film noir calls to mind hazy streets, low-key lighting, world-weary and oftentimes morally ambiguous antiheroes, cigarette-smoking femme fatales, and a pervasive sense of gloom. Classic film noir arose in the period during and after World War II, and reflected the tensions and insecurities of the time while offering a bleak but gratifying alternative to the saccharine optimism of Hollywood musicals and comedies. The Studio@620 spotlights this dark style of filmmaking during Film Noir Festival: Shadow Over the Sunshine City. The second annual event kicks off Friday evening with a gala party and opening of The Reluctant Sitters, an exhibit of early 20th-century mugshots paired with contemporary DVD mugshot-like portraits presented in combination with the fest. Afterwards, guests enjoy a screening of Stanley Kubrick's early noir classic, The Killing, about a recently released con whose plans for the perfect heist run awry. For a complete schedule of upcoming screenings, visit studioat620.org. Feb. 9-16, 7 p.m. festival gala and exhibit opening, 8 p.m. screening Fri., Feb. 9, 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg, $7 per film (two for $10), 727-895-5520.
This article appears in Feb 7-13, 2007.