WEEKLY VOLCANO: YOUR DAILY GUIDE TO THE TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL >>>

The 2009 Tacoma Film Festival runs through Oct. 8 at seven Tacoma venues. Ticket prices and venue addresses are here.

Friday, Oct. 2

2 p.m., Grand Cinema: Hidden in Time, The Edge of Things

4:15 p.m., SOTA: 2095, Li Tong

4:15 p.m. Grand Cinema: Beware the Blobfest!, SLEDHEAD

5:45 p.m., FUMCOT: Freeing Silvia Baraldini

6 p.m., Blue Mouse Theatre: North Face

North Face
Directed by Philipp Stölzl
Adventure Drama (126 min.) â€" Germany, in German, French and Italian with English Subtitles

Based on a 1936 attempt by two Germans and two Austrians to be the first to scale the near-vertical Eiger North Face, the most dangerous, as yet unconquered rock face in the Alps, this grippingly staged mountain movie boasts plenty of white knuckle thrills. Pals and passionate climbers Toni Kurz (Benno Fürmann, Joyeux Noel) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas, Good Bye Lenin!)  have always dreamed of conquering the challenging climb. Being the first to scale the North Face would mean not only a longed-for boost in their social standing, but also Olympic gold.

6:30 p.m., Grand Cinema: Winning Isn’t Everything, Signs of the Time

Winning Isn’t Everything
Directed by Hap Kindem
Documentary (53 min)
Filmmaker in attendance
This documentary provides a behind-the-scenes look at the elite NCAA championship women’s soccer program at the University of North Carolina. This film questions what, aside from athletic skill, is behind their success. Featured are Mia Hamm, Heather O’Reilly, and Cindy Parlow. Nominated for Best Documetary & Best Director Feature Film at the Treasure Coast International Film Festival.

Signs of the Time
Directed by Don Casper
Documentary (60 min)
Where did baseball hand signals come from? In exploring this seemingly simple question, the feature-length documentary unveils stories of inspiration and controversy that transcend sports. Narrated by Richard Dreyfuss.

6:30 p.m., SOTA: Drama Shorts
Shark Out of Water, Land Gewinnen (Gaining Ground), Whitebread and Goatman, Arc of a Bird, True Beauty This Night, Fugue, Short Term 12

8:00 p.m., FUMCOT: Rocket, One Nation Under God

8:45 p.m., SOTA: My Name is Jerry

9 p.m., Grand Cinema: Two For One, Patsy

Friday Night After Hours Party
Tonight at 9 p.m. the Adriatic Grill hosts a party for festival attendees and filmmakers to meet and mingle with each other. The Adriatic Grill will serve a happy hour menu. Catch a cab to the Adriatic Grill from the Tacoma Film Festival and the Grand Cinema folks will reimburse your cab fare (only one-way reimbursement). You will need to pay for your ride home. There isn’t a cover charge. The Adriatic Grill is at 4201 S. Steele St. by the Tacoma Mall.

LINK: Tacoma Film Festival Web site

LINK: Full film descriptions

LINK: Weekly Volcano Tacoma Film Festival cover story