Moore's Traverse City film fest a hit

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The film festival started by filmmaker Michael Moore last year in Traverse City, Mich., expects to sell 75,000 tickets to screenings at three venues this year.

Film lovers waited for more than an hour to see Monday's opening night screening of "Pittsburgh" in Upper Michigan's resort city. A short by a 10-year-old filmmaker introduced the main attraction, which was followed by a talk led by "Pittsburgh's" director Chris Bradley, the Detroit Free Press reported.

"Watching all this happen is one of the coolest things in my life," Moore said and that the event's popularity was "beyond anyone's wildest expectations."

Moore, who has produced several social commentary documentaries, including "Roger and Me" and "Fahrenheit 9/11," said the box office had taken in $250,000 so far. Between 70 and 75 of the 88 screenings were sold out, Moore told the Free Press.

The event finishes Sunday with a showing of Woody Allen's comedy "Scoop."

Next year, the festival plans to expand to 10 days and into two additional venues, the newspaper said.

"People are going to see movies from Italy and France and Slovakia at 9 a.m. and then hanging around to talk about them afterward," Moore said.