“Wiener Take All: A Dogumentary” was the undisputed hit of this year’s Tacoma Film Festival, with two sold-out shows and a third, added, screening playing to a half-full auditorium at the Grand Cinema on Tuesday night. Nothing else in the weeklong event came close, said the Grand’s executive director, Philip Cowan.

The second most popular picture was the opening night film, “On Paper Wings.” It was a documentary about a little-known World War II episode in which the Japanese military tried to attack the U.S. with bombs attached to large paper balloons.

A program of comedy shorts attracted the third-largest audience of the fest, and a documentary titled “Crawford,” about the small town near President Bush’s Texas ranch, came in fourth. Another shorts program, this one made up of mini drama, was the fifth most popular offering.

Cowan said total festival attendance was around 1,700, a figure close to the number of tickets sold last year.

The festival wraps up Thursday with a 6:30 p.m. gala awards banquet at the Temple Theater, 47 St. Helens Ave. Awards will be handed out to films in four categories: documentary, local film, short and audience favorite.

Trinda Love, "Garbage Day on Court C."

Impromptu Gallery is holding an ekphrastic poetry contest--and you're invited.

Okay, I'm admitting it--I just had to look up "ekphrastic." I like writing poetry, so it seems a useful word to know, plus it might come in handy during the upcoming Kings Books spelling bee. So: the meaning is, a graphic description of a visual work of art. (It's from the Greek, to 'speak out.')

In other words, poetry interpreting art.

For the first two weeks of October, you're all invited to visit Impromptu and gaze at the art, writing down your thoughts in lines of poetry. All poems submitted by Oct. 12 will be juried by UWT associate professor and award-winning poet Philip Heldrich, with prizes including the winning $100. (Now that's incentive for you.)

The featured artist this month is Trinda Love (see above), who does thick impasto oils in a sort of Van Gogh style, but venturing past fields and stars into city streets and bottle-filled parks.

Here are the contest details:
Length: 50 lines or less
Format: Two copies of poem, one with all contact information at top left of page plus title of poem, artwork and artist; another copy for judging with titles but WITHOUT contact info.
Deadline: midnight Oct. 12, either hard copy at gallery or Word doc to poetry@grandimpromptugallery.com
Finalists posted: Oct. 20 at grandimpromptugallery.com
Fee: $5 for one poem, $1 for each additional poem, maximum three poems
Location: 608 S. Fawcett St., Tacoma (next to The Grand Cinema)
Finalist Reading: top 15 finalists will read their work at gallery reception 4-5:60 p.m. Oct. 25, being videotaped for web streaming and DVD (free for entrants.) Selected poems will be published and posted to grandimpromptugallery.com
Gallery hours: noon-4 p.m. Oct. 10, 4-9 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays, 2-9 p.m. Saturdays, 2-6 p.m. Sundays
Information: 253- 539-1551, trinda.love@grandimpromptugallery.com