Provincetown Film Society Names New Filmmaker in Residence

Filmmaker Michelle Boyaner was named the newest filmmaker in residence in the Provincetown Film Society’s Women Filmmaker’s Residency Program. At a reception earlier this month at the Land’s End Inn, Boyaner spoke of her great experience showing the documentary she directed about Edith Lake Wilkinson, Packed in a Trunk, at last year’s Provincetown International Film Festival. Her current project is a deeply personal one about caring for elderly parents, a process she is currently engaged in with her own family. The project is tentatively titled It’s Not a Burden: The Humor and Heartache of Raising Elderly Parents. The residency allows women filmmakers time and space to nurture their creativity, “whether they choose to work or not,” explains the organization’s CEO Christine Walker. Surrounded by the beauty of Provincetown and the support of the community here, Boyaner plans to take full advantage.

Local Chef Michele Ragussis Competes in New Reality Show

Central House restaurant chef Michele Ragussis will be appearing in a new reality television program called Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen. Ragussis, who competed in Food Network Star season eight, has been invited to compete with six other former contestants for a spot on the new season of that show. The Comeback competition is a three-episode series that premieres Sunday, May 8 at 8 p.m. on the Food Network. If Ragussis wins, she will appear on the Food Network Star 12th season, which premieres Sunday, May 22.
“You might see a little drama; there might be some drama,” Ragussis hints. “It’s actually a great show because it’s the first time they’ve done an all-stars [edition],” she adds. Ragussis competes with Penny Davidi (season 7); Matthew Grunwald (season 11); Martita Jara (season 8); Brianna Jenkins (season 6); Chris Kyler (season 10); and Dominick Tesoriero (season 11), and the show is co-hosted by Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence.
“It’s super fun,” Ragussis says. Asked what she’s taken from the experiences she’s had with Food Network Star, she says, “I’m extremely competitive and maybe a perfectionist. I’m realizing in my life I do have a little trouble letting people take control… I like my food to be exactly the way I want it to be.”
Fans can watch the May 8 premiere at 8 p.m. at a special viewing party at Central House at the Crown & Anchor, 247 Commercial St., Provincetown.