Organizers of The Ann Arbor Film Festival aggressively defended their first amendment rights during an ACLU-sponsored fundraiser at The Michigan Theater Wednesday night. Pairing a movie-memorabilia silent auction with a screening of "This Film Is Not Yet Rated," the acclaimed documentary on the inner workings of the MPAA ratings board, the event sought to both promote artistic free speech and defend the AAFF's ability to remain a prominent showcase for avant-garde independent cinema.

The AAFF fundraiser was explicitly put together in response to the state's recent funding cut for the festival, a decision made on the grounds that some of the AAFF's entries breached content guidelines developed by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Those guidelines forbid desecration of the flag, depictions of sex acts and human waste on religious symbols. MCACA specifically accused the AAFF of violating its sex-depiction ban, and submitted a list of the offending films implicitly charged as pornography.

After a short reception of hors d'oeurves and Bell's beer, AAFF director Christen McArdle spoke briefly to chide Michigan lawmakers for their inflexibility toward the arts. McArdle notably didn't attempt to defend the public screening of pornography, instead demonstrating that the AAFF films weren't pornographic. A quick screening of two of the MCACA's named pieces followed her talk, each accompanied by a word from their director.

The first short, "Boobie Girl," an animation in the style of kindergarten stick figures, tells the story of a little girl who had always wanted an ample chest and finally ended up getting far more than she ever bargained for. It becomes difficult to move. She receives a lot of unwanted attention. Other kids start making fun of her: "I think she swallowed Dolly Parton," one little girl sniffs.

Having played at more than 80 festivals, "Boobie Girl" is a certified veteran of the film circuit, and director Brooke Keesling laughed off its new pornography label. Keesling had received a breast reduction herself, and considers the piece more a whimsical autobiography than anything else. She observed that audiences seemed to relate to its be-careful-what-you-wish-for theme and not just its bustline focus.

The second piece, titled "Chests," features two shirtless men chest-pumping one another in the manner of a touchdown dance for two straight minutes. While director Dolores Wilbur admitted the little film carries a sexual undertone, she clarified that the nudity and physicality themselves weren't enough for the label of pornography. "It's what you see when you watch wrestling," she pointed out.

Wilbur's pop-culture reference proved apt. When the latest sex-charged Fergie video can openly storm Internet and airwaves alike, how relevant is it to target an indie film forum for indecency?

And the AAFF is at the top of its class. McArdle touted the AAFF's international reputation as a fearless festival, and listed the various filmmakers and institutions (including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) who offered grants in the wake of the funding cut. The benefit's silent auction donations came from such cinema notables as director Sam Raimi and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Standing before an applauding theater, McArdle reiterated the importance of keeping the AAFF a safe haven for the avant-garde: "It's a place for film and art you can't see anywhere else."

At The Michigan Theater

Wednesday