Up close and personal by MATTHEW HAYS For my money, the best kind of film book remains the interview anthology, in which filmmakers are allowed to discuss their craft and philosophies in their own words. As these books go, there are the truly great ones (think Hitchcock/Truffaut) and the not so great. Local film guru and Concordia film studies prof Mario Falsetto has launched his latest book, Personal Visions: Conversations with Contemporary Film Directors (Silman-James Press, $19.95) and the book lands firmly in the former category. Falsetto speaks with a broad cross-section of directors, from Tom DiCillo (Living in Oblivion) to Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George, The Object of My Affection) to Alan Rudolph (Trouble in Mind, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle) to Lynne Stopkewich (Kissed, Suspicious River). Falsetto hits all the right notes with his interviews, getting his subjects to discuss their personal backgrounds as well as their professional visions. For aficionados of indie cinema, Personal Visions gets the highest rating. I strongly recommend panic buying. In other news concerning Italian film types, a selection of five early shorts by Martin Scorsese will screen this week at Cinéma du Parc (see repertory listings for showtimes). This man is arguably the greatest living American filmmaker, and having caught a couple of these early works, they undoubtedly constitute a rare treat. Particularly wonderful is ItalianAmerican, his documentary about his parents, who are truly dear. Scorsese also profiles his buddy Steven Prince in the bittersweet doc American Boy. This film first screened at the New York Film Fest in '78, but because of a newspaper strike, never got reviewed, effectively burying it. The Parc viewing makes for a very rare opportunity to catch it. Essential viewing for any self-respecting film buff. NFB veteran Colin Low, who has worked on such noteworthy entries as Corral, Universe (a film Stanley Kubrick cited as an influence on 2001: A Space Odyssey), City of Gold and The Romance of Transportation in Canada, will be toasted with two screenings this Friday (Nov. 10) and Saturday (Nov. 11). His latest film, the autobiographical Moving Pictures, will screen as part of the event. Showing on Friday night is The Hutterites, his fascinating '64 look at life inside one of the insular communities, Children of Fogo Island, his doc on the rather grim lives of some townsfolk on a Newfoundland island, and his poetic and lyrical Corral. The screenings are at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. nightly; Low will be present at both Friday night screenings and he has numerous entertaining tales to tell about life in the moviemaking trenches. Be sure to check out the final weekend of Cinemania, Montreal's only film fest dedicated to French films with English subtitles. The fest closes this Sunday, Nov. 12. Info: www.cinemaniafilmfestival.com or phone 878-0082. COMMENTS: mhays@mtl-mirror.com