Foxfire is a 1996 film based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang. It examines the coming of age of four high school girls who meet up with a mysterious and beautiful drifter.

Foxfire is narrated by Maddie Wirtz, a high school senior living a rather normal life in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. Maddie is in control of her life, with a boyfriend, and plans to go to art school. One day in science class, the students are watching the teacher Mr. Buttinger try to make Rita Faldes dissect a frog. A mysterious and beautiful leather jacket-clad "new student" stands up to Mr. Buttinger and releases Rita's frog. When Mr. Buttinger sentences them both to detention, the drifter reveals that she's not a new student after all, and escapes through the same window as the frog.

Later, in the girls' restroom, the drifter and some other girls are listening to Rita describe Mr. Buttinger's untoward advances. When the drifter says the only way to stop the teacher is to stick together, the only girls to stay are Rita, Violet, and Maddie. When detention time comes, Mr. Buttinger indeed begins his advances toward Rita, but is startled by Violet's entry. When Maddie and the drifter come in soon after, he realizes the situation is becoming serious. The girls confront the teacher about his abuse, and they become involved in a physical altercation, which ends when the ordinarily shy Rita slams his face against a lab bench and tells him "if you ever put your hands on me again, I'm gonna snip your little nuts off with my toenail clippers." At this point Goldie Goldberg walks in, and joins the assault by declaring "this is great; Buttinger is such a fuck." The girls run from the school and then decide to go home.

Foxfire, also sometimes referred to as "fairy fire", is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish green glow is attributed to luciferase, an oxidizing agent, which emits light as it reacts with luciferin. Although the purpose is unknown, it is widely believed that the light is meant to attract insects to spread its spores or act as a warning to hungry animals, similar to the bright colors exhibited by some species of animals. Although generally very dim, in some cases it can be bright enough to read by.

The oldest recorded documentation of foxfire was written by Aristotle in 382 B.C. His notes make a reference to a light that, unlike fire, was cold to the touch. The Roman thinker Pliny the Elder also mentioned glowing wood that appeared in olive groves. Although there are many more literary references to foxfire by early scientists and naturalists, the true cause was not discovered until 1823. The glow emitted from wooden support beams in mines was examined, and it was found that the luminescence was due to fungal growth.

Major releases this year included Swingers, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The Rock, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

U.S.A. unless stated

#

B

C

D

F

G

H

I

J

K

M

N-O

P-Q

S

T

U-V

W

1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year that started on a Monday. In the Gregorian calendar, it was the 1996th year of the Common Era or of Anno Domini; the 996th year of the 2nd millennium; the 96th year of the 20th century; and the 7th of the 1990s. The year 1996 was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty.

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects. The process of filmmaking has developed into an art form and industry.

Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an important art form, a source of popular entertainment and a powerful method for educating – or indoctrinating – citizens. The visual elements of cinema give motion pictures a universal power of communication. Some films have become popular worldwide attractions by using dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue into the language of the viewer.

Films are made up of a series of individual images called frames. When these images are shown rapidly in succession, a viewer has the illusion that motion is occurring. The viewer cannot see the flickering between frames due to an effect known as persistence of vision, whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed. Viewers perceive motion due to a psychological effect called beta movement.