This year’s tenth anniversary edition of Mammoth Lakes Film Festival (MLFF) taking place in-person from May 22-26, 2024, at venues across Mammoth Lakes, California, opens on May 22 with the California Premiere of Never Look Away, directed by Lucy Lawless.
In Never Look Away, a swashbuckling CNN combat camerawoman, Margaret Moth, risks it all to put the viewer inside the conflict, but when a fateful injury gets in the way of her appetite for danger and adrenaline, Moth must find the strength to carry on.
The closing night on May 26 will feature Black Box Diaries directed by Shiori Ito. Journalist Ito investigates her own sexual assault, seeking to prosecute the high-profile offender, and her quest becomes a landmark case, exposing Japan’s outdated judicial and societal systems.
“We are thrilled to present such bold and impactful films for this year’s festival. At a time when human life seems to be in a fragile state, we are proud of our filmmakers who saw and experienced challenges and chose to do something in a brave and determined way,” said Festival Director Shira Dubrovner, “telling stories that demand change in our world; making films that inspire audiences to take action. This year’s lineup is a showcase of activism at its highest level.”
Director of Programming Paul Sbrizzi added, “Our opening and closing movies are both powerful stories about women who committed 100% to fight for agency over their work and their own bodies. The festival program as a whole spans widely across genres and styles, from dramas to comedies to non-fiction to art for art’s sake, showcasing a carousel of inspired and groundbreaking work.”
The festival will also feature a Short Films Program of 38 Narrative Shorts, 20 documentary shorts and 10 animation shorts, as well as a program of music videos and a screenplay competition.
MLFF jurors include: Allison Amon (EP, Superconductor), Ronald Bae (Filmmaker), Kimberley Browning (Programmer, Tribeca), Shaun Hill (Indican Pictures), Oded Horowitz (Greenwich Entertainment), David Massey (Filmmaker), Alex Mechanik (Co-Screenwriter, May December), Tim Moore (Producer, American Sniper), Kevin Ondarza (Filmmaker), Jacques Thelemaque (Filmmaker, Founder of Filmmakers Alliance). Over $40,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to this year’s films and screenplays in competition, in eleven categories. Winners will be announced on May 26 at the Awards Ceremony.
The MLFF feature film line-up is as follows:
Core Competitions
North American Narrative Features:
All I’ve Got and Then Some (USA) – Rasheed, a homeless stand-up comedian living out of his car in Los Angeles, does everything he can to make each day the best day of his life, one day closer to accomplishing his dream. Directed and written by Tehben Dean and Rasheed Stephens.
Atikamekw Suns (Canada) – A documentary/fiction hybrid about the coverup of a crime against a Native American family, freely inspired by the dreams, impressions, and memories of the victims’ loved ones. Directed and written by Chloé Leriche.
Psykhodrame (USA) – A group of out-of-work actor friends take a trip to revitalize their friendships and work on Chekhov scenes, but the scenes take on a life and power of their own, revealing secrets and repressed memories in a fractured and dreamlike psychodrama. Directed and written by Miles Blim. World Premiere
The Last Night in the Life of Death (USA) – Every night, Death comes to take care of people who move on from here to forever. But this night – tonight – something has changed, and Death is confronted with the possibility that there is no longer any use for his kind. Directed and written by Isaiah Brody. World Premiere
International Narrative Features:
Brando with a Glass Eye (Greece) – Athens, Greece. A method actor commits a heist that goes wrong. He befriends the critically injured victim and tries to reconcile his guilt before his one shot audition in New York. Directed and written by Antonis Tsonis. West Coast Premiere
The Complex Forms (Italy) – There is an ancient villa where desperate people have the opportunity to revive their fortunes by selling their bodies to mysterious entities in exchange of money. When huge, ancient creatures emerge from the deep woods surrounding the villa, three men band together for a desperate escape. Directed and written by Fabio D’Orta. West Coast Premiere
Cu Li Never Cries (Vietman) –A woman clings to fading links to her past after inheriting a pygmy slow loris from her long-estranged husband; meanwhile, her niece prepares for marriage and the young couple ponder an uncertain future together. The present and the complex echoes of Vietnamese history intertwine with a contemplative and poetic perspective. Directed and written by Phạm Ngọc Lân. West Coast Premiere
Offal Broth (United Kingdom) – Anne and Daniel spend their lives pushing each other’s limits: testing how much the other cares – no matter how it affects those around them. However, when Anne goes too far and Daniel’s mother makes plans for him to move out, they must find ways to stay together for as long as possible, escalating to toxic new heights. Directed and written by Nicholas Tuck. North American Premiere
Documentary Features:
Inheritance (USA) – Curtis, a bright and hopeful boy, grows up surrounded by love and struggle while all the adults in his family – parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins – battle addiction. Curtis’ America is a place where people and communities are struggling with an epidemic of substance use disorder, joblessness and a deteriorating sense of belonging. Shot over the course of 11 years. Directed by Matt Moyer & Amy Toensing. West Coast Premiere
Mediha (USA) – Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl who has recently returned from ISIS captivity, turns her camera on herself to process her trauma while rescuers search for her missing family members. This is the story of the Yazidi Genocide and its aftermath, shown through the lens of one young survivor as she confronts her past through personal video-diaries, reclaiming her voice and stepping bravely towards the future. Directed by Hasan Oswald. West Coast Premiere
Punishment (Norway) – Four inmates have chosen to enter a three-week Jesuit silent retreat within a maximum security prison. They are guided by two priests. The film slowly observes this paradoxical situation, while looking beyond the question of religious belief. How do ethical exercises, rituals and communal silence affect us? The film evolves into a prism for gauging the existential landscape of the convicted. Directed by Øystein Mamen. West Coast Premiere
The Other Profile (France, DR Congo) – Filmmaker Armel Hostiou discovers he has a second Facebook account: a fake Armel who has real photos of him and many female friends, all of whom live in Kinshasa. Fake Armel invites them to audition for his next film, which is supposedly set in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Faced with the impossibility of closing this account, the filmmaker decides to go looking for his double. Directed and written by Armel Hostiou. West Coast Premiere
The Winter Threshold (Iran) – In Iran, a mother’s unyielding love for her son transforms into a powerful journey of self-discovery as Mahsa navigates unexpected challenges, revealing not only her dedication to Kasra’s education but also the haunting truth about her own marriage. Directed by Soudabeh Beizaei. International Premiere
Spotlight Presentations:
Black Box Diaries (USA, United Kingdom, Japan) – Journalist Shiori Ito investigates her own sexual assault, seeking to prosecute the high-profile offender. Her quest becomes a landmark case, exposing Japan’s outdated judicial and societal systems. Directed by Shiori Ito.
Never Look Away (New Zealand) – Swashbuckling CNN combat camerawoman Margaret Moth risks it all to put the viewer inside the conflict, but when a fateful injury gets in the way of her appetite for danger and adrenaline, Moth must find the strength to carry on. Directed by Lucy Lawless. California Premiere
Union (USA) – A group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island challenges one of the world’s largest companies in a historic unionization battle. Directed by Brett Story and Stephen Maing.
Welcome Filmmakers! (USA) – In the not-too-distant future/parallel universe/dream, Guy finds himself at a film festival for a movie that may or may not exist, that he has allegedly made. A paranoid and disorienting quest for identity leads him into a world of V.R. video games, underground raves, and other-worldly entities. Reality unravels leaving nothing behind, but that’s fine. Directed by Noel David Taylor. World Premiere
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