Oxford Film Festival

  • 2018 Oxford Film Festival Winners – THE DRAWER BOY and THE ORGANIZER Win Top Awards

    [caption id="attachment_26962" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]THE DRAWER BOY THE DRAWER BOY[/caption] The 2018 Oxford Film Festival celebrated the best of the fest with an entertaining awards ceremony emceed by Crooked Marquee’s Eric D. Snider, and handed out Hoka awards to Arturo Perez Torres and Aviva Armour-Ostroff’s THE DRAWER BOY for Best Narrative Feature, Nick Taylor’s THE ORGANIZER for Best Documentary Feature, Itako’s BOYS FOR SALE for Best LGBTQ Feature, and the presentation of the Lisa Blount Memorial Acting Award to Catherine Eaton for her performance in THE SOUNDING. Jeff Dennis’s THE PROCESS: THE WAY OF PABLO SIERRA won the Hoka Award for Best Mississippi Feature Film, and Sacha Jenkins’s WORD IS BOND took the top prize for Best Music Documentary. Receiving “Special Recognition” in the Narrative Feature Film Category were Catherine Eaton for her film THE SOUNDING with Astin Rocks receiving the same in the Mississippi Films Category for her film LOVE SOLILOQUY: A VISUAL ALBUM. Also cited in the documentary film category was a Special Jury Mention for “Creative Storytelling” to Aaron and Amanda Kopp for their documentary, LIYANA. A special Editing Award was presented to director Mark Potts for the film, COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE. The Pat Rasberry Emerging Mississippi Filmmaker Award was given to Kelly Buckholdt (TRUTH RISES). The Alice Guy-Blaché Emerging Female Filmmaker Award (and check for $1000 from the Louis M. Rabinowitz Foundation) went to Amanda Kopp, who co-directed the documentary LIYANA with her husband Aaron Kopp. In the Short Film category, Best Narrative Short went to Clark Duke’s HOME, with a Special Jury Prize for “Creative Vision” going to Alejandro Damiani’s M.A.M.O.N. (MONITOR AGAINST MEXICANS OVER NATIONWIDE), and an “Honorable Mention” going to Jessee Kreitzer’s BLACK CANARIES. The winner of the Hoka for Best Documentary Short was Peter Byck’s ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BEATING HEARTS. A Special Jury Prize for “Personal Vision” went to Daniel Robin’s ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN, with an “Honorable Mention” given to Dana Nachman‘s WASHED AWAY. Nathan Willis’s COWGIRL UP was named Best Mississippi Short Film, with E.J. Carter’s TRUTH RISES receiving a Special Jury Prize for “Filmmaker to Watch,” and David Ross’s HAND MADE getting a “Honorable Mention” Vincent Jude Chaney’s music video for “Manna” by King Woman took the Hoka in that category with Michael Williams’s music video for “Royal” by Lost in Constellation receiving an Honorable Mention. Mark C. Smith’s TWO BALLOONS won the Fest Forward animation category, and Quentin Haberham’s HOMEGROWN received an “Honorable Mention.” The Best LGBTQ Short winner was Joseph Sulsenti’s FISHY. John Matthew Tyson picked by his previously announced Hoka Award as the winner for the Oxford Film Festival’s first Screenplay Competition for his script, “Twirling at Ole Miss;” and Liam Hendrix’s NATION DOWN is the winner of the inaugural Artist Vodka Award.

    2018 OXFORD FF AWARD-WINNING FILMS

    THE DRAWER BOY – BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE Directors: Arturo Perez Torres and Aviva Armour-Ostroff’ THE SOUNDING – Special Recognition/Narrative Director: Catherine Eaton THE ORGANIZER – BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Director: Nick Taylor LIYANA – Special Jury Mention for “Creative Storytelling”/Documentary Directors: Aaron and Amanda Kopp THE PROCESS: THE WAY OF PABLO SIERRA – BEST MISSISSIPPI FEATURE Director: Jeff Dennis LOVE SOLILOQUY: A VISUAL ALBUM – Special Recognition/Mississippi Films Director: Astin Rocks WORD IS BOND – BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY Director: Sacha Jenkins BOYS FOR SALE – BEST LGBTQ FILM Director: Itako FISHY – BEST LGBTQ SHORT Director: Joseph Sulsenti HOME – BEST NARRATIVE SHORT Director: Clark Duke M.A.M.O.N. (MONITOR AGAINST MEXICANS OVER NATIONWIDE – Special Jury Prize for “Creative Vision” Director: Alejandro Damiani BLACK CANARIES – Honorable Mention Director: Jessee Kreitzer ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BEATING HEARTS – BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Director: Peter Byck ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN – Special Jury Prize for “Personal Vision” Director: Daniel Robin WASHED AWAY – Honorable Mention Director: Dana Nachman COWGIRL UP – BEST MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILM Director: Nathan Willis TRUTH RISES – Special Jury Prize for “Filmmaker to Watch” Director: E.J. Carter (Kelly Buckholdt) HAND MADE – Honorable Mention Director: David Ross “Manna” by King Woman – BEST MISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEO Director: Vincent Jude Chaney “Royal” by Lost in Constellation – Honorable Mention Director: Michael Williams TWO BALLOONS – FEST FORWARD BEST ANIMATION Director: Mark C. Smith HOMEGROWN – Honorable Mention Director: Quentin Haberham Catherine Eaton (THE SOUNDING) – Lisa Blount Memorial Acting Award Amanda Kopp (LIYANA) – Alice Guy-Blaché Emerging Female Filmmaker Award Kelly Buckholdt (TRUTH RISES) – Pat Rasberry Emerging Mississippi Filmmaker Award COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE – BEST EDITING Director: Mark Potts “Twirling at Ole Miss” – BEST SCREENPLAY Screenwriter: John Matthew Tyson NATION DOWN – ARTIST VODKA AWARD Director: Liam Hendrix image via Facebook

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  • New Films MOHAWK and MIDWINTER + Filmmaker Panels Added to 2018 Oxford Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_26741" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Mohawk Mohawk[/caption] Ted Geoghegan’s Mohawk and Jae Mahaffy’s Midwinter, along with  filmmaker panels have been added to the program lineup of the 2018 Oxford Film Festival taking place February 7 to 11. OFF also announced that the City of Oxford will issue an official proclamation naming February 5-11 “Oxford Film Festival Week” in celebration of the film festival’s 15th Anniversary. Geoghegan’s Mohawk is the latest film from the critically-acclaimed genre filmmaker (WE’RE STILL HERE). The film is set during the War of 1812, where a young Mohawk woman and her two lovers battle a squad of American soldiers hell-bent on revenge. The film stars Kaniehtiio Horn, Ezra Buzzington, Noah Segan, and past OFF Hoka honoree Robert Longstreet, and has made a mark at a number of genre film festivals, like Fantasia. Geoghegan is set to attend and participate in a Q&A following the screening. Mahaffy’s Midwinter focuses on a pregnant woman, who returns to her family’s empty cabin to spend time alone, only to find her estranged mother already there waiting for her. What begins as a tentative reunion on the shortest day of the year quickly turns dark. Memphis-based producer Adam Hohenberg will be in attendance and will take part in a Q&A after the film. “As we ramp up for next week’s 15th Anniversary edition of the Oxford Film Festival, it’s exciting to add a couple very cool and provocative films, that also happen to feature female leads, to what was already a fantastic lineup,” said Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Melanie Addington. “In addition to that, I am personally thrilled with our filmmaker panels this year – the majority of which are free-to-the-public. They deal with topics foremost on the minds of aspiring filmmakers, and will also unflinchingly touch on some hot button socio-political issues facing everyone in the state of Mississippi, as well.” The Oxford Film Festival’s Filmmaker Panels will be held at various locations: the Malco Panel Tent (MPT), the Gertrude Ford Center for the Performing Arts, and the Powerhouse Community Arts Center. All are made free as part of the OxFilm Society unless tied to a screening and then is included in price of movie ticket. The subjects include: Crowdfunding and People Power Workshop (Sunday, February 11, 1:00PM-3:00PM, @ MPT) We all know crowdfunding is a powerful tool for harnessing your audience and raising the funds needed to make your film… but how do you find and engage that crowd? Seed & Spark’s Head of Education and Outreach Julie Keck will talk about authentic audience building, using social media to engage and activate your crowd, and effective communication techniques to use before, during and after a crowdfunding campaign in order to sustain long-term relationships with your awesome audience. Film Discussion: I AM EVIDENCE (Saturday, February 10, 11:30AM-12:30PM, @ MPT) Following the screening of the hard-hitting HBO documentary about the nation’s incredible number of unprocessed rape kits, I AM EVIDENCE, Oxford Film Festival’s Head Programmer for Documentary Feaures, Mark Rabinowitz will moderate a panel which will include the film’s director, Trish Adlesic, Cuyahoga County Special Investigator Nicole DiSanto, a representative from the Oxford Police Department, and additional special guests. SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT Female Filmmaker Discussion (Friday, February 9, 10:30AM-12:30PM, Malco Screen 1) An in-depth panel discussion with an impressive group of award-winning filmmakers following the film’s screening. Participants include: SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT director, and two-time Emmy winner (“All My Children”) Cady McClain, documentary director (THE LONG SHADOW, HEIST: WHO STOLE THE AMERICAN DREAM?) Frances Causey, documentary director (FOREVER ’B’, JUNK DREAMS) Skye Borgman, Experimental film director (LOVE SOLILOQUY: A VISUAL ALBUM, LETTERS FROM A TRANSIENT) Astin Rocks, Emmy Award winner Jill Salvino (BETWEEN THE SHADES, TAKING IT FOR GRANTED), Diane Cignoni (Ground Hero Film), and last year’s Lisa Blount Acting Award honoree, Victoria Negri (PARALYSIS, GOLD STAR) How to Get Your Film Publicized (Friday, February 9, 5:30PM-7:00PM, @ MPT) Nationally known film and film festival publicists and film critics reveal the secrets of how to get their attention while on the film festival circuit. Moderated by CrookedMarquee.com’s Eric D. Snider, the informative panel will include the Commercial Appeal’s John Beifuss, Pajiba.com’s Kristy Puchko, Wildworks PR and Festworks.com’s John Wildman, RogerEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico, and Paste Magazine’s Mark Rabinowitz. Lobaki Virtual Academy (Friday, February 9, 11:00AM-5:00PM, @ MPT) The VR Academy has been designed to provide students an immersive introduction to Virtual Reality and the tools and techniques used to create VR experiences. The exciting aspect of creating VR experiences is that not everyone has to have a computer science interest or be a coder. Festival participants will learn about the immersive effects of VR and learn more about the work that Lobaki Inc. is doing in Clarksdale, Mississippi to focus on economic development through Virtual Reality opportunities. Queer Filmmaking (Sunday, February 11, 3:30PM-4:30PM, @ MPT) Attending filmmakers and actors from the LGBTQ juried competition will discuss the challenges, advantages of queer filmmaking as well as the state of LGBTQ cinema in today’s climate. Moderated by Eric D. Snider, the panel will include: 2017 Lexus Short Films Competition finalist Lucas Omar, and Emmy Award winning commercial and film director Jill Salvino (BETWEEN THE SHADES). Table Read of the Oxford Film Festival ScreenPlay Contest Winners (Wednesday, February 7, 7:00PM, Powerhouse) Presented with actors from Theater Oxford, John M. Tyson’s Grand Prize winning script, “Twirling at Ole Miss” will be read by: George Kehoe, Matt King, Josh Heylin, Jacob Hall, Faith Janicki, Monte Boga, Geoff Knight, Brian Whisenant, Elise Fyke, and Matt Gieseke. John Bateman’s Runner Up script, “Not Everything Was Burning” will be read by: Brian Whisenant, Mary Knight, Geoff Knight, George Kehoe, and Matt King. Visual Effects Conversation with John Norris/Andre Leblanc (Saturday, February 10, 4:00PM, @ MPT) Eric D. Snider will moderate a deep dive discussion on visual effects in film today with celebrated Mississippi-based film producer John Norris (THE HELP, GET ON UP: THE JAMES BROWN STORY), and VFX Artist Andre LeBlanc (Blur).

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  • 15th Oxford Film Festival Announces Lineup of 204 Films, Opens with THE LAST MOVIE STAR, Starring Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter

    [caption id="attachment_26312" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]THE LAST MOVIE STAR Vic Edwards (Burt Reynolds) and Ariel Winter (Lil) in THE LAST MOVIE STAR[/caption] A total of 204 films will screen at this year’s 15th Anniversary edition of the Oxford Film Festival taking place February 7 to 11, 2018.  On opening night, writer/director Adam Rifkin will present his latest film, THE LAST MOVIE STAR, starring Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter, while Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s intense drama, ALLURE, starring Evan Rachel Wood, will screen at the festival’s Centerpiece Selection and Robert Mullan’s 60s biopic MAD TO BE NORMAL, starring David Tennant Elisabeth Moss and Michael Gambon, serves as the closing night selection. Narrative feature films in competition this year include: Dan Mirvish’s BERNARD AND HUEY, Mark Potts’s COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE, Billy Chase Goforth’s DOOR IN THE WOODS, Arturo Perez Torres and Aviva Armour-Ostroff’s THE DRAWER BOY; Akiyo Fujimura’s ERIKO, PRETENDED; and Catherine Eaton’s THE SOUNDING. Documentary features in competition include: Skye Borgman’s FOREVER ‘B’; Aaron and Amanda Kopp’s LIYANA; Nick Taylor’s THE ORGANIZER; Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, and Jeff Springer’s RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE; and Owsley Brown III’s SERENADE FOR HAITI. The LGBTQ Juried Feature Competition will include Shaz Bennett’s festival favorite ALASKA IS A DRAG, along with Jill Salvino’s BETWEEN THE SHADES, and Itako’s BOYS FOR SALE, and highlights the Oxford Film Festival’s commitment to support our LGBTQ filmmakers and offer a more positive reaction to the passage of Mississippi’s “Religious Liberty Accommodations Act.” “This year we’ve struck a wonderful balance between films that are thoughtful, provocative, reflect the world we live in, and address the issues of the day without blinking, with films that are just pure, fun, entertainment,” said Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Melanie Addington. “The festival continues to increase in size and scope and that growth can also be seen in the work of our local Mississippi filmmakers, whose exceptional work continues to impress. This year’s festival includes 18 films from Mississippi artists, the most to date, and they will be highlighted right next to the best films we could find from all around the world.” Rifkin’s THE LAST MOVIE STAR (formerly titled, DOG YEARS) stars Burt Reynolds as a former box-office king, who many years later, is invited to receive an honor at a film festival that turns out to be beyond dubious. Therefore, he instead opts to go on an impromptu road trip with the sister (Ariel Winter) of one of the fest’s organizers. A bittersweet journey follows as the odd pairing visit some memorable spots – and people – from the old man’s past. The film screens Thursday, February 8 at 7:30PM at the Gertrude C. Ford Center (351 University Ave.). Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s ALLURE stars Evan Rachel Wood as a woman struggling to re-establish her life and meet someone as she continues to recover from past abuse. However, there seems to be hope when she meets Eva, a young, talented pianist disillusioned by the life her mother imposes upon her. As Laura become increasingly obsessed with Eva, she convinces the girl to run away with her and they soon find themselves caught up in an intense relationship that can’t be sustained. The film screens Saturday, February 10 at 8:45PM at the Malco Commons (204 Commonwealth Blvd.) Mullan’s biopic, MAD TO BE NORMAL, stars “Jessica Jones/”Dr. Who” star, David Tennant as RD Laing, a radical psychiatrist who rewrote the rules on mental health treatment. He became a 60s counterculture hero for challenging the status quo of pills and electro shock therapy, instead opting for a holistic treatment without drugs, group therapy, and communal healing. The films impressive cast also includes Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne, and Michael Gambon. The film screens Sunday, February 11 at 6:00PM at the Malco Commons (204 Commonwealth Blvd.) Two of OFF’s special events directly address issues that concern women and are currently at the forefront of society today. Daytime television legend (“All My Children”) Cady McClain’s documentary SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT will screen on Friday (February 9), followed by a panel featuring several attending female filmmakers as they discuss some of the myriad issues that have been in the news this past year regarding female filmmakers and women in general. Saturday sees the Mississippi premiere of Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir’s award-winning HBO documentary, I AM EVIDENCE, produced by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay, about the tens of thousands of unprocessed rape kits across the country. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and special guests. “Given the recent and continuing avalanche of sexual harassment and assault revelations in almost every area of society,” Added Addington, “we felt it was important that the issues raised in these two films, as well as others in this year’s festival, be highlighted and discussed in our community.” Another comedy will make its world premiere at OFF, as filmmaker Mark Potts returns to the festival with his latest, COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE. The film follows two police officers, as they take on an evil mastermind, while working through some personal partnership issues. Potts’ indie comedy, SPAGHETTIMAN, was an audience favorite two years ago.

    2018 OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL FILMS AND DESCRIPTIONS

    Feature Films

    OPENING NIGHT SELECTION THE LAST MOVIE STAR Director: Adam Rifkin Cast: Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter, Clark Duke, Chevy Chase Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min An aging former movie star is forced to face the reality that his glory days are behind him. On its surface, THE LAST MOVIE STAR is a tale about faded fame, but at its core, it’s a universal story about growing old. CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION MAD TO BE NORMAL Director: Robert Mullan Cast: David Tennent, Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Gambon Country: UK, Running Time: 105 min During the 1960s, a renegade Scottish psychiatrist courts controversy within his profession for his approach to the field, and for the unique community he creates for his patients to inhabit. CENTERPIECE SELECTION ALLURE Directors: Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Julia Sarah Stone, Denis O’Hare Country: USA, Running Time: 105 min Plagued by the abuse of her past and the turmoil of failed intimate encounters, Laura struggles to find a lover and a sense of normalcy. SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY SCREENING BASEKETBALL (1998) Director: David Zucker Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, Yasmine Bleeth, Jenny McCarthy Country: USA, Running Time: 103 min Two childhood friends are pro athletes of a national sport called BASEketball, a hybrid of baseball and basketball, and must deal with a greedy businessman scheming against their team. SPECIAL WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING CIRCLES PRESENTED BY MISSISSIPPI HUMANITIES COUNCIL Director: Cassidy Friedman Country: USA, Running Time: 82 min A Hurricane Katrina survivor who works to keep black teenagers in school in Oakland, California, finds his personal and professional lives colliding when his 15-year-old son is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. NARRATIVE FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION BERNARD AND HUEY Director: Dan Mirvish Cast: Jim Rash, David Koechner, Sasha Alexander, Eva Darville , Richard Kind, Nancy Travis, Bellamy Young, Mae Whitman Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min Based on characters from Jules Feiffer’s Village Voice comic strip dating back to 1957, roguish Huey, and nebbishy Bernard are unlikely friends in late 1980s New York. 25 years later, and now Bernard is a successful bachelor, and Huey arrives on his doorstep looking old and washed up. As the two reconnect, Bernard starts a relationship with Huey’s estranged daughter Zelda. Huey slowly gets his mojo back and tries to seduce various women in Bernard’s life, while reconnecting with his family. At least one of them is in danger of marrying a woman old enough to be his wife. COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE WORLD PREMIERE Director: Mark Potts Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min Action. Suspense. Death. Love. Hot men. Etc. COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE tells the story of two wild police officers, Higgs and McGraw, and their chase to take down Samir, an evil mastermind hell bent on making the world bow down to him. DOOR IN THE WOODS Director: Billy Chase Goforth Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min A young family encounters paranormal forces and face a devastating choice after they install a mysterious vintage door in their home. THE DRAWER BOY Directors: Arturo Perez Torres, Aviva Armour-Ostroff Country: Canada, Running Time: 98 min Set in Ontario, 1972, the film follows Miles, a naive actor from Toronto, who turns up at a remote farm run by two men: the ruggedly practical Morgan and the simple-minded Angus. However, when the farmers let the city-boy into their home, Miles’ search for a story gradually unearths a devastating truth that threatens to destroy the tranquil lives of his hosts forever. ERIKO, PRETENDED Director: Akiyo Fujimura Country: Japan, Running Time: 93 min Ten years have gone by since Eriko moved to Tokyo to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. However, things haven’t gone like she expected, and for Eriko, there was no hope in sight. She receives the news about her older sister’s sudden death. Eriko returns home to attend her sister’s funeral her relatives question Eriko’s pretend life as a successful actress. On a whim, Eriko declares that she will take care of Kazuma, her sister’s 10-year-old son, while finding out that her sister worked as a mourner-for-hire at funerals. THE SOUNDING Director: Catherine Eaton Country: USA, Running Time: 93 min On a remote island off the coast of Maine, Liv, after years of silence, begins to weave a language out of Shakespeare’s words. A driven neurologist, brought to the island to protect her, commits her to a psychiatric hospital. She becomes a full-blow rebel in the hospital; her increasing violence threatens to keep her locked up for life as she fights for her voice and her freedom. At a tipping point for otherness in our current climate, THE SOUNDING champions it.

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION

    FOREVER ‘B’ Director: Skye Borgman Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min FOREVER ‘B’ is a twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction story of the Broberg’s, a naïve, church-going Idaho family whose daughter, Jan, was kidnapped by the family’s best friend and neighbor. Twice. LIYANA Director: Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp Country: Swaziland, USA, Running Time: 77 min A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. This animated African tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams. THE ORGANIZER Director: Nick Taylor Country: USA, Running Time: 101 min THE ORGANIZER is a portrait of Wade Rathke, the controversial founder of ACORN, as well as an exploration of that much maligned and misunderstood occupation – community organizing.  RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE Directors: Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer Country: USA, Running Time: 71 min Hard headed Louisiana fisherman Thomas Gonzales doesn’t know what will hit him next. After decades of hurricanes and oil spills he faces a new threat – hordes of monstrous 20-pound swamp rats. Known as “nutria”, these invasive South American rodents breed faster than the roving squads of hunters can control them. SERENADE FOR HAITI Director: Owsley Brown III Country: USA, Running Time: 110 min A classical music school in the heart of Port-au-Prince, Haiti thrives despite decades of entrenched poverty and political strife. When a catastrophic earthquake completely destroys the school in 2010, a stunned and devastated faculty and student body must pick up the pieces and find a way to move forward.

    MISSISSIPPI FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION

    THE LONG SHADOW Director: Frances Causey Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min Two daughters of the South look beyond their white privilege to discover a history that’s been hidden, exposing the long and shockingly powerful reach of Southern politics from slavery through to today’s racial imbalance. LOVE SOLILOQUY: A VISUAL ALBUM Director: Astin Rocks. Country: USA, Running Time: 31 min Distorting the perception of true events, LOVE SOLILOQUY uses avant-garde storytelling to reveal the psyche behind young women navigating their relationships. Astin Rocks doubles as the band’s vocalist, lyricist, and film director. MISSISSIPPI MADAM: THE LIFE OF NELLIE JACKSON WORLD PREMIERE Director: Timothy Givens and Mark K. Brockway County: USA, Running Time: 81 min In 1902 Nellie Jackson, an African-American woman born into poverty in Possum Corner, Miss., travels north to Natchez and opens a brothel she ran for more than 60 years with full knowledge of police and Natchez officials until a fiery end one hot July night in 1990 THE PROCESS: THE WAY OF PABLO SIERRA WORLD PREMIERE Director: Jeff Dennis Country: USA, Running Time: 66 min A film about a potter named Pablo Sierra who lives in Yocona, MS. Born in Spain, he came to Ole Miss on track scholarship. He became a world-class runner, and is now a potter, baker, and horseman. For Pablo, the process is everything.

    MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES JURIED COMPETITION

    CASSETTE: A DOCUMENTARY MIXTAPE Director: Zack Taylor Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min CASSETTE: A DOCUMENTARY MIXTAPE is, in fact, a documentary mixtape about a musical format that refuses to die. Through a series of one-on-one interviews, Lou Ottens, inventor of the cassette, confronts 50 years of mixed emotions about his creation. He is joined on his journey by Henry Rollins, Thurston Moore, Ian MacKaye, Rob Sheffield, Burger Records, and many more.  DO U WANT IT? Directors: Sam Radutzky, Josh Freund Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min DO U WANT IT? is an exploration and celebration of the musical culture of New Orleans. The film chronicles the rise of beloved New Orleans’ band Papa Grows Funk and uses their illustrious thirteen-year career, from formation up to the band’s emotional final shows, as a vehicle to explore the nuances of success and struggle in the greatest musical city in the world. HOW THEY GOT OVER Director: Robert Clem Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min HOW THEY GOT OVER explores the evolution of black gospel quartet music and its contributions to the emergence of rock & roll. The film includes performances by the Blind Boys of Mississippi and Alabama, the Soul Stirrers, Dixie Hummingbirds, Davis Sisters, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sensational Nightingales and many more. WORD IS BOND Director: Sacha Jenkins Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min Word Is Bond is a documentary film by Sacha Jenkins that examines the transformative power of lyrics in the world of hip-hop music. What was born on the streets of the South Bronx has now taken root globally, and the young poets of New York have helped to spawn regional dialects everywhere.

    LGBTQ FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION

    ALASKA IS A DRAG Director: Shaz Bennett Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min A fish out of water story – literally. Our hero Leo is an aspiring superstar stuck working in a fish cannery in Alaska. Leo and his twin sister Tristen hang out at the one gay bar in a hundred miles, owned by their surly surrogate mom Jan (Margaret Cho). After years of getting beat up by his former best friend, Leo has learned to fight back, catching the eye of his cannery boss, an amateur boxer who offers to train him to be a fighter. BETWEEN THE SHADES Director: Jill Salvino Country: USA, Running Time: 82 min BETWEEN THE SHADES seeks to put faces to the letters that make up LGBTQI and how those letters have evolved. The film examines the immense power of labels and the transcendence of love. BOYS FOR SALE Director: Itako Country: Japan, Running Time: 76 min Boys are selling sex in Japan. Who is buying? In the Tokyo district of Shinjuku 2-chome there are bars that specialize in “Urisen”, young boys who have sex with men.

    KID FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE FILMS

    THE AMAZING WIZARD OF PAWS Director: Brian Michael Stoller Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min What happens when you find out the family dog is actually six-hundred years old and was once owned by a great and powerful wizard? In this charming and magical adventure, young Bobby Spade and his faithful therapy dog, Ozzy, stumble upon an ancient wizard’s mystical book of spells. MEERKAT MOONSHIP Director: Hanneke Schutte Country: South Africa, Running Time: 97 min Timid, wildly imaginative 13-year-old Gideonette de La Rey learns that the name she was given comes with it a horrible curse. After her father dies, Gideonette is paralyzed by fear and is sent to live on a farm with her grandparents where she befriends a young deaf boy who is “training” to become an astronaut and preparing to fly away in a Moonship that Gideonette’s grandfather built for him. WHALE RIDER (2002) Director: Niki Caro Country: Running Time: 101 min A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.

    ADDITIONAL SPECIAL SCREENINGS

    I AM EVIDENCE Directors: Trish Adlesic, Geeta Gandbhir Country: USA, Running Time: An investigation into the way sexual assault cases are handled by police departments across the United States and an examination of how there came to be a backlog of tens of thousands of untested rape kits. LIVING ON SOUL Directors: Jeff Broadway, Cory Bailey Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min LIVING ON SOUL is a hybrid docu-concert film featuring the late Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley and the rest of the Daptone Records family. Filmed largely during Daptone’s December 2014 three-night, sold-out residency at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, the documentary features a mixture of live performances and verité scenes that paint a robust picture of the Daptone family and culture. SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT Director: Cady McClain Country: USA, Running Time: 57 min SEEING IS BELIEVING Is an in-depth investigation into the challenges faced by women directors. The film focuses on the journeys of four articulate filmmakers – Lesli Linka Glatter (HOMELAND), Sarah Gavron (SUFFRAGETTE), li Lu (THERE IS A NEW WORLD SOMEWHERE), and Naima Ramos Chapman (AND NOTHING HAPPENED) who provide a wonderful mix of perspectives. URANIA DESCENDING Director: Tav Falco Country: Austria, Running Time: 69 min An American girl, Gina Lee is an alienated and disaffected female who has become disenchanted with hometown strip malls, sleaze bars, and rides along the river-side in her BMW. Impulsively she buys a discount airline ticket in a shopping mall travel agency. Destination: Vienna, the merry/sinister imperial city on the Danube. Gina Lee quickly slips into discreet, yet decadent dalliances at Cafe Central and at the notorious Hotel Orient, where she becomes embroiled in an intrigue to uncover buried Nazi plunder. Her tragic liaison with rakish Karl Heinz Von Riegl results in her submersion beneath the dark waters of Lake Atter, yet her ultimate fate remains unresolved.

    Oxford Film Festival Short Films

    BEST OF THE LOUISIANA FILM PRIZE

    CANDYLAND Director: Taylor Bracewell Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min EXIT STRATEGY Director: Travis Bible Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min MY FATHER’S SON Director: Kyle Clements Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min SCOUNDRELS Director: Mark Blitch Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min STAG Director: Jonnie Stapleton Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min

    NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (DRAMA SHORTS BLOCK)

    AN ACT OF TERROR Director: Ashley Paige Brim Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min BLACK CANARIES Director: Jessee Kreitzer Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min BLOOD WOLF WORLD PREMIERE Director: Diana Cignoni Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min THE BLUE CAR Director: Henrik A. Meyer Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min HOME WORLD PREMIERE Director: Clark Duke Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min LAWMAN Director: Matthew Gentile Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min RUNNING EAGLE Director: Konrad Tho Fiedler Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min

    NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (COMEDY SHORTS BLOCK)

    BITCHES LOVE BRUNCH Director: Sasha Leigh Henry Country: Canada, Running Time: 11 min THE FINAL SHOW WORLD PREMIERE Director: Dana Nachman Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min GLORIA TALKS FUNNY WORLD PREMIERE Director: Kendall Goldberg Country: USA, Running Time: 19 min LAST WORDS Director: Andre LeBlanc Country USA, Running Time: 9 min M.A.M.O.N. (MONITOR AGAINST MEXICANS OVER NATIONWIDE) Director: Alejandro Damiani Country: Mexico, Running Time: 5 min SANS RESPONSE Director: William Papadin Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min TEMPORARY Director: Milena Govich Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min THAT SMELL Director: Kyle Lavore Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min

    NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (INTERNATIONAL SHORTS BLOCK)

    ALZHAÏMOUR Director: Pierre Van de Kerckhove Country: Belgium, Running Time: 14 min FLIEGEN Director: Marcus Hanisch Country: Germany, Running Time: 18 min SAVE ME! Director: Mohsen Nabavi Countries: Iran/Malyasia, Running Time: 10 min SAY NO WORLD PREMIERE Director: Samuel Clemens Country: UK, Running Time: 9 min SPACE GIRLS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Carys Watford Country: UK, Running Time: 10 min SPINOSAURUS Director: Tessa Hoffe Country: UK, Running Time: 15 min THE VEST Director: Lesley Manning Country: UK, Running Time: 7 min THE WEIGHT Director: Garrett Detrixhe Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min A WHOLE WORLD FOR A LITTLE WORLD Director: Fabrice Bracq Country: France, Running Time: 15 min

    NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (LATE NIGHT SHORTS BLOCK)

    ALFRED J. HEMLOCK Director: Edward Lyons Country: Australia, Running Time: 15 min THE APOCALYPSE WILL BE AUTOMATED WORLD PREMIERE Director: Melanie Killingsworth Country: Australia, Running Time: 8 min EINSTEIN-ROSEN Director: Olga Osorio Country: Spain, Running Time: 9 min HEARTLESS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Kevin Sluder Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min IT BEGAN WITHOUT WARNING Directors: Santiago C. Tapia, Jessica Curtright Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min LABORATORY CONDITIONS Director: Jocelyn Statmat Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min PESSIM U.S. PREMIERE Director: TAKCOM Country: Japan, Running Time: 11 min (NOTE – PESSIM is a Fest Forward selection screening in this block) REAL ARTISTS Director: Cameo Wood Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min TRANSMISSION Directors: Varun Raman & Tom Hancock Country: UK, Running Time: 17 min (NOTE – TRANSMISSION is a Fest Forward selection screening in this block)

    NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

    FAVORITES Director: Tracy S. Facelli Country: USA, Running Time: 17:24 min (ARTIST VODKA runner up) (screens with Winning Short Films block) THE MELANCHOLY MAN Director: Samantha Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min (screens with ERIKO PRETENDING) NATION DOWN Director: Liam Hendrix Heath Country: USA, Running Time: 14:57 min (ARTIST VODKA winner) (screens with Winning Short Films block) THE PERFECT FIT WORLD PREMIERE Director: Emory Parker Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min (screens with THE DRAWER BOY) ROBERT Directors: Sarah Fleming, Joann Self Selvidge Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min (screens with CIRCLES) SURROGATE Director: Olivia Hamilton Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min (screens with BERNARD & HUEY) TIMBRE U.S. PREMIERE Director: Gareth Peevers Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min (screens with THE SOUNDING) TOND Directors: Josh Ruben, Vince Peone Country: USA, Running Time: 21 min (screens with COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE)

    DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS

    $30 TO ANTARCTICA Director: Joey Chu Country: USA/Hong Kong, Running Time: 18 min A LIFE’S WORK U.S. PREMIERE Director: Ben Spilling Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN Director: Daniel Robin Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min ALTIMIR Director: Kay Hannahan Country: Bulgaria/USA, Running Time: 15 min JOHNNY’S GREEK AND THREE Director: Ava Lowery Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min NEWPORT GUN GIRLS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Lauren Orme Country: UK, Running Time: 11 min OUR GHOSTS Director: Hannah Ruddle Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min WASHED AWAY Director: Dana Nachman Country: USA, Running Time: 18 min

    DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

    AN ACCIDENTAL DROWNING Director: Matteo Servente Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min (screens with LIYANA) JESSZILLA Director: Emily Sheskin Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min (screens with SERENADE FOR HAITI) MONSTER IN THE BAYOU Director: Victoria Greene Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min (screens with SERENADE FOR HAITI) THE NATURE OF MASS DEMONSTRATIONS  WORLD PREMIERE Director: Nate Lavey Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min (screens with THE ORGANIZER) ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BEATING HEARTS Director: Peter Byck Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min (screens with RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE) YOU SEE ‘EM Director: Emma Landeche Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min (screens with RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE)

    MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS (COMMUNITY FILM BLOCK)

    #FIFTEEN Director: Melanie Addington Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min BIRTHING VIDEO Director: Christina Huff Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min CLOSED Director: Samuel Cox Country: USA, Running Time: 3:17 min DAYFALL Director: Tony King Country: USA, Running Time: 1:17 min DEAR MR BRYANT WORLD PREMIERE Directors: Robbie Fisher, Jenni Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min (MAGNIFYING GLASS FELLOWSHIP WINNER) FIFTEEN Director: Julia Mitchell Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min THE PIZZA MAGAZINE WORLD PREMIERE Director: Daniel Perea Country: USA, Running Time: 15:48 min THACKER MOUNTAIN RADIO HOUR: 20TH ANNIVERSARY Director: Christina Huff Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min

    MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS (MISSISSIPPI SHORTS BLOCK)

    CAUTION Director: Thomas Haffey Country: USA, Running Time: 1:17 min COWGIRL UP Director: Nathan Willis Country: USA, Running Time: 5:17 min CUBICLE CITY Director: Glenn Payne Country: USA, Running Time: 16:42 min FLAG FLAP OVER MISSISSIPPI Director: Rex Jones Country: USA, Running Time: 27 min HAND MADE Director: David Ross Country: USA, Running Time: 4:55 min MOMBIE Director: N.T. Bullock Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min PART OF IT WORLD PREMIERE Director: Victoria De Leone Country: USA, Running Time: 7:20 min PAY THE PIPER Director: Maggie Bushway Country: USA, Running Time: 6:29 min RIVER MADE WORLD PREMIERE Director: David Ross Country: USA, Running Time: 7:09 min TRUTH RISES WORLD PREMIERE Director: E. J. Carter Country: USA, Running Time: 2:40 min WE BELIEVED WE WERE IMMORTAL Directors: Kathleen Wickham, Larry Wells Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min WINSTON COUNTY MIRACLE MAN Director: Rick Guy Country: USA, Running Time: 6:25 min

    MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

    COLETTE Director: Royce Swayze Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min (screens with MISSISSIPPI MADAM: THE LIFE OF NELLIE JACKSON) HERE I’LL STAY Directors: Marlene McCurtis, Lorena Maniquez Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min (screens with THE LONG SHADOW)

    LGBTQ SHORT FILMS

    3 FRIENDS Director: Michael Moody Culpepper Country: Ireland/USA, Running Time: 22 min THE CLEANSE Director: Lucas Omar Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min DUSK Director: Jake Graf Country: UK, Running Time: 15 min HAYGOOD EATS! Director: Hazart Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min HOW TO MAKE A PEARL Director: Jason Hanasik Country: USA, Running Time: 22 min SPARK WORLD PREMIERE Director: Aharonit Elinor Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min SUNUNÚ: THE REVOLUTION OF LOVE Director: Olivia Crellin Country: UK, Running Time: 24 min THE THIRD MOVEMENT U.S. PREMIERE Director: Josephine Anderson Country: Canada, Running Time: 11 min WAFFLES Director: Foster Wilson Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min

    LGBTQ SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

    FISHY Director: Joseph Sulsenti Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min (screens with ALASKA IS A DRAG) LADY EVA Directors: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu Country: Kingdom of Tonga, Running Time: 11 min (screens with ALASKA IS A DRAG)

    FEST FORWARD SHORT FILMS (ANIMATION BLOCK)

    CATHERINE Director: Britt Raes Country: Belgium, Running Time: 12 min FIRST BLOOM Director: Tingting Liu Country: China, Running Time: 5 min JAMSHID: A LAMENT FOR A MYTH U.S. PREMIERE Director: Moin Samadi Country: Iran, Running Time: 12 min MEETING MACGUFFIN Director: Catya Plate Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min NEGATIVE SPACE U.S. PREMIERE Directors: Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata Country: France, Running Time: 5 min THE SERVANT Director: Farnoosh Abedi Country: Iran, Running Time: 9 min THE SPIRIT SEAM WORLD PREMIERE Director: Ashley Gerst Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min TWO BALLOONS Director: Mark C. Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min UGLY Director: Nikita Diakur Country: Germany, Running Time: 12 min

    FEST FORWARD SHORT FILMS (FEST FORWARD BLOCK)

    ANIMAL CINEMA Director: Emilio Vavarella Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min ANTHROPOCENE WORLD PREMIERE Director: Bradley Rappa Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min BLUE BUT PALE BLUE Director: Daisy Dickinson Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER Director: Jadwiga Kowalska Country: Switzerland, Running Time: 6 min CARGO Director: Jasmine Ellis Country: Germany, Running Time: 4 min COLLAPSING Director: Brian Ratigan Country: USA, Running Time: 1 min COOKING WITH CONNIE Director: Stavit Allweis Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min DISILLUSIONMENT OF 10 POINT FONT Director: Greg Condon Country: USA, Running Time: 1 min LYING WOMEN Director: Deborah Kelly Country: Australia, Running Time: 4 min MAY I? REMIX# Director: Vasco Diogo Country: Portugal, Running Time: 4 min PARALYSIS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Victoria Negri Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min PITTARI Director: Patrick Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min THE REALM OF DEEPEST KNOWING Director: Seunghee Kim Country: South Korea, Running Time: 3 min SHOT Director: Aemilia Scott Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min TOWARDS THE EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL OF DREAMING Director: Ryan Betschart Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min TRUMPET MAN Director: Emily Wong Country: Hong Kong, Running Time: 14 min WHAT’S THAT IN THE GROUND? WORLD PREMIERE Director: Wally Chung Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min YELLOW AND RED MAKE ORANGE WORLD PREMIERE Director: Jay Hollinsworth Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min

    MISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEOS

    “A Hard Rain” by Stacie and Cassie Director: J.B. Lawrence/Stace and Cassie Country: USA, Running Time: 5:55 min “All I Know” by Jake Wood Director: Rex Harsin Country: USA, Running Time: 2:56 min “Damaged” by American Automatic WORLD PREMIERE Director: Greg Johnson Country: USA, Running Time: 5:28 min “Glory Glory” by Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band WORLD PREMIERE Director: Jeff Dennis Country: USA, Running Time: 5:01 min “God Bless America” by Effie Burt Director: Effie Burt Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min “Make Me Want You” by Shayne Weems Director: J.B. Lawrence Country: USA, Running Time: 4:28 min “Manna” by King Woman Director: Vincent Jude Chaney Country: USA, Running Time: 6:12 min “My City” by Adam “AJC” Collier Directors: Philip Scarborough, Tom Beck Country: USA, Running Time: 4:40 min “Randy Weeks: Mississippi Songwriter” WORLD PREMIERE Directors: Keerthi Chandrashekar, Je’Monda Roy, Jimmy Thomas Country: USA, Running Time: 5:15 min “Royal” by Lost in Constellation Director: Michael Williams Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min “Spinning” by The Fuzzy Crystals Director: Justin Possenti Country: USA, Running Time: 3:30 min “Stomping Ground” by Robert King Director: J.B. Lawrence Country: USA, Running Time: 5:54 min “Trust and Believe” WORLD PREMIERE Director: Andre Hill Country: USA, Running Time: 4:40 min “World Gone Crazy” by 61 Ghosts Director: Coop Cooper Country: USA, Running Time: 6:03 min “Your Mistress” by Mersaidee Soules Director: Michael Williams Country: USA, Running Time: 4:16 min

    KID FILM FEST SHORT FILMS

    A MESSAGE FOR BRAZEY Director: Jared D. Weiss Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min THE ADVENTURE OF THE AFTERNOON Directors: Vance Yang, Stella Huang Country: Taiwan, Running Time: 8 min BRAND NEW DAY Directors: Patricia Beckmann Wells, EdD Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min C-5-11 Director: Edward Ramsay-Morin Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min GHOST BEATS Director: Brent Barson Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min HOMEGROWN Director: Quentin Haberham Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min LIGHT SIGHT Director: Seyed M. Tabatabaei Country: Iran, Running Time: 8 min ROYAL (MOVE TO MUSIC VIDEOS) Director: Michael Williams Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min SAVING SANTA Director: Keith O’ Grady Country: Northern Ireland, Running Time: 17 min STARS Director: Han Zhang Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min

    SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNERS

    “Twirling at Ole Miss”(Grand Prize) Screenwriter: John Matthew Tyson “Not Everything Was Burning” (Runner Up) Screenwriter: John Bateman

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  • SOME FREAKS, FIRST LADY OF THE REVOLUTION Among 2017 Oxford Film Festival Winners

    [caption id="attachment_16212" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]SOME FREAKS SOME FREAKS[/caption] The 2017 Oxford Film Festival celebrated the best of the fest, handing out Hoka awards for Ian MacAllister-McDonald’s SOME FREAKS for Best Narrative Feature, Andrea Kalin’s FIRST LADY OF THE REVOLUTION for Best Documentary Feature, Julie Sokolow’s WOMAN ON FIRE for Best LGBTQ Feature, and the presentation of the Lisa Blount Memorial Acting Award to Victoria Negri for her performance in GOLD STAR. There was a rare tie for the Audience Award honors with Raoul Peck’s I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO and Sally Sussman’s MIDNIGHT RETURN: THE STORY OF BILLY HAYES AND TURKEY sharing the award. Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Melanie Addington said, “For the past two years, the Oxford Film Festival has enjoyed larger audiences to go along with the increased number of films we have accepted and presented. There is a lot of satisfaction to see that, as this film festival continues to grow and adapt with our increased base of enthusiastic film fans and the local film community, that the ambition and quality of the films we present somehow continues to trend upward as well.”

    2017 OXFORD FF AWARD-WINNING FILMS

    SOME FREAKS – BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE Director: Ian MacAllister-McDonald Country: United States, Running Time: 95min When one-eyed high school senior Matt meets 250 lb. Jill, he falls more in love than he ever thought possible. However, when graduation comes and Jill moves cross-country to go to college, she then loses over 50 lbs. – much to Matt’s surprise when he arrives to visit her. While Matt struggles to accept Jill’s new body, Jill begins to question whether Matt is really the man she wants to date. As the distance widens between them, the characters are propelled onto a collision course with brutality and loss, forcing them to confront who they are, who they were, and who everyone thinks they’re supposed to be. FIRST LADY OF THE REVOLUTION – BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Director: Andrea Kalin Countries: Costa Rica, United States, Running Time: 67min While visiting an aunt and uncle in the exotic countryside of Costa Rica, a young Southern belle from Alabama accepts a ride on the back of a motorcycle belonging to a charismatic local farmer—a ride that would propel her down narrow mountain roads and into history. DON’T COME AROUND HERE – BEST MISSISSIPPI FEATURE Director: Navid Sanati Country: United States, Running Time: 95min When he learns that his father may not have much longer to live, Chuck goes back to the home he ran away from. There he must come to terms with his troubled brother Lenny, his own fears, and a secret he has been hiding for years. SHAKE ‘EM ON DOWN – BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY Director: Joe York Country: United States, Running Time: 57min SHAKE ‘EM ON DOWN tells the story of Mississippi Fred McDowell, the godfather of the North Mississippi style of blues. WOMAN ON FIRE – BEST LGBTQ FILM Director: Julie Sokolow Country: United States, Running Time: 95min As a third-generation firefighter, Brooke Guinan has a passion for heroism that runs in her blood. But when Brooke transitions from male to female in her father’s workplace, it poses not only a challenge to a macho profession, but also to the customs of the people she cares about the most – her traditional family. GOODBYE NEENAW – BEST NARRATIVE SHORT Director: Donald Ian Black Country: United States, Running Time: 5:59min David and Jennifer are a brother and sister dealing with the recent and sudden loss of their grandmother who raised them from a young age in the absence of their parents. They are traveling deep into the California mountains to scatter Neenaw’s ashes when a mishap occurs. ON SUNDAY – SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – NARRATIVE SHORT Director: David Lea Country: United Kingdom, Running Time: 6:30min An old man and his dog make their routine walk to the isolated cliff tops of deepest Cornwall…but this time they’re not alone. REFUGE – BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Director: Matthew Firpo Country: Greece, Running Time: 20min REFUGE is a chronicle of human stories from the European Refugee Crisis, focused on humanity and hope. THROUGH THE WALL – SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – DOCUMENTARY SHORT Director: Tim Nackashi Country: United States, Running Time: 6:20min A short documentary about a family divided by the US/Mexico border. OTHA TURNER – BEST MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILM Director: Ava Lowrey Country: United States, Running Time: 6:02min In the late 1950’s, fife and drum legend Otha Turner began hosting annual Labor Day picnics at his property in Gravel Springs, Mississippi. This short documentary film digs into the archives to take us back in time to Labor Day 1978. PRISMA – SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILM Director: Coop Cooper Country: United States, Running Time: 9:13min A corporate promotional VHS tape from 1984 conceals a hidden signal which is said to grant increased health, longevity and psychic powers to those who watch it. View at your own risk. BROKEN PATHS – BEST MISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEO Director: J.B Lawrence Country: United States, Running Time: 4:44min Debut music video filmed in Brandon, Miss. Created by Stace and Cassie and J. B. Lawrence. LESS HELL, MORE ANGEL – REEL SOUTH AWARD Director: Christian D’Andrea Country: United States, Running Time: 11:20min In Mississippi, I came across black and white biker clubs doing something surprising… hugging. And blessing each other. I, PHILLIP – BEST VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) Director: Pierre Zandrowicz Country: France, Running Time: 14min In early 2005, David Hanson is developing his first android human. His name is Phil and it is simply the copy of the famous science fiction author Philip K. Dick. THE TRADER – BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM Directors: Manuel Alvarez Diestro, Sergio Belinchon Country: Spain, Running Time: 12:06min A successful stock trader decides to start a journey far from the trading floor. PACO – BEST NEW MEDIA Director: Catalina Jordan Alvarez Country: United States, Running Time: 12:10min He wants you to bounce on his lap. GUNNER JACKSON – SPECIAL JURY AWARD FOR ACTING – NEW MEDIA Christian Strevy Director: Christian Strevy Country: United States, Running Time: 8:52min My name is Jason Gunner Jackson, and I know without a doubt that I am a target of a multi-agency program that intends to surveil, track, and document my life. THE FOX AND THE WHALE – BEST ANIMATION Director: Robin Joseph Country: Canada, Running Time: 12:03min The tale of a curious fox who goes in search of an elusive whale. A journey of pursuit, longing and discovery. A LITTLE LOVE GOES A LONG CLAY – SPECIAL JURY AWARD FOR CONCEPT – ANIMATION Director: Juliet Buckholdt Country: United States (Mississippi), Running Time: 3:20min This video was made as a school project about stopping social media bullying. Victoria Negri (GOLD STAR) – Lisa Blount Memorial Acting Award Erin Heidenreich (GIRL UNBOUND) – Alice Guy-Blaché Female Filmmaker award Juliet Buckholdt (A LITTLE LOVE GOES A LONG CLAY) – Pat Rasberry Emerging Mississippi Filmmaker Award BREAKFAST – BEST EDITING Director: Tyler Byrnes Country: United States, Running Time: 9:44min When a young man suffering from anorexia is pressured to eat breakfast by his boyfriend, the couple are thrust into another world where their anxieties and frustrations are made horrifyingly real. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO – AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER (TIE) Director: Raoul Peck Countries: United States, France, Running Time: 95min Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House. MIDNIGHT RETURN: THE STORY OF BILLY HAYES AND TURKEY – AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER (TIE) Director: Sally Sussman Country: United States, Running Time: 99min Documentary explores the emotional and political power of film, as seen through the lens of the blockbuster hit MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, a movie that turned the real Billy Hayes into an international celebrity and made him the enemy of Turkey. Join Hayes on a daring journey back to Turkey as he faces the country still haunted by MIDNIGHT EXPRESS.

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  • Oxford Film Festival 2015 Lineup; Opens with James Franco’s THE SOUND AND THE FURY

     The Sound and The FuryThe Sound and The Fury

    Oxford Film Festival announced the selections for its 12th annual festival, to be held February 26-March 1, 2015 at the Oxford Commons Malco.

    The opening night event includes the Mississippi premiere of James Franco’s adaptation of “The Sound and The Fury.” Directed by James Franco, who also stars alongside Seth Rogen, Danny McBride and Tim Blake Nelson, The Sound and the Fury presents a portrait of the Compson family, former Southern aristocrats struggling to deal with the dissolution of their family and its reputation.            

     Films that are not in competition for a Spirit of the Hoka award are noted in the category lists below.

    Narrative Feature Competition

    A is for Alex        
    Directed by Alex Orr       
    A struggling inventor works to save the world and become a worthy father and husband.
    1 hour 14 minutes

    Bluebird 
    Directed by Lance Edmands
    In the northern reaches of Maine, a local school bus driver becomes distracted during her end-of-day inspection, and fails to notice a sleeping boy in the back of the bus. Starring Amy Morton (Chicago P.D.), John Slattery (Mad Men), and Margo Martindale (Justified, The Americans). 
    1 hour 31 minutes

    Burnout
    Directed by Lydia Hyslop
    When a vote to legalize marijuana passes, Ada finds her unusual—and illegal – livelihood suddenly threatened. What happens if the demand for the girl with the drugs becomes obsolete?
    1 hour 17 minutes

    The Last Time You Had Fun
    Directed by Mo Perkins
    When Clark and Will meet Alison and Ida in a wine bar, the foursome set out for an all-night adventure to have the most fun that four decidedly dysfunctional adults are capable of having. Starring Demitri Martin (Taking Woodstock, In a World), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings), Kyle Bornheimer (Bachelorette).
    1 hour 19 minutes, non-competition      

    OzLand 
    Directed by Michael Williams      
    In a dry and dusty post-apocalyptic world, two wayfarers wander aimlessly until Leif finds a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a book that challenges the beliefs, friendship, and even the very survival of these two divergent travelers.            
    1 hour 58 minutes  

    Shanks                  
    Directed by William Castle (1974)
    A mute puppeteer (Marcel Marceau) uses a deceased scientist’s invention to control dead bodies like puppets. 
    1 hour 33 minutes , non-competition     

    Stomping Ground 
    Directed by Dan Riesser
    A young couple on a weekend trip to the American south embark on an impromptu “Bigfoot hunt” that threatens their relationship and their lives.         
    1 hour 20 minutes            

    Documentary Feature Competition

    Billy Mize and the Bakersfield Sound       
    Directed by William Saunders 
    A uniquely talented collective of musicians from Bakersfield, California in the 1950s and 60s challenged the established tastes of the Nashville scene, and permanently altered the landscape of Country music. While artists like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens rode the Bakersfield Sound to national fame, singer-songwriter Billy Mize found touring to be incompatible with the only thing he loved more than music: his family.                  
    1 hour 40 minutes

    Dwarves Kingdom  
    Directed by Matthew Salton       
    After a chance meeting a little person on a train, a Lord of the Rings-obsessed Chinese real estate investor created an amusement park where people with dwarfism could live and earn money performing. In English and Chinese with English subtitles.
    1 hour 11 minutes     

    Just About Famous
    Directed by Jason Kovacsev and Matt Mamula
    JUST ABOUT FAMOUS shines a spotlight on the often overlooked side of celebrity: the lookalikes. Take a trip into the intriguing, enlightening, and often surreal life of Elvis, Obama, Bush, Madonna and Lady Gaga impersonators, each with a different path, as they converge on an annual convention. 
    1 hour 29 minutes      

    Oil & Water         
    Directed by Alan Robert Davis    
    This feature documentary explores the complex relationship between coastal Cajuns in Louisiana and the oil and gas industry, following a family and their seafood business as they struggle in the years after the BP oil spill.               
    1 hour 15 minutes           

    Yazoo Revisited: Integration and Segregation in a Deep Southern Town
    Directed by David Rae Morris     
    History of race relations and the 1970 integration of the public schools in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the hometown of the filmmaker’s father, the late writer, Willie Morris.              
    1 hour 24 minutes           

    Narrative Short Competition

    Based On Rosenthal       
    Directed by Sam Cespedes          
    BASED ON ROSENTHAL follows a boy, Jerry, touched by the supernatural, and his attempt to help his terminally ill grandmother find some peace and comfort during her last days.
    15 minutes          

    Bingo Night!                       
    Directed by Jordan Liebowitz      
    A financially-strapped senior citizen finds a creative (and legally dubious) means of getting some quick cash in this sly and high-spirited comic caper. Starring Lynne Marie Stewart (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers, Legit).
    14 minutes                                                          

    Day One               
    Directed by Michael Steiner        
    On her first day of deployment in Afghanistan as an interpreter, an Afghan-American woman’s unit searches out the remote house of a bomb-maker. When the bomb-maker’s pregnant wife goes into labor, the interpreter must go beyond the call of duty to deliver her breech child. Inspired by a true story.
    25 minutes                                                                                                           

    The Department of Signs and Magical Intervention          
    Directed by Melissa Sweazy        
    Recently-deceased Aidan Crane is put to work at the Department of Signs and Magical Intervention, sorting through the requests from the living for signs from above. When he accidentally sends a sign to the one person who shouldn’t have received it, he is sent back to fix his mistake.
    19 minutes                         

    Destroyer            
    Directed by Andrew Kightlinger 
    A husband (Alan Ruck, Spin City, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) drives his wife out to the country with a mind for retribution. Also starring Judith Hoag (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, NBC’s Nashville).
    8 minutes           

    Ed is a Portal       
    Directed by Darrell C. Hazelrig    
    A sci-fi comedy by the New Puppet Order about all of life’s little headaches: obnoxious co-workers, slovenly roommates, and having an inter-dimensional gateway growing in the back of your head. 
    10 minutes         

    The Gunfighter     
    Directed by Eric Kissack 
    In the tradition of classic westerns, a narrator (Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation) sets up the story of a lone gunslinger that walks into a saloon. However, the people in this saloon can hear the narrator who may just be a little bit of a jerk.  
    9 minutes

    I Love Art             
    Directed by Mac Alsfeld                
    During a fun trip to the art museum with his girlfriend, Carl falls in love with a painting…literally.                
    9 minutes                                                                                                               

    Moffino               
    Directed by Giosuè Petrone        
    Moffino is obsessed with getting out of work at 6:00 p.m. sharp with the hope of finding a parking place, until one day…. In Italian with English subtitles.       
    6 minutes       

    Repeater   
    Directed by Wade Vanover
    A father and son struggle to relate after years apart. Starring David Strathairn (Lincoln, Good Night and Good Luck). Adapted from Chris Offut’s short story, “Target Practice”. 
    21 minutes         

    Star Warp’d        
    Directed by Pete Schuermann   
    A claymation parody of classic science-fiction films including Star Wars, Star Trek, The Terminator, and many others. 
    32 minutes, non-competition    

    Waking Marshall Walker               
    Directed by Bjorn Thorstad and Gabriel Baron    
    An encounter with a mysterious stranger brings unsettling premonitions, sending Marshall Walker on a desperate race through memory and time to reunite with his estranged daughter Charlotte and undo a fateful mistake, or risk being trapped between worlds forever.            
    15 minutes                                         

    Documentary Short Competition

    Big Bad Art          
    Directed by Ben Cannon               
    This no-holds-barred look at the making of a zeitgeisty “house party” might be the funniest documentary to ever come busting out of the art world.       
    43 minutes         

    Crooked Candy                 
    Directed by Andrew Rodgers      
    A ban on Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs in the U.S. isn’t enough to keep one man from following his childhood dream. 
    7 minutes                                           

    The Forgotten (Los Olvidados)                   
    Directed by David Feldman          
    A young Latino artist advocates for domestic laborers through an art installation in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, in tribute to his immigrant roots. 
    13 minutes                                                                                                                                          

    The Grand Dis-illusion (La gran desilusión)            
    Directed by Pedro González Kuhn            
    On September 1, 2012, the Spanish government increased the culture tax from 8% to 21%, causing many theatres to close and many skilled workers to lose their jobs. In Spanish with English subtitles.
    11 minutes                                                                                                               

    Ironman Jackson Wingfield 
    Directed by Deer Run Media       
    To become an Ironman, one must complete a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. Jackson Wingfield won a ticket through his job at Kenco Logistics 14 weeks before race day. Couch to Ironman in just 3 months is an unprecedented endeavor. Jackson rose to the challenge.
    4 minutes                                                                                                                                 

    Jim Dickinson: The Man Behind the Console                        
    Directed by Nan Hackman
    Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson (1941-2009) discusses how working with producer Sam Phillips and, later, watching the Rolling Stones record “Sticky Fingers” influenced his role as a future producer, how he taught his sons Luther and Cody of the North Mississippi Allstars, about the world of music, and how he values his work as a producer with Alex Chilton on Big Star’s “Third” album.          
    16 minutes         

    Mr. X   
    Directed by Alex Nicholson          
    The study of a London tattooist.               
    7 minutes  

    Shirley’s Kids 
    Directed by Michael Paulucci      
    Shirley Chambers gained nationwide publicity because of the tragic loss of her four children to gun violence in America’s most dangerous city, Chicago. 
    10 minutes         

    Wagonmasters                 
    Directed by Sam Smartt and Chris Zaluski              
    WAGONMASTERS tells the story of the station wagon as it represents a changing America over the last hundred years, and offers glimpses into the lives of lingering wagon enthusiasts.      
    19 minutes                                         

    Animated Short Competition                                                                                

    Between Times                
    Directed by Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter            
    From the wall of a small town bakery, a cuckoo clock recounts a day where bread was sliced one second thick, lovers fell in sync and time rarely flowed at an even rate.       
    15 minutes  

    Humanexus
    Directed by Ying-Fang Shen
    Tools and technologies have made it easier to reach out and share ideas, but each one presents a new, unforeseen challenge to forming meaningful interpersonal connections.                      
    11 minutes

    Jinxy Jenkins, Lucky Lou                
    Directed by Michael Bidinger and Michelle Kwon              
    When the chaotically misfortunate Jenkins and the monotonously lucky Lou run into each other one morning, they find a thrilling and fulfilling change of pace as they hurtle down the hills of San Francisco in an ice cream cart. 
    4 minutes           

    Love in the time of March Madness         
    Directed by Melissa Johnson      
    The true-life story of a 6’4” woman who is a star on the basketball court but struggles to find true love.  
    10 minutes         

    Proximity             
    Directed by Holly Petersen          
    Two ceramic figures, a Victorian gentleman and a sixties cowgirl, explore the depths of love and betrayal.  
    4 minutes           

    Zuzumi 
    Directed by Mengyi Xu  
    A story about the friendship between pets and humans, a pet pig turns into a super pig woman save the day and her master.
    3 minutes                                                                                                                

    Experimental Short Competition

    Displacements
    Directed by Manuel Alvarez Diestro
    In Hong Kong, one of the densest cities in the world, new towns are adjacent to cemeteries. The world of the living coexists with that of the dead. Meanwhile, Hong Kong inhabitants move from place to place, awaiting their final displacement.
    10 minutes

    Flipping               
    Directed by Jin Kyu Ahn
    Using a hand-drawn animation technique called “flipping,” physical objects collide with the sounds made by playing two improvised scores.
    8 minutes

    Interstates                          
    Jeffery Chong
    INTERSTATES captures the essence of a winter drive through rural New Hampshire and Maine by focusing on the journey’s ever-fleeting scenery. 
    3 minutes         

    Left       
    Directed by Daniel Winter
    A 3075 individually left-hand drawn rotoscoped frame by frame silent short film about a child, their bear, and moving away from home.
    3 minutes                                                                                                       

    Memory V: Sodankylä                   
    Directed by Gloria Chung              
    Recollections of a week spent north of the Arctic Circle, under the midnight sun: hazy, dreamlike, disorienting, lovely and surreal.
    6 minutes                                                                                                                                

    Memory VI: An Ostrich’s Eye Is Bigger Than Its Brain        
    Directed by Gloria Chung              
    How does our memory function? Why do we remember certain trivial or mundane things but cannot recall other seemingly larger ideas, information, events or experiences?
    5 minutes                                                                            

    On the Train to Kutná Hora…and Back                    
    Directed by Ann Deborah Levy  
    Footage shot with a point-and-shoot camera on a day trip in the Czech countryside, is rearranged and heavily edited. 
    8 minutes  

    A Perfect Day
    Directed by Oguzhan Kaya
    In a city far away from nature, a man wakes up, has his breakfast, and starts a perfect day.
    5 minutes

    The Stars and Stripes Forever in the Eternal City                                
    Directed by Rebekah Flake          
    This film explores tendencies of exuberance and patriotism “and throwing away money” in Rome, the ancient seat of Western imperialism. 
    5 minutes                                                                              

    Mississippi Films (music videos, narrative shorts and documentary shorts)

    85% Broken        
    Mississippi Documentary              
    Directed by Alison Fast and Chandler Griffin        
    What happens when a classical composer from Japan adopts a small Mississippi town?  85% BROKEN is a magical film about one artist’s interpretation of place through sound and a found accordion. Filmed in Water Valley, Miss. 
    15 minutes                                                                                                             

    Barry     
    Mississippi Narrative      
    Directed by Matthew Graves     
    Deep beneath a cold, dark forest lies Barry. His world is a dusty coffin and a cherished locket from his dear wife, Mary. He has come to terms with his present situation but strange new noises are coming from outside his solitary home.
    10 minutes, non-competition    

    A Different Kind of Festival          
    Mississippi Documentary              
    Directed by Ellen Phillips               
    The first ever Art-er Limits Fringe Festival opens its doors for artists, performers, and musicians from all over Mississippi to come and showcase their work in a different and unique way.   
    7 minutes, non-competition        

    From Tribulation to Triumph       
    Mississippi Music Video                
    Directed by Jake Wood / Music by Jake Wood
    5 minutes                                                                                                              

    Garage Sale
    Mississippi Narrative      
    Directed by Meaghin Burke         
    Lydia and her father struggle to heal a fractured relationship while preparing to sell his house.  Packing and selling cherished childhood objects conjures a host of memories for Lydia, who is still reeling from the death of her sister.  As she tries to accept her complicated relationship with her father, she also celebrates the opportunity to make amends across the generations.
    13 minutes                                                                                                   

    A Horror Movie 
    Mississippi Narrative      
    Directed by Casey Dillard              
    Six “teens” are expecting a night of fun, but their cabin party quickly turns into a night of terror, danger and clichés.        
    11 minutes                                                                                                    

    In Ten  
    Mississippi Documentary              
    Directed by Melanie Addington 
    For 15 years, Oxford’s theater community has held a national 10-minute play contest, with a festival of the winners produced with local talent. 
    15 minutes, non-competition                                            

    Inside Your Head              
    Mississippi Music Video                
    Directed by Newt Rayburn / Music by The Heard                              
    3 minutes

    Leadway
    Mississippi Documentary              
    Directed by Robbie Fisher and Dudley Percy Olsson
    Cindi Quong Lofton, a Chinese-American woman in a small town in the rural Mississippi Delta, deals with the violent murder of her father, an iconic figure in the community known simply by the name ‘Leadway’, the name of his store.     
    10 minutes

    A Long Journey 
    Mississippi Music Video                
    Directed by Shannon Cohn / Music by Leo ‘Bud’ Welch
    4 minutes 

    Lord Knows I’m a Soldier     
    Mississippi Music Video                
    Directed by Danny Klimetz/Oxford Sessions / music by Sean Apple 
    4 minutes

    A Mississippi Love Story                
    Mississippi Documentary              
    Directed by Robbie Fisher            
    Against the backdrop of legal battles about same-sex marriage, Eddie and Justin share their personal take on what love really means in their Deep South hometown.     
    14 minutes

    Mississippi Milk 
    Mississippi Documentary              
    Directed by David Rogers and Brittany Retherford             
    A family farmer’s struggle to produce a local product and bring it to the communities of North Mississippi.
    13 minutes

    PEAs      
    Mississippi Narrative      
    Directed by Kelly Buckholdt         
    A woman goes to a meeting of Picky Eaters Anonymous looking for relationship advice.  
    10 minutes

    Statesboro Blues
    Mississippi Music Video                
    Directed by Danny Klimetz/Oxford Sessions / music by Will Echols
    3 minutes                                                                                                                

    Unquantifiable
    Mississippi Documentary
    Directed by Ed Foose     
    Art Place Mississippi is an organization that promotes art education in adolescent offender programs, alternative schools, and senior citizen centers.
    21 minutes

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  • Oxford Film Festival Announces 2014 Winning Films; TEDDY BEARS, BENDING STEEL Win Top Awards

    TEDDY BEARS directed by Rebecca Fishman and Thomas BeattyTEDDY BEARS directed by Rebecca Fishman and Thomas Beatty

    The Oxford Film Festival, in downtown Oxford, Mississippi, announced the winners of this year’s festival, held February 6 to 9, 2014.  TEDDY BEARS directed by Rebecca Fishman and Thomas Beatty won the award for Best Narrative Feature; and BENDING STEEL directed by Dave Carroll won the award for Best Documentary Feature.  TEDDY BEARS is a dark comedy about three couples who head to the desert to help their friend Andrew heal from the loss of his mother. The friends plan a week of laughter and rejuvenation. Andrew plans a therapeutic orgy.  

    In BENDING STEEL, Chris Schoeck, an endearing yet unassuming man, trains to become a professional oldetime strongman. While preparing to perform amazing and unique feats of strength publicly, Chris also struggles to overcome crippling fears and inhibitions. For the first time in his life he is compelled to confront social awkwardness, unsupportive parents, and an overwhelming fear of failure. What unfolds is one man’s remarkable journey to find his place in the world.

    The winners of the Hoka award in each category are:

    Narrative Feature
    Teddy Bears

    Special Jury Prize for Best Performance in a Narrative Feature: Barry Nash
    Special Jury Prize for Best Emerging Director: Juli Jackson

    Documentary Feature
    Bending Steel

    Narrative Shorts
    Safety

    Documentary Shorts
    Herd in Iceland

    Animation
    Snowdysseus 
    Honorable mention: “Balloon Cat”
    Honorable mention: “Baby Chicken”

    Experimental
    Virtuous Virtuell
    Honorable mention: “Tokyo = Fukushima”

    Mississippi Music Video
    Poor Lost Souls

    Mississippi Narrative Shorts
    Evergreen

    Special Mention –
    Cinematography – “Surface”

    Mississippi Documentary Shorts
    Landscapes of the Heart: The Elizabeth Spencer Story

    Additional awards were given to Jason Ritter for Achievement in Film, Susan McPhail for the Hat Trick award for three films in the festival and Barry Nash of Bob Birdnow for the Lisa Blount Memorial Acting Award.

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  • Perfection and LA Comedy Shorts Festival Block Added to 2012 Oxford Film Festival and Music Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2258" align="alignnone"]Perfection[/caption]

    “Perfection” and “L.A. Comedy Shorts Festival” have been added to the Oxford Film Festival and Music Festival since the original lineup was announced.

    A new film, “Perfection” has been added to the line-up and will have its world premiere with the festival. “Perfection” is Christina Beck’s first feature film and was nominated by IFP for best screenplay and selected for their Rough Cut Labs. Beck was awarded the Adrienne Shelly female directing grant.

    The festival will present a block from the L.A. Comedy Shorts Festival, the largest comedy film festival in the United States. Co-founded by Gary Anthony Williams (“Boston Legal,” “Special Agent Oso,” “Malcolm in the Middle”), L.A. Comedy Shorts attracts heavy- weights from the world of comedy. Major sponsors include Will Ferrell and Judd Apatow’s website ‘FunnyOrDie.com, Catoon Network, Atom.com and Atom TV on Comedy Central, and Freemantle’s Atomic Wedgie.

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  • Mississippi’s Oxford Film Festival Release 2012 Film Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_2060" align="alignnone"]Butterfly Rising[/caption]

    The Oxford Film Festival announced the selections for its 2012 Festival scheduled to run February 9-12, 2012. The festival will screen 11 feature films (narrative and documentary), and over 50 shorts (narrative, documentary, experimental, animated), including music videos.

    Narrative Feature

    Butterfly Rising (Mississippi), Dir: Tanya Wright, When her brother dies, singer Lilah Belle sets out to escape her grief and embarks on a road trip, but not before coaxing the new-to-town, most scandalous woman in Artesia– Rose Johnson– to go with her. These two broken souls steal a vintage truck and head out on the open road to a fated encounter with the mythical, magical ‘Lazarus of the Butterflies’. What occurs with the strange Butterfly Man transforms their destinies and binds the women together– forever. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    Cellmates (formerly White Knight) (California), Dir. Jesse Baget, Leroy Lowe, grand dragon of the Texas Ku Klux Klan confronts everything he’s been taught to hate when he’s sentenced to three years of hard labor on a prison work farm, where Warden Merville, dead set on rehabilitating Leroy, chooses Emilio, a Hispanic field worker, to be his cellmate. REGIONAL Premiere.

    Dick Night (California), Dir. Andy Viner, Rachel hasn’t been out of the house since being left at the altar two months ago, but some rebound sex tonight and she’ll be over Mark for good… if she can just deal with these vampires. MISSISSIPPI PREMIERE.

    Frontman (UK), Dir. Ben Hyland, When the former frontman of ‘Stanley and the Knives’ suddenly dies his old friends and band mates are forced back together after twenty-five years apart. Cracks soon start to appear in their relationships and it becomes clear why they split up in the first place. Frontman is a musical journey of five strangers, becoming friends for the second time. REGIONAL Premiere.

    How to Cheat (California), Dir. Amber Sealey, Mark’s decided to do something bad.. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    Documentary Feature

    Happy (California, non-competition), Dir. Roko Belic. A look at the search for happiness.

    Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians (Washington), Dir. Bryan Storkel, Holy Rollers follows the rise of the Churchteam, arguably the largest and most well funded blackjack team in America. In their short existence, they have taken millions from casinos. But since every team member is a Christian and some are pastors, there is a constant battle to answer this question: How can you be Christian and play blackjack for a living? In their first year, the team took $1.6 million from casinos, but slowly the teams success starts to fall apart. They haven’t closed a bankroll in over six months and the team is down $450,000. The investors are getting nervous and something has to change. In addition , questions start being raised as to whether someone from the team might be stealing from the bankroll. Is it possible? Of course. But do they trust the players on the team? Absolutely. Maybe. REGIONAL Premiere.

    Patriot Guard Riders, (Washington) Dir. Ellen Frick; Another American Soldier Has Died. Who cares? The suffering of soldiers and their families is largely invisible to most Americans. But not to these Americans. ‘Patriot Guard Riders’ is a documentary about a 200,000 strong motorcycle group who attend military funerals to honor the fallen, and to protect grieving families from the Westboro Baptist Church, who descends on the funerals and harasses them. REGIONAL PREMIERE.

    Rhino Resurrected, (California), Dir. Keith Shapiro; Against all odds, a beloved and historic record store is brought back to life for two eventful weeks. Can a vibrant community re-emerge in today’s transformed music world? REGIONAL PREMIERE

    Showtime (Mississippi), Dir. Ben Guest; This film follows four friends from rural Mississippi on their quest to win a state championship in basketball. Loss. Struggle. Friendship. Love. WORLD PREMIERE.

    This is What Love in Action Looks Like (Tennessee), Dir. Morgan Jon Fox,  ’This is What Love In Action Looks Like’ documents the widely controversial and inspirational story of what The New York Times referred to as ‘A modern day message in a bottle.’ MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

     


    Animated Short
    Spirit of the Bluebird (Canada), Dir. Xstine Cook
    Birdboy (Spain), Dir. Pedro Rivero
    Dance in B minor (UK), Dir. Myria Christophini
    Dwellings, Dir. Aaron Wendel
    Entanglement, Dir. Renae Radford
    5 Minutes Each (Canada), Dir. Vojin Vasovic
    Gilded Age Gladiator, Dir. Brad Lambert
    The Owl Who Had a Wish Tangled to Its Foot, Dir. Burak Niyazi Kurt
    Documentary Short

    Awaken the Dragon (Tennessee), Dir. Laura Zdan, A short documentary exploring the unknown world of dragon boating, the world’s largest flat water racing canoes, propelled by a crew of 20 plus a drummer and a steers person. The film allows the audience to travel to three areas of the United States to discover the hidden sport to absorb the gripping visuals, sounds, and feelings that come with dragon boat racing. REGIONAL PREMIERE.

    Back in Oxford (Mississippi), Dir. Jordan Berger; A student documentary exploring the underground rap culture in Oxford, MS. An interesting view of this small town, told through a lens many people are not familiar with. WORLD PREMIERE

    The Beacon (Mississippi), Dir. Camilla Ann Aikin; The Beacon is the story of a 52 year old diner, an Oxford, Mississippi institution. It is a place full of colorful characters and stories, fiercely loyal customers and employees, and deep ties to the South’s complicated past. WORLD PREMIERE.

    Cardboard Titanics (Alabama), Dir. Sam Frazier, Delusional people build, row, and race boats made solely of cardboard and duct tape in an insane effort to recapture the American dream.

    Irma (Nebraska), Dir. Charles Fairbanks, Irma is an intimate musical portrait of Irma Gonzalez, the former world champion of women’s professional wrestling. Filmed in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl – a notorious district of Mexico City – Irma contradicts everything we have come to expect from stories reported from Mexico. Featuring music written and performed by Ms. Gonzalez, Irma’s story surges with love and deceit, masculine strength, feminine charms, and an extraordinary sense of humor. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    The New Debutantes (Oregon), Dir. Jarratt Taylor; Ms. Pat knows growing up isn’t easy. She hopes her class in social etiquette gives kids the skills to make it. WORLD PREMIERE.

    On the Porch with T-Model Ford (Mississippi),Dir. Tyler Keith, Tyler Keith interviews T-Model Ford about his life and music on a porch before a show in Mississippi. WORLD PREMIERE.

    Proud Larry’s In Between the Scenes (Mississippi), Dir. Zachary Scott Thompson. Proud Larry’s is a great window into the Oxford Scene’s past and in its future.  This short film highlights past memories of Oxford music scene veterans as well as those who are shaping the scene today. The music featured is provided by Oxford’s own Balance. WORLD PREMIERE.

    Saint (California), Dir. John Rory Fraser, One man’s quest to re-masculate Jesus. WORLD PREMIERE.

    Sonny (UK), Dir. Sophie Smith, The historic Mississippi River town of Helena in the Arkansas Delta, has been the home of the longest running blues radio show in the world. The King Biscuit Time blues show, which began in 1941 has featured ‘Sunshine’ Sonny Payne as the DJ since 1951… WORLD PREMIERE.

    To Live and Die in Avoyelles Parish (Mississippi), Dir. Joe York. The latest documentary from the Southern Foodways Alliance details a different hog-roasting celebration: the Cochon de Lait Festival. The annual Mother’s Day tradition sees some 30-odd hogs hoisted up on metal racks that resemble giant coat hangers and cooked for several hours near a roaring blaze. The results, named for the suckling pigs that often are used in the recipe, are tender white flesh encased in the crispy skin known as “cracklin.’”

    Training Wheels (Tennessee), Dir. Sarah Fleming, At the age of 6, after a devastating encounter with a pile of garbage, Tommy decided that learning how to ride a bicycle just wasn’t worth it. Now, fifteen years later, 21-year-old Tommy Kha is rethinking that decision. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    William Tyler: Behold the Spirit (Tennessee), Dir. Zack Wilson; William Tyler invites you to explore his music through his own thoughts, words, and images. WORLD PREMIERE.

    Year of Our Lord on Thacker Mountain Radio (Mississippi), Dir. Thad Lee,T.R. Pearson speaks about the book he made with Langdon Clay about Lucas McCarty and the Moorhead Trinity House of Prayer. The book is Year Of Our Lord. Lucas and the church choir perform after Pearson’s tale of how and why the book was made. WORLD PREMIERE.

    Yokna (Mississippi), Dir. Gretchen Wood; Yokna looks at the sustainable agriculture movement in Oxford, MS by focusing on Yokna Bottoms Farm six miles south of town. Through documenting the farm’s second Spring growing season, the film shows how the farm and community have a reciprocating influence on each other. WORLD PREMIERE.
    Experimental Short
    Dear Father
    Dumbo Sketch #1
    Knot
    The Lady in the Boxcar (Mississippi)
    Landscape of the Mind
    Only in Dreams
    Plural
    Saskatchewan
    Soundtrack (Spain)
    Texas Hill Country
    Voicemail (New York)
    Mississippi Music Videos
    Fall Apart / The Cooters (dir: Thad Lee)
    The Road Less Traveled / Jake Wood (dir: Daniel Lee Perea)
    Positions in Space / Ash W. (dir: Ashley W.)

    Full lineup will be announced at a later date.
    Narrative Short

    After-School Special (California), Dir. Jacob Chase. A man and a woman have an awkward encounter at an indoor playground in this Neil LaBute penned slice-of-life starring Sarah Paulson and Wes Bentley. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    Ballerina (Arkansas), Dir. Bryan Stafford, Frank Gross seems to be a man who has it all: a quiet home in the suburbs, a good job, a daughter that loves him. Then, on a day much like today, there comes a knock at a door and his orderly world slides sideways into the darkness beyond what we know. Ballerina is a provocative, thoughtful drama about love, time, what we can prevent, and what we can’t no matter how much we might want to. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    Bathing and the Single Girl (California). Dir. Christine Elise McCarthy. A raw & irreverent comedic look at the unspoken horrors of dating – and bathing with – younger men. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    The Best Day (Mississippi), Dir. Coop Cooper, On the day of her 10th birthday, happy-go-lucky Jenny discovers she and her family are pawns in a cruel experiment that repeats over and over… and Daddy likes things just the way they are.

    Expiration Date (Mississippi), Dir. Felicity Flesher, A young student is forever changed when an expired cup of ramen noodles enters his life.

    Fatakra (New York), Dir. Soham Mehta. Sparks fly as a family reunites. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    The Fall of Henry (Mississippi), Dir. Glenn Payne, One bad night, one misstep begins a confrontation between two people with their own perspectives about how and why things went badly. As the encounter goes on, every motive and sense of responsibility comes under scrutiny. When something goes wrong, is there really blame to be assigned? And how far back can it go? Look closely.

    Fresh Skweezed (Tennessee), Dir. Ryan Parker, Maggie, a street smart 11 year old, is stifled by a shaky home-life and constant torment from the neighborhood bully. With a fair share of moxie and a talent for the hustle, this little spitfire is fighting for more than just stability in her turbulent surroundings. Her life’s turned sour and she has no choice but to make a stand. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    Gypsy Heart (Mississippi), Dir. Daniel Lee Perea, A mysterious hitch-hiker get picked up by a man on a road trip. But what can you ever really know about a stranger? WORLD PREMIERE.

    Hellion (Texas), Dir. Kat Candler, Little seven-year old, Petey, falls prey to his older brothers’ hellion ways. REGIONAL PREMIERE. (World Premiere at Sundance in January).

    Humble Circumstances (Mississippi), Dir. Ethan Milner; Three long distance friends are looking to reunite on a camping trip but need a few more supplies. A young woman, a gas station attendant, is looking to close her store for the night but is held up by a would-be thief. Through a winding unfolding of events their worlds collide and will inevitably end in blood shed.

    Illumination (Mississippi), Dir. Michael Williams, Alex, a flawed family man, is forced to endure a personal journey of enlightenment under extraordinary circumstances.

    The Last Payphone in Los Angeles (California), Dirs. Tim Harms, T. Lynn Mikeska; A day in the life of a busy Los Angeles payphone. WORLD PREMIERE.

    Man at the Door (Mississippi), Dir. Alan Arrivée; When a middle class white woman, who has recently separated from her husband and moved to Chicago, goes downstairs to her apartment lobby with a UPS slip in hand, she finds an illegal Mexican laborer at her doorstep, bleeding from a stab wound and begging to be let in. The decision she makes forces her to face the dangers of the city and its seemingly alien inhabitants.

    Ms. Marvel’s Day Off (Georgia), Dir. Ruckus Skye. What does a super hero do when they’re not working? MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    The Ninth Floor (Mississippi), Dir. Jordan Berger, Alex Embers, a despondent young man experiences reoccurring dreams about an imaginary lover in the midst of WWII. Alex feels he must help her. When his dreams and reality become intertwined, he is faced with the decision of leaving the meaningless world he has always known for a chance to save the only girl he has ever loved.

    Old Oak (Mississippi) Dir.Kevin M. Jones; Set in 1956, Old Oak tells the story of the last meal of a Death Row inmate. He asks for and is granted special permission to be escorted to his favorite diner for the occasion. Honey, the 10-year old daughter of the waitress, observes closely and narrates the story as the evening unfolds. USA Premiere.

    The Orderly (Arkansas). Dir. Daniel Campbell. THE ORDERLY is a comedy set in the early 1950s about a timid orderly that finds himself late for his first day of work and his first assignment: transporting two psychiatric patients to another facility 8 hours away, with only 6 hours to get them there. With each minute and mile that passes, Norville desperately struggles to keep his own sanity along this tense, bizarre and chaotic ride. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    Red Moon (California) Dir: Jimmy Marble; Red Moon chronicles the life and times of famed submarine commander, Alexei Ovechkin, Russian hero and hapless werewolf. MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    Terrebonne (New York, filmed partially in Mississippi), Dir. Jeremy Craig, Set on the imperiled coast of Louisiana, Terrebonne is the meditative story of a brother and sister who encounter unexpected trouble when they venture deep into the swamp in search of the mythic ivory-billed woodpecker.  MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

    The Birthday Present (Arkansas). Dir. Sean Bridgers and Ffish. It’s Joey’s birthday. Her busy parents leave her a present she is sure to like.  MISSISSIPPI Premiere.

     

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  • 2011 Oxford Film Festival Winners; Mississippi Innocence Voted Overall Audience Favorite

    Audience Favorite Winner: Mississippi Innocence

    The 2011 Oxford Film Festival came to a close last weekend, and Mississippi Innocence, the non-competition documentary by filmmaker Joe York, took home the top prize for overall audience favorite.  Two years in the making and produced with Tucker Carrington and the Mississippi Innocence Project at the UM School of Law, Mississippi Innocence tells the compelling story of Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer, two men who combined spent over thirty years behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit.

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  • 2011 Oxford Film Festival Lineup

    The Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi announced their February 10-13, 2011 festival films, panels, workshops and conversations to play on February 10 at the Lyric Theatere, and February 11-13 at Malco Theater.

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