Embers

The 26th New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF), taking place October 14 to 22, 2015,  revealed the 24 feature films selected for competition: eight films in the Narrative Films in Competition category, seven films in the Documentary Films in Competition category and nine films in the Louisiana Features category. NARRATIVE FEATURES (IN COMPETITION) “Cover Me” (dir. Garrett Bradley | USA | 2015 | 60 min. | Louisiana Premiere) A young musician grapples with isolation in a changing landscape as it permeates her romantic relationships and artistic career. This film is the result of a remarkable artistic collaboration between director Bradley and avant-garde artist Tameka Norris, who plays the leading role in the picture. (Also in competition as a Louisiana Feature.) “Cowards Do It Slow” (dir. Sean Loftus & Michael Padraic Scahill | USA | 2015 | 99 min. | World Premiere) A love letter to American films of the 1970s and late-night bar culture, “Cowards Do It Slow” looks into the funny, dark heart of an aspiring country singer, a Kentucky boy trying to take his career to the next level as he drunkenly stumbles through the Chicago nightlife and holds on to the spoils that come with it. “Driving While Black” (dir. Paul Sapiano | USA | 2015 | 94 min. | Louisiana Premiere) A dark comedy about racial profiling, “Driving While Black” follows Dimitri (played by Dominique Purdy, who also co-wrote the script), who delivers pizzas for a living in Los Angeles. But as a young black man, he is faced with more than his fair share of unnecessary attention from the cops. “Embers” (dir. Claire Carré | USA, Poland | 2015 | 86 min. | Southern Premiere) After a global neurological epidemic, those who remain search for meaning and connection in a world without memory. Five interwoven stories explore how we might learn, love and communicate in a future that has no past. “French Dirty” (dir. Wade Allain-Marcus & Jesse Allain-Marcus | USA | 2015 | 72 min. | Southern Premiere) Against the skyline of Los Angeles, Vincent ruminates on his parents’ failed marriage, his own arrested development and the choice he must make to become a better man. “It Had To Be You” (dir. Sasha Gordon | USA, Italy | 2015 | 83 min. | Louisiana premiere) Surprised by a sudden proposal and subsequent ultimatum from her boyfriend, Sonia has three days to decide which path her life will take. A whimsical romantic comedy that’s raunchy and yet gentle, “It Had To Be You” explores the choices women face today, while satirizing cultural expectations of gender and romance. “Jackie Boy” (dir. Cody Campanale | Canada | 2015 | 87 min. | World Premiere) This gritty character drama centers on Jack, a self-destructive womanizer who substitutes his emotional insecurities with drinks, drugs and one-night stands. It’s only when he meets fiery, spirited Jasmine that he decides to change his ways. Little does he know she has something different in mind. “Jason and Shirley” (dir. Stephen Winter | USA | 2015 | 79 min. | Louisiana Premiere) (pictured in main image above) “Jason and Shirley” imagines what went on behind the scenes during the filming of the landmark 1967 documentary “Portrait of Jason,” as Jason Holliday regales filmmaker Shirley Clarke with stories of racism, homophobia, abuse and prostitution in pre-Stonewall New York City. DOCUMENTARY FEATURES (IN COMPETITION) “Deal With It” (dir. Shamira Raphaëla | The Netherlands | 2014 | 58 min. | Southern Premiere) In this intimate family portrait, we enter the chaotic and colorful world of director Shamira Raphaëla’s loved ones: her drug-addicted father, Pempy, and her brother, Andy, who is following in his father’s footsteps. “Deal With It” is a raw and personal film about destructive family patterns and unconditional love. “Hotel Nueva Isla” (dir. Irene Gutierrez | Spain, Cuba | 2014 | 71 min. | Louisiana Premiere) Despite the building’s imminent collapse, the last inhabitant of a once luxurious hotel in Old Havana refuses to leave: he remains convinced that treasures—hidden by the hotel’s original owners—lie waiting within its walls. The film is a meditation on a country that exists in a state of permanent resistance. “Missing People” (dir. David Shapiro | USA | 2015 | 81 min. | Louisiana Premiere) This tense, nonfiction mystery unfurls around Martina Batan, the director of a prominent New York City gallery who investigates her brother’s long unsolved murder, while obsessively collecting and researching the violent work and life of Roy Ferdinand, a self-taught artist from New Orleans. “Portrait of a Lone Farmer” (dir. Jide Tom Akinleminu | Germany, Nigeria, Denmark | 2013 | 76 min. | Louisiana Premiere) When filmmaker Jide Tom Akinleminu returns to his father’s chicken farm in Nigeria, his initial intention is to create a film about his parents’ marriage. But life, as is often the case, has other plans. “Scrum” (dir. Poppy Stockell | Australia | 2015 | 54 min. | Southern Premiere) In the lead up to the 2014 Bingham Cup, the lives of a self-assured Canadian jock, a chubby Irish backpacker and a stoic Japanese outsider change when they vie for a position on the Sydney Convicts, the world’s premiere, gay rugby team. “The Seventh Fire” (dir. Jack Pettibone Riccobono | USA | 2015 | 78 min. | Louisiana Premiere)   Terrence Malick presents this haunting and visually arresting nonfiction film about the gang crisis on Indian reservations, through the stories of a Native American gang leader recently sentenced to prison for a fifth time, and his 17-year-old protege. “Touch the Light (Tocando La Luz)” (dir. Jennifer Redfearn | Cuba, USA | 2015 | 72 min. | Southern Premiere) In this intimate, character-driven film from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jennifer Redfearn, three blind women from Havana, confront their heartbreaks and hopes, and navigate their profound desire for independence. LOUISIANA FEATURES (IN COMPETITION) “Consequence” (dir. Jonathan Nguyen & Ashley George | USA | 2015 | 81 min. | World Premiere) The lives of three college coeds are shaken after a weekend camping trip results in the accidental death of a fellow student. Instead of reporting the accident, they decide to conceal the student’s death, a decision that seems logical at first, but slowly begins to eat away at their friendship—and their sanity. “Delta Justice: The Islenos Trappers War” (dir. David DuBos | USA | 2015 | 48 min. | World Premiere) “Delta Justice” gives a true account of St. Bernard Parish’s violent fight over land rights in the mid-1920s. The film sheds new light on an important, yet little-known part of Louisiana’s history. “Dog Man” (dir. Richie Adams | USA | 2015 | 57 min. | World Premiere) “Dog Man” recounts the life story of world-renowned trainer Dick Russell, who worked with an estimated 30,000 dogs through his basic obedience class in South Louisiana and introduced the pivotal training technique of Large Field Socialization to North America. “Forgive and Forget” (dir. Aaron Abdin | USA | 2015 | 101 min. | World Premiere) Brian believes that he has a loving wife, brothers and grandmother but, after a tragic accident claims the life of one of his brothers, the entire family collapses into a mass of secrets, lies and emotional turmoil. Brian is led down a road of discovery, which forces him to choose between holding onto the past or striding towards the future. “The King of New Orleans” (dir. Allen Frederic | USA | 2015 | 83 min. | Louisiana Premiere) In pre-Katrina New Orleans, Larry Shirt is an aging taxi driver whose fares include the city’s hustlers, tourists, socialites, musicians, housekeepers, weirdos and reporters, as well as an aimless student, with whom he shares a special bond. “Love Me True” (dir. Kirby Voss | USA | 2015 | 85 min. | World Premiere) A debilitating fetish for blond-haired women constantly thwarts any chance that Eric has for happiness, until a hairless man named Stanley enters his apartment and claims to be the reincarnation of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. “The Mourning Hills” (dir. R. Todd Campbell | USA | 2014 | 81 min. | New Orleans Premiere) Mattie and Kate are sisters. They’re also orphans. Their mother died in a tragic accident, while their father took his own life in the beautiful and terrifying wilderness known as “The Mourning Hills.” When Mattie convinces Kate to run away with her, they decide to head for the very place where their father made them orphans. “The Phantasmagorical Clarence John Laughlin” (dir. Gene Fredericks | USA | 2015 | 88 min. | North American Premiere) This documentary explores the enigmatic life of New Orleans native Clarence John Laughlin, considered the father of American Surrealist photography and often described as “Edgar Allan Poe with a camera.” The film includes the only known video footage of this unique individual, taken in 1977. “Yazoo Revisited: Integration and Segregation in a Deep Southern Town” (dir. David Rae Morris | USA | 2015 | 84 min. | Louisiana Premiere) This film examines the history of race relations and the 1970 integration of the public schools in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Featuring interviews with local citizens of many ages and backgrounds, “Yazoo Revisited” paints a fascinating picture of the triumphs and failures of the Civil Rights Era.

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