YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR FAMILY[/caption]
Over a six-day run, from August 7 to 12, 2018, the 22nd Annual Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival will screen 293 films that include 84 World/United States Premieres from 48 countries.
The festival will host the premieres of local films such as Pat Heywood and Jamil McGinnis’ “Fall River,” Clayton Vila’s “Back to Life: The Torin Yater-Wallace Story,” URI Film Professor, Reshad Kulenovic’s “Blood & Moonlight,” Selene Means’ “The Time Is Already,” Ali Migliore’s “After Her,” Denali Tiller’s “Tre Maison Dason,” Gene Pina’s “Warrior,” Tim Gray’s “Survivors of Malmedy: December 1944” and many, many more.
Starting on Tuesday, August 7th, a special year long “Celebration of Women in Film and Arts” will be launched (#WomenInTheArts). To celebrate this achievement, the Festival is dedicated this year’s event to Dr. Winifred E. Brownell, a groundbreaking educator and Dean Emerita of the Arts and Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. Her visionary work propelled the University to become a leading hub for film media studies and nurtured the Festival during its infancy, spurring it to become the internationally acclaimed event that it is today. The Festival is also establishing a $2,000 annual scholarship in her name that pays recognition to her career championing the arts and humanities at the University of Rhode Island and a leading female voice in higher education.
RIIFF is one of 10 Festivals in the world that is an Academy Award qualifier in the Live Action, Animation and Documentary Short categories and a qualifier with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Fake Tattoos (Les faux tatouages) (2017)
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Rhode Island International Film Festival Celebrates 22nd Season with Over 290 Films
[caption id="attachment_31064" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR FAMILY[/caption]
Over a six-day run, from August 7 to 12, 2018, the 22nd Annual Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival will screen 293 films that include 84 World/United States Premieres from 48 countries.
The festival will host the premieres of local films such as Pat Heywood and Jamil McGinnis’ “Fall River,” Clayton Vila’s “Back to Life: The Torin Yater-Wallace Story,” URI Film Professor, Reshad Kulenovic’s “Blood & Moonlight,” Selene Means’ “The Time Is Already,” Ali Migliore’s “After Her,” Denali Tiller’s “Tre Maison Dason,” Gene Pina’s “Warrior,” Tim Gray’s “Survivors of Malmedy: December 1944” and many, many more.
Starting on Tuesday, August 7th, a special year long “Celebration of Women in Film and Arts” will be launched (#WomenInTheArts). To celebrate this achievement, the Festival is dedicated this year’s event to Dr. Winifred E. Brownell, a groundbreaking educator and Dean Emerita of the Arts and Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. Her visionary work propelled the University to become a leading hub for film media studies and nurtured the Festival during its infancy, spurring it to become the internationally acclaimed event that it is today. The Festival is also establishing a $2,000 annual scholarship in her name that pays recognition to her career championing the arts and humanities at the University of Rhode Island and a leading female voice in higher education.
RIIFF is one of 10 Festivals in the world that is an Academy Award qualifier in the Live Action, Animation and Documentary Short categories and a qualifier with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
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24th Slamdance Film Festival Awards – “Rock Steady Row” Wins Best Narrative Feature and Audience Award
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Rock Steady Row – Winner of the Narrative Feature Award and the Audience Feature Award. l-r. Bomani Story (Writer) and Trevor Stevens (Dir.) of Rock Steady Row.. Photo credit: Lauren Desbrg/SLAMDANCE[/caption]
The 24th Slamdance Film Festival wrapped last weekend and presented prizes to the winners of this year’s Sparky Awards in the Audience, Jury, and Sponsored Categories. The festival also announced the recipients of three new awards: The Russo Brothers Fellowship, the CreativeFuture Innovation Award, and a curated Acting Award.
The Sparky Award for Best Narrative Feature went to Rock Steady Row, directed by Trevor Stevens and written by Bomani Story. “Rock Steady Row is a shining star in genre, young adult themes, and ‘save the day’ filmmaking. Done creatively in a comic book meets George Miller meets John Carpenter universe. Sharply directed by Trevor Stevens and written by Bomani Story. With strong ingenuity not commonly seen at this budget and experience level, Rock Steady Row stands tall,” said jurors.
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Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End
Winner of the Best Documentary Feature Award l-r.Pablo Bryant (Dir.), Ted Collins (Producer) of Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End. Photo Credit: Lauren Desberg/SLAMDANCE[/caption] The jury shared, “Crafted with the same rugged earnestness and political incorrectness as its subject, this fast paced, exceptionally told portrait creates a complex, funny and layered depiction of a cartoonist who embodies the principles of free speech while revealing the trappings of such an existence. Just like Fish’s cartoons, Mr, Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End is a gateway to hard political discourse, challenging social norms and forcing us to look more closely at what tolerance means. For showing us what is lost when political art is sacrificed to subscription fees, and capturing its subject with the same raw idealism that keeps Fish drawing, we give the Feature Documentary Award to Mr. Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End.” During the Awards Ceremony, the festival also announced the recipient of the highly anticipated The Russo Brothers Fellowship. The $25,000 prize, presented by AGBO Films in partnership with the festival, is designed to enable a deserving filmmaker the opportunity to continue their journey with mentorship from Joe and Anthony as well as development support from their studio. The 2018 recipient of the inaugural Russo Brothers Fellowship is Yassmina Karajah, director of the narrative short, Rupture. The Festival also presented the inaugural CreativeFeature Innovation Award. Slamdance and CreativeFuture have partnered for years to support new talent in the world of film and educate creatives on the importance of protecting their work. This inaugural Award is given to an emerging filmmaker who exhibits the innovative spirit of filmmaking. The CreativeFuture Innovation Award went to Shunsaku Hayashi for his animated short film, Railment. Additionally, a curated Acting Award was presented to Rhaechyl Walker for her breakout performance in, My Name Is Myeisha. “When we started this project seven years ago on a stage at an open mic night, the thought of our story being amplified on a silver screen never entered my mind.” said Walker. “I am so proud, and beyond honored to be a part of such a powerful force of artistic expression that has found its way into many hearts, planted a seed, and nourished souls. Thank you Slamdance for providing this amazing platform, and for this phenomenal award.” The George Starks Spirit Of Slamdance Award went to Wendy McColm, director of Birds Without Feathers. Formerly known as the Spirit of Slamdance Award, the prize was renamed in the honor of George Starks. Starks, who passed away last summer, was a longtime friend of Slamdance and served as the festival’s Utah Producer. [caption id="attachment_26789" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
My Name Is Myeisha Winner of the Audience Beyond Feature Award. Actress Rhaechyl Walker was also honored with an Acting Award. l-r. Alex Hines, John Merchant, Rhaechyl Walker, Dee Dee Stephens of My Name Is Myeisha. Photo credit: Lauren Desberg/SLAMDANCE[/caption]
Awards were also given to festival favorites, voted on by Slamdance audiences. The Narrative Feature Audience Award was presented to Rock Steady Row, directed by Trevor Stevens. Freedom For The Wolf, directed by Rupert Russell, received the Documentary Feature Audience Award, The Beyond Feature Audience Award was awarded to My Name Is Myeisha, directed by Gus Krieger.
The festival also recognized the Audience Award runners-up in their respective feature categories: Charlie And Hannah’s Grand Night Out (Dir: Bert Scholiers), MexMan (Dir.: Josh Polon) and Funny Story (Dir.: Michael Gallagher).
A full list of winners is below:
Jury Awards | Narrative Features
Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize – Rock Steady Row (Dir.: Trevor Stevens) Honorable Mentions: Fake Tattoos (Dir.: Pascal Plante) and Lovers (Dir.: Niels Holstein Kaa)Jury Awards | Documentary Features, Documentary Shorts
Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize – Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End (Dir.: Pablo Bryant) Honorable Mention – MexMan (Dir.: Josh Polon) Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize – Nueva Vida (Dir.: Jonathan Seligson) Honorable Mention: The Last Man You Meet (Dir.: Chris Bone)Jury Awards – Narrative Shorts
Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Rupture (Dir.: Yassmina Karajah) Honorable Mention: Goodbye, Brooklyn (Dir.: Daniel Jaffe)Jury Awards – Experimental Shorts/ Animated Shorts
Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Are You Tired Of Forever? (Dir.: Caitlin Craggs) Honorable Mention: Silica (Dir.: Pia Borg) Animated Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Interstitial (Dir.: Shunsaku Hayashi) Honorable Mention: Satellite Strangers (Dir.: James Bascara)Slamdance Acting Award:
Rhaechyl Walker (My Name is Myeisha)Spirit of Slamdance Award Winner:
Wendy McColm (Dir. of Birds Without Feathers)CreativeFuture Innovation Award:
Railment (Dir.: Shunsaku Hayashi)The Russo Brothers Fellowship Award Winner:
Rupture (Dir.: Yassmina Karajah)Audience Awards:
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Rock Steady Row (Dir.: Trevor Stevens) Runner up: Charlie And Hannah’s Grand Night Out (Dir.: Bert Scholiers) Audience Award for Documentary Feature: Freedom For The Wolf (Dir.: Rupert Russell) Runner up: MexMan (Dir.: Josh Polon) Audience Award for Beyond Feature: My Name Is Myeisha (Dir.: Gus Krieger) Runner up: Funny Story (Dir.: Michael Gallagher)
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65 Films to Compete in Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus Competition at 2018 Berlin International Film Festival
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303[/caption]
Selected from considerably more than 2,000 submissions, this year a total of 65 full-length and short films have been invited to compete in the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival. Highly contemporary, the selection reflects on both cinematic developments as well as current socio-political situations. The diversity in content and format relentlessly reflects a complex and frequently inconsistent world while at the same time leaving room for interpretation. In the zone between reality and imagination, the filmmakers open doors for alternative options – not only for the young protagonists – and simultaneously reframe a young generations’ yearning for commitment.
“Every single selection is an invitation to the audience to experience life from the perspective of youth. They are films with young people, as opposed to about them. An impressive characteristic throughout the program is not only the deep respect with which the filmmakers paint portraits of their protagonists, but also the immediacy and intimacy with which they approach these very individual world views,” says section head Maryanne Redpath about this year’s program.
The Generation 14plus competition will open at Haus der Kulturen der Welt with the road movie 303, with director Hans Weingartner (White Noise and The Edukators, among others) and cast attending. The Generation Kplus competition will open with an adventurous journey of an altogether different nature: the fast-paced Danish animation Den utrolige historie om den kæmpestore pære (The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear) by Philip Einstein Lipski, Amalie Næsby Fick and Jørgen Lerdam.
Generation 14plus
Adam Germany / Iceland / USA by Maria Solrun World premiere After her debut film Jargo (Generation 14plus 2004), Icelandic director Maria Solrun presents a feature film for the second time in Generation. The aurally handicapped young protagonist Adam and his mother, a techno musician, have always lived in different worlds. At the same time, they are symbiotically connected: he feels her music directly with his body. When his mother is diagnosed with irreversible brain damage caused by alcohol, Adam suddenly has to look after himself. He faces his mother’s eager death wish in his very own laconic way, and the director gives him his voice, as well as plenty of space to develop. Dressage Iran by Pooya Badkoobeh World premiere Motivated primarily by boredom rather than greed, Golsa and her friends rob a corner shop. But while evaluating the booty, they are dismayed to realise that they forgot to take the security camera footage. One of them must return to the crime scene and retrieve it. The vote falls on Golsa, who bravely completes the mission. Her friends’ behaviour makes her think, and she hides the hard drive somewhere secret. But her accomplices and their well-to-do families put more and more pressure on Golsa, worried about their social standing. Director Pooya Badkoobeh radically staged story about control, blackmail and the power of money holds an uncompromising mirror up to Iranian society. Fortuna Switzerland / Belgium by Germinal Roaux World premiere Amidst the snow-covered mountains of the Swiss Simplon Pass, 14-year-old Fortuna clasps her hands in prayer. She hasn’t seen her parents since their traumatic crossing of the Mediterranean. Like many other refugees, the young girl from the Ethiopia/Eritrea border area has found refuge in an Augustinian monastery. The feelings of loneliness and yearning for love that tear at Fortuna are weighed against a secret that she can’t even tell the head friar – insightfully played by Bruno Ganz. Director Germinal Roaux fathoms the depths of Christian charity in expressive black-and-white imagery. Hendi & Hormoz Iran / Czech Republic by Abbas Amini World premiere After Valderama (Generation 2016), Iranian director Abbas Amini presents his second feature film in Generation 14plus. Hendi & Hormoz takes place on Iran’s Hormuz Island in the Persian Gulf, where hematite deposits in the soil turn the ocean waves blood-red. 16-year-old Hormoz is married to Hendi, three years his junior, after he promises that he can work as a miner. But the young man, stirringly played by Hamed Alipour (Valderama), finds closed doors instead of a job. When Hendi becomes pregnant unexpectedly, Hormoz is forced to make an ill-advised pact with a smuggler. Director Amini portrays the existential struggle of two young people who must abandon their carefree youth in a harsh world. High Fantasy South Africa by Jenna Bass European premiere After The Tunnel (Berlinale Shorts 2010), Berlinale Talents alumna and London native Jenna Bass now presents a film in Generation 14plus. Filmed by the four protagonists exclusively on smartphones in the wide expanses of the South African veldt, Bass’s second feature film High Fantasy brings a common vision to life: being inside the body of another person. When Lexi and her friends experience exactly that during a camping trip, a suspense-laden dynamic ensues between the three women and Thami, the only man with them, but also between Lexi, who is white and Xoli, who is black. A smart and biting essay on the unrelenting politics of the human body – and still highly relevant even decades after the alleged end of Apartheid. Kissing Candice Ireland / United Kingdom by Aoife McArdle European premiere Candice, 17, has a vivid imagination. In the glaring and graphic realms she experiences during her epileptic seizures, a man appears with whom she falls in love. Soon after, she meets him in the real world. But that’s just one bit of trouble in the Irish town where the young people see a pony as a status symbol on par with a car. One boy is missing and a violent clique of youths is terrorising the village inhabitants. Candice’s father, a police officer who longs for the “good old days” of “the Troubles”, is on the case. In her debut film, director Aoife McArdle stages highly aesthetic chaos against the harsh backdrop of a coastal Irish village. The director’s ample experience making music videos is clearly visible throughout. Retablo Peru / Germany / Norway by Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio L. European premiere 14-year-old Segundo lives with his parents in a village high in the magnificent mountains of Peru. His father Noé is a respected artist and Segundo’s role model. Noé hand-crafts altarpieces, decorated shrines for church and home, and is teaching Segundo the necessary skills to carry on in his footsteps. But cracks have developed in their close relationship because Noé is keeping a dark secret. With brutal honesty and saturated colours, the film peeks behind the facade of a seemingly intact village community where homophobic attidtudes enforced by patriarchal laws are carried out with remorseless violence. It sketches a visually powerful panorama of a world in which a young artist is searching for his niche. What Walaa Wants Canada / Denmark by Christy Garland World premiere The Palestinian girl Walaa – whose mother was incarcerated in an Israeli prison for eight years for allegedly aiding an assassination – shows little interest in school. She’d rather join the Palestinian National Authority – the provisional governmental body that governs the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza – as soon as possible, were it not for her distrust of any kind of authority. Director Christy Garland’s documentary follows the obstreperous young woman over the course of five years, from age 15 to 20. Always maintaining a level playing field with her young protagonist, Christy Garland gives an intimate look at the rebellious girl fighting at times uncontrollably but tenaciously for her dream. 303, Germany, Hans Weingartner — WP Cobain, Netherlands / Belgium / Germany, Nanouk Leopold — WP Danmark (Denmark), Denmark, Kaspar Rune Larsen — IP Güvercin (The Pigeon), Turkey, Banu Sıvacı — WP Les faux tatouages (Fake Tattoos), Canada, Pascal Plante — EP Para Aduma (Red Cow), Israel, Tsivia Barkai Jacov — WP Unicórnio (Unicorn), Brazil, Eduardo Nunes — IP Virus Tropical, Colombia, Santiago Caicedo — EPShort films in Generation 14plus
Fry-Up, United Kingdom, Charlotte Regan — EP Follower, Germany, Jonathan B. Behr — WP Je fais où tu me dis (Dressed for Pleasure), Switzerland, Marie de Maricourt — IP Juck, Sweden, Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira — IP Kiem Holijanda, Netherlands, Sarah Veltmeyer — IP Na zdrowie! (Bless You!), Poland, Paulina Ziólkowska — WP Neputovanja (Untravel), Serbia / Slovakian Republic, Ana Nedeljković, Nikola Majdak Jr. — WP Nuuca, USA / Canada, Michelle Latimer — EP Playa (Beach), Mexico, Francisco Borrajo — EP Pop Rox, USA, Nate Trinrud — EP Premier amour (First Love), Switzerland, Jules Carrin — IP Sinfonía de un mar triste (Symphony of a Sad Sea), Mexico, Carlos Morales — EP Tangles and Knots, Australia, Renée Marie Petropoulos — EP Three Centimetres, United Kingdom, Lara Zeidan — WP Vermine (Vermin), Denmark, Jeremie Becquer — WP Voltage, Austria, Samira Ghahremani — IPGeneration Kplus
Blue Wind Blows Japan by Tetsuya Tomina World premiere In his poetic full-length film debut, director Tetsuya Tomina follows shy Ao, who lives with his mother and younger sister Kii on the Japanese island of Sado. Their father recently disappeared without a trace, but nobody talks much about that. Ao and Kii wander around the island and vent their incomprehension to the expanses of the sea. Then Ao finds a soulmate in the secretive Sayoko. These two daydreamers need only a few words and feel immediately connected to one another. Against the impressive backdrop of an industrial coastal village, Tomina (who also wrote the screenplay) tells a touching story about hope, loss and letting go. Ceres Belgium / Netherlands by Janet van den Brand World premiere In her full-length documentary debut, Dutch director Janet van den Brand accompanies her four young protagonists as they go about their daily agricultural business. Piglets are born, as well as calves, lambs and chicks. Sowing, planting and harvesting. Butchering. No matter what, the camera is close by, along with Koen, Daan, Sven and Jeanine. They help with the farm work from a young age, learning to take responsibility, and to say farewell. Will they run their parents’ farms one day? Using documental imagery, Van den Brand presents a realistic picture of life and work in agriculture – one without idealism, and yet full of poetry. Cirkeline, Coco og det vilde næsehorn (Circleen, Coco and the Wild Rhinoceros) Denmark by Jannik Hastrup World premiere The works of Danish director Jannik Hastrup, seasoned master of animation film, have competed in the Generation programmes since 1985. This year he presents the fourth screen adventure of the matchbook-sized elf Cirkeline. Travel is once again on the agenda, this time with Princess Coco and a moody baby rhinoceros, who both want to return to their home in Africa. Cirkeline and her mouse friends spontaneously decide to go along. A musical story told in episodes and lively, colorful images, Hastrup’s film once again illustrates how travel can open our eyes, and that not everything is the way it seems at first glance. Los Bando Norway / Sweden by Christian Lo International premiere Best friends Axel and Grim finally want to perform at this year’s Norwegian rock championship with their band, Los Bando Immortale. Nine-year-old runaway and cellist Thilda, and underage rally driver Martin complete the troupe, and the quartet sets off on a turbulent road trip to the wild north. With the police and crazy relatives on their tail, and confronted with harsh truths in life and love, the four friends continue toward their dream, unperturbed. After Bestevenner (2010), Norwegian director Christian Lo presents his second feature film in Generation Kplus. Mochila de plomo (Packing Heavy) Argentina by Darío Mascambroni World premiere 12-year-old Tomás tolerated it for far too long – being put off by the grownups, who built a labyrinth of silence, excuses and contradictions all around him. But today is the day of truth. Today, the man who killed his father will be released from prison. And Tomás is ready. In his rucksack is a loaded gun. Restless and determined to liberate himself from the half-truths of the adults, Tomás takes a trip through his hometown. Following his debut Primero enero (Generation Kplus 2017), director Darío Mascambroni once again demonstrates his talent for the attentively observed father-son narrative, told in atmospheric images and in close proximity to his protagonists. Wang Zha de yuxue (Wangdrak’s Rain Boots) People’s Republic of China by Lhapal Gyal World premiere After heavy rains, puddles and mud cover the streets of the Tibetan mountain village. It’s good for the crops, but bad for young Wangdrak, the only boy in the village without rubber boots. While his father is busy with other worries, Wangdrak’s mother fulfills her son’s wish. But new shoes bring new problems. For Wangdrak, a battle against the blue sky and for the rain begins, fought alongside his loyal friend Lhamo. Nestled in the inimitable mountain landscape, director Lhapal Gyal uses vivid imagery to show us a culture steeped in ancient traditions, paying special attention to the young protagonist’s dreams. Allons enfants (Cléo & Paul), France, Stéphane Demoustier — WP Den utrolige historie om den kæmpestore pære (The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear), Denmark, Philip Einstein Lipski, Amalie Næsby Fick, Jørgen Lerdam — IP Dikkertje Dap (My Giraffe), Netherlands / Belgium / Germany, Barbara Bredero — IP El día que resistía (The Endless Day), Argentina / France, by Alessia Chiesa — WP Gordon och Paddy (Gordon and Paddy), Sweden, Linda Hambäck — IP Les rois mongols (Cross My Heart), Canada, Luc Picard — EP Sekala Niskala (The Seen and Unseen), Indonesia / Netherlands / Australia / Qatar, Kamila Andini — EP Supa Modo, Germany / Kenya, Likarion Wainaina — WPShort films in Generation Kplus
A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl, Australia, Tilda Cobham-Hervey — IP L’après-midi de Clémence (The Afternoon of Clémence), France, Lénaïg Le Moigne — WP Vdol´ i poperyok (Between the Lines), Russian Federation, Maria Koneva — WP Brottas (Tweener), Sweden, Julia Thelin — IP Cena d’aragoste (Lobster Dinner), USA / Italy, Gregorio Franchetti — IP De Natura, Romania, Lucile Hadžihalilović — IP Fisketur (Out Fishing), Sweden, Uzi Geffenblad — IP Fire in Cardboard City, New Zealand, Phil Brough — EP Hvalagapet, Norway, Liss-Anett Steinskog — IP Jaalgedi (A Curious Girl), Nepal, Rajesh Prasad Khatri — EP Lost & Found, Australia, Bradley Slabe — WP Neko no Hi (Cat Days), Germany, Jon Frickey — WP Paper Crane, Australia, Takumi Kawakami — WP Pinguin (Penguin), Germany, Julia Ocker — WP Snijeg za Vodu (Snow for Water), Bosnia and Herzegovina / United Kingdom, Christopher Villiers — IP Toda mi alegría (All My Joy), Argentina, Micaela Gonzalo — IP Tråder (Threads), Norway / Canada, Torill Kove — EP Trois rêves de ma jeunesse (Three Dreams of My Childhood), Romania, Valérie Mréjen, Bertrand Schefer — IP Yover, Colombia, Edison Sánchez — WP
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Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2018 Feature Film Competition Lineup + Russo Fellowship Award
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Rock Steady Row[/caption]
The Slamdance Film Festival today unveiled its narrative and documentary feature film competition lineup for its 24th edition, taking place January 19 to 25, 2018 in Park City, Utah.
The feature competition lineup will showcase 10 narrative and eight documentary features. All competition films are feature-length directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million and without U.S. distribution.
Captain America: Civil War directors and alumni Anthony and Joe Russo are partnering with Slamdance for the inaugural Russo Fellowship award. The award winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize and mentorship from the Russo brothers in the development of the winner’s next project at their new Los Angeles-based studio. Every participating filmmaker at the 2018 festival is eligible for this prize. The award will be presented annually.
“The Russo brothers exemplify our ‘by filmmakers for filmmakers’ paradigm,” says Slamdance co-founder and president Peter Baxter. “They are joined by a great number of dedicated alumni who’ve shown when it comes to recognizing talent and launching careers, Slamdance’s independent and grassroots film community really can do it themselves.”
“Born out of rejection, Slamdance’s artist-led group continues to discover cutting edge talent creating work outside of convention. Our 2018 competition lineup is daring, varied, and vivid. It represents the spirit of our time and leads us into the future.”
2018 Slamdance Film Festival Feature Film Competition Lineup
NARRATIVE FEATURES
Birds Without Feathers (USA) World Premiere Director: Wendy McColm Screenwriter: Wendy McColm Desperate for human interaction, six emotionally damaged individuals risk self respect, shedding their disillusionment in a last grasp for happiness. A cruel-world comedy populated by struggling Instagram stars, Russian cowboys, Self-help gurus and more, their lives collide and crash in astounding ways. Cast: Wendy McColm, Lenae Day Cooper Oznowicz, William Gabriel Greer, Sara Estefanos, and Alexander Stasko Charlie And Hannah’s Grand Night Out (Belgium) World Premiere Director: Bert Scholiers Screenwriter: Bert Scholiers Two Girls. One Night. Magical Candy Consumed. Twenty-somethings, Charlie and Hannah, find themselves strolling through the city as events take a wildly surreal turn. Transported to a trippy galaxy, filled with cosmic wisdom and contradictions, the pair learn to realize the search for love can take many forms. Cast: Evelien Bosmans, Daphne Wellens, Patrick Vervueren Fake Tattoos (Canada) US Premiere Director: Pascal Plante Screenwriter: Pascal Plante Shy Theo finds himself unexpectedly kicked in the heart by a punk-rock romance on his 18th birthday as Mag bursts into his life for a rollicking encounter. Set against a backdrop of music and mayhem, this coming-of-age tale, explores the thrashing fragility of summer love as life choices and separation loom with no true answers in sight. Cast: Anthony Therrien, Rose-Marie Perreault Fish Bones (USA) World Premiere Director: Joanne Mony Park Screenwriter: Joanne Mony Park Hana, a Korean immigrant on winter break, is caught between worlds. While struggling to find peace with her conservative mother and the expectations surrounding her future, Hana finds herself falling for Nico, a tender and affectionate Latina music producer. Cast: Joony Kim, Cris Gris Human Affairs (USA) World Premiere Director: Charlie Birns Screenwriter: Charlie Birns This richly earnest drama follows Geneviève, a surrogate who must reckon with her ambivalence about the pregnancy and her precarious feelings for the parents-to-be. Cast: Dominic Fumusa, Kerry Condon, David Harbour, Julie Sokolowski Lovers (Denmark) US Premiere Director: Niels Holstein Kaa Screenwriter: Magnus B. B. Lysbakken In the streets, parks and cafes of Copenhagen, a triptych of love stories come to vivid life. Framed with a superb naturalism, these tales through the seasons tackle the ever rising tide of loneliness and self-doubt that can come in the face of new love. Cast: Marie Mailand, Niklas Herskind, Nina Terese Rask M/M (Canada, Germany) World Premiere Director: Drew Lint Screenwriter: Drew Lint Wayward Canadian, Matthew, crushed by the isolation of being new to Berlin, turns his sexual desires toward Matthias that spiral into a dark fixation of assumed identity. Soon, this obsessive power struggle between the two, careens toward brutal passion and violence in a bid for dominance. Cast: Antoine Lahaie, Nicolas Maxim Endlicher Rock Steady Row (USA) World Premiere Director: Trevor Stevens Screenwriter: Bomani Story Demented chaos rules this bizarro-world college campus where the reigning gang-frats target a freshman, who dare crosses their path. Trapped between a blaze of twisted ‘Mad Max’ style power games, he shrewdly plays both sides, fueling apocalyptic-sized battles that escalate to ensnare the school Dean who’s coming unglued. Cast: Heston Horwin, Diamond White, Logan Huffman, Isaac Alisma, Allie Marie Evans, Larry Miller, Peter Gilroy Songs in the Sun (Denmark) US Premiere Director: Kristian Sejrbo Lidegaard Screenwriter: Allan Hyde, Kristian Sejrbo Lidegaard Off the coast of Denmark, young Anna discovers she is the only lifeline to ailing childhood friend Julie and Sonja, Julie’s apathetic mother. Over the course of one momentous afternoon, Anna will learn the healing power of belief and myth-making in everyday living Cast: Emma Sehested Høeg, Charlotte Munck, Victoria Carmen Sonne The Starry Sky Above Me (France) US Premiere Director: Ilan Klipper Screenwriter: Ilan Klipper, Raphaël Neal Bruno is happy to live out his days luxuriating in the existential highs and lows only a brilliant literary mind can appreciate. But when his loved ones seek to intervene with the help of a psychiatrist, Bruno’s bohemian lifestyle may in fact be the perfect anecdote to the colorless, PC lives they didn’t know they hated. Cast: Laurent Poitrenaux, Camille Chamoux, Marilyne Canto, Alma Jodorowsky, François Chattot, Michèle Moretti, Frank WilliamsDOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Circus Ecuador (Ecuador, USA) World Premiere Directors: Ashley Bishop and Jim Brassard James and Ashley travel to the jungles of Ecuador to make a documentary about a school being built for an indigenous community only to discover that the community may or may not be involved in aliens, gold smuggling, human trafficking, and murder. Freedom for the Wolf (Germany, USA) Director: Rupert Russell From Hong Kong to Tunisia to Bollywood, people are fighting against elected leaders dismantling freedom and democracy. These seemingly disparate international stories are cohesively tied into what is happening in the US to reach some very compelling conclusions. Ingrid (USA) World Premiere Director: Morrisa Maltz An intimate look at a woman who left her life as a successful fashion designer and mother in Texas to become a reclusive hermit, immersed in nature, focused solely on creating art. Instant Dreams (Netherlands) North American Premiere Director: Willem Baptist An essayistic quest for the secret of instant film, the magic appeal of Polaroid and what that tells us about the fascinating relationship we have with the photographic image. Man on Fire (USA) World Premiere Director: Joel Fendelman Grand Saline, Texas was a sleepy, unremarkable town–until a white preacher lit himself on fire to protest the town’s racism in 2014. MexMan (USA) World Premiere Director: Josh Polon Germán is a young artist and filmmaker struggling to complete his first feature film and express his undying love to a girl, while secretly living at an airport and trying to stay sane. Mr. Fish: Cartooning From The Deep End (USA) Director: Pablo Bryant This personal documentary follows a controversial political cartoonist as he struggles to provide for his family and stay true to his creativity in a world where biting satiric humor has an ever-diminishing commercial value. Sunnyside (Belgium, Netherlands) North American Premiere Director: Frederik Carbon On a seaside mountain in Northern California two old friends (one a visionary architect and the other an influential sound artist) dream, talk, live, and create.