Fort Maria

  • 2018 Woodstock Film Festival to Showcase Over 100 Films + Opens with KARL BERGER – MUSIC MIND

    [caption id="attachment_31849" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]Karl Berger of Karl Berger - Music Mind Karl Berger of Karl Berger – Music Mind[/caption] The fiercely independent 19th Annual Woodstock Film Festival will showcase more than 100 films and open with a live performance by the Karl Berger Band following the screening of the feature documentary Karl Berger – Music Mind, which offers “an inside look into the creative process and unique approach toward music that makes Karl Berger”. Matthew Heineman’s feature narrative debut A Private War, starring Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan and Stanley Tucci will close the film festival on the evening of Sunday, October 14th. There will be a panel discussion after the film screening of Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane, featuring the filmmakers, as well as panelists from the documentary Newtown. In the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that took the lives of twenty first-graders and their teachers, local clergyman Father Bob Weiss receives a letter from a fellow priest in Dunblane, Scotland, whose community suffered an eerily similar fate in 1996. From across the Atlantic, the two priests forge a poignant bond through the shared experience of trauma and healing. Never before seen film clips of the filmmakers’ upcoming documentary about the mass shooting in Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, will be shown during the panel. Roger Ross Williams is the first African American director to win an Academy Award with his short film Music By Prudence. Williams has directed a wide variety of acclaimed films including God Loves Uganda, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award, and Life, Animated, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017. Williams is on the Board of Governors for the Academy of motion pictures, Arts and Sciences, representing the Documentary branch, as well as being on the Diversity Committee for the Academy. This year Williams is our Special Guest Programmer whose selection spotlights some of his favorite contemporary works by filmmakers of color. Williams said, “I am thrilled to be a guest programmer at this year’s Woodstock Film Festival. The three films I have chosen demonstrate the scope, depth and creativity that is possible when we, as black filmmakers, tell our own stories.” These films include Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Shakedown, and Mr. SOUL!.

    NARRATIVE FEATURES

    Across The Universe, directed by Julie Taymor Almost Home, directed by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen Ask For Jane, directed by Rachel Carey Beyond the Night, directed by Jason Noto Cold Brook, directed by William Fichtner Dorst (Craving), directed by Saskia Diesing Dreams by the Sea, directed by Sakaris Stórá Fort Maria, directed by Thomas Southerland and S. Cagney Gentry Ghost Light, directed by John Stimpson Here and Now, directed by Roman Shumun Julia Blue, directed by Roxy Toporowych Keely and Du, directed by Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert Lez Bomb, directed by Jenna Laurenzo Little Woods, directed by Nia DaCosta Love Revisited, directed by Nicole van Kilsdonk Only A Switch, directed by Michael Vincent Paris Song, directed by Jeff Vespa A Private War, directed by Matthew Heineman ReRUN, directed by Alyssa Rallo Bennett Socrates, directed by Alex Moratto Spell, directed by Brendan Walter Swimming With Men, directed by Oliver Parker Then Came You, directed by Peter Hutchings Unlovable, directed by Suzi Yoonessi We Only Know So Much, directed by Donal Lardner Ward What They Had, directed by Elizabeth Chomko Wheels, directed by Paul Starkman Wildlife, directed by Paul Dano

    Younger Days, directed by Paula van der Oest

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

    2030, directed by Johnny Boston The Advocates, directed by Rémi Kessler Carmine Street Guitars, directed by Ron Mann Dreaming of a Vetter World, directed by Bonnie Hawthorne The Feeling of Being Watched, directed by Assia Boundaoui For The Birds, directed by Richard Miron Ghost Fleet, directed by Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldron Give Us This Day, directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist Hale County This Morning, This Evening, directed by RaMell Ross In Our Bones, directed by Alex Kimura The Interpreters, directed by Andres Caballero and Sofian Khan Karl Berger – Music Mind, directed by Julian Benedikt Michelin Stars – Tales from the Kitchen, directed by Rasmus Dinesen Mr. SOUL!, directed by Melissa Haizlip and Samuel Pollard A Murder In Mansfield, directed by Barbara Kopple Netizens, directed by Cynthia Lowen Personal Statement, directed by Julianne Dressner Shakedown, directed by Leilah Weinraub Somaliland, directed by Harry Lee and Ben Powell Stay Human, directed by Michael Franti Suicide: The Ripple Effect, directed by Greg Dicharry and Kevin Hines Up to Snuff, directed by Mark Maxey What Is Democracy?, directed by Astra Taylor The World Before Your Feet, directed by Jeremy Workman

    WRESTLE, directed by Lauren Belfer and Suzannah Herbert

    SHORTS

    1-0, directed by Nada ElAzhary; 59 Seconds, directed by Mauro Carraro; After Her, directed by Aly Migliori;  Antouni (Homeless), directed by Alik Tamar; Are You Still Singing?, directed by Gillian Barnes; A Year, directed by Jisun Jamie Lee; Beast, directed by Leonora Lonsdale; Beautiful Things, directed by Dina Waxman; Black Spirit, directed by Chakib Taleb-Bendiab; Boy Boy Girl Girl, directed by Ross Kauffman; Carolee, Barbara & Gunvor, directed by Lynne Sachs; The Christmas Rabbit, directed by Christophe Lopez-Huici; The Crying Room, directed by Shalom Auslander; Del Rio, directed by Raj Trivedi; Dinner, directed by Anna Gilmore; Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me), directed by Joseph Wallace; Ego, directed by Mario Addis; The English Teecher, directed by Andy and Carolyn London; Even Ants Strive for Survival, directed by Ren Xia; Funeral, directed by Leah Shore; Gamble, directed by Chayadol Lomtong; Goose in High Heels, directed by John R. Dilworth; He’s Watching, directed by Arthur Metcalf; Homing In, directed by Parker Hill; Jo, directed by Justine Williams; One Small Step, directed by Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas; Last Requests, directed by Courtenay Johnson; The Last Seance, directed by Laura Kulik; Lifeboat, directed by Skye Fitzgerald; Lucy, directed by Ruben Gutiérrez; The Magical Mystery of Musigny, directed by Emmett Goodman and John Meyer; Martin, directed by Sholto Crow; Melt Down, directed by Amy Jingyi Xu; Mirror Mirror, directed by Jacob Internicola; Mother, directed by Amanda Palmer; Moved to Tiers, directed by Avery Herzog; The Movie House on Main Street, directed by Teresa Torchiano; My Brother (Mi Hermano), directed by Alexis Gambis; Pour 585, directed by Patrick Smith; Rooster and The Queen, directed by Aaron Weisblatt; Salam, directed by Claire Fowler; Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane, directed by Kim A. Snyder; Shiva Baby, directed by Emma Seligman; Sorceress, directed by Max Blustin; Trump Bites, directed by Bill Plympton; Two Balloons, directed by Mark C. Smith; Unnatural, directed by Amy Wang; The Velvet Underground Played at My High School, directed by Tony Jannelli and Robert Pietri; Vicarious Resilience, directed by Eva Tenuto; Voice, directed by Takeshi Kushida; Welcome to the New World, directed by Jerry Suen & Anni Sultany; The Winds of Downhill, directed by Jedd and Todd Wider; Your Face Global Jam, directed by Ken Mora

    YOUTH INITIATIVE

    This year, the Woodstock Film Festival will present films written, filmed, directed, produced, and edited by passionate teens. The Woodstock Film Festival’s Youth Initiative is supported by the Thompson Family Foundation. Three out of the ten films were created by students who participated in the Woodstock Film Festival Summer Youth Film Lab, a three week immersive program underwritten by an anonymous donor, that gives teenagers an opportunity to learn about the art of film and practice the full spectrum of the filmmaking process with guidance from accomplished film industry professionals.
    After The Collapse, directed by Youth Film Lab participant Ethan Laclaverie Past the Fear, directed by Youth Film Lab participant Samuel Levine Mirror Mirror, directed by Youth Film Lab participant Jacob Internicola Along the Water, directed by Marissa Gaylin Can’t Hurry Love, directed by Lola Cook The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Suburbia, directed by Alex Alford and Zak Denley I Am The Only One, directed by Aicha Cherif Inclusion On The Air, directed by Eli Canter Silence, directed by Camille Dobbs Wake Up, directed by Maura Palden

    MUSIC VIDEOS

    This year, the Woodstock Film Festival is highlighting 11 outstanding music videos from talented artists from the United States, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Luxembourg. These music videos will be screened online at the start of the festival.
    Boyish – Music by Japanese Breakfast Dumb Dumb– Music by Cipherella Found – Music by Toulouse Glendale– Music by Clans Land of the Fairies – Music by Rami Fortis Magic Meadow Music Video – Music by Journey Blue Heaven Mandarin – Music by Boogrov Paprika – Music by No Metal in this Battle Pora Sotunda – Music by The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices

    Solicitous– Music by Drekoty

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  • Music Documentary A TUBA TO CUBA to Close 2018 New Orleans Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_31491" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]A Tuba to Cuba A Tuba to Cuba[/caption] The documentary A Tuba to Cuba which follows New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band as they retrace their musical roots to the shores of Cuba will be the Closing Night film of the 29th New Orleans Film Festival.   The film underscores the festival’s programmatic focus on films from and about the Caribbean and the Caribbean diaspora, particularly those that speak to the historical and cultural ties between New Orleans and the Caribbean. This year the feature competition lineup includes ten narrative feature films, eight documentary feature films, and eight feature films made in Louisiana. The 2018 Festival which will take place from October 17th through October 25th boasts the most diverse line-up in the festival’s history – with 60% of films by female directors and 54% by directors of color, and 80% from either a female director or director of color. The New Orleans Film Society will warm up for the 29th New Orleans Film Festival with a special preview of the feature film BLAZE, directed by Ethan Hawke, on Tuesday, August 29th at the Orpheum Theater! BLAZE is a biopic of Texas outlaw music’s unsung legend Blaze Foley, written by Ethan Hawke and Blaze Foley’s former sweetheart, Sybil Rosen. Rosen will attend the screening at the Orpheum Theater for a Q&A session on the 29th. Hawke approached Rosen about the project after reading her own telling of Foley’s story in the book “Living in the Woods in a Tree.” The lead role of Foley is played by newcomer Ben Dickey (a musician by trade), and fans of Netflix’s Arrested Development will spot Alia Shawkat as the female lead (Sybil Rosen). Rosen plays her own mother in the film. Blaze was filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and opened at Sundance Film Festival 2018.

    CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION

    A Tuba to Cuba | dir. T.G. Herrington, Danny Clinch | USA A TUBA TO CUBA follows New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band as they retrace their musical roots from the storied city of jazz to the shores of Cuba and in turn discover a connection that runs much deeper than could have been imagined.

    NARRATIVE FEATURES COMPETITION

    Chained for Life | dir. Aaron Schimberg | USA A beautiful actress struggles to connect with her disfigured co-star on the crowded set of a European auteur’s English-language debut. Empty Metal | dir. Adam Khalil, Bayley Sweitzer | USA SOUTHERN U.S. PREMIERE. A trio of aimless musicians are caught up in a shadow revolution governed by psychic native separatists, sovereign citizens, survivalist preppers, and steered by a dreadlocked rasta. Family First | dir. Sophie Dupuis | Canada Constantly walking a tightrope, JP tries to maintain a proper balance between the numerous needs of his family, his job with his brother, and his involvements in his uncle’s drug cartel. Fort Maria | dir. S. Cagney Gentry, Thomas Southerland | USA Four women in the South are connected by the death of a dog. A Haunting Hitchhike | dir. Heejae Jeong | South Korea NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE. 16-year-old girl Jeong-ae is on her way to find her long-lost mother, believing that she’s the only hope left to her. Jules of Light and Dark | dir. Daniel Laabs | USA WORLD PREMIERE. Two young lovers, Maya and Jules, are found wrecked on the side of the road in North Texas by a loner roughneck, Freddy. As her relationship crumbles, Maya forms a friendship with Freddy, whose past mistakes and experiences offer her insights on her life. Life is Fare | dir. Sephora Woldu | Eritrea, USA Sephora, an idealistic young Eritrean American, pitches a well-meaning but ludicrous film about identity, memory, and homesickness to her traditional mother. Pig Film | dir. Josh Gibson | USA NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE. In an empty world, a solitary female mechanically follows the protocols of a factory hog farm. Her labors are sporadically punctuated by musical rhapsodies as she moves toward the impending end. Solace | dir. Tchaiko Omawale | USA SOUTHERN U.S. PREMIERE. A 17-year-old orphan is shipped off to her estranged grandmother. She plots her escape while navigating a foreign environment, new friendships and a hidden eating disorder. Waru | dir. Briar Grace-Smith, Casey Kaa, Ainsley Gardiner, Katie Wolfe, Chelsea Winstanley, Renae Maihi, Paula Whetu Jones | New Zealand Following the death of a child, eight Māori women are confronted by guilt, pride and defeat but will ultimately risk everything for the greater good of their community.

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES COMPETITION

    América | dir. Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside | Mexico América is a story of brothers confronting the chasm between adolescent yearning and adult realities when brought together to care for their ailing ninety-three year old grandmother. For the Birds | dir. Richard Miron | USA A woman’s love for her pet ducks, chickens, geese, and turkeys—all 200 of them—ignites a battle with local animal rescuers and puts her marriage in jeopardy. Gimme A Faith | dir. Hao Zhang | China, USA WORLD PREMIERE. Two evangelical Christians in the Bible Belt of the United States are devoted to converting newly arrived Chinese international students. Jaddoland | dir. Nadia Shihab | Kuwait, USA WORLD PREMIERE. A visit to her mother’s home art studio in Texas prompts the filmmaker to explore the meaning of home and the search for belonging across three generations of her Iraqi family. Man Made | dir. T Cooper | USA Traces the paths of four transgender male bodybuilders as they prepare to step on stage at the only all-trans bodybuilding competition in the world. The Unafraid | dir. Heather Courtney, Anayansi Prado | USA A look at the personal lives of three DACA students in Georgia, a state that has banned them from attending their top state universities and disqualifies them from receiving in-state tuition at any other public college. While I Breathe, I Hope | dir. Emily Harrold | USA WORLD PREMIERE. This film explores what it means to be young, Black, and a Democrat through the experiences of South Carolina politician Bakari Sellers. Wrestle | dir. Suzannah Herbert, Lauren Belfer | USA The wrestling team at JO Johnson High School in Huntsville, which has been on Alabama’s failing schools list for many years, fights their way towards the State Championship and the doors they hope it will open.

    LOUISIANA FEATURES COMPETITION

    Bending Lines: The Sculpture of Robert Wiggs | dir. Allison Bohl DeHart, Peter DeHart | USA Obsessed with the repeating geometry of nature, a sculptor works in the space between art and science. Buckjumping | dir. Lily Keber | USA WORLD PREMIERE. Buckjumping takes the pulse of present-day New Orleans by turning to its dancers, the men and women who embody the rhythm of the city and prove it on the streets every chance they get. Mississippi Madam: The Life of Nellie Jackson | dir. Timothy Givens, Mark K. Brockway | USA In 1902 Nellie Jackson, an African-American woman born into poverty in Possum Corner, Mississippi, traveled north to Natchez and opened “Nellie’s”, a brothel she ran for more than sixty years. Same God | dir. Linda Midgett | USA The first African American woman to gain tenure at “the evangelical Harvard” faces a life-altering backlash to her public show of solidarity with American Muslims. The True Don Quixote | dir. Chris Poché | USA WORLD PREMIERE. Danny Kehoe lives an ordinary life that leaves him bored nearly to death. His only escape is in his collection of books and comics, all recounting, with great inaccuracy, the romantic tales of the chivalrous Knights Errant. When those books are taken away, he goes mad. In his desperation, he re-christens himself as the last and greatest knight of all, Don Quixote. This Little Light | dir. Ada McMahon, Wendi Moore-O’Neal | USA When Black feminist freedom singer Wendi Moore-O’Neal married her now wife, Mandisa, she was fired from her job as a community organizer. This is a self-determined portrait about the Black Southern Freedom movement. This Taco Truck Kills Fascists | dir. Rodrigo Dorfman | USA WORLD PREMIERE. Jose Torres-Tama is on a mission: to create a revolutionary Taco Truck Theatre with a simple message: “No guacamole for immigrant haters”. Tomorrow Never Knows | dir. Adam Sekuler | USA The uncomfortable reality of death is faced by Shar and Cynthia who, upon Shar’s diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer’s, make a brave and difficult decision.

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  • Mammoth Lakes Film Festival Announces 2018 Line-Up + Opening and Closing Films

    [caption id="attachment_26511" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson. Damsel. Regie/director: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson in Damsel.[/caption] The Mammoth Lakes Film Festival (MLFF) announced their feature film line-up, as well as the Opening and Closing Night films, for the fourth edition of the festival, taking place May 23 through 27 at venues across Mammoth Lakes. The 2018 Mammoth Lakes Film Festival will open with Damsel on Wednesday, May 23. Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska star in a comedic homage to classic Westerns. Samuel (Pattinson), is a businessman who sets out to rescue his kidnapped fiancée Penelope (Wasikowska). The situation turns out to be more complicated than it first appears, and Penelope is no mere damsel in distress. The film from Magnolia Pictures is directed and written by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner. [caption id="attachment_26877" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Love, Gilda Love, Gilda[/caption] The festival will close with the documentary film Love, Gilda on Sunday, May 27. In her own words, comedienne Gilda Radner reflects on her life and career. Weaving together her recently discovered audiotapes, interviews with friends (Chevy Chase, Lorne Michaels, Laraine Newman, Paul Shaffer and Martin Short), rare home movies and diaries read by modern-day comedians inspired by Gilda (Bill Hader, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Cecily Strong), Love, Gilda opens up a unique window into the honest and whimsical world of a beloved performer whose greatest role was sharing her story. The film from CNN Films is directed by Lisa D’Apolito. “We’re excited to bring such a dynamic and diverse lineup to this year’s festival,” said Festival Director Shira Dubrovner. “In four short years, we’ve already begun to establish MLFF as a must-attend festival thanks to our scenic and majestic backdrop of the Eastern Sierra and world-class cinema.” “MLFF focuses on films that have powerful, innovative artistic voices,” said Director of Programming Paul Sbrizzi. “We look forward to bringing our festival-goers the bold style and thought-provoking stories found in this year’s slate.”

    The Mammoth Lakes Film Festival line-up

    Core Competitions

    Narrative Features:

    Birds Without Feathers – In this pitch-black comedy, six broken individuals unable to make a human connection will give everything away in an attempt to receive love. Directed and written by Wendy McColm. West Coast Premiere Fort Maria – A sensitive, lyrical look at an agoraphobic Bulgarian woman and her adopted African-American daughter, as they each evaluate their lives and their relationship after the death of the beloved family dog. Directed and written by S. Cagney Gentry and Thom Southerland. My Name Is Myeisha – A charming, talented teenage girl crosses over into a candy-coated hip-hop-musical dreamscape on the fateful night she crosses paths with police. Directed by Gus Krieger, written by Rickerby Hinds. The Queen of Hollywood Blvd. – On her 60th birthday, the proud owner of a Los Angeles strip club finds herself in hot water, leading her on a downward spiral of violence and revenge. Directed and written by Orson Oblowitz. West Coast Premiere Rock Steady Row – A college freshman’s bike is stolen and he’s compelled to go to battle with the comic-book villain that rules the reigning fraternity using Walkmen and No. 2 pencils as weapons. Directed by Trevor Stevens, written by Bomani J. Story.

    Documentary Features:

    Buddha.mov – Lured by the chance of being the protagonist of a documentary film, Buddha Dev starts authorizing unrestricted access into the most private parts of his life. Directed by Kabir Mehta. West Coast Premiere Crime + Punishment – A group of brave officers risk it all to expose the truth about illegal quota practices in the NYPD. Directed by Steven Maing. Minding the Gap – The lives of three young skateboarding friends grow together and apart as they try to process childhood trauma and escape the cycle of domestic violence in their Rust Belt hometown. Directed by Bing Liu. Tourists – A disturbing and hilarious trip around the world, observed through the amateur cinematography of naïve, outspoken and judgmental middle-class tourists. Directed by Mateusz Romaszkan and Marta Wójtowicz-Wcislo. North American Premiere Vianey – New Jersey and Bronx based underground hip hop artist Vianey Otero (Icey Trap) discusses growing up on the streets, the lure of escorting, everyday life in jail, and being a female artist in the music industry. Directed by Marko Vuorinen. West Coast Premiere White Tide: The Legend of Culebra – There’s an island, there’s a map, there’s buried treasure… $2 million dollars just waiting for someone to dig it up. There’s just one slight problem: it happens to be in cocaine form. Directed by Theo Love. West Coast Premiere

    Foreign Features:

    Barren and Empty the Sea (Spain) – Esteban wakes up one morning and everybody accuses him of being a stranger that happens to look just like Esteban.Directed and written by Lucas Parnes Pereira and Jesus Serna. International Premiere Melodrama / Random / Melbourne! (Australia) – A feminist documentarian, a pick up artist and a virgin’s lives collide, and blood will be shed on neon-lit streets of Melbourne. Directed by Matthew Pastor, written by Celina Yuen and Matthew Victor Pastor. North American Premiere Tower. A Bright Day (Poland) Just before her daughter’s First Holy Communion, Mula’s long lost sister Kaja pays them a visit, harboring a secret. The family believes in reconciliation, but Mula has her reasons to be afraid. Directed and written by Jagoda Szelc. North American Premiere Vidar the Vampire (Norway) – The wildly hilarious adventure of a Christian farmer searching for a higher purpose to life, who falls into sin and wakes up as the Prince of Darkness in the city of Stavanger, Norway. Directed and written by Thomas Aske Berg and Fredrik Waldeland.

    Spotlight Presentations:

    Dyna Does Dressage – Documentary about the first mule ever to compete at the national level in the competitive equestrian sport of dressage. Directed by Sarah Crowe. Home + Away – A group of students with family on both sides of the US/Mexico border navigate academics, athletic competition, a school in need of greater funding and familial strife during the their final year at a Texas high school. Directed by Matt Ogens. West Coast Premiere On Her Shoulders – Nadia Murad, a 23-year-old Yazidi genocide and ISIS sex slave survivor, becomes the voice of her people and their best hope to spur the world to action.Directed by Alexandria Bombach. Pick of the Litter –  The story of puppies from the moment they’re born through their quest to become guide dogs for the blind, the ultimate canine career. Directed by Dana Nachman and Don Hardy Jr. A Woman Captured – Director Bernadett Tuza-Ritter’s incredible document of the evolving consciousness of a Hungarian woman who has been held as a domestic slave for 10 years and decides to undertake a daring escape. Directed by Bernadett Tuza-Ritter. West Coast Premiere The festival will also feature Short Film Programs of 26 Narrative Shorts, 10 Documentary Shorts, 11 Animation Shorts and a program of classic animation from East Germany. Over $40,000 in cash and prizes will be given out in nine categories to this year’s films in competition.  Winners will be announced on Sunday, May 27 at a Closing Night reception.

    The 2018 Mammoth Lakes Film Festival Jurors

    Allison Amon (EVP Sales & Development, Bullitt) Lindsey Bahr (Associated Press) Peter Baxter (Filmmaker; President/Co-Founder, Slamdance) Shalini Dore (Variety) Alonso Duralde (TheWrap) Tim Rhys (MovieMaker Magazine) Vincent Spano (Actor) Nicole Sperling (Vanity Fair) Rachel Winter (Producer) Ana Souza (Sundance Film Festival) Scenery Samundra (Tru Thoughts, NTS Radio)

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  • ‘América’ ‘Minding the Gap’ ‘Fort Maria’ ‘For Izzy’ Win at 17th Ashland Independent Film Festival [ Complete List of Winners]

    [caption id="attachment_28069" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Director of América, Chase Whiteside, accepted the Les Blank Award: Best Feature Length Documentary. Photo by Darren Campbell/AIFF Director of América, Chase Whiteside, accepted the Les Blank Award: Best Feature Length Documentary. Photo by Darren Campbell/AIFF[/caption] The 17th Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF) officially came to a close today, and announced the highly anticipated juried and audience award-winning films for work screened at the festival, which ran April 12 to 16, 2018. “120 films made it into our program this year, and 15 of them are receiving the added recognition of a jury or audience award,” said festival director Richard Herskowitz. “I want to congratulate the makers of all 120 of our films for the delight and excitement they brought to our enthusiastic audiences.” The festival presented its coveted Rogue Award to actor Chris Cooper and director Lynn Shelton. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Cooper has given several notable performances in feature films, including as a union organizer in Matewan, the first of five films he appeared in directed by John Sayles. His performance as the eccentric plant collector John Laroche earned him an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor in Adaptation (2002). Cooper also served as executive producer and narrator of AIFF2018’s opening night film, Intelligent Lives, which explores how our society’s narrow views of intelligence have led to the segregation of people with intellectual disabilities. Lynn Shelton, proudly based in Seattle, had her first feature-length film, We Go Way Back, win the Grand Jury Award at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival. After her acclaimed My Effortless Brilliance (AIFF2008) and Humpday, she was honored with the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 2010. Your Sister’s Sister (AIFF2012) won Best Ensemble Performance at the 2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards. In recent years, Shelton has built a successful career as a television series director alongside her feature filmmaking. Her latest film, Outside In (AIFF2018), starring Edie Falco and Jay Duplass, screened at AIFF2018 and is being released by The Orchard. This year’s Pride Award was presented to Zackary Drucker. Drucker is an independent artist, cultural producer, and trans woman who breaks down the way we think about gender, sexuality, and seeing. She has performed and exhibited her work internationally in museums, galleries, and film festivals including the Whitney Biennial 2014, MoMA PS1, Hammer Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, MCA San Diego, and SF MoMA, among others. Zackary is an Emmy-nominated Producer for the docuseries This Is Me, as well as a producer on the Golden Globe® and Emmy®-winning Amazon series Transparent. At the conclusion of the Awards Night Ceremony, Herskowitz was joined by Richard Blue, chair of the James Blue Alliance, for an announcement of AIFF’s new James Blue Emerging Filmmaker Award, which will offer a substantial cash award to a social justice filmmaker beginning in 2019. The specifications for this award will be announced in September in advance of the posting of AIFF’s next call for entries. On the heels of the 17th annual festival, MovieMaker Magazine has named the Ashland Independent Film Festival one of the Top 50 Films Worth the Entry Fee. This is the third time AIFF has been awarded this recognition (2014 and 2015). “We are thrilled and honored to be a part of this prestigious list,” said Herskowitz. The complete list of award-winning films follows:

    JURIED AWARDS

    BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE América Special Jury Recognition: Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE EDITING Minding the Gap Special Jury Recognition: Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE Fort Maria Special Jury Recognition: Wild Honey BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE CINEMATOGRAPHY Fort Maria Special Jury Recognition: The Last Hot Lick BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Commodity City Special Jury Recognition: The Last Honey Hunter BEST NARRATIVE SHORT So Much Yellow Special Jury Recognition: Game

    AUDIENCE AWARDS

    [caption id="attachment_28065" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Director Alex Chu received the Varsity Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature for his film For Izzy. Photo by Darren Campbell/AIFF Director Alex Chu received the Varsity Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature for his film For Izzy. Photo by Darren Campbell/AIFF[/caption] Varsity Audience Award: Narrative Feature: For Izzy [caption id="attachment_28070" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Director Aaron Kopptook home the Rogue Creamery Audience Award: Best Documentary Feature for his film Liyana. Photo by Darren Campbell/AIFF Director Aaron Kopptook home the Rogue Creamery Audience Award: Best Documentary Feature for his film Liyana. Photo by Darren Campbell/AIFF[/caption] Rogue Creamery Audience Award: Feature Length Documentary: Liyana and Skid Row Marathon (TIE) Jim Teece Audience Award: Narrative Short: Game Audience Award: Documentary Short: Little Potato

    SPECIAL TRIBUTES

    Rogue Awards: Chris Cooper and Lynn Shelton Pride Award: Zackary Drucker Indie Institutions: Milestone Films and International Documentary Association

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  • Ashland Independent Film Festival Rolls Out 2018 Program | ‘First Reformed’, ‘On Chesil Beach’, ‘Hearts Beat Loud’ and More ..

    [caption id="attachment_27690" align="aligncenter" width="1080"]On Chesil Beach On Chesil Beach[/caption] The Ashland Independent Film Festival announced its lineup for the five-day festival taking place April 12 to 16, 2018, and featuring over 120 films chosen from nearly a thousand films submitted to the festival, or specially selected by AIFF Artistic and Executive Director Richard Herskowitz. Special screenings include the upcoming features First Reformed (directed by Paul Schrader and starring Ethan Hawke), On Chesil Beach with Saoirse Ronan, Brett Haley’s Hearts Beat Loud with Nick Offerman, Andrew Haigh’s Oregon-filmed Lean on Pete, and Borg vs. McEnroe, starring Shia LeBoeuf, plus 2018 Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentaries Minding the Gap, On Her Shoulders, and Crime + Punishment.

    Award Recipients

    AIFF will present Rogue Awards to two special guests, Academy Award®-winning actor Chris Cooper and Seattle-based director Lynn Shelton. Cooper launched his film acting career with his role as a union organizer in Matewan, the first of five films he appeared in directed by John Sayles, and won the Academy Award in 2002 for his supporting role in Adaptation. In addition to participating in the TalkBack panel “Talking Acting with Chris Cooper,” Cooper will present on Opening Night the world premiere of a film he narrated and executive produced, Intelligent Lives, accompanied by director Dan Habib and executive producer Marianne Leone Cooper. Cooper met Marianne Leone in 1979 at an acting class in New York City. Their son, Jesse Lanier Cooper, was born three months prematurely in October 1987 and developed cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Chris and Marianne became advocates for inclusive education and champions of kids with special needs. Jesse was a mainstreamed student at Silver Lake Regional High School where he was an honor student. In 2005, Jesse died suddenly from a seizure at age 17. Intelligent Lives explores how our society’s narrow views of intelligence have led to the segregation of people with intellectual disabilities. AIFF will also present a Rogue Award to Lynn Shelton, who will present her sixth feature film, Outside In, starring Edie Falco and Jay Duplass and released by The Orchard. Shelton, proudly based in Seattle, has had a stellar career as an independent film director since winning the Grand Jury Award at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival with her debut feature, We Go Way Back. Since then, Shelton’s films, including Humpday (2009), Your Sister’s Sister (AIFF2012), and Laggies (2012) have garnered awards and acclaim at Sundance, the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and the Gotham Independent Film Awards, as well as theatrical distribution from Magnolia and A24. Beginning with Mad Men in 2010, Lynn has directed over 25 episodes of television series including New Girl, Fresh Off the Boat, Master of None, Maron, and GLOW. The recipient of AIFF’s 2018 Pride Award, honoring filmmakers who have made significant contributions to LGBTQ media, is Zackary Drucker, an independent media artist and trans woman whose work crosses boundaries between the art world and popular culture. Drucker has performed and exhibited her work internationally in museums, galleries, and film festivals including the 2014 Whitney Biennial, MoMA PS1, Hammer Museum, and SF MoMA, among others. She is also a producer on the Golden Globe® and Emmy®-winning Amazon series Transparent. She will screen an episode of this series and two films featuring her late friend and mentor, Flawless Sabrina: Drucker’s video, She Gone Rogue and The Queen, Frank Simon’s rarely screened documentary of the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant. Other special guests attending this year’s Festival include James Ivory, recipient of AIFF2017’s Lifetime Achievement Award and a 2018 Academy Award for his screenplay of Call Me By Your Name. Ivory will return to present the restored classic Shakespeare Wallah and join in a conversation after the screening with Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Artistic Director Bill Rauch. AIFF is reaffirming its mission to promote independent filmmaking by honoring companies that have built the infrastructure of the independent film movement and challenged Hollywood’s dominance. This year, tribute will be paid to Milestone Films, which has gained an international reputation for releasing classic cinema masterpieces, groundbreaking documentaries, and American independent features. Since 2007, Milestone has concentrated on the restoration and worldwide distribution of films outside the Hollywood mainstream featuring “lost” films by and about African Americans, Native Americans, LGBTQ, and women. Milestone co-founders Dennis Doros and Amy Heller will present their recent restoration of No Maps on My Taps, accompanied by its director, George Nierenberg. The screening will be followed by a live performance and “tap-in” (with all audience members who bring tap shoes) led by dancer Suzanne Seiber. The second “Indie Institution” honoree will be the Independent Documentary Association (IDA). IDA’s educational, advocacy, production support, and exhibition programs, including the Pare Lorentz and Enterprise Documentary Funds and Documentary Magazine, provide resources, create community and defend rights and freedom for documentary artists, activists, and journalists. IDA’s Director of Programming and Policy, Claire Aguilar, joined by the films’ directors and subjects, will present The Blessing (an IDA Pare Lorentz Fund grantee) and Crime + Punishment (Enterprise Documentary Fund grantee, and winner of a jury prize at Sundance). Aguilar will also moderate the TalkBack panel “Seeking Justice in Documentary.” According to Festival director Richard Herskowitz, “The tribute to Milestone Films’ restoration and distribution is part of a larger programming focus this year on classic cinema that includes Shakespeare Wallah and No Maps on My Taps. Exposure to classic films, I believe, inspires indie film audiences and filmmakers (from James Ivory to Lynn Shelton) to question and reinvent filmmaking conventions.” The emphasis on classic film is highlighted in this year’s festival posters, based on images from the animated films of Stacey Steers. Steers’ sculptural media installations will be on view at the Schneider Museum of Art as part of an exhibition, The Animated Image ( April 12 – May 12) co-curated by Herskowitz and Schneider Museum director Scott Malbaurn. Also in this exhibition are animated media installations by Chris Doyle, Rick Silva, and Matt Bollinger. Steers’ trilogy of animated films featuring collages of silent film actresses in magical settings will be presented with new scores composed by Ashland-based composers Terry Longshore and Tessa Brinckman, which they will perform live on Saturday, April 14 at SOU Music Recital Hall. Also on that program will be a live performance accompanying the Russian silent film The Dying Swan, a Milestone Films release, with a score created by Ashland-based international opera and film score composer Joby Talbot. Talbot will perform on piano, joined by cellist Michal Palzewicz and violinist Jessica Lambert. Other classic film-themed screenings include Love, Cecil, the documentary on Academy Award-winning costume and set designer and photographer Cecil Beaton that will be accompanied by its director Lisa Immordino Vreeland. Film archivist Michael Zahs, the charismatic film archivist and subject of the documentary feature film Saving Brinton, will demonstrate an early Magic Lantern, a progenitor of the film projector, following Saving Brinton’s screening at the Historic Ashland Armory. Zahs will also demonstrate the Magic Lantern to kids during AIFF’s Family Day of film presentations and hands-on filmmaking activities at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum on Saturday, April 14.

    2018Ashland Independent Film Festival Program Summary

    2018 Documentary Feature Selections

    América The Blessing Citizen Blue & The March Crime + Punishment Dark Money Five Seasons The Foreigner’s Home The Gospel of Eureka I Am Maris: Portrait of a Young Yogi Intelligent Lives Itzhak The King Liyana Love, Cecil Minding the Gap Modified Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End No Maps on My Taps On Her Shoulders One October The Queen The Reluctant Radical & Symphony for Nature: The Britt Orchestra at Crater Lake A River Below Saving Brinton Skid Row Marathon Sky and Ground A Tuba to Cuba Two Trains Runnin’

    2018 Narrative Feature Selections

    Back at the Staircase Borg v. McEnroe The Dying Swan First Reformed For Izzy Fort Maria Hearts Beat Loud The Last Hot Lick Lean on Pete On Chesil Beach Outside In People People The Rainbow Experiment Shakespeare Wallah Wild Honey

    SHORTS PROGRAMS

    Curated Programs CineSpace KidFlix: Best of the New York Children’s International Film Festival Animated Worlds: Stop-Motion Classics with Mark Shapiro Zackary Drucker: Trans Film Television Competition Program Short Stories 1: In the Light of Day Short Stories 2: After Hours Short Docs 1: About Work Short Docs 2: About Community Short Stories and Docs: About Family Locals Only Locals Only 1: Family Friendly – Launch Student Film Competition Locals Only 2: Ashland Roots Locals Only 3: On the River, On the Land

    PERFORMANCES

    Silent Scores: The Dying Swan and Stacey Steers’ Trilogy with Tessa Brinckman, Terry Longshore, and Joby Talbot Live Tap-in with Suzanne Seiber following No Maps on My Taps

    FAMILY DAY AT SCIENCEWORKS

    Saturday, April 14, 10am-5pm: Hands-on film activities and presentations by NASA’s Ralph Grau, archivist Michael Zahs, and LAIKA’s Mark Shapiro

    AIFF MEDFORD

    4 shows at Collaborative Theatre Project on March 21, April 14 and 16, and a special screening at Kids Unlimited of Dolores with Peter Bratt and Dolores Huerta (May 3)

    EXHIBITION AT SCHNEIDER MUSEUM OF ART: THE ANIMATED IMAGE

    Media installations by Stacey Steers, Chris Doyle, Matt Bollinger, and Rick Silva on view April 12 – May 12.

    TALKBACKS

    Talking Acting with Chris Cooper Seeking Justice in Documentary Composing Scores for Classic and Contemporary Films

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