Honey Buddies[/caption]
The 2016 Ashland Independent Film Festival will be celebrating its 15th anniversary this April by paying tribute to the roots of independent film.
AIFF will give special emphasis to the intersection of live performance and film, beginning with the opening night screening, and Pacific Northwest premiere of Honey Buddies. Filmed in Oregon, the Slamdance award-winning comedy stars Flula Borg as the relentlessly upbeat best man who convinces David Giuntoli (Grimm), after his fiancée dumps him at the altar, to take him on his Columbia River Gorge honeymoon, instead. Borg, an online musical sensation thanks to his YouTube music videos and his striking performance in the recent Pitch Perfect 2, will perform a live DJ set in the Ashland Armory following the screening.
The mainstay of the festival continues to be a rich assortment of documentary and narrative feature films and shorts, including many regional and several national premieres. Magali Noel’s Addicted to Sheep, Nick Hartanto and Sam Roden’s Traveler (which will be accompanied to the festival by its subject, photographer Nicholas Syracuse) and AIFF 2015 Audience Choice award winner Alexandria Bombach’s short film How We Choose are U.S. premieres. Ten feature films that opened at Sundance in January are receiving their regional premieres at AIFF, including Werner Herzog’s essay film on the Internet’s effect on society, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World; Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, Uncle Howard, Cameraperson, NUTS!, Hooligan Sparrow, Trapped, and The Fits, along with Sonita and Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.
There are a number of films with regional connections, including two by rising Portland filmmaker Christopher LaMarca, whose films Boone and The Pearl (co-directed by Jessica Dimmock) just premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW)and True/False Film Festivals. Boone is a sensory and unsentimental meditation on the lives of three young goat farmers living off the land in the Little Applegate Valley near Jacksonville, Ore. The Pearl delves into the experiences of older transgender women in the Pacific Northwest. The film will be accompanied by the filmmakers and two of their most striking subjects from Oregon, Krystal and Jodi, two sisters who were formerly brothers, and unaware of each other’s gender fluidity. Bastards y Diablos, about two half-brothers who go on a journey of self-discovery to Colombia, involved a crew based mostly out of Medford, Ore., including producer and co-star Dillon Porter.
For lovers of the “other” Ashland festival, there are two films that highlight Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death. Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, a theater performance inventively filmed by Rodrigo Prieto, is being touted as a visually spectacular adaptation, and will be accompanied by a Skype conversation with Taymor. Bill is a Monty Pythonesque tale of William Shakespeare’s “lost years”. In addition, a program of short films will feature current and former Oregon Shakespeare Festival actors, including Anthony Heald in The Stairs; and David DeSantos and Stephanie Beatriz in Closure.
“It’s going to be an exciting and stimulating five days and nights,’ said Cathy Dombi, the festival’s executive director. “More than 50 visiting filmmakers and artists will attend the festival to engage in dialogues after screenings, with several artists accompanying their films with live music, art exhibits, and even virtual reality headgear for audiences to sample.”
In his Ashland debut, Richard Herskowitz, the new director of programming, will honor two key indie film institutions by paying tribute to Kartemquin Films and Women Make Movies, organizations that have built an infrastructure for indie filmmakers working outside the mainstream. Kartemquin co-founder and artistic director Gordon Quinn will be joined by filmmakers Joanna Rudnick and Maria Finitzo for three screenings honoring Karteqmquin on its 50th anniversary. Accomplished documentarians Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar of New Day Films will screen three of their latest short films and join Quinn for a TalkBack panel on Activist Film Collectives.
“Independent film’s social and cultural importance has been reaffirmed lately as Hollywood’s neglect of women’s and other minority voices has become painfully apparent,” said Herskowitz.
This year, 24 of the 39 independent feature films are directed or co-directed by women, and the subject of one of the festival’s three “TalkBack” panel discussions will be Women Make Indie Movies, moderated by Women Make Movies’ executive director Debra Zimmerman. Zimmerman will also introduce her company’s acclaimed new release Sonita, winner of the Grand Jury and Audience Prize for international documentaries at Sundance. Sonita is about an Iranian teenager who creates an underground rap song to protest her family’s plan to sell her as a bride.
This year’s Rogue Award will go to the esteemed directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Detropia, Jesus Camp, The Boys of Baraka), who will screen their latest documentary, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, an homage to the 93-year-old American social activist and creator of the TV shows All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Maude. Barbara Hammer, the pioneering director of queer cinema, will receive the festival’s Pride Award, supported by the Equity Foundation, and will present her latest film, Welcome to this House, on the life and poetry of Elizabeth Bishop.
Herskowitz is introducing a new section titled Beyond, devoted to films that challenge and reinvent storytelling conventions. A highlight of this section will be MA, the debut feature by dance world sensation Celia Rowlson-Hall, a transfixing, artfully wordless narrative in which Rowlson-Hall stars as a reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. Rowlson-Hall was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine in 2014 and named one of 25 “new faces of independent film” in 2015 by Filmmaker Magazine. She is the winner of the festival’s first-ever Juice Award, given to an emerging female film director, with support from Tangerine Entertainment and the Faerie Godmother Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. Other Beyond titles include The Fits, collective:unconscious, and He Hated Pigeons.
At the TalkBack panel titled Transmedia & Virtual Reality Platforms for New Documentaries, filmmaker Helen de Michiel will present her latest transmedia projects, Lunch Love Community and Berkeley vs. Big Soda. Brad Lichtenstein will demo his virtual reality project, Across the Line, on the effect of anti-abortion protests on health centers and patients. Google VR headsets will be available for sampling after the panel. Vicki Callahan, a USC professor and an authority on digital culture and media strategies for social change, will moderate the discussion.
2016 AIFF FEATURE FILM SELECTIONS
FILM; DIRECTOR
Addicted to Sheep; Magali Pettier
Bastards y Diablos; A.D. Freese
Bill; Richard Bracewell
Birth of Saké, The; Erik Shirai
Boone; Christopher LaMarca
Cameraperson; Kirsten Johnson
Chicago Maternity Center Story, The; Jerry Blumenthal, Suzanne Davenport, Sharon Karp, Gordon Quinn, Jennifer Rohrer
collective:unconscious; Lily Baldwin, Frances Bodomo, Daniel Patrick Carbone, Josephine Decker, Lauren Wolkstein
Embers; Claire Carré
Fits, The; Anna Rose Holmer
Five Nights in Maine; Maris Curran
Gesture and a Word; Dave Davidson
He Hated Pigeons; Ingrid Veninger
Honey Buddies; Alex Simmons
Hooligan Sparrow; Nanfu Wang
Hunky Dory; Michael Curtis Johnson
In Pursuit of Silence; Patrick Shen
In the Game; Maria Finitzo
In Transit; Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu, David Usui
Light Beneath Their Feet; Valerie Weiss
Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World; Werner Herzog
Louder than Bombs; Joachim Trier
MA; Celia Rowlson Hall
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise; Bob Hercules & Rita Coburn Whack
Midsummer Night’s Dream; Julie Taymor
Neptune; Derek Kimball
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You; Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
NUTS!; Penny Lane
Pearl, The; Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca
Secret Screening from Kartemquin Films; TBA
Seventh Fire, The; Jack Pettibone Riccobono
Sonita; Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami
Three Hikers, The; Natalie Avital
Trapped; Dawn Porter
Traveler; Nick Hartanto and Sam Roden
Uncle Howard; Aaron Brookner
Voyagers Without Trace; Ian McCluskey
Welcome to This House; Barbara Hammer
Women He’s Undressed; Gillian Armstrong
Short Film Programs
After Hours Shorts
Animated Worlds with Mark Shapiro
Art Docs
Ashland Actors On Screen
CineSpace
Family Shorts: Kid Pix
Family Shorts: TweenScreen
Locals Only 1: Family Friendly
Locals Only 2: Woman to Man
Short Stories
Short Docs
TalkBack Panel Discussions
Activist Film Collectives: Kartemquin and New Day Films
Women Make Indie Movies
Transmedia and Virtual Reality Platforms for New DocumentariesHoney Buddies
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Ashland Independent Film Festival Unveils Lineup, Opens with HONEY BUDDIES
[caption id="attachment_11777" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Honey Buddies[/caption]
The 2016 Ashland Independent Film Festival will be celebrating its 15th anniversary this April by paying tribute to the roots of independent film.
AIFF will give special emphasis to the intersection of live performance and film, beginning with the opening night screening, and Pacific Northwest premiere of Honey Buddies. Filmed in Oregon, the Slamdance award-winning comedy stars Flula Borg as the relentlessly upbeat best man who convinces David Giuntoli (Grimm), after his fiancée dumps him at the altar, to take him on his Columbia River Gorge honeymoon, instead. Borg, an online musical sensation thanks to his YouTube music videos and his striking performance in the recent Pitch Perfect 2, will perform a live DJ set in the Ashland Armory following the screening.
The mainstay of the festival continues to be a rich assortment of documentary and narrative feature films and shorts, including many regional and several national premieres. Magali Noel’s Addicted to Sheep, Nick Hartanto and Sam Roden’s Traveler (which will be accompanied to the festival by its subject, photographer Nicholas Syracuse) and AIFF 2015 Audience Choice award winner Alexandria Bombach’s short film How We Choose are U.S. premieres. Ten feature films that opened at Sundance in January are receiving their regional premieres at AIFF, including Werner Herzog’s essay film on the Internet’s effect on society, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World; Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, Uncle Howard, Cameraperson, NUTS!, Hooligan Sparrow, Trapped, and The Fits, along with Sonita and Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.
There are a number of films with regional connections, including two by rising Portland filmmaker Christopher LaMarca, whose films Boone and The Pearl (co-directed by Jessica Dimmock) just premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW)and True/False Film Festivals. Boone is a sensory and unsentimental meditation on the lives of three young goat farmers living off the land in the Little Applegate Valley near Jacksonville, Ore. The Pearl delves into the experiences of older transgender women in the Pacific Northwest. The film will be accompanied by the filmmakers and two of their most striking subjects from Oregon, Krystal and Jodi, two sisters who were formerly brothers, and unaware of each other’s gender fluidity. Bastards y Diablos, about two half-brothers who go on a journey of self-discovery to Colombia, involved a crew based mostly out of Medford, Ore., including producer and co-star Dillon Porter.
For lovers of the “other” Ashland festival, there are two films that highlight Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death. Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, a theater performance inventively filmed by Rodrigo Prieto, is being touted as a visually spectacular adaptation, and will be accompanied by a Skype conversation with Taymor. Bill is a Monty Pythonesque tale of William Shakespeare’s “lost years”. In addition, a program of short films will feature current and former Oregon Shakespeare Festival actors, including Anthony Heald in The Stairs; and David DeSantos and Stephanie Beatriz in Closure.
“It’s going to be an exciting and stimulating five days and nights,’ said Cathy Dombi, the festival’s executive director. “More than 50 visiting filmmakers and artists will attend the festival to engage in dialogues after screenings, with several artists accompanying their films with live music, art exhibits, and even virtual reality headgear for audiences to sample.”
In his Ashland debut, Richard Herskowitz, the new director of programming, will honor two key indie film institutions by paying tribute to Kartemquin Films and Women Make Movies, organizations that have built an infrastructure for indie filmmakers working outside the mainstream. Kartemquin co-founder and artistic director Gordon Quinn will be joined by filmmakers Joanna Rudnick and Maria Finitzo for three screenings honoring Karteqmquin on its 50th anniversary. Accomplished documentarians Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar of New Day Films will screen three of their latest short films and join Quinn for a TalkBack panel on Activist Film Collectives.
“Independent film’s social and cultural importance has been reaffirmed lately as Hollywood’s neglect of women’s and other minority voices has become painfully apparent,” said Herskowitz.
This year, 24 of the 39 independent feature films are directed or co-directed by women, and the subject of one of the festival’s three “TalkBack” panel discussions will be Women Make Indie Movies, moderated by Women Make Movies’ executive director Debra Zimmerman. Zimmerman will also introduce her company’s acclaimed new release Sonita, winner of the Grand Jury and Audience Prize for international documentaries at Sundance. Sonita is about an Iranian teenager who creates an underground rap song to protest her family’s plan to sell her as a bride.
This year’s Rogue Award will go to the esteemed directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Detropia, Jesus Camp, The Boys of Baraka), who will screen their latest documentary, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, an homage to the 93-year-old American social activist and creator of the TV shows All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Maude. Barbara Hammer, the pioneering director of queer cinema, will receive the festival’s Pride Award, supported by the Equity Foundation, and will present her latest film, Welcome to this House, on the life and poetry of Elizabeth Bishop.
Herskowitz is introducing a new section titled Beyond, devoted to films that challenge and reinvent storytelling conventions. A highlight of this section will be MA, the debut feature by dance world sensation Celia Rowlson-Hall, a transfixing, artfully wordless narrative in which Rowlson-Hall stars as a reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. Rowlson-Hall was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine in 2014 and named one of 25 “new faces of independent film” in 2015 by Filmmaker Magazine. She is the winner of the festival’s first-ever Juice Award, given to an emerging female film director, with support from Tangerine Entertainment and the Faerie Godmother Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. Other Beyond titles include The Fits, collective:unconscious, and He Hated Pigeons.
At the TalkBack panel titled Transmedia & Virtual Reality Platforms for New Documentaries, filmmaker Helen de Michiel will present her latest transmedia projects, Lunch Love Community and Berkeley vs. Big Soda. Brad Lichtenstein will demo his virtual reality project, Across the Line, on the effect of anti-abortion protests on health centers and patients. Google VR headsets will be available for sampling after the panel. Vicki Callahan, a USC professor and an authority on digital culture and media strategies for social change, will moderate the discussion.
2016 AIFF FEATURE FILM SELECTIONS
FILM; DIRECTOR
Addicted to Sheep; Magali Pettier
Bastards y Diablos; A.D. Freese
Bill; Richard Bracewell
Birth of Saké, The; Erik Shirai
Boone; Christopher LaMarca
Cameraperson; Kirsten Johnson
Chicago Maternity Center Story, The; Jerry Blumenthal, Suzanne Davenport, Sharon Karp, Gordon Quinn, Jennifer Rohrer
collective:unconscious; Lily Baldwin, Frances Bodomo, Daniel Patrick Carbone, Josephine Decker, Lauren Wolkstein
Embers; Claire Carré
Fits, The; Anna Rose Holmer
Five Nights in Maine; Maris Curran
Gesture and a Word; Dave Davidson
He Hated Pigeons; Ingrid Veninger
Honey Buddies; Alex Simmons
Hooligan Sparrow; Nanfu Wang
Hunky Dory; Michael Curtis Johnson
In Pursuit of Silence; Patrick Shen
In the Game; Maria Finitzo
In Transit; Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu, David Usui
Light Beneath Their Feet; Valerie Weiss
Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World; Werner Herzog
Louder than Bombs; Joachim Trier
MA; Celia Rowlson Hall
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise; Bob Hercules & Rita Coburn Whack
Midsummer Night’s Dream; Julie Taymor
Neptune; Derek Kimball
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You; Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
NUTS!; Penny Lane
Pearl, The; Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca
Secret Screening from Kartemquin Films; TBA
Seventh Fire, The; Jack Pettibone Riccobono
Sonita; Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami
Three Hikers, The; Natalie Avital
Trapped; Dawn Porter
Traveler; Nick Hartanto and Sam Roden
Uncle Howard; Aaron Brookner
Voyagers Without Trace; Ian McCluskey
Welcome to This House; Barbara Hammer
Women He’s Undressed; Gillian Armstrong
Short Film Programs
After Hours Shorts
Animated Worlds with Mark Shapiro
Art Docs
Ashland Actors On Screen
CineSpace
Family Shorts: Kid Pix
Family Shorts: TweenScreen
Locals Only 1: Family Friendly
Locals Only 2: Woman to Man
Short Stories
Short Docs
TalkBack Panel Discussions
Activist Film Collectives: Kartemquin and New Day Films
Women Make Indie Movies
Transmedia and Virtual Reality Platforms for New Documentaries
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‘HONEY BUDDIES’ ‘THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK’ ‘DRIFTWOOD’ Win Top Awards at Slamdance Film Festival
The 22nd Slamdance Film Festival announced the feature and short film recipients of this year’s Sparky awards in the Audience, Jury, and Sponsored Categories. The Audience Award for Narrative Feature went to HONEY BUDDIES by Alex Simmons (pictured), and the Audience Award for Documentary Feature went to THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK by Brian Golden David. THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK by Brian Golden David also won the Jury Award for Documentary Feature, and DRIFTWOOD by Paul Taylor is the winner of the Jury Award for Narrative Feature.
“Congratulations to all of the filmmakers this year. Outside of winning a Sparky, as a collective they showed us the power of real independent film and how much it enriches our lives,” stated Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-founder.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Audience Award for Narrative Feature:
HONEY BUDDIES dir. by Alex Simmons
When David is dumped just days before his wedding, Flula, his upbeat and very German best man, convinces him to go on David’s honeymoon together: a seven-day backpacking trip through the Oregon wilderness. On the trail, the two friends meet a conspiracy theorist, a friendly backpacker, and a bloodthirsty predator, on an unrelenting trek that tests their friendship and their lives.
Audience Award for Documentary Feature:
THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK dir. by Brian Golden David
The Million Dollar Duck dives into the wonderfully eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the only juried art competition run by the U.S. government. The Duck Stamp is among the most successful conservation tools ever created, spawning a uniquely American subculture brimming with talent, big money, and migratory birds. The film follows the artists who competitively paint waterfowl in their obsessive quests to win the “Olympics of wildlife art.”
JURY AWARDS – NARRATIVE
This year’s Slamdance Narrative Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Julie La’Bassiere, Erik Jambor, & Damon Russell.
Jury Award for Narrative Feature:
DRIFTWOOD dir. by Paul Taylor
“A thoroughly original outsider voice that leaves us eager to see what the filmmaker creates next.”
The award winner was granted $3,500 in legal services from Pierce Law Group.
Jury Honorable Mention for Acting-Narrative Feature:
HUNKY DORY dir. by Michael Curtis Johnson, starring Tomas Pais and Edouard Holdener
“Two breakout performances; a heartfelt story about love and families, both biological and chosen.”
JURY AWARDS – DOCUMENTARY
This year’s Slamdance Documentary Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Skizz Cyzyk, Vanessa Hope, & Steve Yu.
Jury Award for Documentary Feature:
THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK, dir. by Brian Golden Davis
“With humor and empathy, The Million Dollar Duck looks into the little-known world of avid, nature-loving duck painters who seek to win the glory and financial dividend of being on a federal stamp. Artfully shot and edited, with a colorful cast of characters, the film weaves these human stories into the larger picture of how the annual competition has served to create and protect America’s many wildlife refuges. It’s about more than the duck.”
The award winner was granted $3,500 in legal services from Pierce Law Group.
Jury Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature:
ART OF THE PRANK, dir. by Andrea Marini
“Shining a spotlight on an interesting person whose mission isn’t likely to get exposure from the media, since the media is his deserving victim. Told with a mischievous glee, the artfulness of this film mirrors its content.”
Jury Award for Documentary Short:
IF MAMA AIN’T HAPPY, NOBODY’S HAPPY, dir. by Mea de Jong
“Multi-generational traditions examined from two very different perspectives within a family. Charming sweetness and comedic sadness, all rolled into one thought-provoking short film. A film that makes clear the power of women who go it alone and take charge of their lives when men disappoint.”
The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®.
Jury Honorable Mention for Cinematography- Documentary Short:
THE BULLET, dir. by Jordan Bahat, cinematography by Mike Gioulakis
“Beautiful cinematography offering a peek into a profession most of us would never consider. And who doesn’t love the circus?”
JURY AWARDS – SHORT FILMS
The below Short Film Jury Prizes were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Steve Montal, Ina Pira, and Mark Shapiro.
Jury Award for Narrative Short:
WINTER HYMNS, dir. by Dusty Mancinelli
“A story where innocence, mischief and brazen confidence abruptly meet at a tragic crossroads. There is beauty and sadness here, and the director handles both with natural, unpretentious skill.”
The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®.
Jury Honorable Mention for Narrative Short:
THE BEAST, dir. by Daina Oniunas Pusic
“The Beast, produced in Croatia, portrays the strained and codependent relationship of two aging women. It is a sophisticated and elegant portrayal of anger and despair.”
Jury Award for Animation Short:
MY DAD, dir. by Marcus Armitage
“My Dad expresses compelling universal themes — the director’s powerful, heartbreaking message and the film’s bold, colorful palette are perfectly suited to his experimental animation format.”
The award winner qualifies for the Annual Academy Awards®.
Jury Honorable Mention for Animation Short:
FLAWS, dir. by Josh Shaffner
“Flaws brilliantly portrays the trajectory of life and death within a world of helplessness. It beautifully interlaces images, icons, words and music to deliver a powerful piece of thought-provoking cinema in under three minutes.”
The below Short Film Jury Prizes were selected by esteemed industry members Wally Chung, Dekker Dreyer, & Jack Sargeant.
Jury Award for Experimental Short:
INFRASTRUCTURES, dir. by Aurèle Ferrier
“A pensive and serene vision that challenges the audience to consider and reevaluate not just the structure of film, but also the world in which we live.”
Jury Honorable Mention for Experimental Short:
CUP OF STARS, dir. by Ryan Betschart, Tyler Betschart
“The beauty of the mutable universe and the individual; finding the transcendent in the everyday.”
Jury Award for Anarchy Short:
DISCO INFERNO, dir. by Alice Waddington
“An emerging voice with a powerful aesthetic that pays homage to classic cinema while simultaneously affirming a future for visionary film.”
Jury Honorable Mention for Anarchy Short:
GWILLIAM, dir. by Brian Lonano
“Fucking visceral. A fresh take on goblin fun.”
Jury Honorable Mention for Anarchy Short:
HI HOW ARE YOU DANIEL JOHNSTON? dir. by Gabriel Sunday
“A dream meditation on music creativity, mental health, and lost love. A poignant journey into the psyche of the creative mind.”
SPECIAL AWARDS
Spirit of Slamdance Award:
Cast and crew of FURSONAS, dir. by Dominic Rodriguez
The Spirit of Slamdance is awarded by the filmmakers of Slamdance 2016. It goes to the filmmaker who best embodies the spirit of the festival, creatively promoting their film, joyfully participating in screenings and events, and generally putting good energy into the festival.
The Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking awards were selected by the esteemed panel of industry members Jeremy Osbern, Misti Boland, Lindsey Haun, Michael Dunaway, Ben Kasulke, Leah Shore & Tina Mabry.
Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Grand Prize:
SMALL TALK dir. by Hilary Campbell
Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Honorable Mention:
YOU WILL FIND A WAY dir. by A.J. Molle
Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Honorable Mention:
EYES OF THE CITY, dir. by Luke Randall
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2016 Slamdance Film Festival Reveals Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition Lineup
The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival taking place from January 22rd to 28th, 2016 in Park City, Utah, announced their Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition. The programs for its 22nd Festival edition includes 12 narrative and 8 documentary films; 16 premieres – 12 World, 3 North American, and 1 US premieres.
NARRATIVE FEATURES PROGRAM
All the Colors of the Night
Director: Pedro Severien; Screenwriter: Luiz Otávio Pereira
(Brazil)
Iris wakes up in her spacious seafront apartment, discovers a body in the living room and enlists the help of other women, setting off a spiral of redemption in an atmospheric drama of dark imagery and questionable reality.
Cast: Sabrina Greve, Sandra Possani, Brenda Ligia, Giovanna Simões, Rômulo Braga
Alvin’s Harmonious World of Opposites
Director & Screenwriter: Platon Theodoris
(Australia/Indonesia) North American Premiere
Agoraphobic Alvin prefers stuffed pandas and online shopping to the aggressive rantings of his neighbor Virginia, until the sludge seeping from his ceiling forces him to search for answers in this offbeat comedy with a tender heart.
Cast: Teik-Kim Pok, Vashti Hughes, Dessy Fitri, Ailis Logan, Nitin Vengurlekar, Tina Andrews, Alicia O’Donnel
Chemical Cut
Director & Screenwriter: Marjorie Conrad
(USA) World Premiere
23-year-old Irene is an artistic misfit turned LA model busy searching for identity, inspiration and a kindred spirit while surrounded by competition, absurdity, and so many nude bras.
Cast: Marjorie Conrad, Ian Coster, Leah Rudick, Michael Lucid, Stephen Saban, Deven Green, Nicolas Coster, Vicki Marlane
Driftwood
Director & Screenwriter: Paul Taylor
(USA) World Premiere
A young woman washes ashore and is claimed and conditioned by an older man in this intricately layered, dialogue-free exploration of familial roles, isolation and captivity.
Cast: Joslyn Jensen, Paul C. Kelly, Michael Fentin
Honey Buddies
Director: Alex Simmons; Screenwriters: Alex Simmons, David Giuntoli, Flula Borg
(USA) World Premiere
Jilted groom David is convinced by his excitable best man Flula to continue with his planned honeymoon, a backcountry trek in the mountains of Oregon, in a highly comedic ode to friendship and the great outdoors.
Cast: David Giuntoli, Flula Borg, Brian T. Finney, Claire Coffee, Jeanne Syquia
Hunky Dory (pictured in main image)
Director: Michael Curtis Johnson; Screenwriters: Michael Curtis Johnson, Tomas Pais
(USA) World Premiere
After his ex disappears, Sidney, a dive bar drag queen, is forced to look after his 11-year-old son in a tale of unconventional fatherhood, the fear of mediocrity, and the pulsing reality of dreams deferred.
Cast: Tomas Pais, Peter Van Norden, Jeff Newburg, Joy Darash, Edouard Holdener, Nora Rothman, Chad Borden, Chad Hartigan
If There’s A Hell Below
Director: Nathan Williams; Screenwriters: Nathan Williams, Matthew Williams
(USA) World Premiere
In a desolate landscape, an ambitious young journalist in a dusty car meets covertly with a national security whistleblower, and their roving exchange becomes increasingly cloaked in paranoia, tension and escalating threat.
Cast: Conner Marx, Carol Roscoe, Paul Budraitis, Mark Carr
Last Summer
Director: Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli; Screenwriters: Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli, Igort
(Italy) US Premiere
Set on board a luxury yacht in sparkling international waters, this tense and stylish drama captures the four final days a mother is granted with her 6-year-old son to say goodbye after losing a custody battle.
Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Yorick van Wageningen, Lucy Griffiths, Laura Bach, Daniel Ball, Ken Brady
The Lesson
Director & Screenwriter: Ruth Platt
(UK) North American Premiere
A grisly study of the relationship between a tormented teacher and the troubled teens who bear his wrath once he snaps; this morally challenging horror film is dark, claustrophobic, and shockingly eloquent.
Cast: Evan Bendall, Robert Hands, Michaela Prchalova, Tom Cox, Rory Coltart, Dolya Gavaniski, Michael Swatton, Charlotte Croft
MAD
Director & Screenwriter: Robert G. Putka
(USA) World Premiere
A matriarch past the point of a nervous breakdown, her two daughters that don’t give a damn, and the heat-seeking missiles of resentment they toss at each other create a lively backdrop for this dark and dramatic comedy.
Cast: Jennifer Lafleur, Maryann Plunkett, Eilis Cahill, Mark Reeb, David Sullivan, Conor Casey, Shaun Weiss, Chris Doubek
Neptune
Director: Derek Kimball; Screenwriters: Derek Kimball, Matthew Konkel
(USA)
Set in the late 1980s on an island off the coast of Maine, an orphan girl raised by the church becomes obsessed by the disappearance of a classmate, and her haunted dreams and visions propel her to push past her sheltered life.
Cast: Jane Ackermann, Tony Reilly, William McDonough III, Christine Louise Marshall, Dylan Chestnutt, Maureen Butler
The Tail Job
Directors & Screenwriters: Bryan Moses, Daniel Millar
(Australia) World Premiere
Nicholas hires a taxi driver to follow his fiancé when he suspects her of cheating in this micro-budget comedy action tale that makes every wrong turn crackle with genuine humor and unexpected insight.
Cast: Blair Dwyer, Craig Anderson, Laura Hughes, Kellie Clarke, Dorje Swallow, Grant Dodwell, Gary Waddell, Ursula Mills
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES PROGRAM
1ha 43a
Director & Screenwriter: Monika Pirch
(Germany) North American Premiere
After inheriting a plot of farming land near Dusseldorf, Monika explores the potential of her field through administrative, historic and poetic methods and manages to reconnect with the land and her ancestry in a beautiful and unexpected way.
Art of the Prank
Director & Screenwriter: Andrea Marini
(USA)
Legendary funny man Joey Skaggs has been pulling Americas chain since 1965. His next hoax? Film festivals.
Cast: Joey Skaggs, Robert Forster, Peter Maloney, Charlie Todd, Richard Johnson, Buck Wolf, Sarah Farrell, Jeff Cohen
Dead Hands Dig Deep
Director: Jai Love; Screenwriters: Jai Love, Spencer Heath
(USA/Australia ) World Premiere
From the isolation of his secluded desert compound Edwin Borsheim, founder of the shock metal band Kettle Cadaver, ruminates on a life of violence, mayhem and personal destruction lived on the absolute edge of the known musical universe.
Fursonas
Director & Screenwriter: Dominic Rodriguez
(USA) World Premiere
Like any community, the Furry world is one with gossipers, dreamers, followers, whistleblowers and the one guy who wants to rule them all.
Los Punks; We Are All We Have
Director: Angela Boatwright; Screenwriter: Christine Triano
(USA) World Premiere
A cobbled-together family of Hispanic youth comprise the thriving backyard punk scene of South Central and East L.A.: bands, fans, and production are interwoven into a sub-culture of thrash, noise and pits.
Cast: Gary Alvarez, Nacho Corrupted, April Desmadre, Jennie Oi, Alex Pedorro, Natalie Rodriguera
The Million Dollar Duck
Director: Brian Golden Davis; Screenwriter: Martin J. Smith
(USA) World Premiere
Artists from different walks of life vie to win the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the only art competition of its kind sponsored by the U.S. government.
Cast: The Hautman Brothers, Rebekah Nastav, Tim Taylor, Dee Dee Murry, Rob McBroom, Adam Grimm
Myrtle Beach
Directors: Neil Rough, Michael Fuller
(Canada) World Premiere
Myrtle Beach is a disturbingly intimate peek into the lives of the deviants, outcasts and forget-me-nows that inhabit this deformed stepsister of Coney Island.
Peanut Gallery
Director & Screenwriter: Molly Gandour
(USA)
An intimate and unflinching exploration of one family’s tragic loss and their attempt to heal after decades of silence.
Cast: Jackson Gandour, Mary Jane Gandour, Molly Gandour, Aimee Gandour