The 2016 Athena Film Festival opens on Thursday, February 18th with the New York premiere of the highly anticipated reproductive rights documentary TRAPPED, directed by Dawn Porter. The Centerpiece film will be SUFFRAGETTE, directed by Sarah Gavron and starring Carey Mulligan. The festival will close with the documentary CODEGIRL directed by Lesley Chilcott.
Among the feature films included in this year’s lineup are: FREEHELD, starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page and directed by Peter Sollett, TESTAMENT OF YOUTH, starring Alicia Vikander and directed by James Kent, and MUSTANG, the debut feature from director Deniz Gamze Ergüven and the French entry to the Academy Awards. The documentary category includes: HE NAMED ME MALALA, directed by Davis Guggenheim, SPEED SISTERS, directed by Amber Fares, and MAVIS!, directed by Jessica Edwards. A wide variety of shorts will be featured including: ETERNAL PRINCESS, directed by Katie Holmes, QUEEN VEE, directed by Melissa Johnson, BEACH FLAGS, directed by Sarah Saidan, and FEMINIST HIGH, produced by Kelley Lord.
At this year’s Athena Film Festival, President of HBO Documentary Films Sheila Nevins will launch a three-part Master Class series on documentary filmmaking. Other programs will include a Master Class with composer Jeanine Tesori, an Athena List Reading of THE BURNING SEASON and panels for filmmakers.
The 2016 Athena Film Festival lineup
FEATURES
Cart
Director: Boo Ji-young
Sun-hee, a diligent cashier and divorced mother, works at a retail superstore dreaming of a better life for her children. When the store’s corporate honchos suddenly lay off all temporary employees, Sun-hee and her co-workers organize a strike and discover their courage and inner strength.
Consumed
Director: Daryl Wein
This dramatic thriller tells the story of Sophie, a single mom, who searches relentlessly to uncover the cause of her son’s mysterious illness. When she suspects that the new biotech company in town might be responsible, she sets out on a mission to discover the truth.
Far From the Madding Crowd
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, this film tells the story of fiercely independent Bathsheba Everdene as she manages her newly inherited estate and chooses among three suitors: a humble sheep farmer, an alluring soldier, and a wealthy older man.
Freeheld
Director: Peter Sollett
Based on a true story, this film depicts New Jersey police lieutenant, Laurel Hester who has terminal cancer and her domestic partner, Stacie Andree, as they battle to ensure that Stacie can collect Hester’s pension benefits after her death.
Inside Out
Director: Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen
In this animated feature made by Pixar, young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moves to San Francisco. Her emotions—Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness— conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.
La Loi
Director: Christian Faure
With edge-of-your seat tension, the struggle for reproductive rights unfolds in this story of France in 1975. The film follows groundbreaking health minister Simone Veil during the fight for the legalization of abortion.
Mustang
Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Five Turkish sisters are punished for playing innocently with boys on their way home from school. Imprisoned in the family home, where instruction in homemaking replaces school and talk of arranged marriages begins, the girls share their passion for freedom and find ways to resist.
Suffragette – CENTERPIECE FILM
Director: Sarah Gavron
An intense drama that tracks the story of working women fighting for the right to vote in early twentieth century Britain. Finding that their peaceful protests achieved little and galvanized by political activist Emmeline Pankhurst, they turn to violence, sacrificing their jobs, their homes, and their children as they fight for a just cause.
Testament of Youth
Director: James Kent
Based on the autobiography of Vera Brittain, this story of young love and the futility of war, stars Alicia Vikander as a British woman who comes of age during World War I when she postpones her studies at Oxford to serve as a nurse in London and abroad.
Truth
Director: James Vanderbilt
This is a newsroom drama detailing the 2004 CBS 60 Minutes report that investigated then President George W. Bush’s military service and the subsequent firestorm of criticism that cost anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes their careers.
DOCUMENTARIES
A Ballerina’s Tale
Director: Nelson George
Few dancers make it to the highest levels of classical ballet. Of that already small number only a fraction of them are black women. Misty Copeland has pulled herself up the ladder at American Ballet Theater (ABT) from the studio company to the corps de ballet to soloist. Copeland’s career shines a light on the absence of women of color at major companies. A Ballerina’s Tale is the story of how a great talent and a powerful will combined can open doors within a very cloistered world.
Codegirl – CLOSING FILM
Director: Lesley Chilcott
The Technovation Challenge, an international competition for girls ages 10-18, aims to inspire girls to learn coding and other technological skills. From rural Moldova to urban Brazil to suburban Massachusetts, Codegirl follows teams who dream of holding their own in the world’s fastest-growing industry.
He Named Me Malala
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Now a household name, Malala Yousafzai is both an extraordinary leader and an ordinary teen. After the Taliban’s attack on the young Pakistani school girl, she became an outspoken advocate for education and girls’ rights, as well as the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Makers: Once and For All
Director: Dyllan McGee, Michael Epstein
Once and For All takes us behind the scenes of the 1995 Beijing Women’s Conference as representatives from 189 countries including 17,000 participants and 30,000 advocates hammered out the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women’s rights.
MAVIS!
Director: Jessica Edwards
Mavis! chronicles the inspiring career of gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. From the freedom songs of the ’60s to funked-up collaborations with Prince and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis has stayed true to her roots and inspired millions along the way. At 75, she’s making the most vital music of her career, winning Grammy awards, and reaching a new generation of fans with her message of love and equality.
Now En Español
Director: Andrea Meller
Now En Español is an entertaining portrait of the five dynamic Latina actresses who dub Desperate Housewives for Spanish language audiences in the US as they fight for a more diverse and visible portrayal of themselves and their community.
Radical Grace – NEW YORK PREMIERE
Director: Rebecca Parrish
When the Vatican publicly admonished a group of American nuns for their “radical feminism”, they find themselves and their work at the center of a long overdue debate that straddles issues of social justice, women’s rights, and the future of the Catholic Church.
Right Footed
Director: Nick Spark
Jessica Cox was born without arms but manages to overcome many challenges to live independently. She types, drives a car and, amazingly, flies an airplane with her feet. Right Footed follows Jessica as she becomes a mentor and advocate for persons with disabilities.
Speed Sisters
Director: Amber Fares
The Speed Sisters are the first all-women race car driving team in the Middle East. They’re bold. They’re fearless. And they’re tearing up tracks all over Palestine.
Trapped – OPENING FILM – NEW YORK PREMIERE
Director: Dawn Porter
American abortion clinics are in a fight for survival. Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws, like those recently passed in Texas and Alabama are increasingly being passed by states that insist they are for women’s safety and health. But as clinics are forced to shut their doors, supporters of abortion rights believe the real purpose of these laws is to outlaw abortion.
The Trials of Spring
Director: Gini Reticker
When 21-year-old Hend Nafea travels to Cairo to join the popular protests in Egypt, she is beaten, arrested, and tortured. Unbreakable and buoyed by her fellow activists, she sets out on a search for freedom and justice in a country gripped by a dangerous power struggle.
T-Rex
Directors: Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari
Seventeen-year-old Claressa “T-Rex” Shields from Flint, Michigan dreams of becoming the first woman in history to win the gold medal in Olympic boxing. To succeed, she will need to stand her ground both inside and outside the ring.
SHORTS
Beach Flags
Director: Sarah Saidan
Vida is a young Iranian lifeguard determined to participate in an international competition with her teammates but the arrival of talented newcomer Sareh threatens to alter her plans.
Bernice
Director: Kristina Sorge
Art world pioneer Bernice Steinbaum spent her life working to help female artists and artists of color gain recognition when such artists were largely disregarded in America.
Day One
Director: Henry Hughes
Inspired by a true story, Day One depicts a new translator’s first day accompanying a US Army unit as it searches for a local terrorist.
Eternal Princess
Director: Katie Holmes
An intimate look at the inner struggles, personal dedication, and greatest success of Nadia Comăneci, the first female gymnast in history to score a perfect 10.
Feminist High
Producer: Kelley Lord
Ileana Jiménez, most notably known as “Feminist Teacher,” has created a course at a progressive New York City school that teaches high school students about feminism.
Giving Birth in America: New York
Director: Clancy McCarty
An examination into maternal healthcare in NYC through the stories of expecting women and those that care for them, focusing on the final weeks of their pregnancies.
Jordanne
Director: Zak Razvi
The story of paralympic tennis player Jordanne Whiley who attempts to make history by becoming the first British athlete to win all 4 grand slams in one year.
Marie’s Dictionary
Director: Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
The story of Marie Wilcox, the last fluent speaker of the Wukchumni language, and the dictionary she created in an effort to keep her language alive.
Pant Suits – NEW YORK PREMIERE
Director: Saralyn Armer
Set in 1972, an ambitious computer programmer finds herself maneuvering the minefield of a man’s world. When a crappy day gets worse, Karen is pushed to the brink.
Queen Vee
Director: Melissa Johnson
For 17 years, Violet “Vee” Palmer has been grabbing her uniform and lacing up, night after night, to run with the big boys of the NBA.
The 100 Years Show
Director: Alison Klayman
Carmen Herrera was a pioneering abstract painter in the ’40s and ’50s, but only recently found the recognition she deserves as she approaches her 100th birthday.
The Trials of Constance Baker Motley
Director: Rick Rodgers
At the height of the civil rights movement, Motley joined the NAACP’s legal team. The story of a leader who met prejudice and danger with elegance and humor.
MASTER CLASSES, PROGRAMS AND PANELS
MASTER CLASS ON DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING WITH SHEILA NEVINS
Sponsored by HBO
In the first of a three-part Master class series on documentary filmmaking sponsored by HBO, Sheila Nevins, President, HBO Documentary Films, brings her extensive experience to the Festival.
MASTER CLASS WITH COMPOSER JEANINE TESORI
Jeanine Tesori, the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, won the Tony Award for Best Original Score with Lisa Kron for the musical Fun Home, which is currently playing on Broadway. She will discuss her experience composing music for Broadway and film in this intimate session.
ATHENA LIST READING: THE BURNING SEASON
A determined primatologist brings her teenage daughter to a remote region of Madagascar intent on proving her theory on endangered lemurs. But as complications arise their relationship and safety are soon at risk. Based on Laura Van Den Berg’s short story, What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, the film will be directed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Claire McCarthy (The Waiting City, The Turning). Emmy-nominated producer Kate Sharp (Behind the Mask, Madame Bovary, The Hallow) is producing with Jenny Halper, who adapted the story.
UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
Sponsored by Google
This panel discussion will focus on how to create systemic change for women in the entertainment industry. Panelists will share their personal experiences and explore evidence of unconscious bias, how it manifests within the entertainment industry, and what the industry can do to overcome its effects and create more opportunities for women.
CROWDFUNDING TO BUILD INDEPENDENCE with Seed & Spark
The only proven path to independence as an artist is a direct connection to your audience. Crowdfunding is becoming a fundamental piece of most financing plans for independent film. However, many filmmakers miss the opportunity to turn their funding campaigns into audience-building opportunities that can last an entire career—and provide the groundwork for distribution that the filmmaker controls. This class for film-related projects will create a crowdfunding action plan to foster a lasting, flourishing, direct relationship with your audience.
GENDER & SHORT FILMS: EMERGING FEMALE FILMMAKERS AND THE BARRIERS SURROUNDING THEIR CAREERS
Sponsored by Lunafest
A look at the research on women directors conducted by the Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School for Communications. Drawing on more than 3,200 short and mid-length films screened at the 10 top film festivals worldwide, the research also highlights the occupational paths and career impediments of female directors.Mavis!
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Athena Film Festival Unveils Lineup, Opens With Reproductive Rights Documentary TRAPPED
The 2016 Athena Film Festival opens on Thursday, February 18th with the New York premiere of the highly anticipated reproductive rights documentary TRAPPED, directed by Dawn Porter. The Centerpiece film will be SUFFRAGETTE, directed by Sarah Gavron and starring Carey Mulligan. The festival will close with the documentary CODEGIRL directed by Lesley Chilcott.
Among the feature films included in this year’s lineup are: FREEHELD, starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page and directed by Peter Sollett, TESTAMENT OF YOUTH, starring Alicia Vikander and directed by James Kent, and MUSTANG, the debut feature from director Deniz Gamze Ergüven and the French entry to the Academy Awards. The documentary category includes: HE NAMED ME MALALA, directed by Davis Guggenheim, SPEED SISTERS, directed by Amber Fares, and MAVIS!, directed by Jessica Edwards. A wide variety of shorts will be featured including: ETERNAL PRINCESS, directed by Katie Holmes, QUEEN VEE, directed by Melissa Johnson, BEACH FLAGS, directed by Sarah Saidan, and FEMINIST HIGH, produced by Kelley Lord.
At this year’s Athena Film Festival, President of HBO Documentary Films Sheila Nevins will launch a three-part Master Class series on documentary filmmaking. Other programs will include a Master Class with composer Jeanine Tesori, an Athena List Reading of THE BURNING SEASON and panels for filmmakers.
The 2016 Athena Film Festival lineup
FEATURES
Cart
Director: Boo Ji-young
Sun-hee, a diligent cashier and divorced mother, works at a retail superstore dreaming of a better life for her children. When the store’s corporate honchos suddenly lay off all temporary employees, Sun-hee and her co-workers organize a strike and discover their courage and inner strength.
Consumed
Director: Daryl Wein
This dramatic thriller tells the story of Sophie, a single mom, who searches relentlessly to uncover the cause of her son’s mysterious illness. When she suspects that the new biotech company in town might be responsible, she sets out on a mission to discover the truth.
Far From the Madding Crowd
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, this film tells the story of fiercely independent Bathsheba Everdene as she manages her newly inherited estate and chooses among three suitors: a humble sheep farmer, an alluring soldier, and a wealthy older man.
Freeheld
Director: Peter Sollett
Based on a true story, this film depicts New Jersey police lieutenant, Laurel Hester who has terminal cancer and her domestic partner, Stacie Andree, as they battle to ensure that Stacie can collect Hester’s pension benefits after her death.
Inside Out
Director: Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen
In this animated feature made by Pixar, young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moves to San Francisco. Her emotions—Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness— conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.
La Loi
Director: Christian Faure
With edge-of-your seat tension, the struggle for reproductive rights unfolds in this story of France in 1975. The film follows groundbreaking health minister Simone Veil during the fight for the legalization of abortion.
Mustang
Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Five Turkish sisters are punished for playing innocently with boys on their way home from school. Imprisoned in the family home, where instruction in homemaking replaces school and talk of arranged marriages begins, the girls share their passion for freedom and find ways to resist.
Suffragette – CENTERPIECE FILM
Director: Sarah Gavron
An intense drama that tracks the story of working women fighting for the right to vote in early twentieth century Britain. Finding that their peaceful protests achieved little and galvanized by political activist Emmeline Pankhurst, they turn to violence, sacrificing their jobs, their homes, and their children as they fight for a just cause.
Testament of Youth
Director: James Kent
Based on the autobiography of Vera Brittain, this story of young love and the futility of war, stars Alicia Vikander as a British woman who comes of age during World War I when she postpones her studies at Oxford to serve as a nurse in London and abroad.
Truth
Director: James Vanderbilt
This is a newsroom drama detailing the 2004 CBS 60 Minutes report that investigated then President George W. Bush’s military service and the subsequent firestorm of criticism that cost anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes their careers.
DOCUMENTARIES
A Ballerina’s Tale
Director: Nelson George
Few dancers make it to the highest levels of classical ballet. Of that already small number only a fraction of them are black women. Misty Copeland has pulled herself up the ladder at American Ballet Theater (ABT) from the studio company to the corps de ballet to soloist. Copeland’s career shines a light on the absence of women of color at major companies. A Ballerina’s Tale is the story of how a great talent and a powerful will combined can open doors within a very cloistered world.
Codegirl – CLOSING FILM
Director: Lesley Chilcott
The Technovation Challenge, an international competition for girls ages 10-18, aims to inspire girls to learn coding and other technological skills. From rural Moldova to urban Brazil to suburban Massachusetts, Codegirl follows teams who dream of holding their own in the world’s fastest-growing industry.
He Named Me Malala
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Now a household name, Malala Yousafzai is both an extraordinary leader and an ordinary teen. After the Taliban’s attack on the young Pakistani school girl, she became an outspoken advocate for education and girls’ rights, as well as the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Makers: Once and For All
Director: Dyllan McGee, Michael Epstein
Once and For All takes us behind the scenes of the 1995 Beijing Women’s Conference as representatives from 189 countries including 17,000 participants and 30,000 advocates hammered out the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women’s rights.
MAVIS!
Director: Jessica Edwards
Mavis! chronicles the inspiring career of gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. From the freedom songs of the ’60s to funked-up collaborations with Prince and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis has stayed true to her roots and inspired millions along the way. At 75, she’s making the most vital music of her career, winning Grammy awards, and reaching a new generation of fans with her message of love and equality.
Now En Español
Director: Andrea Meller
Now En Español is an entertaining portrait of the five dynamic Latina actresses who dub Desperate Housewives for Spanish language audiences in the US as they fight for a more diverse and visible portrayal of themselves and their community.
Radical Grace – NEW YORK PREMIERE
Director: Rebecca Parrish
When the Vatican publicly admonished a group of American nuns for their “radical feminism”, they find themselves and their work at the center of a long overdue debate that straddles issues of social justice, women’s rights, and the future of the Catholic Church.
Right Footed
Director: Nick Spark
Jessica Cox was born without arms but manages to overcome many challenges to live independently. She types, drives a car and, amazingly, flies an airplane with her feet. Right Footed follows Jessica as she becomes a mentor and advocate for persons with disabilities.
Speed Sisters
Director: Amber Fares
The Speed Sisters are the first all-women race car driving team in the Middle East. They’re bold. They’re fearless. And they’re tearing up tracks all over Palestine.
Trapped – OPENING FILM – NEW YORK PREMIERE
Director: Dawn Porter
American abortion clinics are in a fight for survival. Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws, like those recently passed in Texas and Alabama are increasingly being passed by states that insist they are for women’s safety and health. But as clinics are forced to shut their doors, supporters of abortion rights believe the real purpose of these laws is to outlaw abortion.
The Trials of Spring
Director: Gini Reticker
When 21-year-old Hend Nafea travels to Cairo to join the popular protests in Egypt, she is beaten, arrested, and tortured. Unbreakable and buoyed by her fellow activists, she sets out on a search for freedom and justice in a country gripped by a dangerous power struggle.
T-Rex
Directors: Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari
Seventeen-year-old Claressa “T-Rex” Shields from Flint, Michigan dreams of becoming the first woman in history to win the gold medal in Olympic boxing. To succeed, she will need to stand her ground both inside and outside the ring.
SHORTS
Beach Flags
Director: Sarah Saidan
Vida is a young Iranian lifeguard determined to participate in an international competition with her teammates but the arrival of talented newcomer Sareh threatens to alter her plans.
Bernice
Director: Kristina Sorge
Art world pioneer Bernice Steinbaum spent her life working to help female artists and artists of color gain recognition when such artists were largely disregarded in America.
Day One
Director: Henry Hughes
Inspired by a true story, Day One depicts a new translator’s first day accompanying a US Army unit as it searches for a local terrorist.
Eternal Princess
Director: Katie Holmes
An intimate look at the inner struggles, personal dedication, and greatest success of Nadia Comăneci, the first female gymnast in history to score a perfect 10.
Feminist High
Producer: Kelley Lord
Ileana Jiménez, most notably known as “Feminist Teacher,” has created a course at a progressive New York City school that teaches high school students about feminism.
Giving Birth in America: New York
Director: Clancy McCarty
An examination into maternal healthcare in NYC through the stories of expecting women and those that care for them, focusing on the final weeks of their pregnancies.
Jordanne
Director: Zak Razvi
The story of paralympic tennis player Jordanne Whiley who attempts to make history by becoming the first British athlete to win all 4 grand slams in one year.
Marie’s Dictionary
Director: Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
The story of Marie Wilcox, the last fluent speaker of the Wukchumni language, and the dictionary she created in an effort to keep her language alive.
Pant Suits – NEW YORK PREMIERE
Director: Saralyn Armer
Set in 1972, an ambitious computer programmer finds herself maneuvering the minefield of a man’s world. When a crappy day gets worse, Karen is pushed to the brink.
Queen Vee
Director: Melissa Johnson
For 17 years, Violet “Vee” Palmer has been grabbing her uniform and lacing up, night after night, to run with the big boys of the NBA.
The 100 Years Show
Director: Alison Klayman
Carmen Herrera was a pioneering abstract painter in the ’40s and ’50s, but only recently found the recognition she deserves as she approaches her 100th birthday.
The Trials of Constance Baker Motley
Director: Rick Rodgers
At the height of the civil rights movement, Motley joined the NAACP’s legal team. The story of a leader who met prejudice and danger with elegance and humor.
MASTER CLASSES, PROGRAMS AND PANELS
MASTER CLASS ON DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING WITH SHEILA NEVINS
Sponsored by HBO
In the first of a three-part Master class series on documentary filmmaking sponsored by HBO, Sheila Nevins, President, HBO Documentary Films, brings her extensive experience to the Festival.
MASTER CLASS WITH COMPOSER JEANINE TESORI
Jeanine Tesori, the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, won the Tony Award for Best Original Score with Lisa Kron for the musical Fun Home, which is currently playing on Broadway. She will discuss her experience composing music for Broadway and film in this intimate session.
ATHENA LIST READING: THE BURNING SEASON
A determined primatologist brings her teenage daughter to a remote region of Madagascar intent on proving her theory on endangered lemurs. But as complications arise their relationship and safety are soon at risk. Based on Laura Van Den Berg’s short story, What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, the film will be directed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Claire McCarthy (The Waiting City, The Turning). Emmy-nominated producer Kate Sharp (Behind the Mask, Madame Bovary, The Hallow) is producing with Jenny Halper, who adapted the story.
UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
Sponsored by Google
This panel discussion will focus on how to create systemic change for women in the entertainment industry. Panelists will share their personal experiences and explore evidence of unconscious bias, how it manifests within the entertainment industry, and what the industry can do to overcome its effects and create more opportunities for women.
CROWDFUNDING TO BUILD INDEPENDENCE with Seed & Spark
The only proven path to independence as an artist is a direct connection to your audience. Crowdfunding is becoming a fundamental piece of most financing plans for independent film. However, many filmmakers miss the opportunity to turn their funding campaigns into audience-building opportunities that can last an entire career—and provide the groundwork for distribution that the filmmaker controls. This class for film-related projects will create a crowdfunding action plan to foster a lasting, flourishing, direct relationship with your audience.
GENDER & SHORT FILMS: EMERGING FEMALE FILMMAKERS AND THE BARRIERS SURROUNDING THEIR CAREERS
Sponsored by Lunafest
A look at the research on women directors conducted by the Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School for Communications. Drawing on more than 3,200 short and mid-length films screened at the 10 top film festivals worldwide, the research also highlights the occupational paths and career impediments of female directors.
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More Than 200 films To Screen at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
More than 200 films have been selected to screen at the 13th Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF), which takes place February 19-28, 2016, in downtown Missoula, Montana. Continuing a 10-year tradition, the festival kicks off on Friday, February 19th with a free public screening of an upcoming feature from HBO Documentary Films. This year’s opener is MAVIS!, an intimate look at the life of gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, the Staple Singers.
In addition to the lineup of new films, BSDFF welcomes Lucy Walker and Ondi Timoner, two hugely talented and influential directors, as retrospective artists. Walker, a British director whose films include features THE CRASH REEL and WASTE LAND, has earned more than 80 awards and two Academy Award nominations. BSDFF will screen her entire body of work, as well as a new virtual reality project. Timoner is the only two-time recipient of Sundances Grand Jury Prize, for the documentaries DIG! and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC. Seven of her films will be screened during the 10-day festival, including her 2015 film, BRAND: A SECOND COMING, about the actor, comedian and activist Russell Brand. Walker and Timoner will be among the many filmmakers in attendance, offering festival goers the chance to engage in post-screening Q&As.
The full list of Official Selections.
The themes of impact” and change” are at the forefront of this years DOCSHOP, Big Sky’s filmmaking conference that takes place during the festival (February 22nd 26th). For five days, content creators from across the nation will come together and share their stories of making media that has proven to be a catalyst for positive change. In addition to helping visiting filmmakers hone their skills and develop their careers, DocShop offers the general public a fascinating look inside the business of documentary filmmaking. Filmmakers, activists, content creators and life-learners will engage in panels, workshops and works-in-progress review sessions from some of the most accomplished media-makers and industry professionals on the planet.
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13th Tallgrass Film Festival Announces Film Lineup; Opens with BAND OF ROBBERS, Closes with WAFFLE STREET
The 13th Tallgrass Film Festival taking place October 14 to 18, 2015, announced the full schedule of 203 films (54 features, 149 short films). Gala selections include the Opening Night film, Adam and Aaron Nees’ comedy BAND OF ROBBERS and the Closing Night selection of Ian and Eshom Nelms’ comedy WAFFLE STREET, bookending Valerie Weiss’ A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET which will screen as the Stubbornly Independent competition winner.
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MAVIS!, Morphine: Journey of Dreams Among 7 Films on Shortlist for Best Documentary Award at 2015 Doc’n Roll Festival
Seven music documentary films have made the shortlist for the Best Documentary Award of the 2015 Doc’n Roll Festival. The winner will receive a cash prize and an official certificate of award.
The films competing for the Best Documentary title from this year’s festival program are: Mavis!, a soulful portrait of gospel singer and civil rights icon Mavis Staples; story of a 90s American alt-rock group Morphine: Journey of Dreams; exploration of musician, composer, writer, collector and Pink Floyd collaborator Ron Geesin – An Improvised Life; Shake The Dust, a film that chronicles the impact of breakdancing in some unexpected parts of the world; Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain which follows the band around on tour and visits neglected parts of the UK; the mysterious Theory of Obscurity: A film about The Residents, a rare glimpse in to the world of avant-garde music and multimedia collective The Residents; and We Like It Like That: The Story of Latin Boogaloo, a melting pot of funk, soul and Cuban influences brought together in 60’s New York City to define a generation.
Doc’n Roll will also present six music documentary shorts at this years festival. The program features Iranian short Uncle Essy – A day in the life of a music lover in Tehran about one of the oldest market stall holders in Tehran who is known for his unique music collection; McCrea 1971, the relatively unknown story of Louisiana’s forgotten rock festival; Simian Mobile Disco – WHORL, a cinematic journey with the electro-pioneers as they record their fifth album live; Brazilian doc This is a Saturday, All My Friends are Dead which follows experimental electro music group Digita as they tour South America; Wood & Wire: the Hand-Crafted Guitars of Creston Lea, a film for anyone interested in boutique electric instruments; and psychedelic garage rock comedy That Was Awesome – White Mystery.
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UK’s Music Documentary Festival, 2015 Doc’n Roll Film Festival Unveils Lineup | TRAILERS
Doc’n Roll Film Festival, the UK’s music documentary festival, returns to London for its second edition from September 25 to October 4, 2015. The 2015 Doc’n Roll Film Festival will open with the UK premiere of Morphine: Journey of Dreams, the story of the unique and genre-blurring trio Morphine told through rare performance footage and tour journals, plus a Q&A with the film’s director Mark Shuman. Ten days later the festival will come to a close with the Theatrical World premiere of Lost Songs – The Basement Tapes Continued, a behind the scenes look at a two week recording session with some of today’s most talented musicians as they create new music using long-lost Bob Dylan lyrics from the iconic Basement Tapes sessions.
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Complete Slate of Films for AFI DOCS 2015 Film Festival
The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the slate of films for the AFI DOCS 2015 Film Festival, running June 17 to 21 in Washington, DC and Silver Spring, MD. The 13th edition of the festival showcases 81 films representing 25 countries, including four world premieres, three U.S. premieres and four East Coast premieres. AFI DOCS opens with Magnolia Pictures’ BEST OF ENEMIES from director Robert Gordon and Academy Award ®-winning director Morgan Neville and concludes with the HBO documentary film MAVIS! (pictured above) from AFI DOCS alumna Jessica Edwards.
AFI DOCS will recognize Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson (THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION) as its 2015 Charles Guggenheim honoree at the National Archives’ William G. McGowan Theater on June 19.
Spotlight Screenings include THE ARMOR OF LIGHT (DIR Abigail Disney), THE DIPLOMAT (DIR David Holbrooke), the world premiere of FIRST AND 17 (DIR Brad Horn) and MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED (DIR Greg Whiteley). Panel discussions or extended Q&As with special guests will follow each Spotlight Screening.
This year’s AFI DOCS program also includes two Special Screenings. The world premiere of Discovery’s RISE: THE PROMISE OF MY BROTHER’S KEEPER (pictured above) (DIR Dawn Porter) screens at the Newseum on June 18. SALAM NEIGHBOR (DIRS Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci) coincides with World Refugee Day with a world premiere screening on June 20.
Additional films from notable documentarians include IN TRANSIT (DIR Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu and David Usui), the East Coast premiere of STEVE JOBS: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE (DIR Alex Gibney) and THE LOOK OF SILENCE from AFI DOCS alumnus Joshua Oppenheimer.
“Audiences will see the most renowned documentary films of the year, all of which will inspire, inform and entertain,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI DOCS. “This year’s slate celebrates documentary filmmaking while providing a launch pad for meaningful dialogue between audience members, filmmakers and policy leaders.”
AFI DOCS will offer additional programs for festival filmmakers as a way to connect with film industry and policy leaders. The festival will also include a two-day Filmmaker Conference open to the documentary filmmaking community at-large. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.
AFI DOCS 2015 DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL PROGRAM
OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT, SPECIAL AND SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS
Wednesday, June 17
OPENING NIGHT: BEST OF ENEMIES: DIRS Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon. USA.
In the summer of 1968, the media landscape changed forever when ABC hired two politically opposed intellectuals — Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. — to debate the issues of the day on live television. The directors will be in attendance for a discussion and Q&A following the film.
Thursday, June 18
SPECIAL SCREENING: RISE: THE PROMISE OF MY BROTHER’S KEEPER: DIR Dawn Porter. USA.
Discovery Channel’s documentary film about President Obama’s challenge to implement a community-level cradle-to-college-and-career strategy for young people, including boys and young men of color, to ensure they can reach their full potential. World premiere.
Friday, June 19
THE CHARLES GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM: The Charles Guggenheim Symposium honors the legacy of the late four-time Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Charles Guggenheim. This year, the free Symposium pays tribute to pioneering documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson. AFI DOCS is proud to present Nelson’s latest documentary THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION as part of the 2015 program. The Symposium includes a conversation with Nelson moderated by The Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday and a series of excerpts from his work. Nelson’s films include Emmy Award®-nominated THE BLACK PRESS: SOLDIERS WITHOUT SWORDS (1999), Emmy Award®-winning THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL (2003), BEYOND BROWN: PURSUING THE PROMISE (2004), JONESTOWN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PEOPLES TEMPLE (2006), Emmy Award®-winning FREEDOM RIDERS (2011) and FREEDOM SUMMER (2014).
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: DIR Greg Whiteley. USA.
The American education system has remained virtually unchanged for more than 100 years. In today’s highly competitive age of information and technology, experimental schools such as San Diego’s High Tech High aim to change that.
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: THE DIPLOMAT: DIR David Holbrooke. USA.
The son of the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke unflinchingly examines the career of his brash and talented father, whose life had global reach and unquestioned historical impact.
Saturday, June 20
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: FIRST AND 17: DIR Brad Horn. USA.
Da’Shawn Hand, the top-ranked high school football recruit of 2013, navigates the pressures of being aggressively pursued by more than 90 colleges. World premiere.
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: THE ARMOR OF LIGHT: DIR Abigail Disney. USA.
Abigail Disney’s directorial debut follows a prominent evangelical Christian leader who begins to reconsider his moral and political assumptions about gun rights after a major tragedy hits close to home.
SPECIAL SCREENING: SALAM NEIGHBOR: DIRS Chris Temple, Zach Ingrasci. USA/Jordan.
A film team spends one month living in Jordan’s Syrian Za’tari refugee camp to uncover the personal stories behind a rapidly growing global crisis. World premiere.
Sunday, June 21
CLOSING NIGHT: MAVIS!: DIR Jessica Edwards. USA.
Mavis Staples, the legendary gospel and R&B singer, has been making music for more than 60 years. From her roots in Chicago with the family group The Staple Singers, led by her father, Roebuck “Pops” Staples, to her award-winning work as a solo artist, MAVIS! traces the life and career of a remarkable woman with an unstoppable voice. The director will be in attendance for a discussion and Q&A following the film.
FEATURE FILM SELECTIONS:
3 ½ MINUTES, TEN BULLETS: DIR Marc Silver. USA. The 2012 murder of African-American teen Jordan Davis by a middle-aged white man, following an argument over loud music, sparked a national debate about Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law.
ALL THINGS MUST PASS: (pictured above) DIR Colin Hanks. USA. Explore the rise and fall of Tower Records in this fascinating account of the iconic titan of the music business, which closed its doors in 2006. East Coast premiere.
ALTHEA: DIR Rex Miller. USA. Tennis great Althea Gibson rose from the tough streets of Harlem to become the first athlete of color to win Wimbledon. Rex Miller’s documentary tells the story of a strong and resilient champion.
AMONG THE BELIEVERS: DIRS Hemal Trivedi, Mohammed Ali Naqvi. Pakistan. Within Pakistan’s borders, a violent clash of ideologies between radical Muslim extremists and moderates is shaping the path of the country’s future.
ATTACKING THE DEVIL: HAROLD EVANS AND THE LAST NAZI WAR CRIME: DIRS Jacqui Morris, David Morris. UK/Canada. Sunday Times editor Sir Harold Evans uses his newspaper to shed light on the harmful effects of the drug thalidomide during the late 1960s and early ‘70s. U.S. premiere.
THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION: DIR Stanley Nelson. USA. Director Stanley Nelson offers a fascinating account of activist group the Black Panthers and its place in America’s history.
CARTEL LAND: DIR Matthew Heineman. USA/Mexico. A citizen vigilante group in Mexico fights back against the encroaching drug cartels, which have brought widespread fear, violence and corruption to the area for years. The Washington Post Film Strand.
THE CHINESE MAYOR: DIR Hao Zhou. China. Mayor Geng Yanbo has ambitious plans to refurbish and develop the Chinese city of Datong, but progress comes with a price
CITY OF GOLD: DIR Laura Gabbert. USA. Join Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold as he ventures off the beaten path in search of the most adventurous cuisine that Los Angeles has to offer and enjoy the fascinating personal stories that are often served up for dessert.
CODE: DEBUGGING THE GENDER GAP: DIR Robin Hauser Reynolds. USA. Though computer science touches every aspect of life, women are barely represented in a coding community urgently seeking millions of skilled workers. CODE asks, “Why?”
DRONE: DIR Tonje Hessen Schei. Norway. Drone technology has been a highly controversial issue in recent years as it has come to define the modern War on Terror.
DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON: DIR Douglas Tirola. USA. Take a fascinating look into the history of National Lampoon, the hilariously twisted, profane and influential humor magazine that launched an astounding number of successful comedy careers.
FRAME BY FRAME: DIRS Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli. USA. Four photojournalists in Afghanistan work to re-establish a free press after years of oppression under the Taliban regime. The Washington Post Film Strand.
FRESH DRESSED: DIR Sacha Jenkins. USA. This fun and colorful history of hip-hop fashion looks at how the fresh trends that were born on urban streets found their way into mainstream America.
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD: DIR Sharon Shattuck. USA. Filmmaker Sharon Shattuck explores her father’s gender identity struggles and how her parents have remained married through it all.
HOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE NATION: DIR Barbara Kopple. USA. Two-time Oscar® winner Barbara Kopple tracks the iconic progressive weekly The Nation from its 1865 founding by abolitionist Republicans to present-day challenges facing print media of all stripes.
HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO: DIR Alexandra Shiva. USA. As they prepare for their first formal dance, a high-functioning co-ed group of autistic teenagers learns the intricacies of social interaction.
I WANT TO BE A KING: DIR Mehdi Ganji. Iran. Abbas runs a B&B-like tourist destination out of his Iranian home, but with the success of his business, his plans grow increasingly ambitious and outlandish. U.S. premiere.
INDIA’S DAUGHTER: DIR Leslee Udwin. UK/INDIA. INDIA’S DAUGHTER tells the tragic story of a 2012 gang rape and murder of a medical student and presents a searing indictment of the culture of misogyny behind the assault.
IN TRANSIT: DIRS Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu, David Usua. USA. Legendary documentary pioneer Albert Maysles captures a cross-section of people in transitional stages of life as they journey across America by train.
KING GEORGES: DIR Erika Frankel. USA. Take a look behind the scenes of five-star French restaurant Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia, run by its famously demanding owner and chef, Georges Perrier.
LARRY KRAMER IN LOVE & ANGER: (pictured above) DIR Jean Carlomusto. USA. A portrait of outspoken writer and AIDS activist Larry Kramer, one of the most fiery, passionate, complicated and fascinating people you will ever get to know.
LISTEN TO ME MARLON: DIR Stevan Riley. UK. Drawing on hundreds of hours of previously unheard personal audio recordings, filmmaker Stevan Riley lets actor Marlon Brando tell his extraordinary life’s journey from beyond the grave.
THE LOOK OF SILENCE: DIR Joshua Oppenheimer. Denmark/Indonesia/Norway/Finland/UK. In his follow-up to THE ACT OF KILLING, director Joshua Oppenheimer continues to unearth the ghosts of Indonesia’s violent past, shifting his focus from the perpetrators to those left in the aftermath.
LOVE MARRIAGE IN KABUL: DIR Amin Palangi. Australia. In Afghanistan, Abdul and Fatemeh have fallen in love and wish to marry, but their voices in the matter all but disappear within the complex negotiations and exchanges of money that must occur between the two extended families before an agreement can be made.
OF MEN AND WAR: DIR Laurent Bécue-Renard. France. The devastating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on returning American combat soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are explored in this essential testimony documented by French filmmaker Laurent Bécue-Renard over the course of five years.
OUT TO WIN: DIR Malcolm Ingram. USA/Canada. The world of professional sports has long been dogged by a reputation of homophobia, steeped in the fear that openly gay players provide a potential “distraction” to the other teammates. However, times are changing.
PEACE OFFICER: DIRS Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber. USA. A former Utah sheriff investigates the increased militarization of police forces following the death of his son-in-law during a police standoff.
PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT: DIR Lisa Immordino Vreeland. USA. Born into New York’s prominent Guggenheim family, Peggy Guggenheim made her own mark as one of the premier art collectors and exhibitors of her day.
A POEM IS A NAKED PERSON: DIR Les Blank. USA. Unseen for more than 40 years, Les Blank’s portrait of singer-songwriter Leon Russell is a brilliantly freewheeling and poetic film experience ready for rediscovery. East Coast premiere.
PROPHET’S PREY: DIR Amy Berg. USA. Filmmaker Amy Berg examines the alarming allegations surrounding the rogue polygamist religious sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and its incarcerated leader, Warren Jeffs.
RADICAL GRACE: DIR Rebecca Parrish. USA. When you hear the words “feminist,” “activism” and “politics,” Catholic nuns are not usually the first thing that come to mind. However, this group of nuns is turning tradition on its ear. U.S. premiere.
REQUIEM FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM: DIRS Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott. USA. Noam Chomsky offers a riveting discourse on income inequality and its devastating effects, which threaten to erode democracy itself.
REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD: AMERICAN SPRING 2014: DIRS Nick Doob, Shari Cookson. USA. During the spring of 2014, more than 8,000 individuals lost their lives to gun violence in the United States. REQUIEM focuses on these gun tragedies, weaving a series of vignettes from police footage, 911 calls and social media. East Coast premiere.
THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER: DIR Chad Gracia. UK. Was Chernobyl really an accident? Ukrainian artist Fedor Alexandrovich investigates an unusual conspiracy theory behind the infamous disaster. East Coast premiere.
STEVE JOBS: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE: DIR Alex Gibney. USA. Alex Gibney takes a candid and critical look at Steve Jobs, the iconic visionary behind Apple Inc., whose impact helped define the tech industry. East Coast premiere.
THE STORM MAKERS: DIR Guillaume Suon. Cambodia/France. Through revealing interviews with victims and perpetrators, filmmaker Guillaume Suon exposes the human-trafficking industry in Cambodia that ensnares tens of thousands of victims annually.
THE THREE HIKERS: DIR Natalie Avital. USA. In 2009, when American hikers Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal mistakenly wandered off the beaten path near Iraq’s poorly marked border with Iran, they quickly experienced the draconian consequences of their error. World premiere. The Washington Post Film Strand.
TYKE ELEPHANT OUTLAW: DIR Stefan Moore, Susan Lambert. Australia. After years of mistreatment, Tyke the circus elephant goes on a rampage in this tragic and unforgettable tale of performing-animal abuse.
UNCERTAIN: DIRS Anna Sandilands, Ewan McNicol. USA. Stunningly beautiful and disarmingly funny, UNCERTAIN delivers a portrait of the literal and figurative troubled waters of Uncertain, Texas, a 94-resident town on the brink of extinction.
VERY SEMI-SERIOUS: DIR Leah Wolchok. USA. This fascinating, funny film explores the history and process of The New Yorker’s iconic cartoons through the lens of its cartoon editor, Bob Mankoff.
WELCOME TO LEITH: DIRS Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker. USA. When notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb decides to settle in Leith, North Dakota, the townspeople work together to evict their unwanted neighbor.
WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?: DIR Liz Garbus. USA. Nina Simone trained as a classical pianist but evolved into one of jazz music’s most beloved and complex figures. Lending her voice to the civil rights movement, Simone battled demons that ultimately drove her into a self-imposed exile.
THE WOLFPACK: DIR Crystal Moselle. USA. Tucked inside an apartment in Manhattan’s Lower East Side live the Angulo siblings, a tight-knit group who have barely left home due to the overbearing hand of their father. They spend countless hours re-creating scenes from their favorite movies, which have shaped their view of the outside world.
THE YES MEN ARE REVOLTING: DIRS Laura Nix, The Yes Men. USA. The prankster activists known as The Yes Men are at it again. Traveling the globe posing as corporate and government spokesmen, the mischievous pair stages elaborate stunts designed to draw attention to the issue of climate change.
SHORT FILM SELECTIONS:
THE 414S: THE ORIGINAL TEENAGE HACKERS: DIR Michael T. Vollmann. USA. When a group of teenagers began testing their hacking skills in 1983, they started a firestorm by stumbling into a national laboratory’s computer system.
ALLEN & ALINEA: DIR Daniel Addelson. USA. In his home kitchen, Allen tackles the complicated recipes from Alinea, a high-end restaurant. In the process, he unlocks his own creativity and confidence.
BODY TEAM 12: DIR David Darg. Liberia. It’s perhaps the most dangerous job in the world: collecting dead bodies from Ebola-stricken villages.
BORN TO BE MILD: DIR Andy Oxley. UK. Members of the Dull Men’s Club explain their non-threatening passions (mailboxes, traffic circles, bricks, milk bottles) without shame and without judgment.
COBBLER: DIR Madelon Vroom. UK. A feisty artisan seems poised to be the last shoemaker in his family — until his inexperienced son joins the business, triggering a lively dialogue.
COMIC BOOK HEAVEN: DIR E.J. McLeavey-Fisher. USA. A long-standing comic book store in Queens prepares to close its doors for good.
A CONVERSATION WITH MY BLACK SON: DIRS Blair Foster, Geeta Gandbhir. USA. A group of racially diverse parents discuss the importance of having a conversation with their young black sons about racism and interacting with the police.
CROOKED CANDY: DIR Andrew Rodgers. USA. An adult collector shows off his illegal Kinder Egg collection, the egg-shaped chocolate candies banned in the U.S.
DEAR ARAUCARIA: DIR Matt Houghton. UK. When the creator of a long-running newspaper crossword is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he begins leaving a cryptic message within the puzzles.
GIOVANNI AND THE WATER BALLET: DIR Astrid Bussink. Netherlands. Ten-year-old Giovanni is the only boy trying out for the synchronized swimming team.
HANGAR B: DIR Thomas Beug. USA. A group of men, some in their eighties and nineties, stays active working at a hangar at Floyd Bennett Airfield in Brooklyn, restoring old planes.
KATSUO-BUSHI: DIR Yu Nakajima. Japan. Japanese cuisine’s umami flavor depends upon dried, smoked and fermented tuna. While most processors have industrialized production, the finest artisans continue to use age-old methods.
THE LAND: DIR Erin Davis. USA. A radical European playspace for children encourages independence and risk-taking.
LAST REEL: DIR Steven Bognar. USA. With the arrival of new technological advances, Ohio’s Little Art Theatre prepares to say goodbye to 35mm movie prints.
LETTING YOU GO: DIR Kim Faber. Netherlands. This delicate film explores one woman’s heartbreaking decision to self-euthanize.
LOSERS, A FILM ABOUT LOSS: DIR Arianne Hinz. Netherlands. Three young people share their different stories of loss: a stuffed animal, a fencing tournament and a loved one.
MEND AND MAKE DO: DIR Bexie Bush. UK. As Lyn looks back on her past, her imagination brings to life her treasured memories in the shape of her most familiar belongings.
MIDNIGHT THREE & SIX: DIR Joe Callander. USA. As Lyn looks back on her past, her imagination brings to life her treasured memories in the shape of her most familiar belongings.
OBJECT: DIR Paulina Skibińska. Poland. A Polish rescue team dives into the freezing depths to retrieve a mysterious object hidden beneath the ice.
SANDORKRAUT: DIRS Emily Lobsenz, Ann Husaini. USA. A “fermentation fetishist” blends his ritualistic culinary process with his own personal feelings on eating, living and mortality.
SLEEPERS’ BEAT: DIR Anastasia Kirillova. Russian Federation/UK. The romance of the rails is beautifully captured in this meditative look at the workers on long-distance Russian trains who sleep to its rhythmic beat.
A STRONG BEAT: DIR Daniel Addelson. USA. A man receives a heart transplant and then falls in love in a most unexpected way.
THE TIMEKEEPER: DIR Katherine Wells. USA. How long is one second? Demetrios Matsakis keeps the official time for the U.S. by measuring fractions of a nanosecond with cutting-edge atomic clocks.
WATERLILIES: DIR Tanya Doyle. Ireland. Irish lasses in their sixties learn to swim for the very first time while discussing their marriages, children and interests.
A WEE NIGHT IN: DIR Stuart Edwards. Scotland. An elderly Scottish couple enjoys an evening at home together, delighting in all the wee things that make life special.
WHO STOLE THE RUBY SLIPPERS? DIR Theodore James. USA. The investigation of the theft of one of the iconic pairs of ruby slippers from THE WIZARD OF OZ from the Judy Garland Museum.
WOMEN IN SINK: DIR Iris Zaki. Israel/UK. In this charming film, the director converses with Arab and Jewish women as she washes their hair, revealing a nuanced portrait of contemporary Israel.
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BEST OF ENEMIES and MAVIS! to Bookend AFI DOCS 2015
Magnolia Pictures’ BEST OF ENEMIES, from director Robert Gordon and Academy Award®-winning director Morgan Neville (20 FEET FROM STARDOM), has been selected as the Opening Night film of the upcoming 2015 AFI DOCS taking place June 17 to 21, in Washington, DC and Silver Spring, MD. HBO’s MAVIS! from AFI DOCS alumna director Jessica Edwards has been named the Closing Night film selection.
AFI DOCS kicks off on June 17 with the Opening Night Gala and screening of BEST OF ENEMIES at the Newseum, followed by a discussion and Q&A with filmmakers Gordon and Neville. BEST OF ENEMIES features William F. Buckley, Jr. and Gore Vidal’s explosive debates during the 1968 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, aired live on ABC News. The documentary masterfully captures the dawn of pundit television as it is known today.
The festival concludes on June 21 with the Closing Night screening of MAVIS! at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, followed by a discussion and Q&A with director Jessica Edwards. Edwards returns to AFI DOCS after screening her short film SELTZER WORKS in 2010.
MAVIS! is the first documentary on gospel and soul music legend, and civil rights icon, Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. The documentary features live performances and conversations with collaborators including Chuck D, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy and more. Mavis Staples’ message of family and equality is just as powerful now as it was when she began performing 60 years ago.
“We are delighted to present these exceptional films to open and close this year’s festival,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI DOCS. “BEST OF ENEMIES and MAVIS! both feature remarkable people who have made a mark on this country. These films will certainly inspire audience dialogue while providing great entertainment, both of which we embrace at AFI DOCS.”
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2015 Montclair Film Festival Announces Opening, Closing, Centerpiece Films
[caption id="attachment_7612" align="alignnone" width="750"]
Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Field and Max Greenfield[/caption]
The Montclair Film Festival (MFF) announced the Opening, Closing and Centerpiece selections for the 2015 festival, taking place May 1-10, 2015 in Montclair, NJ.
The 4th annual festival will open on May 1st at the historic Wellmont Theater with the East Coast Premiere of Michael Showalter’s award winning Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Field and Max Greenfield.
On May 8th, the festival will screen Jessica Edwards’ Mavis! as its Documentary Centerpiece film. Ms. Edwards will attend to present her portrait of the legendary gospel and R&B singer, Mavis Staples. Ms. Staples will attend the screening and participate in a post-screening Q&A with Stephen Colbert.
May 9th, the festival presents Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s award-winning Me And Earl And The Dying Girl as its Narrative Centerpiece film. The film was Executive Produced by Montclair’s own Nora Skinner.
On May 10th, the festival presents a special Mother’s Day screening of Kris Swanberg’s acclaimed feature Unexpectedas the festival’s Closing Night Film.
OPENING NIGHT FILM
HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS
Director: Michael Showalter
Producers: Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker, Daniel Crown, Michael Showalter, Jordana Mollick, Kevin Mann
Cast: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Stephen Root, Jack Antonoff, Natasha Lyonne, Tyne Daly
USA/ 95 Min
In Michael Showalter’s HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS, Sally Field makes a triumphant return with her leading performance as Doris Miller, an unassuming office worker living in her childhood home despite the recent death of her mother. But when Doris finds inspiration in the ideas of a self-help guru, the arrival of a handsome new co-worker named John (Max Greenfield) heralds a new obsession. Can Doris catch John’s eye, find happiness and move forward? Or are her dreams destined to remain just beyond her reach? HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS is the rarest of comedies, effortlessly moving between laughs and real feeling to paint a touching portrait of a dreamer. The Montclair Film Festival is proud to present Michael Showalter’s HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS as the 2015 Opening Night Film.
DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE
MAVIS!
Director: Jessica Edwards
Producers: Jessica Edwards, Rachel Mills
Featuring: Mavis Staples
USA/ 85 Min
Directed by Jessica Edwards, MAVIS! is the first feature-length documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, the Staple Singers. From the delta-inflected gospel sound she helped pioneer in the 1950s, to the “message songs” of the civil rights era marching beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to massive hits such as “I’ll Take You There” in the soul-filled Stax era, and her recent Grammy-winning work with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples is one of the most influential and enduring vocalists of our time and a true American icon. MAVIS! follows her unrivaled career through dynamic live performances, archival footage, captivating storytelling and interviews with friends and collaborators. She occupies a singular place in American music: a soldier of love and peace whose fight continues; her message of equality is needed now more than ever.
NARRATIVE CENTERPIECE
ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Executive Producer: Nora Skinner
Producers: Jeremy Dawson, Dan Fogelman, Steven M. Rales
Cast: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Molly Shannon, Connie Britton, Nick Offerman
USA/ 104 Min
Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) is an awkward, self-deprecating high school student determined to coast through his senior year as anonymously as possible. He spends most of his time remaking bizarre, spirited versions of classic movies with his only friend Earl (RJ Cyler) – and avoiding social interactions like the plague. But Greg’s plans are foiled when his well-meaning mother forces him to befriend Rachel (Olivia Cooke), a classmate who’s been diagnosed with leukemia. Bristling with wit from a clever screenplay by Jesse Andrews, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s second feature is a poignant coming-of-age film with a heart of cinematic gold.
A Fox Searchlight Release
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
UNEXPECTED
Director: Kris Swanberg
Producer: Andrea Roa
Starring: Cobie Smulders, Gail Bean, Anders Holm, Elizabeth McGovern
USA/ 85 Min
With the Chicago public high school where she teaches scheduled to close, Samantha (Cobie Smulders) decides it’s time to plan for the future. But when Sam discovers she is pregnant, everything changes, including her relationships with John (Anders Holm), who wants to build a family with Sam, and Jasmine (Gail Bean), one of her brightest students. Despite her personal and professional struggles, Sam remains determined to have a baby on her own terms while supporting Jasmine in her quest to attend college. Kris Swanberg’sUNEXPECTED is a luminous ode to modern maternity, a beautifully crafted story of friendship and motherhood that depicts the experience of pregnancy with a delicate, sophisticated grace.
A Film Arcade Release
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Russell Brand Documentary to Open 2015 SXSW
Russell BrandThe South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival will open with the world premiere of Ondi Timoner’s BRAND: A Second Coming, a documentary on comedian, author and activist Russell Brand, on Friday, March 13, 2015.
SXSW also divulged a handful of titles to premiere at the 2015 event, showcasing the diverse range of spirited, inspiring topics and filmmaking styles SXSW is known for. Additional films announced include Michael Showalter’s savvy comedy, Hello, My Name is Doris, starring Sally Field, award-winning filmmaker Karyn Kusama’s taut thriller, The Invitation, Jessica Edwards’ Mavis!, a roof-raising celebration of legendary singer Mavis Staples, Grantland Features’ first film, Son of the Congo, following NBA star Serge Ibaka’s return to his homeland and directed by Adam Hootnick, A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story from director Sara Hirsh Bordo tracing Lizzie’s journey from cyberbullying victim to influential activist, and the North American premiere of Alex Garland’s eagerly-awaited directorial debut, Ex Machina, starring Oscar Isaac.
The 2015 SXSW Film Festival will feature:
BRAND: A Second Coming (World Premiere)
Director: Ondi Timoner
BRAND: A Second Coming follows comedian/author Russell Brand’s evolution from addict & Hollywood star to unexpected political disruptor & newfound hero to the underserved. Brand is criticized for egomaniacal self-interest as he calls for revolution.A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story (World Premiere)
Director: Sara Hirsh Bordo
From the producers of the most viewed TEDWomen event of 2013 comes A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story, a documentary following the inspiring journey of 25-year-old, 58-pound Lizzie from cyber-bullying victim to anti-bullying activist.Ex Machina (North American Premiere)
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with the stylish and cerebral thriller Ex Machina, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander. Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia VikanderHello, My Name is Doris (World Premiere)
Director: Michael Showalter, Screenwriters: Michael Showalter, Laura Terruso
An isolated 60-year-old woman is motivated by a self-help seminar to romantically pursue a younger coworker, causing her to stumble into the spotlight of the Brooklyn hipster social scene. Cast: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth BehrsThe Invitation (World Premiere)
Director: Karyn Kusama, Screenwriters: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
A reunion of old friends turns into a nightmare when one guest, a haunted man whose ex-wife is among the hosts, begins to fear that the night is part of a terrifying agenda. Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lindsay BurdgeMavis! (World Premiere)
Director: Jessica Edwards
Her family group, the Staple Singers, inspired millions and helped propel the civil rights movement with their music. After 60 years of performing, legendary singer Mavis Staples’ message of love and equality is needed now more than ever.Son of the Congo (World Premiere / SXsports screening)
Director/Screenwriter: Adam Hootnick
Serge Ibaka’s improbable journey has taken him from the violence of Congo to the top of the NBA. In Son of the Congo, Ibaka returns home, hoping his basketball success can help rebuild a country and inspire a new generation to dream of a better life.