[caption id="attachment_26312" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Vic Edwards (Burt Reynolds) and Ariel Winter (Lil) in THE LAST MOVIE STAR[/caption]
A total of 204 films will screen at this year’s 15th Anniversary edition of the Oxford Film Festival taking place February 7 to 11, 2018. On opening night, writer/director Adam Rifkin will present his latest film,
THE LAST MOVIE STAR, starring Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter, while Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s intense drama, ALLURE, starring Evan Rachel Wood, will screen at the festival’s Centerpiece Selection and Robert Mullan’s 60s biopic MAD TO BE NORMAL, starring David Tennant Elisabeth Moss and Michael Gambon, serves as the closing night selection.
Narrative feature films in competition this year include: Dan Mirvish’s BERNARD AND HUEY, Mark Potts’s COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE, Billy Chase Goforth’s DOOR IN THE WOODS, Arturo Perez Torres and Aviva Armour-Ostroff’s THE DRAWER BOY; Akiyo Fujimura’s ERIKO, PRETENDED; and Catherine Eaton’s THE SOUNDING.
Documentary features in competition include: Skye Borgman’s FOREVER ‘B’; Aaron and Amanda Kopp’s LIYANA; Nick Taylor’s THE ORGANIZER; Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, and Jeff Springer’s RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE; and Owsley Brown III’s SERENADE FOR HAITI.
The LGBTQ Juried Feature Competition will include Shaz Bennett’s festival favorite ALASKA IS A DRAG, along with Jill Salvino’s BETWEEN THE SHADES, and Itako’s BOYS FOR SALE, and highlights the Oxford Film Festival’s commitment to support our LGBTQ filmmakers and offer a more positive reaction to the passage of Mississippi’s “Religious Liberty Accommodations Act.”
“This year we’ve struck a wonderful balance between films that are thoughtful, provocative, reflect the world we live in, and address the issues of the day without blinking, with films that are just pure, fun, entertainment,” said Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Melanie Addington. “The festival continues to increase in size and scope and that growth can also be seen in the work of our local Mississippi filmmakers, whose exceptional work continues to impress. This year’s festival includes 18 films from Mississippi artists, the most to date, and they will be highlighted right next to the best films we could find from all around the world.”
Rifkin’s THE LAST MOVIE STAR (formerly titled, DOG YEARS) stars Burt Reynolds as a former box-office king, who many years later, is invited to receive an honor at a film festival that turns out to be beyond dubious. Therefore, he instead opts to go on an impromptu road trip with the sister (Ariel Winter) of one of the fest’s organizers. A bittersweet journey follows as the odd pairing visit some memorable spots – and people – from the old man’s past. The film screens Thursday, February 8 at 7:30PM at the Gertrude C. Ford Center (351 University Ave.).
Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s ALLURE stars Evan Rachel Wood as a woman struggling to re-establish her life and meet someone as she continues to recover from past abuse. However, there seems to be hope when she meets Eva, a young, talented pianist disillusioned by the life her mother imposes upon her. As Laura become increasingly obsessed with Eva, she convinces the girl to run away with her and they soon find themselves caught up in an intense relationship that can’t be sustained. The film screens Saturday, February 10 at 8:45PM at the Malco Commons (204 Commonwealth Blvd.)
Mullan’s biopic, MAD TO BE NORMAL, stars “Jessica Jones/”Dr. Who” star, David Tennant as RD Laing, a radical psychiatrist who rewrote the rules on mental health treatment. He became a 60s counterculture hero for challenging the status quo of pills and electro shock therapy, instead opting for a holistic treatment without drugs, group therapy, and communal healing. The films impressive cast also includes Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne, and Michael Gambon. The film screens Sunday, February 11 at 6:00PM at the Malco Commons (204 Commonwealth Blvd.)
Two of OFF’s special events directly address issues that concern women and are currently at the forefront of society today.
Daytime television legend (“All My Children”) Cady McClain’s documentary SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT will screen on Friday (February 9), followed by a panel featuring several attending female filmmakers as they discuss some of the myriad issues that have been in the news this past year regarding female filmmakers and women in general.
Saturday sees the Mississippi premiere of Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir’s award-winning HBO documentary, I AM EVIDENCE, produced by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay, about the tens of thousands of unprocessed rape kits across the country. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and special guests.
“Given the recent and continuing avalanche of sexual harassment and assault revelations in almost every area of society,” Added Addington, “we felt it was important that the issues raised in these two films, as well as others in this year’s festival, be highlighted and discussed in our community.”
Another comedy will make its world premiere at OFF, as filmmaker Mark Potts returns to the festival with his latest, COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE. The film follows two police officers, as they take on an evil mastermind, while working through some personal partnership issues. Potts’ indie comedy, SPAGHETTIMAN, was an audience favorite two years ago.
2018 OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL FILMS AND DESCRIPTIONS
Feature Films
OPENING NIGHT SELECTION
THE LAST MOVIE STAR
Director: Adam Rifkin
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter, Clark Duke, Chevy Chase
Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min
An aging former movie star is forced to face the reality that his glory days are behind him. On its surface, THE LAST MOVIE STAR is a tale about faded fame, but at its core, it’s a universal story about growing old.
CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION
MAD TO BE NORMAL
Director: Robert Mullan
Cast: David Tennent, Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Gambon
Country: UK, Running Time: 105 min
During the 1960s, a renegade Scottish psychiatrist courts controversy within his profession for his approach to the field, and for the unique community he creates for his patients to inhabit.
CENTERPIECE SELECTION
ALLURE
Directors: Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Julia Sarah Stone, Denis O’Hare
Country: USA, Running Time: 105 min
Plagued by the abuse of her past and the turmoil of failed intimate encounters, Laura struggles to find a lover and a sense of normalcy.
SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY SCREENING
BASEKETBALL (1998)
Director: David Zucker
Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, Yasmine Bleeth, Jenny McCarthy
Country: USA, Running Time: 103 min
Two childhood friends are pro athletes of a national sport called BASEketball, a hybrid of baseball and basketball, and must deal with a greedy businessman scheming against their team.
SPECIAL WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING
CIRCLES PRESENTED BY MISSISSIPPI HUMANITIES COUNCIL
Director: Cassidy Friedman
Country: USA, Running Time: 82 min
A Hurricane Katrina survivor who works to keep black teenagers in school in Oakland, California, finds his personal and professional lives colliding when his 15-year-old son is accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
NARRATIVE FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION
BERNARD AND HUEY
Director: Dan Mirvish
Cast: Jim Rash, David Koechner, Sasha Alexander, Eva Darville , Richard Kind, Nancy Travis, Bellamy Young, Mae Whitman
Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min
Based on characters from Jules Feiffer’s Village Voice comic strip dating back to 1957, roguish Huey, and nebbishy Bernard are unlikely friends in late 1980s New York. 25 years later, and now Bernard is a successful bachelor, and Huey arrives on his doorstep looking old and washed up. As the two reconnect, Bernard starts a relationship with Huey’s estranged daughter Zelda. Huey slowly gets his mojo back and tries to seduce various women in Bernard’s life, while reconnecting with his family. At least one of them is in danger of marrying a woman old enough to be his wife.
COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Mark Potts
Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min
Action. Suspense. Death. Love. Hot men. Etc. COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE tells the story of two wild police officers, Higgs and McGraw, and their chase to take down Samir, an evil mastermind hell bent on making the world bow down to him.
DOOR IN THE WOODS
Director: Billy Chase Goforth
Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min
A young family encounters paranormal forces and face a devastating choice after they install a mysterious vintage door in their home.
THE DRAWER BOY
Directors: Arturo Perez Torres, Aviva Armour-Ostroff
Country: Canada, Running Time: 98 min
Set in Ontario, 1972, the film follows Miles, a naive actor from Toronto, who turns up at a remote farm run by two men: the ruggedly practical Morgan and the simple-minded Angus. However, when the farmers let the city-boy into their home, Miles’ search for a story gradually unearths a devastating truth that threatens to destroy the tranquil lives of his hosts forever.
ERIKO, PRETENDED
Director: Akiyo Fujimura
Country: Japan, Running Time: 93 min
Ten years have gone by since Eriko moved to Tokyo to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. However, things haven’t gone like she expected, and for Eriko, there was no hope in sight. She receives the news about her older sister’s sudden death. Eriko returns home to attend her sister’s funeral her relatives question Eriko’s pretend life as a successful actress. On a whim, Eriko declares that she will take care of Kazuma, her sister’s 10-year-old son, while finding out that her sister worked as a mourner-for-hire at funerals.
THE SOUNDING
Director: Catherine Eaton
Country: USA, Running Time: 93 min
On a remote island off the coast of Maine, Liv, after years of silence, begins to weave a language out of Shakespeare’s words. A driven neurologist, brought to the island to protect her, commits her to a psychiatric hospital. She becomes a full-blow rebel in the hospital; her increasing violence threatens to keep her locked up for life as she fights for her voice and her freedom. At a tipping point for otherness in our current climate, THE SOUNDING champions it.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION
FOREVER ‘B’
Director: Skye Borgman
Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min
FOREVER ‘B’ is a twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction story of the Broberg’s, a naïve, church-going Idaho family whose daughter, Jan, was kidnapped by the family’s best friend and neighbor. Twice.
LIYANA
Director: Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp
Country: Swaziland, USA, Running Time: 77 min
A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. This animated African tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams.
THE ORGANIZER
Director: Nick Taylor
Country: USA, Running Time: 101 min
THE ORGANIZER is a portrait of Wade Rathke, the controversial founder of ACORN, as well as an exploration of that much maligned and misunderstood occupation – community organizing.
RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE
Directors: Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer
Country: USA, Running Time: 71 min
Hard headed Louisiana fisherman Thomas Gonzales doesn’t know what will hit him next. After decades of hurricanes and oil spills he faces a new threat – hordes of monstrous 20-pound swamp rats. Known as “nutria”, these invasive South American rodents breed faster than the roving squads of hunters can control them.
SERENADE FOR HAITI
Director: Owsley Brown III
Country: USA, Running Time: 110 min
A classical music school in the heart of Port-au-Prince, Haiti thrives despite decades of entrenched poverty and political strife. When a catastrophic earthquake completely destroys the school in 2010, a stunned and devastated faculty and student body must pick up the pieces and find a way to move forward.
MISSISSIPPI FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION
THE LONG SHADOW
Director: Frances Causey
Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min
Two daughters of the South look beyond their white privilege to discover a history that’s been hidden, exposing the long and shockingly powerful reach of Southern politics from slavery through to today’s racial imbalance.
LOVE SOLILOQUY: A VISUAL ALBUM
Director: Astin Rocks.
Country: USA, Running Time: 31 min
Distorting the perception of true events, LOVE SOLILOQUY uses avant-garde storytelling to reveal the psyche behind young women navigating their relationships. Astin Rocks doubles as the band’s vocalist, lyricist, and film director.
MISSISSIPPI MADAM: THE LIFE OF NELLIE JACKSON
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Timothy Givens and Mark K. Brockway
County: USA, Running Time: 81 min
In 1902 Nellie Jackson, an African-American woman born into poverty in Possum Corner, Miss., travels north to Natchez and opens a brothel she ran for more than 60 years with full knowledge of police and Natchez officials until a fiery end one hot July night in 1990
THE PROCESS: THE WAY OF PABLO SIERRA
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Jeff Dennis
Country: USA, Running Time: 66 min
A film about a potter named Pablo Sierra who lives in Yocona, MS. Born in Spain, he came to Ole Miss on track scholarship. He became a world-class runner, and is now a potter, baker, and horseman. For Pablo, the process is everything.
MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES JURIED COMPETITION
CASSETTE: A DOCUMENTARY MIXTAPE
Director: Zack Taylor
Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min
CASSETTE: A DOCUMENTARY MIXTAPE is, in fact, a documentary mixtape about a musical format that refuses to die. Through a series of one-on-one interviews, Lou Ottens, inventor of the cassette, confronts 50 years of mixed emotions about his creation. He is joined on his journey by Henry Rollins, Thurston Moore, Ian MacKaye, Rob Sheffield, Burger Records, and many more.
DO U WANT IT?
Directors: Sam Radutzky, Josh Freund
Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min
DO U WANT IT? is an exploration and celebration of the musical culture of New Orleans. The film chronicles the rise of beloved New Orleans’ band Papa Grows Funk and uses their illustrious thirteen-year career, from formation up to the band’s emotional final shows, as a vehicle to explore the nuances of success and struggle in the greatest musical city in the world.
HOW THEY GOT OVER
Director: Robert Clem
Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min
HOW THEY GOT OVER explores the evolution of black gospel quartet music and its contributions to the emergence of rock & roll. The film includes performances by the Blind Boys of Mississippi and Alabama, the Soul Stirrers, Dixie Hummingbirds, Davis Sisters, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sensational Nightingales and many more.
WORD IS BOND
Director: Sacha Jenkins
Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min
Word Is Bond is a documentary film by Sacha Jenkins that examines the transformative power of lyrics in the world of hip-hop music. What was born on the streets of the South Bronx has now taken root globally, and the young poets of New York have helped to spawn regional dialects everywhere.
LGBTQ FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION
ALASKA IS A DRAG
Director: Shaz Bennett
Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min
A fish out of water story – literally. Our hero Leo is an aspiring superstar stuck working in a fish cannery in Alaska. Leo and his twin sister Tristen hang out at the one gay bar in a hundred miles, owned by their surly surrogate mom Jan (Margaret Cho). After years of getting beat up by his former best friend, Leo has learned to fight back, catching the eye of his cannery boss, an amateur boxer who offers to train him to be a fighter.
BETWEEN THE SHADES
Director: Jill Salvino
Country: USA, Running Time: 82 min
BETWEEN THE SHADES seeks to put faces to the letters that make up LGBTQI and how those letters have evolved. The film examines the immense power of labels and the transcendence of love.
BOYS FOR SALE
Director: Itako
Country: Japan, Running Time: 76 min
Boys are selling sex in Japan. Who is buying? In the Tokyo district of Shinjuku 2-chome there are bars that specialize in “Urisen”, young boys who have sex with men.
KID FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE FILMS
THE AMAZING WIZARD OF PAWS
Director: Brian Michael Stoller
Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min
What happens when you find out the family dog is actually six-hundred years old and was once owned by a great and powerful wizard? In this charming and magical adventure, young Bobby Spade and his faithful therapy dog, Ozzy, stumble upon an ancient wizard’s mystical book of spells.
MEERKAT MOONSHIP
Director: Hanneke Schutte
Country: South Africa, Running Time: 97 min
Timid, wildly imaginative 13-year-old Gideonette de La Rey learns that the name she was given comes with it a horrible curse. After her father dies, Gideonette is paralyzed by fear and is sent to live on a farm with her grandparents where she befriends a young deaf boy who is “training” to become an astronaut and preparing to fly away in a Moonship that Gideonette’s grandfather built for him.
WHALE RIDER (2002)
Director: Niki Caro
Country: Running Time: 101 min
A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.
ADDITIONAL SPECIAL SCREENINGS
I AM EVIDENCE
Directors: Trish Adlesic, Geeta Gandbhir
Country: USA, Running Time:
An investigation into the way sexual assault cases are handled by police departments across the United States and an examination of how there came to be a backlog of tens of thousands of untested rape kits.
LIVING ON SOUL
Directors: Jeff Broadway, Cory Bailey
Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min
LIVING ON SOUL is a hybrid docu-concert film featuring the late Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley and the rest of the Daptone Records family. Filmed largely during Daptone’s December 2014 three-night, sold-out residency at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, the documentary features a mixture of live performances and verité scenes that paint a robust picture of the Daptone family and culture.
SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT
Director: Cady McClain
Country: USA, Running Time: 57 min
SEEING IS BELIEVING Is an in-depth investigation into the challenges faced by women directors. The film focuses on the journeys of four articulate filmmakers – Lesli Linka Glatter (HOMELAND), Sarah Gavron (SUFFRAGETTE), li Lu (THERE IS A NEW WORLD SOMEWHERE), and Naima Ramos Chapman (AND NOTHING HAPPENED) who provide a wonderful mix of perspectives.
URANIA DESCENDING
Director: Tav Falco
Country: Austria, Running Time: 69 min
An American girl, Gina Lee is an alienated and disaffected female who has become disenchanted with hometown strip malls, sleaze bars, and rides along the river-side in her BMW. Impulsively she buys a discount airline ticket in a shopping mall travel agency. Destination: Vienna, the merry/sinister imperial city on the Danube. Gina Lee quickly slips into discreet, yet decadent dalliances at Cafe Central and at the notorious Hotel Orient, where she becomes embroiled in an intrigue to uncover buried Nazi plunder. Her tragic liaison with rakish Karl Heinz Von Riegl results in her submersion beneath the dark waters of Lake Atter, yet her ultimate fate remains unresolved.
Oxford Film Festival Short Films
BEST OF THE LOUISIANA FILM PRIZE
CANDYLAND
Director: Taylor Bracewell
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
EXIT STRATEGY
Director: Travis Bible
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
MY FATHER’S SON
Director: Kyle Clements
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
SCOUNDRELS
Director: Mark Blitch
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
STAG
Director: Jonnie Stapleton
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (DRAMA SHORTS BLOCK)
AN ACT OF TERROR
Director: Ashley Paige Brim
Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min
BLACK CANARIES
Director: Jessee Kreitzer
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
BLOOD WOLF
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Diana Cignoni
Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min
THE BLUE CAR
Director: Henrik A. Meyer
Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min
HOME
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Clark Duke
Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min
LAWMAN
Director: Matthew Gentile
Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min
RUNNING EAGLE
Director: Konrad Tho Fiedler
Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min
NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (COMEDY SHORTS BLOCK)
BITCHES LOVE BRUNCH
Director: Sasha Leigh Henry
Country: Canada, Running Time: 11 min
THE FINAL SHOW
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Dana Nachman
Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min
GLORIA TALKS FUNNY
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Kendall Goldberg
Country: USA, Running Time: 19 min
LAST WORDS
Director: Andre LeBlanc
Country USA, Running Time: 9 min
M.A.M.O.N. (MONITOR AGAINST MEXICANS OVER NATIONWIDE)
Director: Alejandro Damiani
Country: Mexico, Running Time: 5 min
SANS RESPONSE
Director: William Papadin
Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min
TEMPORARY
Director: Milena Govich
Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min
THAT SMELL
Director: Kyle Lavore
Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min
NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (INTERNATIONAL SHORTS BLOCK)
ALZHAÏMOUR
Director: Pierre Van de Kerckhove
Country: Belgium, Running Time: 14 min
FLIEGEN
Director: Marcus Hanisch
Country: Germany, Running Time: 18 min
SAVE ME!
Director: Mohsen Nabavi
Countries: Iran/Malyasia, Running Time: 10 min
SAY NO
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Samuel Clemens
Country: UK, Running Time: 9 min
SPACE GIRLS
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Carys Watford
Country: UK, Running Time: 10 min
SPINOSAURUS
Director: Tessa Hoffe
Country: UK, Running Time: 15 min
THE VEST
Director: Lesley Manning
Country: UK, Running Time: 7 min
THE WEIGHT
Director: Garrett Detrixhe
Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min
A WHOLE WORLD FOR A LITTLE WORLD
Director: Fabrice Bracq
Country: France, Running Time: 15 min
NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (LATE NIGHT SHORTS BLOCK)
ALFRED J. HEMLOCK
Director: Edward Lyons
Country: Australia, Running Time: 15 min
THE APOCALYPSE WILL BE AUTOMATED
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Melanie Killingsworth
Country: Australia, Running Time: 8 min
EINSTEIN-ROSEN
Director: Olga Osorio
Country: Spain, Running Time: 9 min
HEARTLESS
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Kevin Sluder
Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min
IT BEGAN WITHOUT WARNING
Directors: Santiago C. Tapia, Jessica Curtright
Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min
LABORATORY CONDITIONS
Director: Jocelyn Statmat
Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min
PESSIM
U.S. PREMIERE
Director: TAKCOM
Country: Japan, Running Time: 11 min
(NOTE – PESSIM is a Fest Forward selection screening in this block)
REAL ARTISTS
Director: Cameo Wood
Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min
TRANSMISSION
Directors: Varun Raman & Tom Hancock
Country: UK, Running Time: 17 min
(NOTE – TRANSMISSION is a Fest Forward selection screening in this block)
NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
FAVORITES
Director: Tracy S. Facelli
Country: USA, Running Time: 17:24 min
(ARTIST VODKA runner up)
(screens with Winning Short Films block)
THE MELANCHOLY MAN
Director: Samantha Smith
Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min
(screens with ERIKO PRETENDING)
NATION DOWN
Director: Liam Hendrix Heath
Country: USA, Running Time: 14:57 min
(ARTIST VODKA winner)
(screens with Winning Short Films block)
THE PERFECT FIT
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Emory Parker
Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min
(screens with THE DRAWER BOY)
ROBERT
Directors: Sarah Fleming, Joann Self Selvidge
Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min
(screens with CIRCLES)
SURROGATE
Director: Olivia Hamilton
Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min
(screens with BERNARD & HUEY)
TIMBRE
U.S. PREMIERE
Director: Gareth Peevers
Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min
(screens with THE SOUNDING)
TOND
Directors: Josh Ruben, Vince Peone
Country: USA, Running Time: 21 min
(screens with COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
$30 TO ANTARCTICA
Director: Joey Chu
Country: USA/Hong Kong, Running Time: 18 min
A LIFE’S WORK
U.S. PREMIERE
Director: Ben Spilling
Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min
ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN
Director: Daniel Robin
Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min
ALTIMIR
Director: Kay Hannahan
Country: Bulgaria/USA, Running Time: 15 min
JOHNNY’S GREEK AND THREE
Director: Ava Lowery
Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min
NEWPORT GUN GIRLS
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Lauren Orme
Country: UK, Running Time: 11 min
OUR GHOSTS
Director: Hannah Ruddle
Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min
WASHED AWAY
Director: Dana Nachman
Country: USA, Running Time: 18 min
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
AN ACCIDENTAL DROWNING
Director: Matteo Servente
Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min
(screens with LIYANA)
JESSZILLA
Director: Emily Sheskin
Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min
(screens with SERENADE FOR HAITI)
MONSTER IN THE BAYOU
Director: Victoria Greene
Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min
(screens with SERENADE FOR HAITI)
THE NATURE OF MASS DEMONSTRATIONS WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Nate Lavey
Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min
(screens with THE ORGANIZER)
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BEATING HEARTS
Director: Peter Byck
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
(screens with RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE)
YOU SEE ‘EM
Director: Emma Landeche
Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min
(screens with RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE)
MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS (COMMUNITY FILM BLOCK)
#FIFTEEN
Director: Melanie Addington
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
BIRTHING VIDEO
Director: Christina Huff
Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min
CLOSED
Director: Samuel Cox
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:17 min
DAYFALL
Director: Tony King
Country: USA, Running Time: 1:17 min
DEAR MR BRYANT
WORLD PREMIERE
Directors: Robbie Fisher, Jenni Smith
Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min
(MAGNIFYING GLASS FELLOWSHIP WINNER)
FIFTEEN
Director: Julia Mitchell
Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min
THE PIZZA MAGAZINE
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Daniel Perea
Country: USA, Running Time: 15:48 min
THACKER MOUNTAIN RADIO HOUR: 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Director: Christina Huff
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS (MISSISSIPPI SHORTS BLOCK)
CAUTION
Director: Thomas Haffey
Country: USA, Running Time: 1:17 min
COWGIRL UP
Director: Nathan Willis
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:17 min
CUBICLE CITY
Director: Glenn Payne
Country: USA, Running Time: 16:42 min
FLAG FLAP OVER MISSISSIPPI
Director: Rex Jones
Country: USA, Running Time: 27 min
HAND MADE
Director: David Ross
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:55 min
MOMBIE
Director: N.T. Bullock
Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min
PART OF IT
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Victoria De Leone
Country: USA, Running Time: 7:20 min
PAY THE PIPER
Director: Maggie Bushway
Country: USA, Running Time: 6:29 min
RIVER MADE
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: David Ross
Country: USA, Running Time: 7:09 min
TRUTH RISES
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: E. J. Carter
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:40 min
WE BELIEVED WE WERE IMMORTAL
Directors: Kathleen Wickham, Larry Wells
Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min
WINSTON COUNTY MIRACLE MAN
Director: Rick Guy
Country: USA, Running Time: 6:25 min
MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
COLETTE
Director: Royce Swayze
Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min
(screens with MISSISSIPPI MADAM: THE LIFE OF NELLIE JACKSON)
HERE I’LL STAY
Directors: Marlene McCurtis, Lorena Maniquez
Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min
(screens with THE LONG SHADOW)
LGBTQ SHORT FILMS
3 FRIENDS
Director: Michael Moody Culpepper
Country: Ireland/USA, Running Time: 22 min
THE CLEANSE
Director: Lucas Omar
Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min
DUSK
Director: Jake Graf
Country: UK, Running Time: 15 min
HAYGOOD EATS!
Director: Hazart
Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min
HOW TO MAKE A PEARL
Director: Jason Hanasik
Country: USA, Running Time: 22 min
SPARK
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Aharonit Elinor
Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min
SUNUNÚ: THE REVOLUTION OF LOVE
Director: Olivia Crellin
Country: UK, Running Time: 24 min
THE THIRD MOVEMENT
U.S. PREMIERE
Director: Josephine Anderson
Country: Canada, Running Time: 11 min
WAFFLES
Director: Foster Wilson
Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min
LGBTQ SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
FISHY
Director: Joseph Sulsenti
Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min
(screens with ALASKA IS A DRAG)
LADY EVA
Directors: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
Country: Kingdom of Tonga, Running Time: 11 min
(screens with ALASKA IS A DRAG)
FEST FORWARD SHORT FILMS (ANIMATION BLOCK)
CATHERINE
Director: Britt Raes
Country: Belgium, Running Time: 12 min
FIRST BLOOM
Director: Tingting Liu
Country: China, Running Time: 5 min
JAMSHID: A LAMENT FOR A MYTH
U.S. PREMIERE
Director: Moin Samadi
Country: Iran, Running Time: 12 min
MEETING MACGUFFIN
Director: Catya Plate
Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min
NEGATIVE SPACE
U.S. PREMIERE
Directors: Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata
Country: France, Running Time: 5 min
THE SERVANT
Director: Farnoosh Abedi
Country: Iran, Running Time: 9 min
THE SPIRIT SEAM
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Ashley Gerst
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
TWO BALLOONS
Director: Mark C. Smith
Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min
UGLY
Director: Nikita Diakur
Country: Germany, Running Time: 12 min
FEST FORWARD SHORT FILMS (FEST FORWARD BLOCK)
ANIMAL CINEMA
Director: Emilio Vavarella
Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min
ANTHROPOCENE
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Bradley Rappa
Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min
BLUE BUT PALE BLUE
Director: Daisy Dickinson
Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min
THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER
Director: Jadwiga Kowalska
Country: Switzerland, Running Time: 6 min
CARGO
Director: Jasmine Ellis
Country: Germany, Running Time: 4 min
COLLAPSING
Director: Brian Ratigan
Country: USA, Running Time: 1 min
COOKING WITH CONNIE
Director: Stavit Allweis
Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min
DISILLUSIONMENT OF 10 POINT FONT
Director: Greg Condon
Country: USA, Running Time: 1 min
LYING WOMEN
Director: Deborah Kelly
Country: Australia, Running Time: 4 min
MAY I? REMIX#
Director: Vasco Diogo
Country: Portugal, Running Time: 4 min
PARALYSIS
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Victoria Negri
Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min
PITTARI
Director: Patrick Smith
Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min
THE REALM OF DEEPEST KNOWING
Director: Seunghee Kim
Country: South Korea, Running Time: 3 min
SHOT
Director: Aemilia Scott
Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min
TOWARDS THE EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL OF DREAMING
Director: Ryan Betschart
Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min
TRUMPET MAN
Director: Emily Wong
Country: Hong Kong, Running Time: 14 min
WHAT’S THAT IN THE GROUND?
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Wally Chung
Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min
YELLOW AND RED MAKE ORANGE
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Jay Hollinsworth
Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min
MISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEOS
“A Hard Rain” by Stacie and Cassie
Director: J.B. Lawrence/Stace and Cassie
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:55 min
“All I Know” by Jake Wood
Director: Rex Harsin
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:56 min
“Damaged” by American Automatic
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Greg Johnson
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:28 min
“Glory Glory” by Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Jeff Dennis
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:01 min
“God Bless America” by Effie Burt
Director: Effie Burt
Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min
“Make Me Want You” by Shayne Weems
Director: J.B. Lawrence
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:28 min
“Manna” by King Woman
Director: Vincent Jude Chaney
Country: USA, Running Time: 6:12 min
“My City” by Adam “AJC” Collier
Directors: Philip Scarborough, Tom Beck
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:40 min
“Randy Weeks: Mississippi Songwriter”
WORLD PREMIERE
Directors: Keerthi Chandrashekar, Je’Monda Roy, Jimmy Thomas
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:15 min
“Royal” by Lost in Constellation
Director: Michael Williams
Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min
“Spinning” by The Fuzzy Crystals
Director: Justin Possenti
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:30 min
“Stomping Ground” by Robert King
Director: J.B. Lawrence
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:54 min
“Trust and Believe”
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Andre Hill
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:40 min
“World Gone Crazy” by 61 Ghosts
Director: Coop Cooper
Country: USA, Running Time: 6:03 min
“Your Mistress” by Mersaidee Soules
Director: Michael Williams
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:16 min
KID FILM FEST SHORT FILMS
A MESSAGE FOR BRAZEY
Director: Jared D. Weiss
Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min
THE ADVENTURE OF THE AFTERNOON
Directors: Vance Yang, Stella Huang
Country: Taiwan, Running Time: 8 min
BRAND NEW DAY
Directors: Patricia Beckmann Wells, EdD
Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min
C-5-11
Director: Edward Ramsay-Morin
Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min
GHOST BEATS
Director: Brent Barson
Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min
HOMEGROWN
Director: Quentin Haberham
Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min
LIGHT SIGHT
Director: Seyed M. Tabatabaei
Country: Iran, Running Time: 8 min
ROYAL (MOVE TO MUSIC VIDEOS)
Director: Michael Williams
Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min
SAVING SANTA
Director: Keith O’ Grady
Country: Northern Ireland, Running Time: 17 min
STARS
Director: Han Zhang
Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min
SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNERS
“
Twirling at Ole Miss”(Grand Prize)
Screenwriter: John Matthew Tyson
“Not Everything Was Burning” (Runner Up)
Screenwriter: John Bateman
Read more
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World[/caption]
From renowned film veterans including Eugene Jarecki (The King) to first-time filmmakers Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green (The Providers), Denali Tiller (Tre Maison Dasan) and Ciara Lacey (Out of State), the award-winning PBS series Independent Lens Winter and Spring 2019 lineup of documentary films takes viewers on a cross-country journey through modern America.
“This season of Independent Lens is a road trip across America, visiting people and places rarely explored on film,” said Lois Vossen, Independent Lens executive producer. “From a family fighting to preserve their way of life in rural North Dakota to a high school wrestling team in Alabama, from an Arizona prison to a health clinic in northern New Mexico, this season’s filmmakers expand our perspectives and shed light on communities large and small, offering an insightful and timely cinematic state of the union.”
People’s Republic of Desire[/caption]
People’s Republic of Desire by Hao Wu (Monday, February 25)
In China, a generation of young people has come of age on social media, where virtual relationships are replacing real-life connections. Both the wealthy and the poor gather in online showrooms, finding entertainment and a way to feel connected. Although these groups never cross paths in real life, in the digital universe they band together to worship idols who earn as much as $130,000 a month singing karaoke or hosting interactive talk shows.
Tre Maison Dasan by Denali Tiller (Monday, April 1)
An estimated one in 14 American children has a parent in prison. Tre Maison Dasan tells the story of three of these children – Tre, Maison and Dasan – each from the small state of Rhode Island. An emotional exploration of relationships tested by separation and the challenges of growing up with a parent behind bars, the film gives voice to the youngest victims of America’s epidemic of incarceration.
The Providers by Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green (Monday, April 8)
Set against the backdrop of the physician shortage and opioid epidemic in rural America, The Providers follows three “country doctors” in northern New Mexico at clinics that offer care to all who walk through the doors, regardless of ability to pay. With personal struggles that at times reflect those of their patients, the journeys of the providers unfold as they work to reach Americans who would otherwise be left without healthcare.
Marcos Doesn’t Live Here Anymore by David Sutherland an Independent Lens, Frontline and VOCES co-presentation (Monday, April 15)
From acclaimed director David Sutherland (Kind-Hearted Woman, Country Boys, The Farmer’s Wife) comes this unique look at the immigration issue. The film follows the efforts of Elizabeth Perez, a decorated United States Marine veteran, to reunite her family after the deportation of her husband, an undocumented worker from Mexico. Her struggle begins to challenge her assumptions about justice and fairness in the nation she fought for.
Charm City by Marilyn Ness (Monday, April 22)
Filmed during three years of unparalleled violence in Baltimore, Charm City delivers a powerfully candid portrait of those on the frontlines. With grit, fury and compassion, a group of police, citizens, community leaders and government officials grapple with the consequences of violence and try to reclaim their city’s future.
Out of State by Ciara Lacy (Monday, May 6)
Shipped thousands of miles away from Hawaii to a private prison in the Arizona desert, two native Hawaiians, David and Hale, discover their indigenous traditions from a fellow inmate serving a life sentence. When they finish their terms and return to Hawaii, eager to prove to themselves and their families that the experience has changed them forever, they struggle with the hurdles of life as formerly incarcerated men, asking the question: can you really go home again?
Harvest Season by Bernardo Ruiz (Monday, May 13)
California’s Napa Valley is one of the premier wine growing regions in the world, celebrated as an idyllic and luxurious destination. Yet, many of the vineyard workers and the small producers with roots in the fields are rarely credited for the valley’s famed bounty. Filmed over the course of one agricultural year, Harvest Season takes an “other side of the valley” approach, giving a unique view of the dramatic process that goes into making some of the world’s most celebrated wines.
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Wrestle[/caption]
Wrestle by Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer (Monday, May 20)
As they fight their way towards the state championship, four high school wrestlers from Alabama face injustices and challenges on and off the mat. Together with their coach, they grapple with obstacles that jeopardize their success and, despite the odds, pursue their goals with humor and courage.
Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End[/caption]
CUFF.Docs, Calgary’s Documentary Film Festival presented by the Calgary Underground Film Festival has released its lineup of 13 groundbreaking feature documentaries, covering everything from medical cannabis to slam poetry and swamp rats.
The five-day festival, running November 28 to December 2 at Globe Cinema, will open on Wednesday, November 28 with 
EIGHTH GRADE[/caption]
The 2018 Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) announced its full line-up, including its Centerpiece, Spotlight, Narrative Feature Competition, Independent Visions Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Narrative, Documentary, and Short Films. The Festival also announced its five SFF Focus Panels – Sports in Cinema, Environment, Science, and Sustainability, Women’s Comedic Voices, Redefining Manhood, and Musings on Musicians.
“In honor of our 20th anniversary, we have programmed a lineup that celebrates the past, present, and future of the Sarasota Film Festival that is sure to delight our dedicated and passionate audiences,” said Mark Famiglio, Chairman and President of the Sarasota Film Festival. “The selection includes a diverse group of narratives and voices that will create engaging conversations about today’s most important topics.”
In the Festival’s Centerpiece section is 
306 Hollywood by Elan Bogarín and Jonathan Bogarín[/caption]
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, today announced its lineup of features and short films. The 21st annual festival will take place April 5 to 8, 2018, in Durham, North Carolina.
The NEW DOCS program includes 42 titles – 32 features and 10 shorts – selected from nearly 1,800 submissions from around the globe. These films are eligible for the Full Frame Audience Award and are shortlisted for a variety of additional juried awards offering a combined value of $40,000 in cash prizes. Award winners will be announced at the annual Awards Barbecue on Sunday, April 8. The Invited Program includes 22 feature films screening out of competition.
Renowned filmmaker Joe Berlinger will curate the 2018 Thematic Program, and the festival will honor Jehane Noujaim’s illustrious body of work with the 2018 Tribute. Delving into the fascinating genre of true crime, the Thematic Program will feature films that follow individual cases and consider the ways documentary uniquely represents the complexities, and limitations, of the American judicial system. For the Tribute, Full Frame will showcase Noujaim’s lauded films exploring themes of resilience, freedom, democracy, and free speech.
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars[/caption]
DOC NYC announced the full lineup of over 250 films and events for its eighth edition, running November 9 to 16 at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre and Cinepolis Chelsea.
Special Events include Closing Night Film, the NYC premiere of