When The Beat Drops

  • THE FAVOURITE, BOY ERASED, LOVE SIMON Among 30th GLAAD Media Awards Nominees

    Boy Erased
    Nicole Kidman in Boy Erased

    GLAAD, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, announced the nominees for the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Among the nominees: The Favourite, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Boy Erased, Love Simon, and The Miseducation of Cameron Post. GLAAD announced Special Recognition Awards for Nanette, a Netflix special starring queer comedian Hannah Gadsby; TransMilitary, a documentary which premiered on Logo and spotlighted the lives of transgender service members; and House of Mamis, a Spanish-language docuseries about a LGBTQ voguing community in Mexico City which ran on LGBTQ site INTOMore.com.

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  • 2019 Oxford Film Festival Reveals Competition Films, Opens with John Stimpson’s GHOST LIGHT

    [caption id="attachment_33037" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] GHOST LIGHT[/caption] The 2019 Oxford Film Festival (February 6-10), will kickoff with John Stimpson’s GHOST LIGHT as the Opening Night Gala selection, and Jacqueline Olive’s ALWAYS IN SEASON tabbed as the fest’s Closing Night Gala selection  immediately following its debut at Sundance.  Another choice hot off of Sundance will be Jon Strong’s documentary, LONG TIME COMING, presented as a Special Screening. Oxford Film Festival favorite Malcolm Ingram will present his latest documentary, SOUTHERN PRIDE as a Special Screening as well. Stimpson’s GHOST LIGHT combines laughs and scares as an understudy, aiming for the lead role and the leading lady during a traveling production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, unleashes mayhem by disregarding the time-honored superstitions that go along with staging “The Scottish Tragedy.” The film stars an impressive cast including Cary Elwes, Roger Bart, Carol Kane, Shannyn Sossamon, Danielle Campbell, and Tom Riley. The film screens Thursday, February 7 at 7:00PM at the Gertrude C. Ford Center (351 University Ave.). Mississippi native Olive’s film, ALWAYS IN SEASON takes a look at how the terrorism of lynching in our country’s history still bleeds into the present via the case of Lennon Lacy, a teenage boy found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014. The film traces his mother’s pursuit of justice for her son as well as intersecting with stories from other communities looking seeking justice and reconciliation. The film screens Sunday, February 10 at 6:00PM at the Malco Commons (204 Commonwealth Blvd.). The two documentaries receiving Special Screening presentations include Strong’s LONG TIME COMING, which looks at how a simple little league game was anything but when it took place in the racially segregated South in 1955, and the two teams in question were a team of white boys and a team of black boys. Ingram’s SOUTHERN PRIDE brings us up to date via his film juxtaposing a bar owner who struggles to organize a Pride march in her hometown in Mississippi, while in another part of the state organizers of a Black Pride celebration are working to overcome numerous obstacles facing them. Narrative feature films in competition this year include: Daniel Campbell’s ANTIQUITIES; Stimpson’s GHOST LIGHT; Rob Heydon’s ISABELLE; Alex Eaton’s MOUNTAIN REST; Katie Orr’s POOR JANE; Jillian Armenante’s STUCK; and Jordan Noel’s THIS WORLD ALONE. Documentary features in competition include; Dava Whisenant’s BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY; Nicholas Laviola’s HOLY GHOST FIRE: THE ECSTASY OF RANDY WOLFORD; Assia Boundaoui’s THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED; Jon Strong’s LONG TIME COMING; Jamal Sims’s WHEN THE BEAT DROPS; Emily Harrold’s WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE; and Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer’s WRESTLE. The LGBTQ Juried Feature Competition will include; Kevin O’Brien’s AT THE END OF THE DAY; PJ Raval’s CALL HER GANDA; Keith Behrman’s GIANT LITTLE ONES; Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s GOSPEL OF EUREKA; and Daniel Laabs’s JULES OF LIGHT AND DARK.

    2019 Oxford Film Festival FEATURE FILMS

    OPENING NIGHT SELECTION GHOST LIGHT Director: John Stimpson Country: USA, Running Time: 103 min. GHOST LIGHT is a haunted comedy about the absurd, but very seriously regarded, superstitions of the theatre, specifically those surrounding Shakespeare’s Macbeth. When a disgruntled and arrogant understudy tempts fate by uttering the forbidden name of the “Scottish King” on stage, the sorcery of the Bard’s witches overwhelms the production leading to chaos, misfortune and death. All’s well that ends well… but not for everyone. CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION ALWAYS IN SEASON Director: Jacqueline Olive Country: USA, Running Time: When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother’s search for justice and reconciliation begins as the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present. SPECIAL SCREENINGS LONG TIME COMING Director: Jon Strong Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min. In 1955, when racial segregation defined America, two groups of twelve-year-old boys stepped onto a baseball field in a non-violent act of cultural defiance that would change the course of history and challenge their own perceptions sixty years later. SOUTHERN PRIDE Director: Malcolm Ingram Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min. A documentary about people from two towns in Mississippi organizing gay and black pride events in Trump’s backwater America.

    NARRATIVE FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION

    ANTIQUITIES Director: Daniel Campbell Country: USA, Running Time: 93 min. After his father’s death, Walt (Andrew J. West) moves to his dad’s hometown to learn more about who his father was. He accepts a job at a local antique mall where he’s introduced to the quirky world in which his dad grew up. There, Walt learns not only about his father, but a good bit about himself. The ensemble comedy feature stars Andrew J. West, Michaela Watkins, Michael Gladis, with Ashley Greene, and Mary Steenburgen. ISABELLE Director: Rob Heydon Country: Canada, Running Time: 80 min. A young couple’s dream of starting a family shatters as they descend into the depths of paranoia and must struggle to survive an evil presence that wants nothing more than their very own lives. MOUNTAIN REST Director Alex Eaton Country: USA, Running Time: 93 min. After sequestering herself to a small mountain town, an aging actress calls her estranged daughter and granddaughter home for reconciliation and one final celebration. POOR JANE Director: Katie Orr Country: USA, Running Time: 129 min. A housewife’s comfortable life unravels when she suddenly stops loving her husband. A raw portrait of a woman experiencing midlife malaise. STUCK Director: Jillian Armenante Country: USA, Running Time: 101 min. After getting into trouble with the law, Darby is sentenced to 30-days house arrest. Now she is ‘stuck’ in the same house as her ex-boyfriend and his new fiancée. THIS WORLD ALONE Director: Jordan Noel Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min. Following a cataclysmic event which left the Earth without technology or power, Sam (Belle Adams)—a book-obsessed girl in her late teens—lives in seclusion with her two mother-figures (Carrie Walrond Hood & Sophie Edwards). But after an accident, she’s pushed out of her protective world and forced to put her makeshift parents’ opposing world-views to the test as she faces the physical and emotional challenges of a world reclaimed by nature.

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION

    BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY Director Dava Whisenant County: USA, Running Time: 87 min. A Late Night comedy writer stumbles on a hilarious, hidden world of entertainment and finds an unexpected connection to his fellow man. With David Letterman, Martin Short, Chita Rivera, Jello Biafra, and more. HOLY GHOST FIRE: THE ECSTASY OF RANDY WOLFORD Director: Nicholas Laviola Country: USA, Running Time: 60 min. The Holiness Serpent Handlers, a group of born-again Pentecostal Christians deep in Appalachia, have taken this verse to be the base of their Apostolic movement. HOLY GHOST FIRE: THE ECSTASY OF RANDY WOLFORD is an unflinching look into their tragic service on Sunday, May 27, 2012, and a vital artifact of one of the darkest corners of American Religion. THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED [caption id="attachment_27798" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Feeling of Being Watched The Feeling of Being Watched[/caption] Director: Assia Boundaoui Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min. When journalist Assia Boundaoui investigates rumors of surveillance in her Arab-American neighborhood in Chicago, she uncovers one of the largest FBI terrorism probes conducted before 9/11 and reveals its enduring impact on the community. WHEN THE BEAT DROPS Director Jamal Sims Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min. Featuring footage and stories from the men of Atlanta’s bucking scene, director Jamal Sims gives a glimpse into the world of J-Setting as it grows into a national movement. WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE Director: Emily Harrold Country: USA, Running Time: 72 min. What does it mean to be young, black, and a Democrat in the American South? WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE follows South Carolina politician Bakari Sellers as he runs to become the first African American candidate elected statewide in over a century. The film begins by following Sellers as he makes his 2014 bid for Lieutenant Governor, through the Charleston Shootings, and during the removal of the Confederate flag in 2015. Through his experiences, the film offers audiences a window into the legacy of race in politics in the United States today. WRESTLE Directors: Suzannah Herbert, Lauren Belfer Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min. HOOP DREAMS goes to the mat in this coming-of-age-documentary about four members of a high-school wrestling team in Huntsville, Alabama. Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan are the core of the team at J.O. Johnson High School, which has been on Alabama’s list of failing schools for years. Coached—and occasionally harangued—by teacher Chris Scribner, each of these young men faces challenges far beyond a shot at the State Championship: drug use, splintered family lives, pregnant girlfriends, and run-ins with the law threaten to derail their success on the mat and lock any doors that could otherwise open.

    MISSISSIPPI FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION

    ATTACHE Director: Melissa Pace Overholt Country: USA, Running Time: 73 min. As one of the poorest states in the country, Mississippi lands at the bottom of many lists. There’s at least one exception, the Clinton, Mississippi High School Attache Show Choir is considered to be among the most successful in history. In a region where arts and music funding have been virtually demolished, Clinton public school’s music program manages to thrive. Composed of students from different backgrounds, ATTACHE unites its members and, together, they rise above, consistently beating the odds. Preceded by COACH WADE Directors: Elisabetta Zengaro, Matteo Zengaro Country: USA, Running Time: 33 min. COACH WADE is the story of how a woman from a small, impoverished town in the Mississippi Delta rose to success coaching collegiate basketball. Coach Wade and her team overcame obstacles and brought distinction to their school, while also fighting against sexist media coverage of women’s sports, changing the nature of the sport for years to come. DOOR AJAR – THE M.B. MAYFIELD STORY [World Premiere] Director: John Reyer Afamasaga Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min. From inside a broom closet with the door cracked, an African American janitor listens and learns art in segregated Mississippi. DRIVEN Director: Glenn Payne Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min. Emerson Graham’s nights as a rideshare driver are filled with annoyances and inconveniences, but until she picks up Roger they have never included attacks, disappearances, and curse breaking. After picking up a mysterious passenger her night goes from working a job to performing a quest as they race the clock to defeat a force of evil and right a long-time wrong. The meter is running. SHARDE THOMAS: LEGACY OF THE FIFE [World Premiere] Director: Jeffrey Dennis Country: USA, Running Time: 41 min. Sharde Thomas, granddaughter of Blues legend Othar Turner, carries on the rich tradition of fife and drum music in North Mississippi. She and her family continue their G.O.A.T. picnic, which was started in the 1950’s to pay for school supplies. This film celebrates the amazing past, present, and future of the North Mississippi Hill Country Blues. Preceded by RESPECT OUR BLACK DOLLARS Director: Christopher Windfield Country: USA, Running Time: 44 min. RESPECT OUR BLACK DOLLARS is an organization created to help black owned businesses succeed. The founder Stanley Wesley soon finds himself under attack from racial intimidation within the state of Mississippi. THRASHER ROAD Director: Samantha Davidson Green Country: USA, Running Time: 86 min. When an accident strands pregnant Chloe and her dog, Thrasher, on the highway home from broken dreams in L.A., unwelcome rescue comes from her estranged dad, Mac, who takes them on a disastrous detour toward a second chance.

    MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES JURIED COMPETITION

    DON’T GET TROUBLE IN YOUR MIND Director: John Whitehead County: USA, Running Time: 83 min. Ranging from the historical to the deeply personal, this documentary tells the story of three African-American musicians from the hip-hop generation who embraced a traditional 19th-century folk genre and took it to Grammy-winning heights. Filmmaker John Whitehead followed the band from their meteoric rise through their breakup, making for an emotionally satisfying journey as well as a spectacular musical one. ICEPICK TO THE MOON Director: Skizz Cyzyk Country: USA, Running Time: 99 min. Obscure stripmine crooner, Rev. Fred Lane, is described by his obsessed fans as “subversive,” “completely satirical,” “the Dada Duke Ellington,” and “Demon Frank Sinatra.” His fans have spent years examining every detail of Fred Lane’s albums, and yet whatever information they have found out about their hero has only led them deeper into blissful confusion. ICEPICK TO THE MOON not only examines the cult of Fred Lane fans, but also pulls the curtain back on the mysterious artist who is Fred Lane, from his early involvement with the Raudelunas arts collective in Alabama in the Seventies, to his current occupation making whirligigs to sell on the arts and crafts show circuit. NEGRO TERROR Director: John Rash Country: USA, Running Time: 53 min. A cinematic and musical portrait of a punk band’s role in the vibrant and eclectic underground music community of Memphis, TN. Championing the history, music, and various politics of their beloved hometown, Negro Terror are far more than just another hardcore punk band with a provocative name. SATAN & ADAM Director: V. Scott Balcerek Country: USA, Running Time: 95 min. Sterling Magee experienced firsthand the music industry’s exploitation of black musicians. So he walked away to play on the Harlem streets for “his people.” Reborn as Mr. Satan, he spread his gospel of joy. One of those he converted was a white kid named Adam (Oxford resident Adam Gussow), who gave up the ivory tower life to play alongside this streetwise guru. Their improbable bond made them a sensation, and their journey a tale of tragedy, survival and miraculous rebirth. UP TO SNUFF Director: Mark Maxey Country: USA, Running Time: 80 min. Millions of people have been touched by his music, yet few know the journey, hardships and triumphs of American musician and composer W.G. Snuffy Walden. Friends and collaborators share personal stories, laughs and insights about this generous soul who overcame the excesses of rock and roll to become one of the most beloved composers in television history. Featuring Snuffy’s music throughout, UP TO SNUFF includes scenes from The West Wing, Wonder Years, Sports Night and thirtysomething, with insights from Aaron Sorkin, Martin Sheen, Tom Arnold, Timothy Busfield, Lawrence O’Donnell, Steve Lukather, Eric Burdon and Snuffy Walden.

    LGBTQ FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION

    AT THE END OF THE DAY Director: Kevin O’Brien Country: USA, Running Time: 108 min. After his wife leaves him and he is tossed out of his counseling job, Dave finds himself as a conservative professor at a Christian college. When the Dean gets word that a group is trying to buy a building he wants for expansion, he asks Dave to join the group and find out about their progress. Dave is in for the shock of his life when he finds himself in a gay support group. His job is to stop their launch of an LGBT homeless youth shelter in their small town. But things don’t always go as planned and love wins out in ways we may not expect. CALL HER GANDA [caption id="attachment_29069" align="aligncenter" width="975"]CALL HER GANDA CALL HER GANDA[/caption] Director: PJ Raval Countries: Philippines/USA, Running Time: 97 min. When Jennifer Laude, a Filipina transwoman, is brutally murdered by a U.S. Marine, three women intimately invested in the case — an activist attorney (Virgie Suarez), a transgender journalist (Meredith Talusan) and Jennifer’s mother (Julita “Nanay” Laude) — galvanize a political uprising, pursuing justice and taking on hardened histories of U.S. imperialism. GIANT LITTLE ONES Director: Keith Behrman Country: Canada, Running Time: 94 min. Franky Winter (Josh Wiggins) and Ballas Kohl (Darren Mann) have been best friends since childhood. They are high school royalty: handsome, stars of the swim team and popular with girls. They live a perfect teenage life –until the night of Franky’s epic 17th birthday party, when Franky and Ballas are involved in an unexpected incident that changes their lives forever. GIANT LITTLE ONES is a heartfelt and intimate coming-of-age story about friendship, self-discovery and the power of love without labels. GOSPEL OF EUREKA Director: Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher Country: USA, Running Time: 75 min. Love, faith, and civil rights collide in the south as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to explore the meaning of belief. Gospel drag shows and passion plays set the stage for one hell of a show. JULES OF LIGHT AND DARK Director: Daniel Laabs Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min. In present-day Texas, Maya (Tallie Medel) and her on again, off again girlfriend Jules (Betsy Holt) total their car after a night of backwoods raving and teen mischief. They’re rescued from the wreckage by Freddy (Robert Longstreet), a divorced oil worker whose stoic facade crumbles as he comes to see himself, and his repressed desires, in Maya. As Jules recovers, Maya and Freddy develop a rapport that dulls the debilitating silence of their small-town lives. Together, they subtly encourage one another to chase after what they want the most (or at least figure out what that might be).

    2019 Oxford Film Festival SHORT FILMS

    NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS

    A CRAFTSMAN Director: Sanford Jenkins Jr. Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min. A SARI FOR PALLAVI [World Premiere] Director: Kate Chamuris Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min. AGE OF BRYCE [World Premiere] Directors: David Feagan, Brian Elliott Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min. APPROVAL NEEDED [U.S. Premiere] Director: Karen Anstee Country: UK, Running Time: 11 min. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Director: Bianca Armbruster Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. BREASTS Director: Eva Contis Country: USA, Running Time: 18 min. CARONTE Director: Luis Tinoco Pineda Country: Spain, Running Time: 15 min. DEAD GIRL [World Premiere] Director: Rachel Sweeney Country: USA, Running Time: 28 min. DEBRIS Director: Julio Ramos Country: Peru, Running Time: 14 min. DIFFERENT THIS YEAR Director: Meghann Artes Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min. THE DRINK [World Premiere] Director: Cosima Spender Country: UK, Running Time: 12 min. FAIR SHAKE TRANSFER Director: Joshua Morris Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min. THE FISHERMAN [U.S. Premiere] Director: Zoey Martinson Country: Ghana, Running Time: 15 min. THE FLOOD Directors: Adam Dietrich, Seraphina Nova Glass Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min. FUNERAL Director: Leah Shore Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min. THE GREAT BRITISH RACE OFF Director: Natasha Jatania Country: UK, Running Time: 8 min. THE GREAT UNKNOWN Directors: Anna Jones, Desirée Matthews Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min. I’D NEVER BOTHER ANOTHER CHICKEN AGAIN Director: Helen Cho Anthos Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. THE INVENTION Director: Leo McGuigan Country: Northern Ireland, Running Time: 19 min. IVAN [U.S. Premiere] Director: Panagiotis Kountouras Country: Greece, Running Time: 9 min. THE LAST LINE Director: Renee Mao Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. THE LOST ONES Directors: Maria Castillejo Carmen, Maëlle Grand Bossi, Elisabeth Silveiro Country: France, Running Time:14m. MEETING MOMMY Director: Tricia Lee Country: Canada, Running Time: 12 min. MRS. MURPHY’S CONFESSION Director: Ryan Turri Country: USA, Running Time: 26 min. NOBODY’S DARLING Director: Robyn Hicks Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min. OF MINE [World Premiere] Director: Cate Carson Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min. POZOLE [World Premiere] Director: Jessica Mendez Siqueiros Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min. SAC DE MERDE Director: Greg Chwerchak Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min. SNOW CHILD Director: Diana Cignoni Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min. TAKE ME TO THE WAVES Directors: Jake Taylor Kipping, Tom Stoker Country: UK, Running Time: 20 min. TO THE SEA [U.S. Premiere] Director: Emily Dynes Country: Australia, Running Time: 14 min. WILLOW CREEK ROAD Director: Francesca Mirabella Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min.

    NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

    FRONTIER Director: Chuck Kleven Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min. (screens with MOUNTAIN REST) HAPPY BIRTHDAY Directors: Alex A. Ginzburg, Tim Harms Country: Puerto Rico, Running Time: 8 min. (screens with THIS WORLD ALONE) HYPNOTIC INDUCTION Director: Donald Meyers Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min. (screens with ISABELLE) THE PARABLE OF THE DISAPPEARING RECLINER Director: Elisabeth Gray Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min. (screens with ANTIQUITIES) TOURIST Director: Paavo Hanninen Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min. (screens with POOR JANE) TRYING TO FIND ME Director: Dominique Tipper Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min. (screens with ISABELLE) TWO PUDDLES Director: Timothy Keeling Country: UK, Running Time: 6 m. (screens with ISABELLE)

    DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS

    605 ADULTS 304 CHILDREN Director: Michael Mahaffie Countries: Guyana/USA, Running Time: 13 min. BABY BROTHER Director: Kamau Bilal Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min. CARE Director: Jeremy Xido Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min CHILDREN OF THE DUST Director: Dan Sadgrove Country: Vietnam, Running Time: 7 min THE CONQUEROR Director: Timothy Blackwood Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min. HULA GIRL Directors: Amy Hill, Chris Riess Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min. I AM ABLE Directors: Morgane Bigault, Ed Thomas Country: UK, Running Time: 9 min LITTLE FIEL Director: Irina Patkanian Country: Mozambique, Running Time: 16 min. MAC’S GARDEN GIRL [World Premiere] Director: Julia Bell Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min. MEET UNCLE PAUL Director: Jessica Bursi Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min MIGRANT [World Premiere] Director: Abbey Hoekzema Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min. NOMAD CHAPTER [World Premiere] Director: John Rash Country: USA, Running Time: 8m. PHANTASIAMAN Director: Mariel Sosa Country: Germany, Running Time: 12 min. QUIET HOURS Director: Paul Szynol Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min. SHOTO Directors: Stories Found Nairobi Team Country: Kenya, Running Time: 5 min. THOU SHALL NOT TAILGATE Director: Greg Hamilton Country: USA, Running Time: 26 min. THE TRAFFIC SEPARATING DEVICE [U.S. Premiere] Director: Johan Palmgren Country: Sweden, Running Time: 15 min. WAITING FOR FUKUSHIMA [World Premiere] Director: Alana Hutton-Shaw Countries: USA/Japan, Running Time: 16 min. ZUMARI Directors: Stories Found Nairobi Team Country: Kenya, Running Time: 6 min.

    DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

    A STABLE MYSTIC Director: Randal Crow Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min (screens with SATAN AND ADAM) BIRTH OF AFROBEAT Director: Opiyo Okeyo Country: USA, Running Time: (screens with DON’T GET TROUBLE IN YOUR MIND) CONFEDERATE PRIDE, WHITE SUPREMACY, AND MY STATE FLAG Director: Adam Grannick Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min. (screens with WHEN I BREATHE, I HOPE) IT’S NOW OR NEVER: A RACE TO SAVE COLONEL PARKER’S COMPLEX Director: Austin Daniel Blasingame Country: USA, Running Time: 8 m (screens with UP TO SNUFF) THE JUKE JOINT SHOW: BECOMING BUKKA Director: Matt Wymer Country: USA, Running Time: 16m. (screens with DON’T GET TROUBLE IN YOUR MIND)

    MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS (NARRATIVE)

    BETTING THE OVERLAY Director: Robert Jordan Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min. CRESCENT Director: Edward Worthy Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min. DELTA CROSSING Director: James Puckett Country: USA, Running Time: 18 min. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAPA Director: Bennett Krishock Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min. PASSWORDS [World Premiere] Director: Chris Floyd Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min. SYNTHETIC PHOENIX Director: Ryan Perich Country: USA, Running Time: 23 min. THE FALL LEAVES [U.S. Premiere] Director: Maya McCullough Country: USA, Running Time: 26 min.

    MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS (DOCUMENTARIES)

    BROKEN, STAINED & BEAUTIFUL Director: Matt McCoy Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min. HOLT COLLIER Director: James Mathews Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min. NICOLE Director: Tori Gene McCarthy Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min. ROOTS AND WINGS Director: Hanna Miller Country: USA, Running Time: 21 min. SIGNS Directors: Matthew Cipollone, Mikey D’Amico Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. THE FLY IN THE BUTTERMILK Director: Ashley Norwood Country: USA, Running Time: 18 min. THE HIDDEN VOTE Director: Hanna Miller Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min.

    MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

    ALONELINESS: A SCREENDANCE Director: Rachel Searcey Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min. (screens with THRASHER ROAD) JESUS & JIMMY RAY Director: McGee Monteith Country: USA, Running Time: 19 min. (screens with DRIVEN)

    LGBTQ SHORT FILMS

    ALL WE ARE Director: Will Stewart Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min. THE BOY WHO WANTED TO FLY Director: Jorge Muriel Country: Spain, Running Time: 20 min. THE DRESS YOU HAVE ON Director: Courtney Hope Therond Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min. HIDING IN DAYLIGHT [World Premiere] Director: Cheryl Allison Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min. HIPPOPOTAMUS Director: Jody Wheeler Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min. HOME ALONE, BABY BLUE Director: John e. Kilberg Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min. HOW I CAME OUT! Director: Mark Goshorn Jones Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min. IF THIS IS WRONG Director: Chelsea Woods Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min. LIGHT IN DARK PLACES Director: Lagueria Davis Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min. THE ONE YOU NEVER FORGET [World Premiere] Director: Morgan Jon Fox Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min. PEPPER Director: Jayil Pak Country: South Korea, Running Time: 15 min. QUEEN FOR A DAY [World Premiere] Director: Savannah Rodgers Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. RIVER Director: Sam Crainich Country: USA, Running Time: 18 min. SELL YOUR BODY Director: Jaanelle Yee Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min. YOU SAY HELLO Director: Lovell Holder Country: USA, Running Time: 22 min.

    LGBTQ SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

    A SON INHERIT Director: Michael Williams Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min. (screens with GOSPEL OF EUREKA) LEIA’S ARMY Director: Oriana Oppice Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min. (screens with CALL HER GANDA)

    FEST FORWARD SHORT FILMS (ANIMATION BLOCK)

    01 Directors: Julian Treemaker, Katharina Potratz Country: Germany, Running Time: 7 min. THE BIRD & THE WHALE Director: Carol Freeman Country: Ireland, Running Time: 7 min. EXPEND Director: Bismark Fernandes Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. FLYTRAP Director: Connor Radding Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min. FROG DOG LOG Director: Jared D. Weiss Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min. FUSE Director: Shadi Adib Country: Germany, Running Time: 5 min. IDOL-L [U.S. Premiere] Director: JAEHYEONG KIM • Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min. MR. DEER Director: Mojtaba Mousavi Cpuntry: Iran, Running Time: 9 min. MY MOON Director: Eusong Lee Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min. NEKO NO HI – CAT DAYS Director: Jon Frickey Countries: Germany/Japan, Running Time: 11 min. TRUMP BITES Director: Bill Plympton Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. ON THE DAY YOU WERE BORN Director: Duke Doyle Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min. POUR 585 Director: Patrick Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. RED DRESS, NO STRAPS Director: Maryam Mohajer Country: UK, Running Time: 8 min. SAD HOUR [World Premiere] Director: Sean Pettis Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min. SATELLITE STRANGERS Director: James Bascara Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min. WATCH ME! [U.S. Premiere] Director: Reza Mehranfar Country: Iran, Running Time: 3 min.

    FEST FORWARD SHORT FILMS (EXPERIMENTAL)

    ASTRONAUTS WITH WHEAT [U.S. Premiere] Director: Jon Bryant Crawford Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. THE BORDER [U.S. Premiere] Director: Antonio Celotto Country: Italy, Running Time: 4 min. THE CAGE OF SAND [World Premiere] Director: Edward Rankus Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min. CURRENTS Director: Xinyi Zhu Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min. DATA DECAY Director: Tynan Humphrey Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min. DIARY 2013-2018 Director: Soyeon Kim Countries: USA/South Korea, Running Time: 3 min. DULL HOPE Director: Brian Ratigan Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min. EAST448 Director: Katharina Nesterowa Country: Germany, Running Time: 6 min. EVERYTHING CHANGES Director: Geoff Marslett Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min. FEAW Director: Robin Tremblay Country: Canada, Running Time: 7 min. FUCKED UP POINT BLANK [World Premiere] Director: Shayna Connelly Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. FUN MORE [World Premiere] Director: Wally Chung Country: USA, Running Time: 1 min. FUN TO COOK “WORLD’S BEST FOOD” Director: Dongjun Kim Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. GONE SALE Director: Matt Meindl Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. HORROR VACUI Director: Matteo Zamagni Country: UK, Running Time: 3 min. I TASTE BLOOD Directors: Lauren Sotolongo, Samantha Sobash, Russell Sheaffer, Aaron Michael Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min. IN MEDIAS RES Director: Gloria Chung Country: USA, Running Time: 1 min. THE ONLY THING THAT EXISTS IS THE DOT [World Premiere] Director: Philip Clyde-Smith Country: UK, Running Time: 6 min. PART I & II [U.S. Premiere] Director: Nadia Dermatopoulou Country: Scotland, Running Time: 5 min. REMISSION Directors: John Charter, Paul Kaiser Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min. THERE MUST BE A SAFE SPACE TO LOAD [U.S. Premiere] THE BUILDING MATERIALS Director: Ryan Betschart Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min.

    MISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEOS

    “Ain’t No Place” by Lightnin Malcolm Director: Lightnin Malcolm Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. “Cellar Below” by The Great Dying Director: Alex Thiel Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min. “Coast Ghost” by Spacewolf Director: Drew McKercher Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min. “Crosstie Town” by Chance Stanley Directors: Clark Richey, Amye Gousset Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. “Fit In” Director: J.B. Lawrence Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. “Going to Mississippi to See my Sweet Southern Bell” by Sam Moseley Director: Roslynn Clark Copeland Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min. THE GREAT DEPRESSION Director: Jeff Gordon Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min. “Life Is” [World Premiere] Director: Irene Waites Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. “Mississippi (Why you got to be so mean?)” Director: Libby Brawley Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. “Moss Point Mississippi” Director: Don Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min. “The Price Was Right” by Andrew Bryant Director: Alex Thiel Country: USA, Runnig Time: 4 min. “Right Now” by Swear Tapes Director: Alex Thiel Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min. “Till I Cross Your Mind” by Young Valley [U.S. Premiere] Director: Drew McKercher Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min. “Trina’s Story” Director: Andre Hill Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. “Wash My Hands” by Cedric Burnside Director: Christian Walker Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min. “When It Rains” by Encantos [World Premiere] Director: Daniel Lee Perea Country: USA, Running Time: 4m. “Whiskey World” Director: Chaz Singleton Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min. “Why Can’t You” by Truck Patch Revival Director: Montana Byrd Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min. “Wolf 3” Director: Drew McKercher Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min.

    STUDENT SHORT FILMS

    BAD THINGS Director: Mira K. Lippold-Johnson Country: USA, Running Time: 22 min. FRENCHIES Director: Kuan-Fu Lin Countries: Taiwan/USA, Running Time: 8 min. THE MOON AND THE NIGHT Director: Erin Lau Country: USA, Running Time: 19 min. NO WAY IN HELL Director: Raul Toledo Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min. THE SUNDAY NIGHT DRINKERS CLUB Director: Ollie Gardner Country: UK, Running Time: 20 min. THIS ONE’S FOR YOU, ALICE [World Premiere] Director: Patrick Hanser Country: Brazil, Running Time: 11 min. WHERE I WAS BORN Director: Jungmin Cha Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min.

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  • Logo Unveils 2018 Documentary Slate – LIGHT IN THE WATER, WHEN THE BEAT DROPS and QUIET HEROES

    [caption id="attachment_30605" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Light in the Water Light in the Water[/caption] Logo Documentary Films today announced its 2018 slate which includes Light in the Water, When the Beat Drops and Quiet Heroes. The first film, Light in the Water, premiering Thursday, July 19th on Logo, details the humble beginnings of one of the first openly gay masters swim and water polo club in 1982. When the Beat Drops, premiering August 9th, follows a crew of gay African-American men as they pioneer the Southern-rooted underground dance scene known as “bucking.” The Sundance Film Festival favorite, Quiet Heroes, which tells the story of one female doctor fighting to save the denigrated and largely male AIDS population in the socially conservative Salt Lake City area, premieres August 23rd. Logo Documentary Films division recently received the 2018 Television Academy Honor for Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America as well as its third Daytime Emmy for KEVYN AUCOIN Beauty & The Beast in Me. “Now more than ever, it is imperative for us to tell the stories of our community’s ability to triumph over adversity,” said Taj Paxton, VP of Logo Documentary Films. “These documentaries represent our bravery and our continued fight against stigma and the sting of hatred and intolerance.” The 2018 slate includes: LIGHT IN THE WATER / Premieres Thursday, July 19th at 8PM ET/PT on Logo Light in the Water reveals the untold story of a group of gay men and women who found one another through their love of competitive swimming, ultimately becoming a family and a force for the LGBTQ sports movement. The West Hollywood Aquatics Team were pioneers in gay sports, from registering as one of the first openly gay Masters swim teams in 1982, to pushing through the devastation of the AIDS crisis. This documentary reveals the inside story of a group of trailblazers who personified the change they wanted to see and created a legacy for equality in sports that lives on in the team today. Light in The Water is produced by Patty Ivins Specht and Lis Bartlett and directed by Bartlett. Executive Producers from Logo Documentary Films are Pamela Post and Taj Paxton.
      WHEN THE BEAT DROPS / Premieres Thursday, August 9th at 8PM ET/PT on Logo As Voguing exploded out of the ballroom scene of NYC, “bucking,” an electric and subversive underground dance scene, was boldly pioneered in the clubs of the Deep South as a new form of self-expression and education. Together with his crew of fellow gay African-American men, Anthony Davis, a heavy-set, Atlanta-born kid with a love of dance, helped grow bucking into a national movement, complete with fierce competitions. In the process, Davis created a haven for a generation of displaced black gay men. When the Beat Drops had its premiere at the 2018 Miami Film Festival where is won the “Knight Documentary Achievement Award” and recently received the “Outstanding Documentary Jury Award” at Frameline42: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival. The film will also serve as the Documentary Centerpiece at Outfest Film Festival in Los Angeles on July 19th. It is a World of Wonder (WOW) production and is the directorial debut of internationally acclaimed choreographer Jamal Sims, who brings a sensitive intimacy to the subject’s brilliant artistry and their inspiring lives. When the Beat Drops is produced by WOW’s Emmy Award-winning Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, along with Jordan Finnegan. Pamela Post and Taj Paxton serve as executive producers from Logo Documentary Films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc3292–FL4 QUIET HEROES / Premieres Thursday, August 23rd at 8PM ET/PT on Logo In Salt Lake City, Utah, the socially conservative religious monoculture complicated the AIDS crisis, where patients in the entire state and intermountain region relied on only one doctor, Dr. Kristen Ries. Quiet Heroes is the story of her fight – against stigma, shame and ignorance – to save a maligned population everyone else seemed willing to just let die. Quiet Heroes had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It is directed and produced by Jenny Mackenzie, Jared Ruga and Amanda Stoddard. Pamela Post and Taj Paxton serve as executive producers from Logo Documentary Films.

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  • Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival Announces Complete 2018 Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_26747" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane and Chloë Grace Moretz appear in The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Desiree Akhavan, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance FIlm Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jeong Park. Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane and Chloë Grace Moretz appear in The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Desiree Akhavan.[/caption] The 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival, taking place July 12-22, 2018, announce the complete programming lineup, with two thirds of this year’s content directed by women, people of color and trans filmmakers. As previously announced, the 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival opens at the Orpheum Theatre with Kino Lorber’s “Studio 54,” Matt Tyrnauer’s vibrantly nostalgic documentary; and closes with FilmRise’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” Desiree Akhavan’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner starring Chloë Grace Moretz. The festival features five world premieres including the deeply felt film from Taiwan, “Bao Bao”; “Bright Colors and Bold Patterns” directed by Michael Urie with a hilarious performance from Drew Droege; Laura Madalinski’s “Two in the Bush: A Love Story” a polyamorous love story; Jamie Patterson’s new feature film “Tucked” about two drag performers connecting across generations; and “Room to Grow” a documentary looking at the lives of queer teenagers today. As well as North American and US Premieres, “Eva & Candela,” “Sodom,” “Canary,” “Cola De Mono,” and “Daddy Issues.” Outfest Los Angeles’ documentary section shines a light on UNSUNG communities, including Alina Skrzesewska’s “Game Girls” which follows a couple as they struggle to navigate life in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, to the much anticipated SXSW Audience Award winner “Transmilitary” about those fighting for an equal chance to service their country. The proactive experimental film section, Platinum, continues to highlight boundary-pushing work with Myyki Blanco and SSION teaming up to create a new short film “No Leash” and a feature documentary by performance artist, Narcissister, in “Narcissister Organ Player.” The infamous Alchemy Party returns, this year at Navel, with 13 performers including Dorian Electra, Saturn Rising, and Slather Factory’s Bebe Huxley, and The Uhuruverse who will stretch your musical imagination. The 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival will also return to The Ford Theatres. These screenings will kick off on July 18 with a screening of “Bad Reputation,” a documentary about Joan Jett; then Documentary Centerpiece, “When the Beat Drops,” followed by “Postcards from London” and concluding with “Wild Nights with Emily” featuring Molly Shannon. The Closing Night Gala “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” will screen at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. Special events include the 2nd Annual Trans Summit with Oscar nominated and Emmy Award-winning director and producer Yance Ford as the keynote speaker; the Focus On Taiwan event showcasing a collection of Taiwanese films including “Bao Bao” and “Alifu, The Prince/ss”; free screenings of films “Believer,” a documentary from Imagine Dragons frontman, Dan Reynolds, “They,” a family drama from director Anahita Ghazvinizadeh and Showtime’s “Beyond The Opposite Sex”, the long-awaited sequel to groundbreaking film, “The Opposite Sex.” Lastly, OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project from Los Angeles LGBT Center and Outfest, will be premiering five new shorts on Sunday, July 22nd. Now in its sixth year, the OutSet program empowers youth ages 16-24 to share their stories though film.

    2018 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES LGBT FILM FESTIVAL LINE-UP

    GALA FILMS:

    STUDIO 54 – Opening Night Gala Dir: Matt Tyrnauer, USA, 2018, 98 min OUR FUTURE ENDS – Platinum Centerpiece, Co-Presented by Some Serious Business Dir: Clement Hil Goldberg, USA, 2018, 50 min WE THE ANIMALS – U.S. Centerpiece Dir: Jeremiah Zagar, USA, 2018, 93 min REINVENTING MARVIN – International Centerpiece Dir: Anne Fontaine, France, 2017, 115 min WHEN THE BEAT DROPS – Documentary Centerpiece Dir: Jamal Sims, USA, 2018, 87 min THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST – Closing Night Gala Dir: Desiree Akhavan, USA, 2018, 90 min

    DRAMATIC FEATURES

    1985 Dir: Yen Tan, USA, 2018, 85 min ANCHOR AND HOPE Dir: Carlos Marques-Marcet, Spain, 2017, 113 min BITTER MELON Dir: H.P. Mendoza, USA, 2018, 100 min BRIGHT COLORS AND BOLD PATTERNS – World Premiere Dir: Michael Urie (For the Stage) & David Horn (For the Screen), USA, 2018, 89 min CANARY (KANARIE) – North American Premiere Dir: Christiaan Olwagen, South Africa, 2018, 120 min COLA DE MONO – US Premiere Dir: Alberto Fuguet, Chile, 2017, 102 min CUERNAVACA Dir: Alejandro Andrade Pease, Mexico, 2017, 89 min DADDY ISSUES – US Premiere Dir: Amara Cash, USA, 2018, 88 min EVA & CANDELA (¿CÓMO TE LLAMAS?) – North American Premiere Dir: Ruth Caudeli, Colombia, 2018, 90 min EVENING SHADOWS Dir: Sridhar Rangayan, India, 2018, 102 min HARD PAINT (TINTA BRUTA) Dir: Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon, Brazil, 2018, 118 min I MISS YOU WHEN I SEE YOU Dir: Simon Chung, Hong Kong, 2018, 93 min MALILA: THE FAREWELL FLOWER Dir: Anucha Boonyawatana, Thailand, 2017, 96 min MAPPLETHORPE Dir: Ondi Timoner, USA, 2018, 102 min MONTANA Dir: Limor Shmila, Israel, 2017, 79 min PORCUPINE LAKE Dir: Ingrid Veninger, Canada, 2017, 84 min POSTCARDS FROM LONDON Dir: Steve McLean, United Kingdom, 2018, 87 min RIOT Dir: Jeffrey Walker, Australia, 2017, 106 min SKATE KITCHEN Dir: Crystal Moselle, USA, 2018, 105 min SODOM – North American Premiere Dir: Mark Wilshin, United Kingdom, 2017, 94 min THAT NIGHT OF NOVEMBER (NOVE DE NOVEMBRO) Dir: Lázaro Louzao, Spain, 2018, 84 min TUCKED – World Premiere Dir: Jamie Patterson, United Kingdom, 2017, 80 min TWO IN THE BUSH: A LOVE STORY – World Premiere Dir: Laura Madalinski, USA, 2017, 97 min WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY Dir: Madeleine Olnek, USA, 2018, 84 min

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

    BAD REPUTATION Dir: Kevin Kerslake, USA, 2018, 98 min CALL HER GANDA Dir: PJ Raval, Philippines/USA, 2018, 93 min CONVERSATIONS WITH GAY ELDERS: KERBY LAUDERDALE Dir: David Weissman, USA, 2017, 69 min DYKES, CAMERA, ACTION! Dir: Caroline Berler, USA, 2018, 58 min EVERY ACT OF LIFE Dir: Jeff Kaufman, USA, 2017, 92 min GAME GIRLS Dir: Alina Skrzeszewska, France/Germany, 2018, 90 min GOSPEL OF EUREKA Dir: Michael Palmieri & Donal Mosher, USA, 2018, 75 min THE ICE KING Dir: James Erskine, United Kingdom, 2018, 89 min LEITIS IN WAITING Dir: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson & Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Tonga/USA, 2018, 72 min LOOKING FOR? Dir: Tung-Yen Chou, Taiwan, 2017, 60 min MAN MADE Dir: T Cooper, USA, 2018, 97 min MR. GAY SYRIA Dir: Ay?e Toprak, Turkey/France/Germany, 2017, 87 min ROOM TO GROW (World Premiere) Dir: Matt Alber & Jon Garcia, USA, 2018, 89 min SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD Dir: Matt Tyrnauer, USA, 2017, 98 min SHAKEDOWN Dir: Leilah Weinraub, USA, 2018, 82 min TRANSMILITARY Dir: Gabriel Silverman & Fiona Dawson, USA, 2018, 93 min

    EPISODIC PROGRAMS

    BONDING Created by: Rightor Doyle, USA, 2018, 108 min Two high school BFFS reunite and find they’re different as adults: he’s a newly-out gay man and she’s a dominatrix who’s going to tie him into her UNDERGROUND world of BDSM. VIDA Created by: Tanya Saracho, USA, 2018, 30 min “Vida” is a new Starz Original series about two Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different or distanced from each other. Circumstances force them to return to their old neighborhood, where they are confronted by the past and surprising truth about their mother’s identity. STRANGERS & FÉMININ/FÉMININ Created by: Mia Lidofsky (Strangers), USA, 2017, 52 min Created by: Chloé Robichaud & Florence Gagnon (Féminin/Féminin), Canada, 2017, 43 min Queer women are finding love and themselves in the second seasons of two of our favorite series from either side of the US/Canada border.

    EPISODIC SHOWCASE

    From the gay mafia to polyamory to queer and trans realities, this sampler of seven new independent series contemplates where our LGBTQ identities intersect, and how we can move forward together as a movement. RILEY PARRA Created by: Christin Baker, USA, 2018, 48 min Lesbian detective Riley discovers the city’s mean streets are actually a centuries-old battleground between angels and demons. THE FINDING HOME SERIES: LGBT IMMIGRANTS & ASYLUM SEEKERS Dir. Abraham Troen, USA, 2017, 63 min Explore the journeys of three queer immigrants in L.A. who have escaped persecution and violence in their native countries.

    PLATINUM SECTION: EXPERIMENTAL FILMS & LIVE EVENTS

    THE WILD BOYS (LES GARÇONS SAUVAGES) Dir: Bertrand Mandico, France, 2017, 110 min NARCISSISTER ORGAN PLAYER Dir: Narcissister, USA, 2017, 91 min BIXA TRAVESTY Dir: Claudia Priscilla & Kiko Goifman, Brazil, 2018, 75 min

    SHORTS SHOWCASE

    Dir: Multiple, UK, USA, Mexico, Canada, 2018, 100 min ALCHEMY PARTY Bae Bae, Bebe Huxley, Dorian Electra, London Jade, Lulo, Luna Lovebad, Mood Killer, Weston Allen, The Uhuruverse, Narcissister, Nebulae Cult, Saturn Rising

    SPECIAL EVENTS

    THEY Dir. Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, USA, 2017, 81 min After two years of taking hormone blockers to postpone puberty, a non-binary 14-year-old considers whether to transition and where to find their place in the world. BEYOND THE OPPOSITE SEX sponsored by Showtime Networks Dir. Emily Abt & Bruce Hensel, USA, 2018, 89 min In this sequel to Showtime’s The Opposite Sex, Rene and Jamie find that LIFE AFTER gender confirmation surgery comes with its own set of challenges. THE CARMILLA MOVIE sponsored by Shaftesbury Dir. Spencer Maybee, Canada, 2018, 94 min Laura and Carmilla’s domestic bliss is threatened by an unknown evil forcing the “Scooby gang” to team up once more to save their humanity. PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN sponsored by Annapurna Pictures Dir: Angela Robinson, USA, 2017, 108 min Angela Robinson introduces her latest feature about what inspired Harvard psychologist Dr. Marston (Luke Evans) to create the iconic Wonder Woman character. ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: THE DARE PROJECT & CLAY FARMERS Dir: Adam Salky, USA, 2005 & 2018, 33 min Revisit two Outfest classics, including the story of a gay theatre kid and a curious jock reconnecting as adults, and the 30-year anniversary of a moving rural drama reminiscent of Brokeback Mountain. THE ADVOCATE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS: A LONG ROAD TO FREEDOM sponsored by here TV & The Advocate Dir: William Clift, USA, 2018, 105 min Over the course of five decades, The Advocate has reported the breaking news and ongoing challenges of the LGBTQ community. BELIEVER sponsored by HBO Dir. Don Argott, USA, 2018, 101 min Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds makes it his mission to foster acceptance toward LGBTQ members of the Mormon Church by crafting an unforgettable rock festival. ALONE IN THE GAME sponsored by AT&T Entertainment Group Dir. Natalie Metzger & Michael Rohrbaugh, USA, 2018, 95 min This documentary chronicles the challenges and triumphs of LGBTQ athletes in sports today, featuring Robbie Rogers, Gus Kenworthy, Layana White and Megan Rapinoe. BAO BAO – World Premiere – sponsored by Taiwan Academy & Taiwan Ministry of Culture Dir. Guang-cheng Shie, Taiwan, 2018, 97 min A married lesbian couple’s relationship is challenged after one of the women promises their unborn child to another couple. ALIFU, THE PRINCE/SS sponsored by Taiwan Academy & Taiwan Ministry of Culture Dir. Wang Yu-Lin, Taiwan, 2017, 91 min The intersection of several individuals in present-day Taiwan creates a colorful tapestry of LGBTQ lives, including Alifu, a young hairdresser who longs for a sex-change operation. QUEEROES Jill Soloway, Lena Waithe and Tanya Saracho introduce an innovative new mentorship model to elevate queer, trans and POC storytelling. ONE MINUTE MOVIE CONTEST A selection of the work submitted to this year’s Outfest Fusion One Minute Movie Contest, on the topic of Keeping Silent / Speaking Truth. AIDS DIVA: THE LEGEND OF CONNIE NORMAN (Sneak Preview) Dir. Dante Alencastre, USA, 2018, 45 min Seizing her power as she confronts her mortality, trailblazing trans activist Connie Norman evolves as an irrepressible, challenging and soulful voice for the AIDS and queer communities of early 90’s Los Angeles.

    Panels & Workshops:

    MAKE THEM HEAR YOU: THE TRUTH ABOUT CONTENT BY & FOR LGBTQ+ WOMEN Sponsored by AT&T Hello Lab LGBTQ+ women have been at the forefront of many movements throughout history. However, in Hollywood, queer women remain the least represented community in front of and behind the camera. This discussion will explore the past, present, and future LGBTQ+ women in entertainment, bringing together trailblazers who are leading the charge for a more inclusive and multi-dimensional landscape. TRANS SUMMIT Whether you’re an actor, artist, activist or academic, you’re welcomed here. The afternoon will begin with our Academy Award-nominated keynote speaker Yance Ford (Strong Island), followed by three compelling case studies focused on specific areas of need in media representation. THE ROOM will then come together for an unedited, organic, and dynamic conversation about issues relating to the trans and non-binary experience, moderated by the LA Times’ award-winning reporter Tre’vell Anderson. BI IN THE BIZ sponsored by SAG-AFTRA and SAGIndie While the L, G and T communities have made great strides toward visibility in the culture, the B’s still remain relatively hidden, even in the entertainment industry. This panel will feature out bisexual actors and entertainment industry professionals discussing the specific challenges and opportunities for film, TV and online performers who identify as such. Break out of the bi closet as we explore the politics and the pragmatism of actors living out in the open. THE NEW AIDS NARRATIVE PANEL Nearly 30 years since the first films about the HIV/AIDS epidemic hit the big screen, a new wave of scripted dramas is emerging. Join Outfest and GLAAD for a discussion of the history of HIV/AIDS representation in cinema, and what the arrival of films like BPM (Beats Per Minute), 1985 and Bohemian Rhapsodymeans with regards to telling HIV/AIDS stories to a new generation.

    OUTFEST FORWARD

    SCREENWRITING LAB: LIVE READING Outfest’s annual live reading of scenes from the five scripts chosen for the 2018 Outfest Screenwriting Lab.

    OUTSET SHORTS SCREENING

    VICTORY BOULEVARD Dir/Scr: Jonny Alvarez, Producer: Ash Lavacca, Production Designers: Tristin Brown & Juliet Delgado, Mentor: Henry Alberto BLESS THE USA Dir/Scr: Sebastian Vergara, Co-Dir/Producer: Anthony Rizo, Production Design Mentor: Haharhel Valencia, Mentor: Marcos Davalos SIGNOURNEY WEAVER Dir/Scr: Andrea Ngeleka, Producer: Tiffany Patterson, Production Designer: Hesed Kim, Mentors: Doendray Gossfield & Quincy LeNear Gossfield THE CURSE Dir/Scr: Dave Berenato, Producer: Moira McFadden, Production Designer: Juliet Delgado, Mentors: Coley Sohn & Leanna Creel FLAMERS:BOTTOMS IN A BRUSHFIRE Dir/Scr: Capucine Berney, Producer: Alfredo Hernandez, Production Designer: Tristin Brown, Mentor: Assaad Yacoub.

    OUTFEST UCLA LEGACY PROJECT

    BUDDIES Dir: Arthur J. Bressan Jr., USA, 1985, 81 min DUCK SEASON (TEMPORADA DE PATOS) Dir: Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico, 2004, 90 min SHOPPING FOR FANGS Dir: Quentin Lee & Justin Lin, USA, 1997, 90 min SHOW ME LOVE (FUCKING ÅMÅL) Dir. Lukas Moodysson, Sweden, 1998, 89 min

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  • 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival to Open with STUDIO 54 Documentary

    [caption id="attachment_28858" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Studio 54 Studio 54[/caption] Matt Tyrnauer’s vibrantly nostalgic documentary, Studio 54, featuring interviews with many of the legendary nightclub’s famous patrons, as well as those who worked behind the scenes during its heyday will open the 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival. The festival will honor Angela Robinson as the recipient of the 2018 Achievement Award recipient.  The Achievement Award Ceremony will take place at the Opening Night Gala at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on July 12, followed by the screening of Studio 54. Angela Robinson, a celebrated filmmaker and champion of LGBTQ rights, will receive the Achievement Award, Outfest’s highest honor, presented in recognition of a body of work that has made a significant contribution to LGBT film and media. In a time where women still only make up a fraction of directors, Robinson has carved a space for herself in both film and television, and frequently deals with LGBTQ topics in her work, such as D.E.B.S., “The L Word”, Herbie Fully Loaded, “True Blood”, How to Get Away with Murder”, and most recently Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. Outfest’s Executive Director Christopher Racster commented: “Outfest has a long and important legacy of launching filmmakers careers. I am incredibly proud that we have the opportunity honor an amazingly talented woman director whose career started at Outfest. Angela has forged a unique path of success within the industry. When jobs are hard to come by for women directors, Angela has blazed a path in high-profile television series, lauded independent films and major studio movies. Her unique vision, her sharp humor, and her humanity are constantly on display in each move she makes. Angela’s work is always fresh, intelligent and groundbreaking.” “It is such an honor to receive the Outfest Achievement Award this year – I premiered the first short film I ever made at Outfest and every film I’ve made since. It’s a joy to be recognized by Outfest in this way so many years later,” Angela Robinson remarked. Additional gala screenings include: Sundance NEXT Innovator Award winner We the Animals (U.S. Centerpiece), written and directed by Jeremiah Zagar; the sweeping French drama Reinventing Marvin (International Centerpiece), from filmmaker Anne Fontaine; famed choreographer and filmmaker Jamal Sims’ feature debut When the Beat Drops (Documentary Centerpiece) on the Deep South UNDERGROUND dance phenomenon known as “bucking”; and Our Future Ends (Platinum Centerpiece), a multimedia and multidisciplinary satire about near-extinct lemurs living on long-lost Lemuria. The 2018 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival will close on July 22 at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel with Desiree Akhavan’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, an unapologetically bold take on the topic of conversion therapy, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Jennifer Ehle, Sasha Lane, John Gallagher Jr., and Forrest Goodluck. Outfest’s Direct of Programming Lucy Mukerjee commented: “After scouring the world for the past year to find the best LGBTQ films, our galas capture that queer pioneering spirit that lives across the ages. From our Opening Night Studio 54, where we learn the back story of the vibrancy that Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager brought to creating a safe HAVEN for LGBTQ folk to the urgency of expression in When the Beat Drops from long-time choreographer Jamal Sims, we see that freedom of identity cannot be held down. Even something as simple as coming of age in We Are Animals looks at new territory in Jeremiah Zagar’s deft hands. The breadth of our galas this year also continues Outfest’s commitment to celebrate female voices including the work of acclaimed director Anne Fontaine and Desiree Akhavan’s sophomore effort, proving once again we will be seeing exciting things from her for a long time to come. I am thrilled we are bringing back the Platinum Centerpiece – Our Future Ends – which combines many genres to tell a story about how to keep a culture from extinction. Happily our queer culture is far from that place!”

    GALA FILMS

    Studio 54 (Opening Night Gala) Director: Matt Tyrnauer When disco was the epicenter of popular culture, Studio 54 was the epicenter of disco. Brooklyn-born college pals Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager took a former opera house and CBS studio (where “What’s My Line?” and “Captain Kangaroo” filmed) in what was at the time one of New York City’s sketchiest neighborhoods and turned it into a dance palace known the world over. Extroverted gay Rubell and introverted straight Schrager (the latter giving his most extensive interview to date about Studio 54) were a powerful team – but the swirl of sex, drugs, celebrity, and tax evasion brought this phenomenon to an end, as did the advent of Ronald Reagan, the AIDS crisis, and the “Disco Sucks” backlash. But oh, what heady times there were during Studio 54’s heyday, which this vibrant documentary captures, mixing vintage interviews (Michael Jackson!) with reminiscences from the doormen, bartenders, and paparazzi who experienced the thrills and the beats on the dance floor and in the infamous balcony. There may never again be such a stately pleasure dome as Studio 54, but Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary pays homage to the hedonism, the hubris, and the outrageous delights that took place under the lights, behind the scenes, and on the other side of the velvet ropes. We the Animals (US Centerpiece) Writer-Director: Jeremiah Zagar Lovely and lyrical, this film received well-earned comparisons to Moonlight when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it earned the prestigious NEXT Innovator Award. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar makes his narrative debut with this haunting adaptation of the novel by Justin Torres about three boys navigating their parents’ volatile relationship and the aftermath of their breakup. Two of the sons clearly follow in the footsteps of their macho, anger-prone father (Raúl Castillo, “Looking”), while the sensitive youngest, Jonah (Evan Rosado), remains closer to their mother (Sheila Vand, Women Who Kill). Exquisitely photographed by Zak Mulligan, the film captures both the beauty and terror of childhood, guiding us through the wonders of the world and the pain and confusion of marital dysfunction. Strains of Malick (and, yes, Moonlight) appear throughout, but there is nothing contrived or overly familiar about this achingly crafted coming-of-age tale. The entire ensemble (which also includes newcomers Josiah Gabriel and Isaiah Kristian) gives the film a raw naturalism – we feel like invisible observers as young lives unfold before us. Subtle and haunting, bursting with empathy and energy, We the Animalsheralds a new chapter for a brilliant and essential storytelling talent. Reinventing Marvin (International Centerpiece) Writer-Director: Anne Fontaine Martin Clement is about to give the performance of his life – his life story, that is, in an autobiographical stage play. As a child, young Marvin Bijoux was bullied by homophobic classmates at school and misunderstood by his often-neglectful parents, making him feel like a lonely outsider in his small rural French village. But when a kind school principal guides him to join the drama club, Marvin discovers his gifts for play-acting the misery that surrounds him. When he qualifies to attend a theatrical school, Marvin acts the role of the brash straight stud until he meets an older mentor who encourages him to acknowledge his sexuality and to exorcise his pain by putting it all on the stage. This sweeping drama from director and co-writer Anne Fontaine (The Innocents, Coco Before Chanel) captures a life in the theater, as we see timid young Marvin (Jules Porier) blossom into adult Martin (Finnegan Oldfield, Nocturama) – with a little help along the way from Isabelle Huppert, playing herself. A moving tale of the past that many of us try to escape, but can never entirely leave behind, this film reminds us that no matter how far we get from our upbringing, a piece of it remains with us always. When the Beat Drops (Documentary Centerpiece) Director: Jamal Sims Drop into the electric and subversive UNDERGROUND dance scene known as “bucking.” As voguing exploded out of the ballroom scene of NYC, bucking was boldly pioneered in the clubs of the Deep South as a new form of self-expression. This film presents a fresh glimpse into the magnetic artistry and flair behind this emerging dance culture. In his feature debut, famed choreographer and filmmaker Jamal Sims (who has worked with the likes of Madonna, Jennifer LOPEZ and “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) illuminates the warm-hearted and fierce queer black performers who make up one of the leading “bucking” groups in the city of Atlanta. As they train for their biggest competition yet, they risk losing their jobs and family to compete at the top levels of this dance scene. Jamal Sims calls dance a “super power,” and with this film he crafts a vision of the power of dance to bring movement to new heights and to elevate the queer community. Our Future Ends (Platinum Centerpiece) Writer-Director: Clement Hil Goldberg Will queer culture go out with a stylish bang, or will the spirits of Lemuria inspire us to preserve our fabulousness? Clement Hil Goldberg’s multimedia and multidisciplinary satire envisions both near-extinct lemurs and long-lost Lemuria. Lemuria (a precursor to the occult city of Atlantis) was an imagined site of catastrophic loss populated by Lemurians, queer prehistoric entities that went extinct alongside the Atlanteans. Goldberg’s work illuminates the at-risk nature of queer spaces as well as the world’s most endangered mammal, the lemur. Pill-popping lemurs struggle to survive while Lemurians consult their crystals, as parallel extinction stories unfold through video, stop-motion animation, and live performance. Starring Brontez Purnell, Heather María Ács, and Siobhan Aluvalot, with Zackary Drucker, Silas Howard, Xandra Ibarra, Ben McCoy, and Maryam Farnaz Rostami as additional voices of the animated lemurs. Come with them all on this disco journey to the brink. The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Closing Night Gala) Director: Desiree Akhavan Desiree Akhavan won us over in 2014 with her hilarious feature debut Appropriate Behavior, and she brings her trademark wit and sass to this impressive follow-up feature. An adaptation of Emily M. Danforth’s celebrated queer YA novel, the film was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival for its warm, charismatic, and fearless performances. Set in the early ’90s, the film follows lesbian teen Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz), sent to a religious conversion camp after she gets caught hooking up with her female best friend. At the camp, Cameron reluctantly undergoes various tactics used to “cure” same-sex attraction from persistent camp leaders Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle) and Reverend Rick (John Gallagher Jr.), who are intent on “saving” LGBTQ teens. While some of the teens embrace the treatment, Cameron resists, and instead forms an alliance with the rebellious duo Jane (Sasha Lane, American Honey) and Adam (Forrest Goodluck, The Revenant). The heartfelt bond shared among the three friends gives them the strength they need in order to RISE up and live their truth. Akhavan’s unapologetically queer lens delivers a refreshing take on the troubling topic of conversion therapy (which is, to this day, still used in some states) while exploring the themes of self-love, identity, and chosen family, all with unexpected flourishes of humor.  

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  • 2018 Miami Film Festival Award Winners – A SORT OF FAMILY Wins Best Film | Complete List

    2018 Miami Film Festival Award Winners Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival unveiled award winners this past weekend and Argentine Diego Lerman’s drama A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia) won the top award – the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film. The film is currently nominated for 8 Argentinian Academy Awards (Premios Sur), including Best Picture and Best Director. The Festival’s Audience Award for Best Feature went to the Argentina-Spain co-production The Last Suit (El último traje), written and directed by Argentine Pablo Solarz. The film is being released theatrically in the US by Outsider Pictures on March 23rd. “The Driver is Red”, a true crime documentary set in Argentina in 1960, directed by American filmmaker Randall Christopher, won the Audience Award for Best Short Film. The $10,000 Knight Documentary Achievement Award, voted on by the public, was split equally between three US films in a race that Festival Director Jaie Laplante said was simply “too close to call”. The winning films included two films that world premiered at the Festival: When The Beat Drops, directed by celebrity choreographer and first time filmmaker Jamal Sims; and Amigo Skate, Cuba, directed by first-time feature director Vanesa Wilkey-Escobar. The films share the cash award and title with a third film, Liyana (a co-production with Swaziland), directed by Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp. Mateo Gil won the Knight Competition Best Director award and $5,000 cash for The Laws of Thermodynamics (Las leyes de la termodinámica), which world premiered at the Festival on the same day Netflix announced that it had acquired worldwide SVOD rights to the title. Rodrigo Sorogoyen, recent winner of Spain’s Goya (Academy Award) for Best Short Film with “Mother” (“Madre”), repeated that feat at Miami Film Festival as Grand Jury Winner of the IMDbPro Short Film Competition. The acclaimed Venezuelan feature La familia written and directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova, won two awards: the $10,000 HBO Ibero-American Feature Film Award, and the Rene Rodriguez Critics Award. The $10,000 Jordan Ressler Screenwriting Award for best first-produced screenplay in the Festival went to France’s Xavier Legrand, for the film Custody (Jusqu’à la garde). The film will be released theatrically in the US by Kino Lorber. The $5,000 Knight Competition Best Performance Award went to Cesar Troncoso from Uruguay’s Another Story of the World (Otra historia del mundo). The Festival’s inaugural $10,000 Knight Made in MIA Competition, sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, open to any film – short or feature, documentary or narrative – in the Festival’s Official Selection that features a qualitatively/quantitatively substantial portion of its content (story, setting and actual filming location) in South Florida, from West Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, and that most universally demonstrates a common ground of pride, emotion, and faith for the South Florida community, went to David Abel’s Gladesmen: The Last of the Sawgrass Cowboys. The $5,000 Zeno Mountain Award is a $5,000 cash prize established at Miami Film Festival’s 2017 edition and funded by Miami-based Fringe Partners, seeking to reward a film of any length or genre in the Festival’s Official Selection which helps break down barriers to our understanding of people living with disabilities, went to the short documentary about the legacy of a Miami Beach high school educator whose incredible achievements were undaunted by his affliction with multiple sclerosis: “Carry That Weight: A Rockumentary” by Brian J. Leitten. The Jordan Ressler Screenwriting Award, sponsored by the family of the late Jordan Alexander Ressler, an aspiring screenwriter and Cornell film studies graduate who died in a tragic hiking accident at the age of 23, before realizing his dream, was presented by Ressler family member Gary Ressler, after the winner was unveiled by jury members, filmmaker Matthew Porterfield (Sollers Point), international programmer Jane Schoettle, and Miami-based writer, actor and storyteller Rudi Goblen. The Jordan Ressler jury also elected to give an Honorable Mention for Audacity of Vision to Georgian screenwriter and filmmaker Ana Urushadze for her debut Scary Mother. Earlier in the week, the Festival’s CinemaSlam competition for work of undergraduate and graduate students in Miami/South Florida film schools was unveiled by jury members, artist Omilani Alarcón and filmmaker Michael Arcos, speaking on behalf of fellow jury member and filmmaker Jessica Kavana Dornbusch. This year’s winning film was “Rene de Dios and the South Beach Shark Club” by Miami Dade College student Robert Requejo Ramos.

    2018 Miami Film Festival Award Winners

    KNIGHT COMPETITION

    BEST FILM: $30,000 GRAND PRIZE – A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia) (ARGENTINA, Campo Cine – Directed by Diego Lerman) BEST DIRECTOR: $5,000 PRIZE– MATEO GIL for The Laws of Thermodynamics (Las leyes de la termodinámica) (SPAIN) BEST PERFORMANCE: $5,000 PRIZE – Cesar Troncoso for Another Story of the World (Otra historia del mundo) (URUGUAY)

    KNIGHT MADE IN MIA AWARD

    BEST FILM: $10,000 PRIZE – Gladesmen: The Last of the Sawgrass Cowboys (USA, directed by David Abel)

    HBO IBERO-AMERICAN FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

    BEST FILM: $10,000 PRIZE –  La familia (VENEZUELA/CHILE/NORWAY, La Pandilla Producciones, directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova)

    JORDAN RESSLER SCREENWRITING COMPETITION

    BEST SCREENPLAY: $10,000 PRIZE –  XAVIER LEGRAND for Custody (FRANCE) Honorable Mention:  Ana Urushadze for Scary Mother (GEORGIA/ESTONIA)

    KNIGHT DOCUMENTARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

    BEST FILM: $10,000 PRIZE (3-WAY TIE):
    • When The Beat Drops (USA), directed by Jamal Sims
    • Amigo Skate, Cuba (USA) directed by Vanesa Wilkey-Escobar
    • Liyana (USA/Swaziland/Qatar), directed by Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp

    ZENO MOUNTAIN AWARD:

    $5,000 Prize –  “Carry That Weight: A Rockumentary” (USA), directed by Brian J. Leitten

    AUDIENCE AWARD (FEATURE FILM):

    THE LAST SUIT (ARGENTINA/SPAIN), directed by Pablo Solarz

    IMDB PRO SHORT FILM AWARD:

    BEST FILM: $2,500 PRIZE – MOTHER (SPAIN), directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen

    AUDIENCE AWARD (SHORT FILM):

    THE DRIVER IS RED (USA) directed by Randall Christopher

    RENE RODRIGUEZ CRITICS AWARD:

    BEST FILM: La familia (VENEZUELA/CHILE/NORWAY, La Pandilla Producciones, directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova)

    CINEMASLAM

    CINEMASLAM CHAMPION –RENE DE DIOS AND THE SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB (Miami Dade College) Best Narrative Film: P.R.A. NATION – Jorge L. Martinez F. (University of Miami) Best Director: Robert Ramos  – RENE DE DIOS AND THE SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB (Miami Dade College) Best Writing: Robert Ramos  – RENE DE DIOS AND THE SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB (Miami Dade College) Best Actor: Jaydev Hemrajani – ZINDAGI (University of Miami) Best Actress: Samantha Miller – CHERRY (University of Miami) Best Technical Achievement: RENE DE DIOS AND THE SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB (Miami Dade College) Cinemaslam Audience Award – Opposite Sex by Lidia Rosa Hernandez from Center of Cinematography, Arts, and Television

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  • Jason Reitman’s TULLY Starring Charlize Theron to Open 35th Miami Film Festival | Trailier

    [caption id="attachment_26870" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]TULLY, Starring Charlize Theron TULLY[/caption] Jason Reitman latest film Tully, written by Diablo Cody and starring Charlize Theron, will premiere as the Opening Night film of the 35th edition of  Miami Film Festival, on Friday, March 9th at the Olympia Theater. “Charlize Theron’s fearless performance as a struggling suburban mother on the brink of losing mental control is made possible by another brilliant collaboration by the creators of Juno and Young Adult,” said Festival director Jaie Laplante. “Tully is both a parable and a salve for our stressed-out times – it reminds us all of who we are, and there is no more beautiful way to open our 35th edition than with this film.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRtBP07gIHY The Festival will give its Precious Gem – Icon Award to the great French actress Isabelle Huppert, recent Oscar nominee for Elle and the most nominated actress in César Award history – a total of 16 nominations from France’s Academy – winning twice. She has also twice won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, in a career that has seen her work with some of the greatest directors of contemporary times. Huppert will be honored on Friday, March 16th at the Olympia Theater. “Isabelle Huppert has made profound contributions to cinema over the course of her illustrious career,” Laplante said. “With her recent performances in Things to Come and Elle, as well as Souvenir and Claire’s Camera, both of which we will be screening in conjunction with her Festival appearance, Ms. Huppert reaches ever-new pinnacles that continually astonish us, and add to her iconic status.” The Festival will give its Precious Gem – Master Award to Spain’s greatest living filmmaker, Carlos Saura, on the occasion of a new documentary about the master’s career and family life, Félix Viscarret’s Goya-lauded Saura(s), on Sunday, March 11th at the Olympia Theater. “Carlos Saura returns to Miami after receiving the Festival’s Career Achievement Tribute Award at our 20th edition in 2003,” said Laplante. “At that time, he was 71. Now, he’s 86 and has made eight more brilliant films since his last visit to Miami – but with Saura(s), we see him in a new light, as both a filmmaker and a family-maker. He is a peerless master, and we celebrate the life that continues to nourish his art.” In all, the Festival will present 148 feature narratives, documentaries and short films of all genres, from 50 different countries, including three countries being represented in the Festival’s Official Selection for the first time– Benin, Georgia and Swaziland. The 35th edition of the Festival runs March 9th – 18th. Thirty-eight of the films are directed or co-directed by women filmmakers. The Festival will wrap up with an Awards Night Gala screening at Olympia Theater of the International premiere of Curro Velázquez’s smash hit Spanish comedy Holy Goalie (Que baje Dios y lo vea), with star Alain Hernández in attendance. All Olympia Theater screenings are part of the Festival’s CINEDWNTWN GALA series, sponsored by Miami Downtown Development Authority. A KORBEL Awards Night Party at The Historic Alfred I. Dupont Building will follow the Awards Night ceremony and screening. Academy Award winning filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) and revered American screenwriter and director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Affliction) will attend the Festival for Marquee presentations of their newest films. The Festival’s Marquee series features screenings accompanied by on-stage conversations with major film personalities of the moment, discussing their career and sharing an exciting new work. Hazanavicius will present Godard Mon Amour, his serio-comic look at Jean-Luc Godard’s love affair with the actress Anne Wiazemsky during the shooting of his classic films La Chinoise and Weekend. Schrader will present First Reformed, a dramatic thriller starring Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried and Cedric The Entertainer. They join (previously announced) Mateo Gil and Jean-Marc Barr in the Marquee section. Ten finalists were selected for the Festival’s signature $40,000 Knight Competition, open to feature films directed by filmmakers who have presented at least one feature in a previous edition of the Festival. Three of these films will also screen as CINEDWNTWN GALAS at the Olympia Theater. The finalists are: Another Story of the World (Uruguay, directed by Guillermo Casanova). April’s Daughter (Mexico, directed by Michel Franco). In Love & In Hate (Argentina, directed by Alejandro Maci). *CINEDWNTWN GALA The Laws of Thermodynamics (Spain, directed by Mateo Gil). *WORLD PREMIERE My Love or My Passion (Argentina, directed by Marcos Carnevale). *CINEDWNTWN GALA Sergio and Sergei (Cuba/Spain, directed by Ernesto Daranás). A Sort of Family (Argentina, directed by Diego Lerman). The Summit (Argentina/Spain, directed by Santiago Mitre). *CINEDWNTWN GALA Time Share (Mexico, directed by Sebastián Hofmann). The Warning (Spain, directed by Daniel Calparsoro). Eleven finalists were selected for the Festival’s inaugural $10,000 Knight Made in MIA Competition, which is open to any film – short or feature, documentary or narrative – in the Festival’s Official Selection that features a qualitatively/quantitatively substantial portion of its content (story, setting and actual filming location) in South Florida, from West Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, and that most universally demonstrates a common ground of pride, emotion, and faith for the South Florida community. The new award was inspired by the international success and 2017 Best Picture Oscar win by the Miami-set Moonlight, directed by former Miami resident Barry Jenkins and co-written by Tarell McCraney. The finalists are: “#THECONNECTEDMAN”, directed by Fabián Cárdenas. “Ayita’s Dream”, directed by Isis Masoud, Roger Ingraham. “Fight Like a Girl”, directed by Agustín Gonzalez, Nicole Wulf. Gladesmen: The Last of The Sawgrass Cowboys, directed by David Abel. Latinegras: The Journey of Self-Love Through An Afrolatina Lens, directed by Omilani Alarcón. *WORLD PREMIERE Love in Youth, directed by Quincy Perkins. *WORLD PREMIERE Make Love Great Again, directed by Aaron Agrasanchez. “Noa”, directed by Angel Barrota. *WORLD PREMIERE Operation Odessa, directed by Tiller Russell. “Roadside Attraction”, directed by Ivette Lucas, Patrick Bresnan. “Supermarket”, directed by Rhonda Mitrani. *WORLD PREMIERE Two significant Soiree nights will pair a major film event with one of Miami Film Festival’s world-famous parties. An Evening with Tim Clancy, the showrunner of HBO’s acclaimed Vice series through six seasons, will present a big-screen return look at three significant Vice episodes, followed by an in-depth, on-stage conversation about Vice’s Emmy Award-winning approach, philosophies and techniques. “HBO NIGHT” continues with a party at downtown Miami’s newest hotspot, The Wharf. Greg Berlanti’s Love, Simon will have its Festival premiere at the Regal Cinemas South Beach and continue with a Light Box Love Story soiree at Miami Light Project’s Goldman Warehouse in Wynwood. The fiercely-contested, audience-voted $10,000 Knight Documentary Achievement Award, sponsored by Knight Foundation, returns with 24 finalists, including 4 world premieres, and new films from Oscar winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom), Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America), Goya winners Félix Viscarret and Gustavo Salmerón, Emmy winner Rene Balcer (Law & Order), Sundance 2018 prize winners Tim Wardle and Maxim Pozdorovkin, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Abel and the late Oscar winner Jonathan Demme, as executive producer on The Foreigner’s Home. Subjects featured in the films include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Edwidge Danticat, Toni Morrison, Mr. Rogers, Andre Agassi, Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds in the Live Nation production Believer, Cuban-America playwright María Irene Fornés and Miami’s Rene Lecour. The finalists are: 6 Weeks To Mother’s Day (USA, directed by Marvin Blunte). Above The Drowning Sea (Canada, directed by Rene Balcer, Nicola Zavaglia). Amigo Skate, Cuba (USA, directed by Vanesa Wilkey-Escobar). *WORLD PREMIERE Believer (USA, directed by Don Argott). Cuban Food Stories (USA, directed by Asori Soto). Dolphin Man (Greece/Canada/France/Japan, directed by Lefteris Charitos). Foreign Land (Israel, directed by Shlomi Eldar). The Foreigner’s Home (USA/France, directed by Rian Brown, Geoff Pingree). Gladesmen: The Last of The Sawgrass Cowboys (USA, directed by David Abel). In Search of Voodoo: Roots To Heaven (USA/Benin, directed by Djimon Hounsou). *WORLD PREMIERE Liyana (USA/Qatar/Swaziland, directed by Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp). Lots of Kids, A Monkey and a Castle (Spain, directed by Gustavo Salmerón). Love Means Zero (USA, directed by Jason Kohn). The Music of the Spheres (Cuba/USA, directed by Marcel Beltrán). *WORLD PREMIERE Nuyorican Basquet (Puerto Rico, directed by Julio César Torres, Ricardo Olivero Lora). The Oldies (Cuba/USA/Venezuela, directed by Rosana Matecki). Operation Odessa (USA, directed by Tiller Russell). Our New President (USA, directed by Maxim Pozdorovkin). RBG (USA, directed by Betsy West, Julie Cohen). The Rest I Make Up (USA, directed by Michelle Memran). Saura(s) (Spain, directed by Félix Viscarret). Three Identical Strangers (USA, directed by Tim Wardle). When The Beat Drops (USA, directed by Jamal Sims). *WORLD PREMIERE Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (USA, directed by Morgan Neville). HBO returns as sponsor of the Festival’s $10,000 Ibero-American Feature Film Competition, this year featuring 25 finalists, including three world premieres. Three of the films in this section star Argentine actress Dolores Fonzi, prompting Festival organizers to declare Monday, March 12th “DOLORES FONZI DAY” at Miami Film Festival. The finalists are: Al Berto (Portugal, directed by Vicente Alves do Ó). Another Story of the World (Uruguay, directed by Guillermo Casanova). April’s Daughter (Mexico, directed by Michel Franco). Ashes (Ecuador/Uruguay, directed by Juan Sebastián Jácome). *WORLD PREMIERE Bingo: The King of the Mornings (Brazil, directed by Daniel Rezende). Candelaria (Colombia/Cuba/Argentina/Germany/Norway, directed by Jhonny Hendrix-Hinestroza). Cocote (Dominican Republic, directed by Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias). The Eternal Feminine (Mexico, directed by Natalia Beristáin). The Future Ahead (Argentina, directed by Constanza Novick). *DOLORES FONZI DAY Film Hunting Season (Argentina/USA/Germany/France, directed by Natalia Garagiola). In Love & In Hate (Argentina, directed by Alejandro Maci). *CINEDWNTWN GALA Killing Jesus (Colombia/Argentina, directed by Laura Mora). La Familia (Venezuela/Chile/Norway, directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova). The Last Suit (Argentina/Spain, directed by Pablo Solarz). The Laws of Thermodynamics (Spain, directed by Mateo Gil). *WORLD PREMIERE On The Seventh Day (USA, directed by Jim McKay). The River (Bolivia/Ecuador, directed by Juan Pablo Richter). *WORLD PREMIERE Sergio and Sergei (Cuba/Spain, directed by Ernesto Daranás). The Skin of the Wolf (Spain, directed by Samu Fuentes). A Sort of Family (Argentina, directed by Diego Lerman). The Summit (Argentina/Spain, directed by Santiago Mitre). *CINEDWNTWN GALA Tigre (Argentina, directed by Silvina Schnicer, Ulises Porra Guardiola). Time Share (Mexico, directed by Sebastián Hofmann). The Warning (Spain, directed by Daniel Calparsoro). Wind Traces (Mexico, directed by Jimena Montemayor Loyo). *DOLORES FONZI DAY Film The highly sought-after $10,000 Jordan Ressler Screenwriting Award, won in recent years by Oscar nominated Theeb, Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar and Chilean world premiere launch Little White Lie, has 20 diverse and intriguing first-produced screenplays in competition. All but two of the finalists also directed his or her screenplay. The finalists are: Michael Pearce for Beast (UK). Cory Bowles for Black Cop (Canada). Taylor Allen, Andrew Logan for Chappaquiddick (USA). Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias for Cocote (Dominican Republic). Xavier Legrand for Custody (France). Feifei Wang for From Where We’ve Fallen (China). Constanza Novick for The Future Ahead (Argentina). Sonja Maria Kröner for The Garden (Germany). Lucien Bourjeily for Heaven Without People (Lebanon). Natalia Garagiola for Hunting Season (Argentina). Christian Papierniak for Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town (USA). Blake Jenner for Juvenile (USA). Quincy Perkins for Love in Youth (USA). *WORLD PREMIERE Molly McGlynn for Mary Goes Round (Canada). Ziyang Zhou for Old Beast (China). Juan Pablo Richter for The River (Bolivia/Ecuador). *WORLD PREMIERE Ana Urushadze for Scary Mother (Georgia). Samu Fuentes for The Skin of the Wolf (Spain). Silvina Schnicer for Tigre (Argentina). Hlynur Palmason for Winter Brothers (Denmark). Films showing out of competition include selections by Oscar-nominee Michaël R. Roskam (Bullhead), Oscar-nominee and Emmy-winner Armando Iannucci (In the Loop, HBO’s Veep), and a US premiere starring retired NFL veteran and South Florida resident, actor/producer Thomas Q. Jones (A Violent Man). The films are: Ali’s Wedding (Australia, directed by Jeffrey Walker). Darling (Denmark, directed by Birgitte Stærmose). The Death of Stalin (UK, directed by Armando Iannucci). “The Driver is Red” (USA, directed by Randall Christopher). Grace and Splendor (Panama/Dominican Republic, directed by Arturo Montenegro). The Journey (Iran/UK/France/Qatar/The Netherlands, directed by Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji). Kiss Me Not (Egypt, directed by Ahmed Amer). Life is a Bitch (Brazil, directed by Julia Rezende). Racer and the Jailbird (Belgium/France, directed by Michaël R. Roskam). Sollers Point (USA, directed by Matthew Porterfield). Three Peaks (Germany/Italy, directed by Jan Zabeil). Under The Tree (Iceland/Denmark/Poland/Germany, directed by Hafsteinn Gummar). A Violent Man (USA, directed by Matthew Berkowitz). Wajib (Palestine/France/Germany/Colombia/Norway/Qatar, directed by Annemarie Jacir). The Festival takes a special look at the Chinese film market this year in Cinema & China. This section features the Florida premiere of the Cannes Film Festival 2017’s Palme d’Or winner for Best Short Film, “A Gentle Night”, directed by Yang Qui, and the documentary Above the Drowning Sea, a historical look at an amazing story of European Jews being safeguarded by Shanghai and Chinese diplomats during World War II. A day-long symposium on the trends and markets will be held, in conjunction with the Festival screening of four Chinese-produced features: From Where We’ve Fallen, directed by Feifei Wang. Love Education, directed by Sylvia Chang. Old Beast, directed by Ziyang Zhou. *KEYNOTE FILM Walking Past The Future, directed by Li Ruijun. The Festival’s exceedingly popular Reel Music section returns with five outstanding selections, including a world premiere from Panama and a feature about famed flamenco star Diego “El Cigala” as he explores the world of salsa in Cuba and beyond: Guaco: Semblanza (Venezuela, directed by Alberto Arvelo). I Tita, A Life of Tango (Argentina, directed by Teresa Constantini). Indestructible: The Soul of Salsa (Spain, directed by David Pareja). Me, My Father and the Cariocas: 70 Years of Music in Brazil (Brazil, directed by Lucia Verissimo). A Night of Calypso (Panama, directed by Fernando Muñoz). *WORLD PREMIERE MIFFecito, the beloved Films for Families section, returns with four new feature films for film fans of all ages. This section includes Fishtronaut The Movie (Brazil), Home Team (Uruguay/Brazil/Argentina), Lila’s Book (Colombia/Uruguay) and Zombillenium (France/Belgium). An animated short film winner from MDC’s Miami Animation and Gaming International Complex 2017 MIA Animation Conference & Festival will also be shown in this section. South Florida’s college film students will again battle it out in Cinemaslam 2018. The nine finalists include films from Center of Cinematography, Arts & Television’s Lidia Rosa Hernandez; Miami Dade College’s Armando Stephano Rivero, Robert Requejo Ramos, Christopher Foode and Fernando Dumas; and University of Miami’s Chantal Gabriel, Jorge Martinez and Vasisth Sukul. The Festival’s parallel industry activities include a French film market sponsored by Unifrance, and a Producing in South Florida panel moderated by Kevin Sharpley. The Festival will co-present three special events during this year’s event. A “From The Vault” of Todd Haynes’ classic Velvet Goldmine will be held on Sunday, March 11th in partnership with Flaming Classics. On Friday, March 16th, in partnership with The Black Lounge Series, a screening of In The Morning with filmmaker Nefertiti Nguvu in person. In celebration of the Festival’s Tribute to Carlos Saura, one of Saura’s greatest classics, Cría cuervos, will screen on Sunday, March 18th at Miami Beach Cinematheque.

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