Karina on SpoutBlog

Under discussion:

Push: Based on a Novel By Sapphire  (2009)

Variety reports that Lionsgate has signed a deal to acquire Sundance Grand Jury and Audience Award winner Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, directed by Lee Daniel and featuring a tour de force supporting performance from Mo’Nique. According to the bare-bones news blurb, “Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry will support Lionsgate’s distribution through their respective motion picture companies.”

This news brings two thoughts immediately to mind: 1) the old conception of Lionsgate as a slash-horror factory is even more out of date this afternoon than it was this morning; and 2) Being that Lionsgate were rumored to be zeroing in on Push at least hours if not days before it won multiple awards on the final night of Sundance, if they were waiting for Oprah and Perry to pledge assistance before making the deal final and/or public, then maybe there’s something to the whispers (largely drowned out by media coverage of those awards, but still prevalent on the ground in Park City) that just because rich white people (ie: critics, Sundance audiences and jury members) take an interest in an art film about poor black people, that doesn’t guarantee an easy path to selling the film to actual black people.

The fine details of racial demographics may or may not be the major factor here,  but it’s certain that this is a time for safe bets, and it doesn’t get much safer than aligning an unknown quantity indie with name brands.

In any case, check out our Sundance review and interview with Mo’Nique.

UPDATE: indieWIRE is pegging the value of the deal at $5.5 million, making it the biggest of Sundance 2009.

Under discussion:

Twilight  (2008)

It could mean, in short, that New Moon will be a little bit bloodier than anticipated. Or certainly the Twlight film after that. Is there any filmmaking/distribution outfit with a more pronounced reputation for being deeply in love with arterial gushings? That’s Lionsgate in a nutshell.

So declares Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere, in response to Sharon Waxman’s report (for which “executives at Lionsgate and Summit declined to comment”) that Lionsgate (home of the Saw, Hostel and Tyler Perry franchises) may be buying Summit Entertainment, including the company’s library and slate, which includes teenage necrophilia phenom franchise Twilight.

But of course, Wells’ “nutshell” definition of Lionsgate is out of date. It’s an open secret that Lionsgate is so desperate to distance itself from its bloody past that the distributor has spent the past year engineering the failure of its remaining genre stock — dumping Midnight Meat Train in rural dollar theaters; taking the ultra-cinematic The Burrowers off its theatrical release schedule entirely; killing Cabin Fever as a theatrical franchise by releasing its Ti West-directed sequel straight to DVD. If anything, in Lionsgate’s hands, the Twilight sequels are likely to go even more tame.

The lineup for the 2009 SXSW Film Festival is now out, and pasted in full after the jump. First skim highlights:

• Andrew Bujalski’s Beeswax, which will world premiere in a matter of days in Berlin.
• Sorry, Thanks, directed by Dia Sokol (producer of Mutual Appreciation and Nights and Weekends), and starring Wiley Wiggins and Bujalski.
• New features by both Joe Swanberg (Alexander the Last, starring Jess Weixler, Justin Rice and Barlow Jacobs) and Kris Swanberg (It Was Great, But I Was Ready To Come Home, screening in Narrative Competition).
• Objectified, a new documentary by Helvetica director Gary Hustwit.
• True Adolescents, about an “Aging indie rocker” who “takes two teen boys on an ill-fated hiking trip.” Starring Mark Duplass and Melissa Leo.
• Creative Nonfiction, a narrative feature by Lena Dunham starring Eleonore Hendricks (The Pleasure of Being Robbed).
• St. Nick, directed by David Lowery, who reviewed Robbed for us at SXSW last year.
• Some of our favorite films from Sundance 2009, including Moon, Humpday, and You Won’t Miss Me.
• Toronto favorites Goodbye Solo, The Hurt Locker and Three Blind Mice.
• Early contender for Best Title & Synopsis, Sight Unseen: Make Out With Violence, described as “A rock musical wherein the living love the dead and break into silence instead of song.”

I’ll be at SXSW once again this year, so if there’s anything on the lineup you’re particularly looking forward to that you’d like to see coverage of, let me know if the comments.

We’ll also be doing pre-SXSW coverage again this year, so if you’re a filmmaker showing work at SXSW this year, and you’d be interested in being featured in one of our SXSW previews and/or can send us a screener, do get in touch by sending an email to karina AT spout DOT com. If you can send us a screener before the festival, you definitely improve your chance of getting covered.  If you do send a screener and we don’t like the movie, we won’t write about it at all until after the premiere (and unless it’s problematic to the point where we think a negative review would spark an interesting discussion, chances are we probably won’t write about it at all). But, like some films we screened before the festival last year (see Medicine For Melancholy, My Effortless Brillance and Yeast), if we fall in love with your movie, chances are we will never shut up about it.

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

This year’s 8 films were selected from 737 submissions.

Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:

Artois the Goat

Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart

Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest goat cheese the world has ever known and reclaim the heart of his beloved Angie.  Cast: Mark Scheibmeir, Sydney Andrews, Stephen Taylor Fry, Dan Braverman (World Premiere)

Bomber

Director/Writer: Paul Cotter

A bittersweet comedy about love, family and dropping bombs on Germany. Cast: Shane Taylor, Benjamin Whitrow, Eileen Nicholas (World Premiere)

Breaking Upwards

Director: Daryl Wein. Writer: Peter Duchan, Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones

A young New York couple who, desperate to escape their ennui, but fearful of life apart, decide to intricately strategize their own break up.  Cast: Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones, Julie White, Peter Friedman, Andrea Martin, Pablo Schreiber, La Chanze, Olivia Thirlby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (World Premiere)

It Was Great, But I Was Ready to Come Home

Director: Kris Swanberg. Writer: Kris Swanberg, Jade Healy, David Lowery, Ben Kasulke

A woman tries to get over her recent breakup by backpacking in Costa Rica with her best friend, and through traveling together, the two women realize they may be on separate trips.  Cast: Kris Swanberg, Jade Healy (World Premiere)

Made in China

Director: Judi Krant. Writer: Judi Krant and Dan Sumpter

Lost in Shanghai, an inventor discovers that it takes more than a bright idea to succeed.  Cast: Jackson Keuhn, Dan Sumpter (World Premiere)

The Overbrook Brothers

Director: John Bryant. Writer: John Bryant and Jason Foxworth

Jason brings his girlfriend home for Christmas… and bad things happen.  Cast: Nathan Harlan, Mark Reeb, Laurel Whitsett, Steve Zissis, John Jones (World Premiere)

That Evening Sun

Director/Writer: Scott Teems

A ruthless grudge match between two old foes.  Lines are drawn, threats are made, and the simmering tension under the Tennessee sun erupts, inevitably, into savagery.  Cast: Hal Holbrook, Mia Wasikowska, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Carrie Preston (World Premiere)

True Adolescents

Director/Writer: Craig Johnson

Aging indie rocker Sam Bryant takes two teen boys on an ill-fated hiking trip that forces everyone to grow up, and fast.  Cast: Mark Duplass, Melissa Leo, Bret Loehr, Carr Thompson (World Premiere)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

This year’s 8 films were selected from 737 submissions.

Films screening in Documentary Feature Competition are:

45356

Director: Bill Ross

An inquiring look at everyday life in middle America, the film explores the congruities of daily life in an American town Sidney, Ohio. (World Premiere)

Garbage Dreams

Director: Mai Iskander

Filmed over four years, the film follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world’s largest garbage village. Each boy chooses a different path when their community is suddenly faced with the globalization of their trade.  (World Premiere)

MINE: Taken By Katrina

Director: Geralyn Pezanoski

After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of pets were rescued and adopted by families around the country, leading to many custody battles. Through these stories, the film examines issues of race, class and animal welfare in the U.S. (World Premiere)

Say My Name

Director: Nirit Peled

A story is built around the lives of entrepreneurs, mothers and artists fighting to be themselves in a society that offers few opportunities for women. (World Premiere)

Severe Clear

Director: Kristian Fraga

Armed with the world’s most lethal ordnance and his home video camera, First Lieutenant Michael T. Scotti captures the chaos and complexity of war. (World Premiere)

Sons of a Gun

Director: Rivkah Beth Medow

A family of 3 schizophrenic men and their alcoholic caregiver/Dad get evicted, move into one motel room, argue, joke around, and find a new home. (World Premiere)

The Way We Get By

Director: Aron Gaudet

On call 24/7 for the past 6 years, a group of senior citizens transform their lives by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine. (World Premiere)

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention

Director: Peter Esmonde

A wild ride through the sonic world of an eccentric creative genius of  Artist inventor/engineer/composer Trimpin. (World Premiere)

SPOTLIGHT PREMIERES

Premieres and sneak previews of films with distribution, plus world premieres from notable filmmakers or about notable subjects.

Films screening in Spotlight Premieres are:

Adventureland

Director/Writer: Greg Mottola

In 1987, a recent college graduate takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park and discovers the job is perfect preparation for the real world.  Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Martin Starr

Alexander the Last

Director/Writer: Joe Swanberg

A sensual and intimate portrait of a young marriage. Focusing on an artistic young couple, the film illuminates the challenges of monogamy amidst myriad sexual and creative temptations.  Cast: Jess Weixler, Justin Rice, Barlow Jacobs, Josh Hamilton, Jane Adams (World Premiere)

Beeswax

Director/Writer: Andrew Bujalski

Something like a legal thriller for anyone who considers “legal thriller” an oxymoron, the film revolves around a pair of twin sisters, Jeannie and Lauren – “same face, different bodies” – and Jeannie’s brewing conflict with business partner Amanda.  Cast: Maggie Hatcher, Tilly Hatcher, Alex Karpovsky (US Premiere)

Best Worst Movie

Director: Michael Paul Stephenson

When an Italian filmmaker, an Alabama dentist and fledgling Utah actors filmed the low-budget horror movie, Troll 2, they’d no idea that twenty years later they would be celebrated for making the worst movie ever made. (World Premiere)

For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism

Director: Gerald Peary

The first documentary to dramatize the rich, fascinating history of American film criticism. (World Premiere)

Goodbye Solo

Director: Ramin Bahrani. Writer: Ramin Bahrani and Bahareh Azimi

On the lonely roads of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, two men from very different worlds forge an improbable friendship that will change both of their lives forever.  Cast: Souleymane Sy Savane, Red West, Diana Franco Galindo, Carmen Leyva, Lane ‘Roc’ Williams

Humpday

Director/Writer: Lynn Shelton

A farcical comedy about straight male bonding gone a little too far.  Cast: Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore, Lynn Shelton, Trina Willard.

Hurt Locker

Director: Kathryn Bigelow. Writer: Mark Boal

Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce (US Premiere)

I Love You, Man

Director/Writer: John Hamburg

The film centers on a man who, upon getting engaged, realizes he has no close male friends and must find someone to be the Best Man at his wedding.  Cast: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly (World Premiere, Opening Night Film)

The Last Beekeeper

Director: Jeremy Simmons

This documentary follows the lives of three commercial beekeepers over the course of one year as they struggle with Colony Collapse Disorder. As they all take their bees to California’s enormous annual almond pollination, they are forced to ask the question “If all the bees die, what do you have to live for?” (World Premiere)

Monsters from the ID

Director: David Gargani

The untold story of 1950’s American Sci-Fi Cinema and the role of the Modern Scientist. (World Premiere)

Moon

Director: Duncan Jones. Writer: Nathan Parker

Before returning to Earth after three years on the moon, things go horribly wrong for astronaut Sam Bell.

Cast: Sam Rockwell

New World Order

Director Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer

Impassioned conspiracy theorists travel the globe trying to expose the group that they claim rules the world. (World Premiere)

Objectified

Director: Gary Hustwit

A glimpse into our relationship to manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. (World Premiere)

Observe and Report

Director/Writer: Jody Hill

This dark comedy follows the story of Ronnie Barnhardt, a deluded, self-important head of mall security who squares off in a turf war against the local cops.  Cast: Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Michael Peña and Ray Liotta (World Premiere, Centerpiece Slot)

Passing Strange

Director: Spike Lee. Lyrics: Stew.  Music & Lyrics: Stew and Heidi Rodewald

A musical documentary about the international exploits of a young man from Los Angeles who leaves home to find himself and ‘the real’. A theatrical stage production of the original Tony-Award winning book by Stew.  Cast: De’Adre Aziza, Daniel Breaker, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Stew.

Sin Nombre

Director/Writer: Cary Fukunaga

Writer/director Cary Fukunaga’s firsthand experiences with Central American immigrants seeking the promise of the U.S. form the basis of this epic dramatic thriller.  Cast: Edgar Flores, Paulina Gaitan, Kristyan Ferrer, Tenoch Huerta Mej’a, Luis Fernando Pe–a, Diana Garc’a.

The Square

Director: Nash Edgerton. Writer: Joel Edgerton and Matthew Dabner

Nash Edgerton’s debut feature is a film-noir in a bleak Australian town where a simple crime goes horribly wrong and escalates into a nightmare of unforeseen events.  Cast: David Roberts, Claire Van Der Boom, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes, Peter Phelps and Bill Hunter (North American Premiere)

Three Blind Mice

Director/Writer: Matthew Newton

Three young Navy officers hit Sydney for one last night on land before being shipped over to the Gulf to fight.  Throughout the night the boys lose each other, find themselves, and along the way discover courage, friendship and redemption.  Cast: Ewen Leslie, Toby Schmitz, Matthew Newton, Tina Bursill

The Two Bobs

Director/Writer: Tim McCanlies

Just as they finish their groundbreaking violent video-game masterpiece, the two gaming legends known as “The Two Bobs” discover that their precious game-software has been stolen… and with it, their livelihoods, genius reputations, everything they own.  Cast: Tyler Francavilla, Devin Ratray, Mika Boorem, Cody Kasch, Leonardo Nam (World Premiere)

Winnebago Man

Director: Ben Steinbauer

Jack Rebney’s outrageously funny outtakes from a Winnebago sales video became an underground phenomenon and made him an internet superstar. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer sets out to find him. (World Premiere)

Women in Trouble

Director/Writer: Sebastian Gutierrez

One day in the lives of ten desperate women with one thing in common: trouble.  Cast: Carla Gugino, Josh Brolin, Connie Britton, Adrianne Palicki, Simon Baker (World Premiere)

EMERGING VISIONS

Sidebar for new independent feature films, both documentary and narrative, that exhibit great innovation by filmmakers or from those earlier in their careers.

Films screening in Emerging Visions are:

Awaydays

Director: Pat Holden. Writer: Kevin Sampson

A blade-sharp rites-of-passage that buzzes with the post-punk energy of its late-70s Liverpool setting. Based on the classic novel by Kevin Sampson.  Cast: Nicky Bell, Liam Boyle, Stephen Graham, Oliver Lee (North American Premiere)

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

Director: Jessica Oreck

Untangling the web of cultural and historical ties underlying Japan’s deep fascination with insects… and what it says about the rest of us. (World Premiere)

Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same

Director: Jody Lee Lipes

Artist Brock Enright’s unbridled creative force clashes with the confines of love, family, and industry, as he crafts the most significant show of his career. (World Premiere)

Creative Nonfiction

Director/Writer: Lena Dunham

Reality and fiction are indistinguishable as a college student tries and fails to differentiate her creative writing screenplay from her increasingly awkward social life.  Cast: Eleonore Endricks, David Unger, Audrey Gelman, Sam Lisenco, Lena Dunham (World Premiere)

Crude Independence

Director: Noah Hutton

A rumination on the future of small town America through the lens of a humanistic tale of change at the hands of the global energy market and its unyielding thirst for oil. (World Premiere)

Four Boxes

Director/Writer: Wyatt McDill

A snarky social thriller about three suburban nobodies watching a creep named Havoc on a website called fourboxes.tv – Rear Window on the internet.  Cast: Justin Kirk, Terryn Westbrook, Sam Rosen (World Premiere)

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle

Director: David Russo

When Dory’s life seems like it’s going down the drain, a strange “new life” takes shape inside him and he learns that sometimes you don’t have to find meaning, it grows in you.  Cast: Marshall Allman, Vince Vieluf, Natasha Lyonne, Tania Raymonde, Tygh Runyan.

Luckey

Director: Laura Longsworth

After sculptor Tom Luckey’s devastating fall through a window, his family must cross delicate lines drawn long ago by divorce and remarriage while Tom, fully paralyzed and wacky personality intact, pursues building his biggest, most complicated sculpture ever. (World Premiere)

Make-Out with Violence

Director: The Deagol Brothers. Writer: The Deagol Brothers, Cody DeVos and Eric Lehning

A rock musical wherein the living love the dead and break into silence instead of song.  Cast: Eric Lehning, Cody DeVos, Leah High, Brett Miller, Shellie Marie Shartzer

Modern Love is Automatic

Director/Writer: Zach Clark

A story about an apathetic nurse who moonlights as a dominatrix, her aspiring model roommate and the sad, strange world they live in.  Cast: Melodie Sisk, Maggie Ross (World Premiere)

Motherland

Director: Jennifer Steinman

Six grieving mothers journey to Africa in order to test the theory that “giving is healing.” (World Premiere)

My Suicide

Director: David Lee Miller. Writer: David Lee Miller, Eric Adams, Gabriel Sunday, Jordan Miller

An isolated, media obsessed teenager announces he’s going to kill himself for his high school, video production class final project.  Cast: Gabriel Sunday, David Carradine, Joe Mantegna, Nora Dunn, Mariel Hemingway (North American Premiere)

Pulling John

Director: Vassiliki Khonsari

The universal story of a champion arm wrestler’s glory in an unsung sport, who after 25 years of success is now burdened with the inevitable transformation of aging. (World Premiere)

RATS and CATS

Director: Tony Ayres. Writer: Jason Gann, Adam Zwar

Ex-soap star Darren McWarren destroyed his career with a series of indiscretions.  Now he’s living the live away from the spotlight when a “Where are they now” journalist comes to call.  Cast: Jason Gann, Adam Zwar, Anya Beyersdorf, Tony Rogers (North American Premiere)

Sissyboy

Director: Kate Turinski

A juncture in the lives of performance art revolutionaries, the film explores a Portland-based gender-bending drag troupe that has served up their audacity, ambivalence and social commentary throughout the Rose City for over 3 years before hundreds of devoted fans.

Sorry, Thanks

Director: Dia Sokol, Writer: Dia Sokol and Lauren Veloski

Disaster looms when Kira (reeling from a brutal break-up) sleeps with Max (who already has a girlfriend) and Max takes up two new pursuits: an obsessive-tending interest in Kira, and the mystery of whether he may in fact be an ass.  Cast: Wiley Wiggins, Kenya Miles, Andrew Bujalski, Ia Hernandez (World Premiere)

Splinterheads

Director/Writer: Brant Sersen

For Justin Frost, a typical day is rolling out of bed at one, practicing improvised karate, and mowing grass for his best friend’s landscaping business.  But when a traveling carnival lands in his small town, Justin falls for a sexy con artist and wakes up to the life he has yet to begin living.  Cast: Thomas Middleditch, Rachael Taylor, Christopher McDonald, Lea Thompson, Dean Winters (World Premiere)

St. Nick

Director/Writer: David Lowery

A stark, haunting portrait of childhood following the adventures of a runaway brother and sister as they try to survive, all on their own, out on the wintry plains of the great southwest.  Cast: Tucker Sears, Savanna Sears, Barlow Jacobs, Mara Lee Miller (World Premiere)

The Time of Their Lives

Director: Jocelyn Cammack

With a combined age of almost 300, Hetty, Rose and Alison are still powerfully engaged in their individual forms of activism - from journalism, to public speaking to anti-war demonstrations - while quietly negotiating the final moments of their lives. (North American Premiere)

Trust Us, This Is All Made Up

Director: Alex Karpovsky

Immortalized in the world of improv comedy, Second City veterans TJ Jagodowksi and David Pasquesi explore the unique partnership and transcendental forces that govern their legendary performances. (World Premiere)

Wake Up

Director: Jonas Elrod

An average 36-year old guy suddenly wakes up with the ability to see and hear angels, demons, auras and ghosts.  With his girlfriend by his side, he goes on a journey to figure it all out, and his search becomes a guide to revealing larger truths about the world and everyone in it.  (World Premiere)

SX GLOBAL

An initiative to build upon our strong commitment to international films, organized in conjunction with a variety of international film agencies, institutes, broadcasters and producers.

Films screening in SX Global are:

Calling E.T. (Netherlands)

Director: Prosper de Roos.

A close-up look at a small group of people listening, watching, waiting and preparing for their perceived inevitable earthly encounter with extraterrestrial intelligence. (U.S. Premiere)

Favela on Blast (Brazil)

Director: Leandro HBL

Globe trotting taste-maker DJ Diplo presents a look at Brazil’s Baile Funk music scene from directly inside the mountain ghettos where it spawned and thrives.

The Forgotten Tree (Mexico)

Director: Luis Rincon

A documentary that revisits the slums featured over fifty years ago in Los Olvidados, (Luis Buñuel), and reveals the current and similar conditions for the people in this area of Mexico City.

Journey to the End of Coal (France)

Director: Samuel Bollendorff

Millions of Chinese coal miners are making sacrifices everyday, risking their lives and spoiling their land to satisfy their country’s appetite for economic growth.  Meet them and learn more about how they live in this valley of death and pollution in the frozen winter of Northern China. (U.S. Premiere)

Love on Delivery (Denmark)

Director: Janus Metz.

In a remote fishing village in Denmark, 575 Thai women are married to Danish men.  An intimate look at the unique relationships between these Danish men and their Thai wives. (U.S. Premiere)

Roadsworth: Crossing the Line (Canada)

Director: Alan Kohl

Stencil artist Peter Gibson’s personal and professional struggle to defend his work, define himself as an artist and address difficult questions about art and freedom of expression. (U.S. Premiere)

Snowblind (England)

Director: Vikram Jayanti

Rachael Scdoris, 23, and legally blind since birth, is racing in her third Iditarod, the grueling 1,100 mile dog sled race in Alaska that’s the toughest race in the world. (World Premiere)

Sounds Like Teen Spirit…a popumentary (England)

Director: Jamie Johnson.

Behind the scenes look at of the world’s premiere youth music spectacle: The Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

Ticket to Paradise (Denmark)

Director: Janus Metz.

The sequel to Janus Metz’ Love on Delivery’ follows the story of a young Thai-girl’s journey from peasant to sex worker. (U.S. Premiere)

24 BEATS PER SECOND

A showcase for documentaries about music, musicians, or the cultural ties that exist around them.

Films screening in 24 Beats Per Second are:

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Director: Sacha Gervasi

At 14, Toronto school friends Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever.  They meant it. Cast: Steve “Lips Kudlow,” Robb Reiner.

All Tomorrow’s Parties

Director: All Tomorrow’s People

A kaleidoscopic journey into the parallel musical universe of cult music festival All Tomorrow’s Parties. (World Premiere)

Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love

Director: Chai Vasarhelyi

Youssou Ndour, one of Africa’s most prominent musicians, returns home for the release of his highly controversial album, Egypt. (U.S. Premiere)

Intangible Assets Number 82

Director: Emma Franz

An Australian drummer searches for an enigmatic Korean shaman and is transformed by the journey. (North American Premiere)

Number One with A Bullet

Director: Jim Dziura

A feature-length documentary that pulls back the curtain on gun violence in Hip Hop.

The Promised Land – A Swamp Pop Journey

Director: Matthew Wilkinson

The story of South Louisiana super group Lil’ Band o’Gold.  8 members, 25 egos, 6 livers - coming together to just play music. (World Premiere)

RiP: A Remix Manifesto

Director: Brett Gaylor

A documentary feature exploring issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.  (North American Premiere)

Soul Power

Director: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte

Jeffrey Levy-Hinte takes us on an epic trip back to 1974 when the most famous R & B acts in the world, including James Brown, B.B. King, and Bill Withers, put on 12 hour long concert to help promote Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s historic “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa, Zaire. (U.S. Premiere)

When You’re Strange

Director: Tom DiCillo

Using only original footage shot between 1966 and 1971, When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors, attempts to disentangle truth from myth, depict Jim Morrison, artist and alcoholic/addict, and showcase the other members of the band: Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore, who together channeled the group’s magic.

LONE STAR STATES

A showcase for new independent feature films, both documentary and narrative, that are made by Texas residents or center on Texas subject matter.

Films screening in Lone Star States are:

American Violet

Director: Tim Disney. Writer: Bill Haney

The astonishing story of Dee Roberts, a young African American single mother, whose courageous fight against her unwarranted drug arrest forever changes her life and the Texas justice system.  Cast: Nicole Beharie, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Michael O’Keefe, Xzibit, with Charles Dutton and Alfre Woodard.

Blaze Foley Inside

Director: Kevin Triplett

A documentary on the everyday man behind the legend, Blaze Foley.  Born in a tree house, killed in a friend’s living room and 86′ed from his own funeral, is now a bona fide country music legend whose songs are covered by Merle Haggard, John Prine, Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett. (World Premiere)

Exterminators

Director: John Inwood. Writer: Suzanne Weinert

A dark comedy about a group of women who meet in court mandated rage therapy and decide to form a traditional business with very untraditional methods.  Cast: Heather Graham, Jennifer Coolidge, Amber Heard, Joey Lauren Adams, Matthew Settle (World Premiere)

The Least of These

Director: Clark Lyda

Detention of immigrant children in a former medium-security prison leads to controversy when three activist attorneys discover troubling conditions at the facility.  (World Premiere)

Over the Hills and Far Away

Director: Michel Orion Scott

This documentary chronicles the journey of the Isaacson family as they travel through Mongolia in search of a mysterious shaman they believe can heal their autistic son.

Sunshine

Director: Karen Skloss

In 1975 rural Texas, the local mayor’s daughter grapples with an unplanned pregnancy finally deciding to have her baby in secret before giving her away in a hidden adoption. Twenty-three years later, the adopted child also has an unplanned baby out of wedlock. The film tells the intimate story of these two single mothers, while exploring the times and circumstances that afforded them very different options. (World Premiere)

MIDNIGHTERS

Funny or scary (or both) films playing for a midnight audience.

Films screening in Midnighters are:

A Film With Me In It

Director: Ian Fitzgibbon

An actor hard on his luck ends up with a large number of dead bodies on his hands.  Cast: Mark Doherty, Dylan Moran (U.S. Premiere)

The Ceremony

Director/Writer: James Palmer

After finding a bizarre book, a young man is plagued by unexplainable occurrences inside his home.  Cast: Scott Seegmiller (World Premiere)

Grace

Director/Writer: Paul Solet

After losing her unborn child, Madeline Matheson insists on carrying the baby to term. Following the delivery, the child miraculously returns to life, but when the baby develops a desperate appetite for human blood, Madeline is faced with a mother’s ultimate decision.  Cast: Jordan Ladd, Samantha Ferris, Gabrielle Rose, Malcom Stewart

Lake Mungo

Director/Writer: Joel Anderson

A supernatural drama about grief. Cast: Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger (North American Premiere)

Trailers from Hell.com with Joe Dante – LIVE PRESENTATION

Joe Dante presents The Best of Trailers from Hell which showcases classic-era Previews of Coming Attractions - punctuated with humorous, passionate and insightful commentaries by contemporary filmmakers like John Landis, Eli Roth and Edgar Wright  - with particular emphasis on the lurid, the extreme and the outrageous.

Zift

Director: Javor Gardev. Writer: Vladislav Todorov

A man freed after a wrongful murder conviction enters a diabolical city full of decaying neighborhoods, gloomy streets and bizarre characters. Cast: Zachary Baharov, Tanya Ilieva, Vladmir Penev, Mihail Mutafov

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

A section reserved for highlights in recent film festival success stories or films that screen in a non-competitive capacity.

Films screening in Special Screenings are:

American Prince

Director: Tommy Palotta

After being forgotten for 30 years, filmmaker Tommy Pallotta revisits Scorcese’s lost documentary “American Boy” and its raconteur subject, Steven Prince. (World Premiere)

Berlin Calling

Director/Writer: Hannes Stoehr

Berlin Calling is an extraordinary story that starts in pre-war Berlin, spans three generations, and concludes in the dark and sweaty rock n’ roll clubs that line the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.  Cast: Paul Kalkbrenner, Rita Lengyel, Corinna Harfouch, Araba Walton, Peter Schneider (U.S. Premiere)

Blood Trail

Director: Richard Parry

War photographer Robert King let a camera crew follow him for over 15 years. From his first assignment in Bosnia to his breakthrough work in Chechnya, and on to his recent coverage in Iraq, Blood Trail is an extraordinary look at this difficult and dangerous profession. (U.S. Premiere)

Burma VJ

Director: Anders Ostergaard

Armed with small handy cams, undercover Video Journalists in Burma risk their lives to keep up the flow of news from their closed country as in September 2007 thousands of monks take to the streets of Rangoon in a peaceful protest against the country’s military rulers.

Daytime Drinking

Director/Writer: NOH Young-seok

A drinking road trip fable of a guy who just got dumped…  Cast: SONG Sam-dong, YUK Sang-yeop, KIM Kang-hee  (U.S. Premiere)

For All Mankind

Director: Al Reinart

A trip to another world disguised as a documentary.

De Ofrivilliga (Involuntary)

Director: Ruben Östlund. Writer: Erik Hemmendorff and Ruben Östlund

A tragic comedy or comic tragedy about group pressure on the individual. Five separate episodes on everyday disasters.  Cast: Maria Lundqvist, Leif Edlund, Olle Lijas, Vera Vitali, Cecilia Milocco (North American Premiere)

It Came From Kuchar

Director: Jennifer M. Kroot

The hilarious and touching story of the legendary, underground filmmaking twins, George and Mike Kuchar, and how their outrageous, no-budget movies inspired generations of filmmakers (World Premiere)

Know Your Mushrooms

Director: Ron Mann

Filmmaker Ron Mann puts the fun in fungus with his newest documentary. (U.S. Premiere)

Letters to the President

Director: Petr Lom

Exclusive access film about President Ahmadinejad of Iran, and what life is like under his regime.  The film takes as its narrative thread the letters that supposedly ten million Iranians have written to the President. (North American Premiere)

Office Space – 10^th Anniversary – LIVE PRESENTATION

Director Mike Judge will present a special screening of the cult phenomenon film on the occasion of its 10^th Anniversary.

The Paranoids

Director: Gabriel Medina. Writer: Gabriel Medina and Nicolas Gueilburt

An aspiring screenwriter who lives in constant state of paranoia, faces the return of his successful friend Manuel and his girlfriend in this off-beat romantic comedy. (U.S. Premiere)

Saint Misbehavin: The Life and Time of Wavy Gravy

Director: Michelle Esrick

The true story of cultural phenomenon Wavy Gravy – a man whose life proves that you can change the world and have fun doing it. (World Premiere)

The Snake

Director/Writer: Adam Goldstein and Eric Kutner

The funniest movie about dating a bulimic… possibly ever.  Cast: Adam Goldstein, Nina Braddock (World Premiere)

Strongman

Director: Zachary Levy

Stainless Steel bills himself as the world’s strongest man (at bending steel) and hopes to make it big despite his advancing age.

Sweethearts of the Rodeo

Director: Bradley Beesley

Amidst stories of murder, hardship, heartache and redemption, the film follows the convict cowgirls of the Eddie Warriors Correctional Center in their preparation for the only rodeo where female prisoners compete rough-stock and as equals against male prison teams. (World Premiere)

We Live in Public

Director: Ondi Timor

The story of the Internet’s revolutionary impact on human interaction as told through the eyes of Internet pioneer and visionary, Josh Harris.

The Yes Men Fix the World

Director: Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno and Kurt Engfehr

A pair of notorious troublemakers sneaks into corporate events disguised as captains of industry, then use their momentary authority to expose the biggest criminals on the planet. Cast: Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno

You Won’t Miss Me

Director: Ry Russo-Young. Writer: Ry Russo-Young and Stella Schnabel

A portrait of a modern day rebel, Shelly Brown, a twenty-three year-old alienated urban misfit recently released from a psychiatric hospital. Cast: Stella Schnabel, Rene Ricard