It's been too long since the Ross Brothers brought us 45365, a film that lyrically documented the life of a small Ohio town over the course of a year. With Tchoupitoulas, they boldly capture the expansive dynamics of New Orleans all within one very long night. The film follows three young brothers (with a comical lack of adult supervision) as they venture to explore the nightlife in and around the French Quarter. What was supposed to be a regular evening out gets complicated when they miss the last ferry home. Stranded, they continue through town and meet with all walks of life: drunks, evangelists, lunatics, and street musicians. This colorful window into the world leads them to ponder what kind of people they'll grow up to be. Brilliantly shot and assembled, Tchoupitoulas is a poetic sensory experience not to be missed.
Be sure to check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCRD0wbbZqw
Screening with the short film "AL 116."
Our Mockingbird follows two high schools in Birmingham, Alabama - one black, one white - as they stage a life changing collaboration of the adapted play, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. The story of these two communities, 'separate but not equal,' resonates with the portrait of Birmingham and its pivotal struggle with race climaxing in the sixties, when the book was first published and then adapted for the screen. Our Mockingbird chronicles the collaboration starting from the very first meeting of the casts from Fairfield High and Mountain Brook High and includes their unprecedented access and introduction to Harper Lee. How these two groups learn about the struggles in their separate hometowns, as well as their discovery of the larger meanings of the book, itself, demonstrates the impact that Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ still has in the twenty-first century.
Check out the film's website: http://ourmockingbird.com/Home.html
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Screening with the short film "Same People"
Directed by Rebecca Howard and Fifi Wang
DOC Short | USA | 8 min.
In the Black Belt of Alabama, there are dual school systems consisting of all-black public schools and all-white private schools called segregation academies. Both the white schools and the black schools are struggling, but no one has made the move to integrate the system. Does this doom the Black Belt to fail?
Jenny’s life has completely changed since having a baby. The daily routine of preparing food and playtime in the park has led to distance from her friends and dull date nights with her unaffected husband, from whom she is quickly feeling estranged. In part to escape the monotony and, in part, due to obligation, Jenny packs up the baby, departs Chicago and heads out, alone, to a remote, family cabin in Montana. While little changes regarding the routine nature of childcare, Jenny at least has a bit of solitude and independence. Such isolation is interrupted with the arrival of a handyman hired by her husband to complete repairs on the property.
Empire Builder is a reticent and thoughtful exploration of the challenges to independence, the loss of self that and the guilt of doubt that often accompany marriage and parenthood.
Check out the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/40888505
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Screening with the short film "Bridges"
Directed by Christopher Bell
NAR Short | USA | 12 min.
Babysitter Elizabeth (Joslyn Jensen) wishes she was the infant's mother. When a potentially dangerous situation arises, she leaves the apartment with young Julian (Julian Perez) until things settle - but as they get further away, Elizabeth thinks he might be better off with her
When most people hear the word ‘forensics’ they think of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or something related to solving crimes; what they don’t think about is speech and debate. However, the competitors at the Texas Forensics Association State Championships take that word very seriously and Thank You for Judging is about the event, the people who conduct the event and the very brave and talented students from all across Texas who participate in it. One such participant was the 1998 TFA champion, Michael Urie, who would go on to star on the series Ugly Betty and in the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; he also co-directs the film. Urie chronicles many of the students participating in the event, particularly young men and women struggling with their sexual identities. Students performing monologues about coming out as gay find their goals thwarted by small-minded and anonymous judges who view their scoring as an opportunity to save souls. In the end, the competition is a way for kids who are usually on the outside looking in to participate in the competitive spirit that flourishes in the state of Texas, and Thank You for Judging chronicles their journey, with all of its ups and downs.
Catch the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/29845476
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Screening with the short film "In Search of Avery Willard."
Who was Avery Willard? Photographer, filmmaker, writer, publisher, leatherman, pornographer…this short uncovers the life and work of a groundbreaking yet forgotten artist.
No film in recent memory has embodied the idea of ‘independent spirit’ quite like My Best Day, which premiered as part of Sundance’s avant-gardish Next section. It’s a sharp and quirky little comedy that features some incredibly engaging performances and a tightly manufactured script that screams with rural authenticity. The film is set on the Fourth of July in a town where everyone’s a character: Karen (Rachel Style) is working the holiday at the local refrigerator repair shop when she gets a call from a man (Hunt Block) who could be her long lost father. Her best friend Meagan (Ashlie Atkinson) agrees to come along and pretend to fix the fridge so Karen can meet her father and perhaps her sister. Meagan has a hankering for a used motorcycle, which she rides down to the local hangout to impress Heather (SNL’s Kate McKinnon), whom she’s sweet on, ticking off her main squeeze, Amy (Molly Lloyd), a nurse at the local hospital. My Best Day is a colorful assortment of entertaining characters that all blend together thanks to writer/director Erin Greenwell’s attention to detail and her adept understanding of rural life.
Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPOtZuqMp8o
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Screening with the short film "Cock 'N Bull."
This SHOUT Exclusive Short comes to us from Nathan Adloff, star of the 2010 Best Narrative Feature winner “Blackmail Boys” and writer/director of the film “Nate & Margaret”. Wes (co-writer Danny Rhodes) invites his best friend, Chris (Nathan Adloff), over for a night-in after being dumped by Henry. They attempt to blow off some steam by prank calling strangers, but soon realize that may have been the worst idea ever.
In this close-to-the-bone black "meta-comedy", Alex Karpovsky plays an indie filmmaker named Alex Karpovsky who, dumped by a longtime girlfriend fed up with his refusal to marry, takes to the road with an old pal for a misbegotten tour of college campuses and independent cinemas. Pursued by an overly ardent groupie and his own demons as he screens his movie on college campuses and independent cinemas, Alex sinks deeper into a swamp of fear, deception, and humiliation. Keeping a deftly judged distance between himself and “himself,” Karpovsky pulls hilarity out of personal pain, defeat, and the lonesome American road.
Red Flag is an observant, self-aware, painfully funny film about commitment, loneliness, and the human ability (or perhaps inability) to change. Aside from Red Flag, Karpovsky has most recently gained attention for his film Rubberneck and his work on the HBO series Girls.
Check out the trailer here: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/red-flag-2012/laff-screening
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Screening with the short film "What Happens When Robert Leaves The Room"
What Happens When Robert Leaves The Room blends myth and metaphor to tell the story of Robert, a misanthropic writer with a suicidal commitment to his creation. After two actresses butcher a scene from his latest script, Robert flies off the handle and shows them what it really means to perform.
On the heels of discovering that the majority of our food travels over a thousand miles from the farm to the dinner table, filmmaker, University of Alabama Professor of Documentary Film, and Tuscaloosa resident, Andy Grace, embarks upon a quest to eat only local foods for one full year. Along with friends, Joe and Sara, and his wife, Rashmi, Grace soon realizes that his quest to eat locally and seasonally in a state once known for farming is about more than just food, health and responsibility--it is also deeply entwined in community, lifestyle and heritage.
Eating Alabama has a life outside of the film and has an accompanying blog, headed by Grace, that pre-dates the documentary, as well as multiple offshoot projects such as the Druid City Garden Project run by Rashmi. A thoughtful and often funny essay on community, the South, and sustainability, Eating Alabama is a story about why food matters. Sidewalk is proud to host the statewide premiere of the introspective yet enlightening documentary.
To watch the trailer, click here: http://vimeo.com/35904848
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Screening with the short film "A Dying Breed"
As poultry growers face increasing pressure from all sides, two farmers discuss how much everything has changed.
10-year old Annie roams her Texas hometown on her BMX. Friendless and virtually parentless, her daily routine is filled with self-imposed antics and general mischief. The usual prank phone calling, biscuit dough hurling, and general destruction is interrupted when she comes across a well in the woods and a voice coming from below.
In typical Zellner Brothers fashion, Kid-Thing is funny, smart, perfectly odd, and innocently cruel. The film truly captures the majestic world of adolescence and vividly reflects the strange snickelway between frustrated restlessness and true careless independence; a phenomenon that usually only exists in the world of a pre-teen. Once again the Zellners have delivered one of the most interesting and unique films at the festival. Kid-Thing premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and subsequently screened at the South by Southwest, Edinburgh, and Berlin Film Festivals.
Check out more info here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zellnerbros/kid-thing-a-zellner-bros-film
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Screening with the short film "A Short Film About Ice Fishing"
NAR Short | USA | 8 min.
In rural South Dakota two friends go out for a day of ice fishing only to accidentally blow up their truck and sink it into a lake
A team of amateur paranormal investigators struggle to make ends meet by debunking reports of supernatural incidents. On the verge of bankruptcy, they take on a case involving rumors of suspicious disappearances linked with an abandoned schoolhouse. Discounting stories of satanic practices, the team proceeds, desperately chasing cash and the opportunity to fulfill their mission – to catch a real ghost.
On a tour guided by the local sheriff, the crew learns of the schoolhouse’s gruesome past. Ignoring advice to spend the night in a hotel, they set up their gear and prepare for nightfall. When the sun goes down, the truth comes out: the schoolhouse might actually be haunted by sadistic spirits… or something even worse.
Horror-comedy Saturday Morning Massacre is a bloody quasi-parody of Scooby-Doo and a cautionary tale regarding the consequences of meddling with the supernatural.
Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uj6ZGIjisk
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Screening with the short film "Merman."
Merman
Directed by Jono Foley
NAR | USA | 1 min.
Harrison dances within an amazingly lush, deep well of crystal clear water, undisturbed by his onlooking friends.
When a group of petty criminals are hired by a mysterious party to burglarize a rundown house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they soon realize that the job isn’t going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body sits before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks of videos. In their search for the right tape, the crew watches a number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.
Bringing together some of the top filmmakers in the game today the horror anthology sends the viewer through a gauntlet of suspense, shock, and downright brutality. The creative minds behind V/H/S shatter any preconceived notions about the genre, making it feel inventive and captivating once again. The V/H/S Directors include Sidewalk alums Joe Swanberg and Ti West and Alabama-based Adam Wingard.
http://screenrant.com/vhs-red-band-trailer-kofi-180782/
Screening with the short films "JPBF" and "I Am Your Grandma."
JPBF
It may look like an ordinary office, and it may seem like an ordinary job, but you'd be surprised what they do at JPBF Inc.
I Am Your Grandma
This addictive short is framed as a video message recorded to show a future grandchild what their grandma was like when she was younger. And apparently grandma was a creative, musical freak of nature, who enjoyed committing imagery to video that, at best, would give a grandchild a better understanding of how cool grandma was and, at worst, would scar the grandkid for life.
Ever wanted your life to be more like Strictly Ballroom? Welcome to the world of Anny Salerni, the charismatic owner of Melbourne’s only gay and lesbian ballroom dancing studio, and the driving force behind the art of same-sex ballroom dancing in Australia. Banned from the mainstream, Anny and her students have limited opportunity to compete, so they must look overseas to find bigger competitions in order to improve. With the world’s biggest same sex dance competition about to be held at the Gay Games in Cologne, Germany, Anny and her students make the decision to travel halfway around the world to take on the world’s best same sex dancers. Ballroom Rules is the story of their incredible journey as they prepare for the biggest moment in many of their lives. Through interviews with Anny, her students, overseas competitors, judges and representatives from the mainstream ballroom dancing world, Ballroom Rules provides a unique look at people who live proudly outside what society views as the “norm” and the universal passion that drives us all.
Catch the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/34496452
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Screening with the short film "Johnny and Lyman."
Two men. 65-years together. What can they tell us about surmounting challenges, keeping a relationship alive and strong – and grace?
Wolfy has embarked on a journey of self-discovery. “I want to eat the world!” he declares and sets out for an adventure. Throughout his journey, Wolfy meets a curious array of puppets, such as a one-winged Italian Bird, a double-headed French dragon, and a sparkly British Master of the land. Through music, play, and dance, Wolfy is challenged to confront matters of the heart and mind; as he questions the nature of art and beauty, his journey suggests that he engage in a higher cause: to save the land from loosing its color.
Wolfy’s Journey is puppeteer Leat Klingman’s first featurette, it includes eight songs, and is intended for all ages (but is especially appropriate for those 4-8). The puppets’ realm and sensibilities aspire to communicate above an age limit and spread joy and art in the hearts of all.
Check out the trailer here: http://wolfysjourney.com/trailer/
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Screening with the short film "Sidewalk Symphony."
Directed by Jonathan Salemi
Kids' Narrative Short | USA | 8 min.
A 12 year old boy gets his Ipod taken away, and instead uses his imagination to make music with the environment around him.
In Heaven, Underground: The Weissensee Jewish Cemetery is an enchanting journey into history that celebrates life and the immortality of memories. The peaceful 130-year old Weissensee Jewish cemetery, surrounded by a jungle of trees and lush foliage, lies just north of Berlin’s noisy city center. It is the largest Jewish cemetery still in use in Europe. Its one hundred acres hold 115,000 graves and a meticulous archive record. The cemetery has never closed, and was one of the few institutions to remain in Jewish hands during the Nazi regime.
Director Britta Wauer's charming portrait creates a serene experience following an array of characters from around the world who are all connected to the cemetery in some way: mourners, tourists, a third-generation gravedigger, an ornithologist studying rare birds of prey and more. In Heaven, Underground captures the essence of the Weissensee Cemetery in all its multiple layers.
See the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS8ADXjOcno
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Screening with the short film "Birds of Brooklyn"
Directed by Joel Fendelman
NAR | USA | 7 min.
An aging woman travels back to the Russian neighborhood she grew up in to rediscover a childhood memory.
After culminating months of the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s most rigorous year of touring, Andrew Bird crosses the finish line in his hometown of Chicago – feverish and on crutches from an onstage injury. Andrew Bird: Fever Year wavers between the tour and footage of Bird working on material in his rural converted-barn studio. Not simply a performance film, the documentary also provides insight into Bird’s songwriting process, as well as the evolution of his craft. It is the first to capture his precarious multi-instrumental looping technique and features live collaborations with Martin Dosh, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Michael Lewis, and Annie Clark of St. Vincent. The documentary is a must-see for fans and is of interest to anyone captivated by intense artistic dedication, the songwriting process, and/or musical improvisation. Catch the documentary at Sidewalk—Bird owns the film and there are currently no plans for release.'
Check out the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/31079083
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Screening with the short film "Londoners"
Directed by Joseph Ernst
DOC | UK | 11 min.
Londoners is a vintage film about modern day London. Shot entirely on a 100 year old wooden hand-cranked 35mm camera, Londoners documents modern day London as never seen before. It shows the city as a community: a piece of contemporary history about what it’s like to live in London today. In an era obsessed with digital technology, by an increasingly camera-sceptic public, Londoners features thousands of people interacting directly with the camera, as was always the case in times gone by.
Five Star Existence is Director Sonja Lindén’s personal and sensitive quest to the core of the modern information society where technology and human beings get more and more entwined. The documentary explores our society on the verge of turning ubiquitous – a wireless society, where the laws of time, space and distance are revolutionizing the concept of liaison. Do the consequences of the technological revolution increase our freedom or do they limit us? Is it possible to find a balance between one’s natural rhythm and the society that spins at an ever increasing and demanding speed? Are we chasing the echoes of our lost inner wholeness in our everyday lives, which are becoming busier and more fragmented than ever before? Beautifully shot and poetically paced, Five Star Existence presents a viewing experience as interesting and complex as the questions that it poses.
Check out the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/32799039
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Playing with the short film "Photographic Memory."
Directed by Alan Franks
DOC Short | USA | 3 min.
Part archival film, part personal diary, this film looks at the relationship between film and memory.
Packed with massive amounts of incredibly awesome archival footage, GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling recounts the story of the inaugural all- female wrestling show. A generic casting call in 1985 led to the creation of the women’s wrestling phenomenon GLOW and from such evolved personas such as evil U.S.-hating Russian Colonel Ninotchka, the fire starting, ever-screaming Heavy Metal Sisters and fan favorite, larger-than-life Mt. Fiji. The sudden cancellation of the show in 1990 came as a shock to the women of wrestling and fans alike.
While GLOW is worth catching just for the jaw-dropping, hilarious, and mind-blowing vintage 80’s footage, the documentary manages to tell an incredibly interesting (and sometimes tragic) story with a surprising amount of heart. Beware: the film has one of the most gnarly elbow breaking scenes ever captured on tape.
Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy2BLHsip6E
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Screening with the short film "The Joseph Szabo Project."
DOC Short | USA | 15 min.
The Joseph Szabo Project is a visually stunning first-person portrait of iconic photographer Joseph Szabo's journey to capture the lives of his teenage students. Drawn from thousands of rare never-before-seen-images and classic published work, this unique documentary is a time capsule of 1970s suburbia, an alternative yearbook, filled with experiences that will resonate with anyone who has passed through the doors of high school.
In an apartment on 12th Street, a chatty old woman sits in a cluttered room of sheet music that very few people remember. She tinkles occasionally at the piano as she speaks - any interview with the eccentric Mimi Stern-Wolfe is always punctuated by music. The Benson salons, as Mimi calls them, were a regular meeting of artists and composers in a downtown Manhattan loft owned by Eric Benson, her dear friend and musical collaborator. At this loft, writers and composers showcased new classical and populist musical works and an artistic community thrived. Amongst them were Chris DeBlasio, Robert Chesley and Kevin Oldham. When the HIV/AIDS epidemic swept through New York, and indeed the world in the early 1980s, each were infected and the majority of people who attended the soirees, including the composers themselves, were dead by the early 1990s. After these deaths, Mimi devoted much of her life to The Benson AIDS Series, an annual concert of works by composers who were lost to HIV/AIDS, which she performs on World AIDS Day. Directed by Rohan Spong, All the Way Through Evening follows Mimi as she prepares for one such concert. Her interviews recount the glory days at the Benson Salons, the initial awareness of HIV/AIDS and provide a character portrait of some of the original composers. The film also includes touching interviews with some of the surviving family members and musical collaborators of these men.
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Screening with the short film "Shopping."
A poetic journey of two women in search of love in an ever changing world.
Paul Brawley is an aimless PhD candidate at Yale who's just moved in with his girlfriend and has his sights set on completing his dissertation. There’s just one snag: as Paul is unpacking his belongings, he discovers that he has left a book behind. A seemingly inconsequential object, but one Paul feels is of great importance to his dissertation and, therefore, to his future. He will have to retrieve it from his former roommate – the obstinate, casually sinister Nancy. Paul contacts Nancy, but she will not cooperate. What should be the simplest of errands becomes intolerably difficult. Unable to accept his “defeat” at Nancy’s hands, Paul rushes headlong into a thresher of emotional unrest and physical punishment. His life will get much, much worse before it gets better.
See the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/37442334
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Screening with the short films "Profile" & "Knife."
Profile
Directed by Timo Pierre Rositzki
NAR | GERMANY | 7 min.
Caro has just gone shopping when she is approached by Thomas. He seems to know her, but she can't remember him. When he convinces her to have a coffee with him, Caro has no idea of the surprises this encounter will bring. Profile shows how dangerous social networking sites can be.
Knife
Directed by James M. Johnston
NAR | USA | 13 min.
Knife is a searing portrait of vengeance wrought by an unnamed man with a broken spirit.
When Simon's brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of copycat crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Caught between loyalty to his family and his own will, Simon is forced to examine his life.
Shot on location in Boston, director Matt Ruskin does an incredible job of capturing the tone and landscape of this unique part of the U.S.. On an indie budget, Ruskin is skillfully able to pull off what Ben Affleck spends millions to achieve with much less success. Perhaps the most impressive element of Booster is the performances, especially considering that the cast is made up of non-actors. The striking newcomers are familiar with the world depicted in the film and it translates. Booster is an authentic, meditative film that takes the crime-thriller genre in a welcomed new direction.
Check out the trailer here: http://boosterfilm.com/trailer.html
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Screening with the short film "Crosshairs"
Directed by Mike Hoath
NAR Short | Australia | 12 min.
Beau and Jamie, two brothers from a rural West Australian town, are caught poaching a lamb from a neighbouring property. When Beau refuses to go quietly, his younger brother becomes a pawn in a violent showdown.
The fact that this film is called The Comedy is sort of a joke in and of itself. Hardly the all out laugh-riot we'd expect from some of the funniest guys going (Tim and Eric, Gregg Turkington, Jeffrey Jensen), the title most likely comes from the way that Swanson (Tim Heidecker) views all life as one big joke. Perhaps it's hard to take anything seriously when you're an aging, careless, hung over trust-funder living in Williamsburg with nothing to do but play wiffleball with other trust-funder friends and drink and hookup with grad students. He's kind of like Arthur but without the charm and likeability.
The story finds him, though, at a crossroads where he wants to know what it's like to feel like a normal person. He toys around with common jobs, sometimes condescendingly, and depending on which way you like at it, the results are either really funny or excruciatingly painful to watch.
Check out an interview with the director here: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=uBEmEvkYv9I
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Screening with short film "Bad Penny"
Barry's childhood friend Shawnsey is hearing impaired and staying in Barry's New York City apartment for five days. In the middle of his stay Barry has a date and needs Shawnsey to leave for the evening. Without any New York friends or money to burn, Shawnsey makes a different plan.
