American Independent Competition:
Documentaries
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AWFUL NORMAL USA, 2003, 75 min directed by Celesta Davis East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Thursday, March 11 7:00 PM at Enzian

Saturday, March 13 4:30 PM at Regal

Awful Normal

"Act like everything’s normal and maybe it will be." For twenty-five years filmmaker Celesta Davis and her sister Karen have tried, but, over time, Davis realizes her future rests on confronting the demons of her past: her father’s best friend--the man who molested her and Karen.

Celesta’s dilemma cannot be resolved overnight. She must first convince Karen and her mother that confrontation will do more good than harm. As she and her sister work up their courage to knock on an unassuming apartment door, they take on the qualities of St. George hunting the dragon, losing their nerve, yet struggling to regain it. At long last, they launch into the conversation that they have imagined for years. An unexpected turn is taken, and for five full minutes you will experience filmmaking in a way you never imagined you would. This is just one family’s story, but it is one that transcends its telling, giving hope and courage to everyone with personal dragons to slay.

FOXHOLE USA, 2003, 12 min directed by Franko Galoso Florida Premiere

PRECEDED BY

Foxhole

A war story with a surprise ending, the paths of two decorated soldiers take a life-altering turn after bonding on the battlefields of Vietnam.

A CERTAIN KIND OF DEATH USA, 2003, 70 min directed by Grover Babcock and Blue Hadaegh Florida Premiere

Wednesday, March 10 4:00 PM at Regal

Saturday, March 13 2:00 PM at Regal

A Certain Kind of Death

Alternately gruesome, beautiful, and profound, this film asks a question we might all wish to ignore: What happens to people who die with no next of kin? If they live(d) in Los Angeles, the answer becomes the daily business of the L.A. County Coroner’s office, who routinely carry out the elaborate mechanic of "unmaking" a human life. The film chronicles the standard tasks of a series of public employees who efficiently and systematically move several cases from discovery of the corpse to its final disposal. As they search for details and disperse property, surprising biographies emerge—rendering a post-mortem life to these nobodies who are being processed relentlessly toward their vanishing point. Ironically, the "decedents" become more vivid and interesting than the living folks who are disposing of them. Stark and unemotional in tone yet stunningly poetic in visual composition, this documentary prompts a powerful meditation on death and its many trivial details. Winner—Special Jury Prize, 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

THE HOT 8 USA, 2003, 32 min directed by Greg Samata East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

PRECEDED BY

The Hot 8

New Orleans. Jazz. Tradition. Change. The musical aspirations of a group of passionate young musicians are shared against a backdrop of thumping brass and braggadocio in this visually stunning portrait.

FARMINGVILLE USA, 2003, 78 min directed by Catherine Tambini and Carlos Sandoval

Monday, March 8 7:30 PM at Regal (dual language version)

Thursday, March 11 2:00 PM at Enzian

Farmingville

"THEY TARGETED MEXICANS" screamed the front page of Newsday Long Island, reporting on four teens arrested for setting a house fire in July 2003. This violence is an ugly sequel to the attempted murder of two Mexican day laborers three years earlier. Picturesque, suburban Farmingville, NY, is a reluctant municipal battleground where contrasting visions of the American dream are pitted against one another in a years-long struggle.

In 2001, filmmakers Tambini and Sandoval spent a year living in and making Farmingville, a compassionate and dramatic account of the people and personalities that catapulted this Everytown, USA onto the national public policy stage. Who belongs in this country? Who does this country belong to? Are we proud to be a nation of immigrants or fearful what a future of immigration means? As public policy debates rage over the fate of undocumented workers, this richly compelling film delves into the day-to-day dilemmas created by a stunning shift in America’s demographic landscape. Winner—Special Jury Prize, 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

CHAVEZ RAVINE: A LOS ANGELES STORY USA, 2003, 27 min directed by Jordan Mechner East Coast Premiere

PRECEDED BY

Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story

Narrated by Cheech Marin and scored by Ry Cooder, this bittersweet tale recounts a lost village, Dodger Stadium, and the miraculous moment of time that lay between them.

THE FIGHT USA, 2003, 88 min directed by Barak Goodman East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Saturday, March 6 5:00 PM at Regal

Thursday, March 11 9:30 PM at Enzian

The Fight

On June 22, 1938, in the waning days of the Great Depression and on the eve of World War II, the world's eyes and ears were on Yankee Stadium. There, the two great boxers of the day, America’s Joe Louis and Germany’s Max Schmeling, fought for the world heavyweight championship. The Fight stunningly documents how these prizefighters represented the brightest hopes of their respective countries and the political stakes of this immortal confrontation. Joe Louis, the first black “crossover” hero in American history that was embraced by the white populace, fought with the aspirations of all black Americans in his fists. In the other corner, Max Schmeling, Germany’s prodigal golden boy, fought under his country’s twisted pretense that his win would be a demonstration of Hitler's racial theories. Award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman (Scottsboro: An American Tragedy) provocatively contextualizes a monumental boxing match that has since become legend. Through a brilliant use of archival footage and fascinating interviews, The Fight transcends the average sports documentary and skillfully captures the larger-than-life personas of two unforgettable athletes.  Back to top.

JOCKEY USA, 2003, 85 min directed by Kate Davis North American Premiere

Saturday, March 6 7:00 PM at Regal

Friday, March 12 2:00 PM at Regal

Jockey

If Seabiscuit painted a too-rosy picture of life at the track, Jockey sets the record straight. This candid portrait of the daily life of these powerful athletes renders the pain and ambition that drive them forward and, in some cases, take them down—tumbling over the head of a hurtling horse or degenerating through overuse of laxatives and an array of eating disorders. Are these competitive rides heroes or dupes? Why (and how) do they sustain the physical and mental stresses to achieve a few moments of glory and at what profound risks? Award-winning filmmaker Kate Davis (Southern Comfort, FFF 2001) follows several jockeys at different levels of accomplishment, each facing a different challenge: getting a career out of the gate, returning from a career-ending injury, sustaining a legendary reputation while patiently awaiting an organ transplant. What binds them and their stories together is their shared vision of triumph and their profound sense of brotherhood. Both moving and thrilling, Jockey will linger in your mind long after the race is over.  Back to top.

NEVERLAND: THE RISE AND FALL OF HE SYMBIONESE LIBERATION ARMY USA, 2003, 89 min directed by Robert Stone East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Saturday, March 6 2:45 PM at Regal

Tuesday, March 9 9:30 PM at Enzian

Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army

Oscar-nominee Robert Stone (Radio Bikini) transports us to the 1970s to follow the self-styled Robin Hoods who crashed into the public consciousness by boldly kidnapping heiress Patty Hearst and playing the media like a fiddle. The three-year SLA crime wave, with beret-wearing, machine-gun toting Hearst in tow, was haphazard but deadly. First-ever interviews with SLA members reveal a blundering idealism that shattered lives and did little to change the world—in retrospect their terrorism was more Monty Python than Mao Tse-tung. Even more fascinating is a new take on the role of the media. In an "unspun" world with no media consultants, the press had a field day that presages contemporary media circuses. Did the unfettered access to radio and television extend the shelf life of this tragedy? Did ambitious reporters grant these "I won’t grow up" terrorists unwarranted credibility? This innovative film offers well-crafted, good old-fashioned story telling.

P.S. The rich girl is still rich, the media is still frenzied, and the idealists are still screwed.

PRECEDED BY

LSD A GO GO USA, 2003, 10 min directed by Scott Calonico East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

LSD A Go Go

When those wacky tricksters Lyndon Baines Johnson, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and the CIA get mixed up with LSD, anything can happen. Another slice of history from the creator of last year’s Elvis-meets-Nixon stunner, The King and Dick (FFF 2003).

PATERNAL INSTINCT USA, 2003, 74 min directed by Murray Nossel WORLD Premiere

Sunday, March 7 7:15 PM at Enzian

Friday, March 12 4:15 PM at Regal

Paternal Instinct

Mark and Erik are a handsome and successful "married" gay couple who live in New York City. Their ten-year relationship is almost perfect, but they feel one thing is missing: a child. Searching for a surrogate mother on the internet, they meet Wen, a computer programmer from Yarmouth, Maine, and a practicing witch. Married herself and already the mother of a 14-year-old son, Wen wants to give the opportunity of a family to those who yearn for it, a task to which she is uniquely suited. Over the next three years, this unique partnership encounters unforeseen obstacles that challenge the couple’s desire for a child and threatens the growing bonds between them and their surrogate. Directed by Academy Award nominee Murray Nossel (Why Can’t We Be a Family Again?), Paternal Instinct is an incredibly emotional, frequently humorous, stranger-than-fiction story that unfolds with astonishing intimacy and epic sweep.

I LIKE IT A LOT USA, 2004, 4 min directed by Jay Rosenblatt World Premiere

PRECEDED BY

I Like It A Lot

A two year old; an ice cream cone; and a clean, white shirt: a parent’s nightmare or a childless person’s dream? The further adventures of the star of I Used To Be a Filmmaker (FFF 2003).

WHOLE USA, 2003, 55 min directed by Melody Gilbert Southeast Premiere

Sunday, March 7 4:45 PM at Enzian

Wednesday, March 10 7:00 PM at Regal

Whole

Pritkin, Atkins, Jenny Craig. Many of us imagine we would be happier if there were less of us--but very few are convinced that we can only be our real selves if we are missing an entire limb.

From Holland to the UK, the French Alps to Central Florida (!), filmmaker Melody Gilbert takes a clinical, yet highly personalized, journey into the lives of people who believe they will never be complete until they are amputees. Each “wannabe” accommodates the obsession differently. Some temporarily disable their limbs through the use of Ace bandages. Others seek medical treatment, creating ethical Hippocratic dilemmas for their doctors. Others take matters into their own hands and quite literally risk life and limb, hoping only to lose the latter. This is no circus sideshow. The subject matter is deeply unsettling, but this film is neither maudlin nor sensationalistic. Articulate, troubled fellow human beings are willing to be candid and, by doing so, provoke serious reflection about psychological disorders, body image, medical ethics, and cosmetic surgery.

FOO FOO DUST USA, 2003, 37 min directed by Gina Levy East Coast Premiere

PRECEDED BY

Foo Foo Dust

Unflinching is an understatement for this brutal, "you are there" cinema verite. You will feel like a peeping Tom as you experience a mother and son who depend on each other for affection and drugs. Winner—Best Documentary Short, IFP Los Angeles Film Festival.

WORD WARS USA, 2004, 78 min directed by Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Saturday, March 6 5:00 PM at Enzian

Wednesday, March 10 9:30 PM at Regal

Word Wars

Forget NASCAR! For real nail-biting, stomach-churning competition, check out the National SCRABBLE Tournament. Better yet, attend on the heels of a possible champ-in-the-making. How about Matt Graham, stand-up comic and "smart drug" devotee, who anagrams for cash in bars? Or "G.I." Joel Sherman,whose skill with the tiles is matched only by the fury of his gastro-intestinal disorders? Or consider Marlon Hill, a foul-mouthed, dope-smoking, Ebonics-speaking charmer from Baltimore, who can unscramble any word in the dictionary. Together, they and hundreds of other tile-warriors travel to San Diego to face Joe Edley, current champ, known to his opponents as "Darth Vader" due to his focus on mind control and Tai Chi. Certain to be this year’s Spellbound (with a bit more spice), this film is complete entertainment—filled with the suspense of serious competition and the unintentional hilarity of trash-talking, dictionary-memorizing, Maalox-chugging competitors—all of whom obsess over which words have a Q but no U. (QAT, QAID, QINTAR . . . )

49? USA, 2003, 6 min directed by Sherman Alexie East Coast Premiere

PRECEDED BY

49?

What is an "Indian 49"? Join celebrated author and filmmaker Sherman Alexie (Smoke Signals) on the quest for anyone who knows what it is or, better yet, is willing to show it to us.

WORDS USA, 2004, 73 min directed by Gregg Brown and Jason Holzman World Premiere

Sunday, March 7 1:00 PM at Regal

Tuesday, March 9 7:00 PM at Enzian

Words

Remember the childhood game called "telephone"? This one-of-a-kind documentary begins with the same premise, but where it goes is far deeper into what binds us to each other. Totally unique and equally unclassifiable, Words unfolds like a word association game, evolving from one interconnected segment to the next through the influence of the people the film documents. Whether it’s a group of New Yorkers experiencing a Native American sweat lodge ceremony, a gathering of topless women expressing their frustration at a society obsessed with breasts, a meeting of mourners sharing stories of death in their families, strangers dancing together in the streets, or an eerie flight over Ground Zero, Words uncovers the hidden connections between people and places. Combining documentary filmmaking with reality-based entertainment, Words takes viewers on a riveting exploration of the profound human need to belong to something and of the shared emotions and experiences that bind us all—art and religion, sex and death, joy and pain.

BILLY USA, 2002, 21 min directed by Kerri Yost Southeast Premiere

PRECEDED BY

Billy

What is daily life really like for America’s homeless? Billy shows us his world and tells us his story through words of surprising eloquence.