LRFF 2010 Competition Bumpers
The 4th Annual Little Rock Film Festival thought it would be fun to include “bumpers” or trailers for some of the competition categories so the LRFF Film Crew (Timothy Lucas Wistrand, Terrell Case, Matthew Corey Gattin) and Programmer Levi Agee produced three 30 second videos for the Made in Arkansas, Golden Rock Narrative and Golden Rock Documentary categories of the festival for 2010. All spots were created in and around Little Rock with the help of the City and Film Commissioner Christopher Crane.
“The first spot was designed from the beginning to honor the late filmmaking pioneer Charles B. Pierce who is the namesake of the Made in Arkansas Award. Our goal with the bumper was to make something weird and fun in keeping with the spirit of Legend of Boggy Creek as a sort of homage. Zach Turner who starred in last year’s Slumberland which won the award was in the Yeti suit. We were very proud how it turned out” -Director Levi Agee
“This spot was a departure from our other bumpers in that it was very procedural and kind of a documentary itself of the idea “how someone would make the Golden Rock.” My wife is in the video and she got a new bike out of it because our next door neighbors wouldn’t let us borrow theirs to “make a movie.” We thought about having her sell the rocks at a Garage Sale but I think our video is short and sweet and brings some levity to a category that can be pretty in your face.” -Director Levi Agee
“The Narrative bumper took on the most abstract or conceptual form of the videos. We really wanted to take an iconic idea of The South (fishing) and place it in a downtown setting which is what I think the Little Rock Film Festival does best. This year we wanted to push the Southern element without being stereotypical or irrelevant. The Film Festival posters were a big inspiration to the spot. We closed down Capitol Street downtown with the help of Christopher Crane and Levi’s brother borrowed his friend’s duck hunting boat and we shot the thing in under two hours. Bill Cyrus, the actor, who is a transplant from Los Angeles, was terrific. He never questioned if we had lost our minds making someone fish in the middle of the city.” -Producer/Cinematographer Timothy Lucas Wistrand
LRFF 2010 Opening Night Report
Actress Lauren Sweetser a Fayetteville native being interviewed by press in the lobby of Riverdale before the screening of Winter’s Bone.
The 4th Annual Little Rock Film Festival kicked off with a huge turnout of people waiting to get in the theater at the Riverdale to see Winter’s Bone. The cast of the film showed up for photos and press interviews setting the lobby of the theater abuzz. The packed cinema sat enthralled throughout the Ozark-Mountain drama’s Little Rock premiere and gave applause as the credits rolled.
Philip Martin, Movie Style Editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, moderated a Q and A session after the screening with selected actors from the cast including Garret Dillahunt, Lauren Sweetser, Dale Dickey, and others. The session was lively and brought great laughter and interaction from the audience and could have gone all night as one audience member said to me but alas a great After-Party was waiting for us at the Terry House Mansion.
The large white house was glowing with blue and green tinted lights giving the old stately manor modern curb appeal for late night party-goers. You could hear singer/songwriter Bryan Frazier and his band rocking from down the street. Mandy McBryde & The Chosen Few also gave a great show after Runaway Planet giving great ambience to Oxford American’s Southern Cultural stylings including great food. Inside the mansion patrons sat on giant cushions and chilled out to DJ g-force while sipping white wines.
Back outside festival-goers were treated to a surprise as the sprinkler systems on the lawn of the Terry House surprisingly went off. Rumor was that it was planned that way. No one seemed to mind.
Be sure to get your festival passes and tickets online or at Riverdale Cinemas and enjoy the rest of the festival with us!
Black, White and Blues
Morgan Simpson, Michael Clarke Duncan (both pictured) and Tom Skerritt star in the Southern film Black, White and Blues.
As Southern-fried as catfish in Paula Deen’s kitchen, Black, White and Blues features the richest parts of Southern culture: our food, our music and our ability to overcome demons to find redemption.
Acclaimed director Mario Van Peebles tracks the journey of a blues musician, Jefferson (Morgan Simpson), who leaves Austin, Texas, to escape a loan shark (Luke Perry) and heads back to his roots in Alabama, along the way befriending Augy (Michael Clarke Duncan) and Santa (Tom Skerritt), who help him overcome his pent-up anger over losing his parents and his ever-present stage fright.
The music and acting shines in this film, highlighted by original songs by Tree Adams and a great supporting performance by Skerritt.
Black, White and Blues will screen at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at Riverdale Cinemas.
Homewrecker
The brothers Barnes (Todd and Brad) have a new comedy, and it’s playing at The Little Rock Film Festival. Homewrecker is about an ex-con locksmith on work release who runs into a super-high-energy customer that uses Mike for more than just picking locks.
The Barnes brothers infuse screwball sensibility into their version of the romantic comedy. The chemistry between the leads is crucial: Ana Reeder revels in her free-spirited, no-boundaries role and keeps Margo likable; Anslem Richardson is perfect as her straight man. Full of jaunty dialogue and subtle charm, Homewrecker is an irresistible and impressive debut feature.
Premiere Sponsor- iShares 529 Plan
Think Higher Ed on 529 College Savings Day
The Little Rock Film Festival has been honored to have so many great sponsors step in and help support our cause. Today, in honor of 529 College Savings Day we’d like to highlight the iShares 529 Plan, a premiere level sponsor and presenter of the Little Rock Film Festival’s Charles B. Pierce Award for Best Film “Made in Arkansas”.
529 College Savings Day (May 29th) is a day to reflect on saving for higher education. The iShares 529 Plan is an Arkansas state sponsored plan that is designed to help families save for higher education. Unlike regular savings accounts, 529 plans have unique features, like tax-free withdrawals* for qualified education expenses (including tuition, fees, certain room and board costs, and supplies), which help make saving specifically for education easier and more accessible.
Like many great programs and achievements, the LRFF was in large part born from our founders’ experience in higher education. It wasn’t until both of the Renaud brothers had attended classes beyond high school that they realized their passion for film and the great artistic potential of their native Little Rock.
Like many of the films we will view at the LRFF, college provides a multitude of experiences and truly influences our direction. It stimulates creativity, innovation and allows us to expand our knowledge of the world around us. Whether it’s at a 2-year junior college, traditional university, or a vocational school, higher education can help people realize their full potential.
In this spirit, the Charles B. Pierce “Made in Arkansas” Award suits both the mission of the LRFF as well as that of the iShares 529 plan: empowering Arkansas residents to act on their passion and help achieve their personal goals. Together, the LRFF and iShares 529 Plan hope to open the doors to higher education, making personal dreams attainable and putting a vibrant, promising future within reach.
The iShares 529 Plan is a college savings plan sponsored by the State of Arkansas. It is available through financial advisors, and is the only 529 plan with all Exchange Traded Funds as the underlying investments. With Exchange Traded Funds at its core, the iShares 529 Plan breaks new ground in the 529 plan arena by offering attractive benefits, including low expenses and transparency. For more information, please visit www.ishares529.com.
* Earnings on nonqualified withdrawals are subject to federal income tax and may be subject to a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.
For more information about the iShares 529 Plan, contact your financial advisor, call 1-888-529-9552 or visit www.ishares529.com to obtain a Program Description and Participation Agreement which includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information; read and consider it carefully before investing or sending money. Upromise Investments, Inc. Co-Distributor and Underwriter; BlackRock Fund Distribution Company, Co-Distributor.
If you are not an Arkansas taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state’s qualified tuition program.
[RM1] The iShares 529 Plan is a college tuition savings program sponsored by the State of Arkansas and is administered by the Arkansas 529 Plan Review Committee. Upromise Investments, Inc., and Upromise Investment Advisors, LLC, serve as the Program Manager and Recordkeeping and Servicing Agent, respectively, with overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations, including marketing and co-distribution of the Plan. BlackRock Fund Distribution Company also has responsibility for co-distribution of the Plan. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. serves as Investment Manager for the Plan. The Plan’s portfolios, although they invest in exchange traded funds, are not exchange traded funds. Units of the Portfolios are municipal securities and the value of units will vary with market conditions.
Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. and BlackRock Fund Distribution Company are subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc., none of which is affiliated with Upromise.
iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. All other trademarks, servicemarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
* Not FDIC Insured * No Bank, State or Federal Guarantee * May Lose Value
How to Fold a Flag
Then they come home.
Get your tickets to the film here which plays at 4:15 PM Thursday, June 3 at Riverdale Cinemas #8.
The Colonel’s Bride
The Colonel’s Bride really defies all expectations. The film is a completely different and thoughtful take on the whole mail-order-bride scenario. The film’s main character, Bill, a U.S. Army colonel, is not simply interested in a sexual relationship with his new Vietnamese wife, but instead craves companionship to dissipate his loneliness. Director Brent Stewart’s sense of pacing and humor strikes the right amount of charming eccentricity and emotional honesty. Starring J.D. Parker, The Colonel’s Bride makes a great addition to list of films vying for Best Southern Film for the Oxford American competition.
The narrative plays 5:45 PM on Saturday, June 5 at Riverdale Cinemas #8. Stewart is scheduled to be in attendance for the screening.
Contact
It’s a shame there aren’t more nonfiction films on the sociology and culture of the aboriginal people in Australia luckily the Contact is a compelling look at group of people that was once completely removed from modern society as we know it. The film looks at Yugali who had her first contact with “white people” and the modern world at age 17 in 1964.
Here is the summary for the film:
TWENTY-SIX years ago, Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson made First Contact, about New Guinea Western Highlanders seeing white settlers for the first time in the 1930s. It remains one of our great documentaries.
Now comes another absorbing “first contact” film much closer to home. Bentley Dean and Martin Butler’s Contact looks at some of the last Aborigines to meet the modern world – a mob of 20 desert-dwelling Martu people.
Remarkably, there is film of that 1964 meeting, taken by Native Welfare patrol officers making sure the area was cleared before the launch of a test rocket in the West Australian desert. It shows a nearly naked mob of women and children, hunter-gatherers who travelled with few possessions, and pet dingoes for company.
One of them was Yuwali, who was 17 at the time. Now a genial 62, she returned to the Percival Lakes region of the Western Desert for the film and remembers being terrified by the patrol officers’ truck. “You know those big rocks that we always play on?” she told her friends. “The rock has come alive.”
The Martu were so frightened of being killed and eaten by the white-skinned “devil men” that they headed back into the desert, only to be tracked down again before a second rocket launch later that year.
Being held by the patrol officers was a rude awakening. The Martu were tied around the ankles to stop them escaping then shipped off to Jigalong mission, 200 kilometres away, ending their nomadic lifestyle.
Three decades earlier at the same mission, three Aboriginal girls escaped to take the epic trek though the desert dramatised in Rabbit-Proof Fence.
Contact, which shared the best documentary prize at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, lets Yuwali and others – black and white – tell an emotional and historic story with a light touch.
Beautifully shot by Dean, the Race Around the World graduate who co-directed The President Versus David Hicks, it captures the collision of modern and ancient worlds. How incredible that it happened as late as 1964.
Go see the film Thursday, June 3 at 3:00 pm at Riverdale. Get your tickets here.
American: The Bill Hicks Story
If you don’t know who Bill Hicks is you’re doing yourself a disservice. Bill HIcks is one of the wittiest and sharpest comedic minds to come through America’s catalogue of comedians. Hicks was one of those coveted “comedian’s comedian.” Hicks was a visionary who was way ahead of his time even before his death in 1994 on topics like drugs, God, and society. One can only imagine what his routine would be like if here still alive today. Hicks died at home with his parents in Little Rock, Arkansas on Saturday February 26 and was buried in Leakesville, Mississippi but his legend and his act would live on. His popularity growing steadily over the years, he developed a cult following.
Fans of documentaries like the Robert Evans bio The Kid Stays in the Picture will be delighted to know that this documentary is animated, “meticulously recreated in stunning three dimensional photorealism to provide a fresh new sense of the challenges the lone comedian faces and a real sense of what his journey was like.” The story is told by 10 of his closest friends and family who tell tales of Hicks’ life. American isn’t simply a look at the controversial and hilarious standup comic but a reflection on the artist and what made the man so relevant and revolutionary.
Come see the film about “the man who tried to save the world.”
| See the film at 7:30 PM on Thursday, June 3 at Riverdale Cinema #1 and at 3:15 on Friday June 4 at the same theater location. |
Obselidia
George Samuels (Michael Piccirilli) is a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman who is determined to write The Obselidia, a compendium of obsolete things. In his quest he meets Sophie (Gaynor Howe) a silent movie theater projectionist who brings a different perspective believing nothing is obsolete if someone somewhere loves it. Down the line the two talk to a hermetic scientist who warns them that climate change will drive the world’s population down by 80% in less than 100 years.
The film is a landmark in depicting science in film winning the Alfred P. Sloan Award at Sundance 2010. Obselidia proves that you can have a incredibly charming film with a strong message that doesn’t dillute the film’s story.
Catch the trailer below and be sure to watch the film at Riverdale Cinemas #8 at 2:45 PM on Friday June 4 and 9:30 PM at the Riverdale Cinemas #1 on Saturday June 5. Director Diane Bell will be attendance along with editors John-Michael Powell and Russ Galusha who are both from Little Rock. Buy your tickets here!
Winter’s Bone: Deep Woods, Deep Story
Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone transcends being just another “southern film” with a strong sense of place and character. The story adapted from Daniel Woodrell’s captivating novel of the same name, involves the stoic Ree Dolly (played to the “T” by Jennifer Lawrence) searching in the deep woods of the Ozark Mountains along the Arkansas-Missouri border for her missing father. Ree’s meth-cooking father puts the family’s house up for bail and the Sheriff (Garret Dillahunt) warns her if he doesn’t show for court they will lose their house. So Ree left to take care of her young brother and sister sets out to track down her father with no help from her secretive and dangerous kin. The film really does well to set up the mystery and confusion around her father’s disappearance while giving you just enough information to keep wanting more. Ree’s plan is to join the army and get a signing bonus that will help raise her siblings (her mother is out of the picture, mentally at least). Ree soon learns things are more complicated than what she first thought but she is resolute.
Winter’s Bone offers an extraordinary cast anchored on Jennifer Lawrence’s quiet, but determined characterization of Ree. John Hawkes who plays Ree’s uncle Teardrop is also a driving force in giving humanity to character’s that might otherwise seem over-the-top. An Arkansas native Lauren Sweester plays Gail, Ree’s best friend, with such conviction as a simple, kind, young mother you would never know she was an avid snowboarder in real life.
The story builds slowly but the payoff is chilling, strangely surreal and emotionally resonant creating a great balance between character and plot.The film carries a lot of cultural history rendering the depth of these “country folk” characters as three-dimensional people and not stereotypes.
Even by the end of the picture the audience is left still wondering what Ree is going to do next.
Winter’s Bone screen’s Opening Night of the Little Rock Film Festival on June 2 at 7:00 PM.
Ozark Mountain Drama Winter’s Bone to Open 4th Annual Little Rock Film Festival
Winter’s Bone by director Debra Granik is set to open the 2010 film festival on Opening Night June 2. The backwoods drama set in the Ozarks along the Missouri-Arkansas border is a great example of the deep, diversity of stories that can be found in places in America some would consider “flyover states.” The compelling story is about Ree Dolly, a seventeen year old girl (Jennifer Lawrence) who must fend for her young brother and sister after her meth-addict father puts their house up for a bail bond and disappears. Ree goes looking for answers entering a world of deceit and threats from, not strangers, but her very own kin. With stellar performances from actors (Arkansas native Lauren Sweester, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Sheryl Lee, Tate Taylor) you will recognize and many you won’t, exceptional photography (Michael McDonough), and an unforgettable story (Anne Rosellini/Granik) rooted in Southern Gothic you don’t want to miss the Sundance Grand Jury Award Winner Winter’s Bone.
If you had any doubts watch the trailer below:
LRFF 2009 Official Selection Touching Home Opens in NYC
Everybody remembers the great, heartfelt movie from twins Logan and Noah Miller Touching Home with Ed Harris because not only did the film leave an impression but the filmmakers did too. The film is opening Friday May 14th at Village East Cinemas in New York and the brothers will be at the screening for the Q & As on the 7:30 PM Friday and Saturday, May 15 shows. For ticket information and directions go here: http://www.villageeastcinema.com/
Tickets on-sale now through Fandango at:
http://www.fandango.com/citycinemasvillageeast_aaecf/theaterpage?date=5%2F14%2F2010
Little Rock Film Festival to Announce Lineup Today at Clinton School/Tickets go on Sale
Today, May 11 at 5:30 p.m. Central Time Executive Director Jack Lofton will announce Little Rock Film Festival’s 2010 Schedule of Films and Panels at the Clinton School of Public Service.
If you would like to reserve a seat email publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or call (501) 683-5239.
Tickets and Passes for the Festival go on sale today. You can purchase General Festival Passes, Opening Night, and VIP Passes here.
Choose Your News-Lights, Camera, Action: LRFilmFestival
Channel 7 News’ local affiliate KATV has selected the Little Rock Film Festival as a possible story for its Choose your News segment with reporter Jessica Dean. If you want to hear more about the Little Rock Film Festival and our upcoming Lineup Announcement on May 11 at the Clinton School (5:30pm) please vote and spread the word to your friends. The link is in the middle of the homepage on www.katv.com or you can go here to view all polls and find the poll at the top.
LRFF 2009 short doc 12 Stones to screen at #LRTweetup at Heifer Village
12 Stones, a wonderful short documentary about a community of women in Nepal who overcome their hardships with the help of Heifer International is set to show April 15 at Heifer Village for a free screening. The event from 5:30-7:30 p.m. is one of many events across the country as a part of Heifer’s Pass on the Gift Month. You can find more information at LRTweetup’s site or on the Heifer Village page.
12 Stones (5 minute version) Trailer
2009 LRFF film Breaking Upwards gets mention in NY Times
The critically acclaimed “experimental romance” drama Breaking Upwards has received a full page spread in the Arts and Leisure portion of the Sunday New York Times. The film directed by Daryl Wein who also co-stars with Zoe Lister-Jones was screened at last years 2009 Little Rock Film Festival to rave reviews receiving the coveted Audience Award. The full article can be found here.
actress Zoe Lister-Jones and actor/director Daryl Wein accepting the 2009 LRFF Audience Award
Coen Brother’s “True Grit” Casting Call
MOVIE CASTING NOTICE!
PARAMOUNT PICTURES IS SEEKING:
12-16 YEAR OLD GIRLS
FOR THE LEAD IN A NEW COEN BROS FEATURE FILM
“TRUE GRIT”
SHOOTING SPRING 2010.
NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
SEEKING GIRLS FOR THE ROLE OF “MATTIE ROSS”:
14 year old Mattie is a simple, tough as nails young woman. Her steely nerves and straightforward manner are a shocking contrast to the way women behaved in the early century. She’s possessed of true grit and plenty of determination. Enough so, that she insists on going with 2 marshals to hunt down the killer of her father.
We are looking for a girl who’s tough, strong and tells it like it is.
We are open to all looks!
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19th, 2009
10:00am- 5:30pm
THE PEABODY – Little Rock
3 Statehouse Plaza
Little Rock, AR 72201
* Bring current photo to leave with us
* Only one parent/guardian should accompany you
Arkansas Digital Shorts Competition
Please check out the site http://www.ardigitalshorts.com for details and submission guidelines. You can find all the info about the contest sponsored by the Old State House Museum. It appears that the Webcast is broken into categories of Audio and Video and age groups from Student (5th-12th Grade) and Adult (College and Up). Here are some of the rules
Entering the Contest, One Step at a Time
- Identify a topic in Arkansas history, from the period of 1836 to the present, to create an audio cast or a video to enter in the podcast contest.
- Decide whether you want to make an audio cast or a short video. Check out our Multi-Media Tipsfor more information.
- Read the Contest Rules.
- Fill out the Contest Entry Form.
- Are you working with a group of people? If so, don’t forget to fill out the Talent Release Form. You must include a signed and dated Talent Release Form for everyone who is “on the air” in your project.
- Record or film your product. Mail it to us along with all of the necessary forms. All entries must be postmarked by February 26, 2010.
Remember to go to the website and read all the details before sending in your submission.
(Thanks to Amy Peck for giving me this information)
Spirit Award Noms for LRFF 2009 Films
According to the nominee list for the Independent Spirit Awards many LRFF films are on the ticket. 500 Days of Summer is up for Best Picture as well as Best Actor. Goodbye Solo’s Souleymane Sy Savane is also nominated for best acting. However, biggest news is Little Rock resident and actor extrordinaire Ray McKinnon was nominated for his riveting and nuanced turn as Lonzo Choat in Golden Rock Winning film That Evening Sun directed by Scott Teems. Ray definitely deserves this award and more. Congratulations to everyone on the list.
Little Rock Film Fest Trailer
New short trailer from the amazing 2009 festival. How many people can you spot in the trailer? Are you yourself in there?
cameras on the radio – live streaming video powered by Livestream
cameras on the radio – live streaming video powered by Livestream
Past Award Winners
The LRFF presents cash prizes, custom awards, and travel prizes for the winners of the following competitive categories:
- The Golden Rock for Best Narrative Feature Film
- The Golden Rock for Best Documentary Feature Film
- Oxford American Best Southern Film Award
- Charlie B. Pierce Award for Best Film “Made in Arkansas”
- Best Short Film
- Audience Award
- Best Music Video from the Arkansas Music Video Competition and Showcase
- LRFF Youth! Awards
LRFF 2009 Awards
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 The Golden Rock forBest Narrative Feature: That Evening Sun |
 The Golden Rock forBest Documentary Feature: The Way We Get By |
 Best Short Film:Manual Práctco del Amigo Imaginario (abreviado) |
 Charlie B. Pierce Award–Best Film “Made in Arkansas”:Slumberland |
 Best Arkansas Music Video:The Good Fear, “Dear Daniel” |
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2009 Golden Rock Award Winners with LRFF Founders and Executive Director
Audience Award:
2008 Award Winners |
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Best Narrative Feature Film Award was presented to The Promotion, a sidesplitting comedy directed by Steven Conrad. John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott play two mid-level Chicago supermarket employees who go head-to-head in a battle of wits for a coveted promotion. The film will be distributed by the Weinstein Company. |
Best Documentary Feature Film Award was presented to Behind Forgotten Eyes, directed by Anthony Gilmore. The film documents the lives of Korean women kidnapped by Japanese soldiers during WWII and forced into sexual slavery. |
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Best Short Film Award was presented to The Adventure, directed by Mike Brune. When a retired couple’s quiet picnic in the park is violated by a silent intruder whose story exposes the troubling mysteries of existence. |
The Charles B. Pierce Filming Arkansas Award was presented to War Eagle, Arkansas directed by Robert Milazzo, produced by Vincent Insalaco, and written by Graham Gordy. A touching film about friendship and baseball, based on a true story and filmed in in the Ozark Mountains, this film sold out four screenings over the weekend. |
| Best Music Video Award was presented to Kevin Stanbury and Bryan Stafford, collectively known as Deluxe36, for the video “Like Zombies” by the band The Moving Front. | A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Charles B. Pierce, pioneering independent filmmaker from South Arkansas. Mr. Pierce has produced and directed over 12 feature films including the cult classics The Legend of Boggy Creek, and The Town that Dreaded Sundown. |
2007 Award Winners |
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 Best Feature Film:Offside |
 Best Short Film: Ein, Zwei Dinge |
 Best Documentary Film:Little Birds |
 Best of Arkansas: Where’s My Closeup, Mr. Thornton? |
MONSTER
Quick note. Monster Quest on the History Channel was all about the Legend of Boggy Creek last night.
