Maybe you could call it a “soft opening”—the mood at yesterday evening’s Arkansas Filmmaker Reception certainly hinted at giddiness about this year’s Little Rock Film Festival. Held in the Deltic Timber Atrium of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, a great turnout of Arkansas-based filmmakers whose features, documentaries, and shorts were accepted in this year’s festival could barely conceal their excitement. When festival co-founder and programmer Craig Renaud introduced all of the Arkansas films, there was some trouble suppressing applause for the numerous local entries. He also noted that the sheer number of Arkansas entires was significant, considering there were a total of 1000 submissions for the 2012 fest, and to be able to include that many standout local films was a thrill.

After snacking on pizza and refreshments, filmmakers had the opportunity to take the mic and introduce themselves and their projects, but most of their responses smacked with the humble gratitude of acceptance speeches—almost everyone took time to thank the organization and express enthusiasm for even being a part of the event. Of course, a few of the filmmakers, like Gerardo Bruno and producers Tim Jackson and Mike Brabender, have been involved with the festival with various projects practically since its inception, but still acknowledge the importance of the LRFF’s very existence. But there were several up-and-coming Arkansas filmmakers, like UCA student Kim Risi, and young Sara Jones, whose enthusiasm about their projects gave the festival an air of exuberance. The reception was a great opportunity for established local filmmakers to mingle with these fresh young ones, and while this was just a social occasion (and no films were shown), it marked the very beginning of that convivial LRFF atmosphere. More to come!

–Natalie Elliott

Europa 3-D. The First 3-D Narrative Film Made in Arkansas

The Little Rock Film Festival will announce its Made in Arkansas film lineup Tuesday, May 15^th at 4:30 p.m. at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. The announcement will be in conjunction with an Arkansas Filmmaker Reception also hosted at the Chamber and including hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. The event is open to the public. LRFF founder and Executive Director, Craig Renaud, will discuss the full 2012 lineup and be available for interviews along with Arkansas filmmakers and LRFF staff.

“Each year since the festival started, we have seen a major growth in the film industry in Arkansas,” Renaud said. “The quality of this year’s Made in Arkansas program is indicative of that trend.”

Festival passes will be available for purchase at the event as well. Three levels of passes are available. Gold passes, which sell for $250, offer priority seating at all screenings, panels and parties including the opening night film screening, the Arkansas Times closing night gala and awards ceremony at the Clinton Presidential Library, filmmaker lounge access, and entrance to exclusive Gold Pass after-parties. Silver passes, which sell for $100, offer entry into films, panels and selected after-parties. Bronze passes, which sell for $40, offer entry into all films and panels except the opening night film.

Passes are available for purchase at http://www.littlerockfilmfestival.org/box-office.

Arkansas Features:

The Gleaning, Directed by Brian White & Christopher S. Thompson

A dying community in rural Arkansas is wracked by two bizarre and mysterious deaths shortly after a new family moves into town. Led by the local preacher, the inhabitants of Halcyon are set against the newcomers as suspicions grow. Deeply-held prejudices and a clash of cultures flare as long-buried secrets are brought into the light.

Arkansas Documentaries:

Conlon Nancarrow: Virtuoso of the Player Piano, Directed by James Greeson

Although virtually unknown in the U.S., Arkansas native Conlon Nancarrow is considered ‘one of the greatest composers of the 20th century’ in Europe. This film explores the MacArthur Genius’ journey through the Spanish Civil War to Mexico where he spent the rest of his life crafting highly sophisticated and viscerally exciting works.

Running the Distance, Directed by Jonathan Davian Engle

Follow Jake Sanders, a distance runner from Heber Springs, Arkansas, on the path to his last race of his high school career and catch up with where he stands now.

Go the Distance, Helping End Homelessness, Directed by Keith Clements

Over 3.5 million people experience homelessness in America each year. ‘Go The Distance’ goes into the heart of the story by way of an organization known as Family Called Us and follows their efforts to help end homelessness in America.

Arkansas Shorts:

The Birthday Present, Directed by Michael Hemschoot and Sean Bridgers

For her ninth birthday Joey’s parents think they’ve gotten her ‘what every little girl wants.’ But Joey’s real birthday wish is about to come true in an unexpected way.

The Bloodstone Diaries, Thief Of All Things, Directed by Gerardo Bruno

When her husband Sam Bishop learns of an ancient stone rumored to have supernatural powers, Bettie, Sam, and the guardian of the stone, Anthony Pace are sucked into a centuries old chase for the fabled Bloodstone. Running for their lives from those who would stop at nothing to gain its power, Bettie, Sam and Anthony Pace must answer the question, if you could save the world but die trying, would you do it?

Cain and Abel, Directed by Mark Thiedeman

Cain, a young man convinced that God has abandoned him, becomes increasingly maddened by his jealousy toward his deeply religious younger brother. CAIN AND ABEL updates the Biblical story of the first murder to the present-day world of a small, churchgoing Southern town, considering the cruel implications of the Old Testament that still linger in contemporary Christianity.

The Children of the Mother Beaver, Directed by Burcham Erwin

Made in the style of budget foreign films from the 70s and 80s, The Children of the Mother Beaver follows a pair of siblings through the wilderness of 19th century Arkansas as they hunt for their father’s killer.

Chutes and Gates, Directed by Michael Gunter

A young boy’s Grandfather teaches him the ins and outs of farming.

Cold Tracker, Directed by Leon Tidwell

Jake returns home to rural Arkansas from what would become known as The American Civil War only to find his wife has been murdered less than a day before his return. The local Sheriff may know the people responsible but his indifference spurs Jake takes matters into his own hands.

Europa (in 3D), Directed by Bruce Hutchinson

An astronaut’s discovery of intelligent alien life on Jupiter’s moon Europa reminds him of a tragic past while giving him hope for the future. Meanwhile, the government must decide what to do about his profound discovery.

Fowl, Directed by Jesse Burks

The intersection of three young boys on the run and a deviant couple who occupies a run-down mobile home where the boys seek shelter proves to be most costly when the effort of one the boys to save a chicken from the couples coop doesn’t go unnoticed.

Good Guys Vs Bad Guys, Directed by Jesse Daniel

A group of neighborhood boys play war in their yard. Their imagination grows them up to fight in a future civil war as guerrilla soldiers who are hell bent on completing their mission.

Greed, Directed by Trenton Myantt

A wealthy man named Jimmy is on the run from a malicious Marshal who intends to see him dead. Due to Jimmy’s title sake sin, he quickly learns there is far more to this Marshal than fire and brimstone.

John Wayne’s Bed, Directed by Sarah Jones

John Wayne’s bed was inspired by the true story of an Arkansas outdoorsman suffering from Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This touching portrait shows how Allen’s love for life enabled him to continue to live on his own terms and not be defined by his illness.

The Man in the Moon, Directed by Kim Risi

When a new prison program lands a convict in a room with an Earth-view, he sets out to explore his new home on the Moon. A newfound friendship shakes things up in an already rocky existence.

The Proposal, Directed by Joe Dull

Daniel’s never had a lot of luck with women, so when he asks one-year-old Emma for permission to marry her mommy, he needs it to go well. It doesn’t.

Ruthless, Directed by Robert Kirkpatrick

In this short film, a hard-boiled, unrepentant criminal seeks revenge against the lowlife bookie who sent him to prison. He only has to get past the hired henchmen and the sword-wielding femme fatale, but there’s no problem that a metal pipe to the head can’t easily solve. ‘Ruthless’ is a quick and dirty homage to 70′s low-budget, exploitation revenge movies.

Shattered, Directed by Edmund Prince

Broken plates, chopped vegetables, and tense dinner conversation are only the beginning. This Lynchian look at a post-tragedy marriage is set in the kitchen, but the real mystery lies in the laundry room.

Still Life, Directed by Allison Hogue

After his landlord shows up on his doorstep and threatens to evict him from the only thing he has left — his home — a young, unemployed widower moves through one seemingly average day in the Arkansas Delta, meeting friends and strangers along the way that inspire him to take his next step in life.

Tree, Directed by Christy Ward

A slice-of-life film, ‘tree’ follows the easily distracted writer and single mother, May, as she struggles to find inspiration for a short story with a looming deadline. A funny, hip look at the Gen X creative class as they slip into middle age.

Academy Award winner Melissa Leo in The Sea is All I Know

The Little Rock Film Festival has announced the World Shorts section for this year’s festival. Twenty-four films from all over the world which showcase various genres and cultures representing some of the best filmmaking in the world will be shown from Thursday May 31 through Sunday June 3rd during this year’s festival! The Little Rock Film Festival is May 29 through June 3rd.

Abigale dir. Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
A short film based off a conversation overheard being yelled at a social worker, while one of the directors sat in the welfare office waiting his turn.

Animeditation dir. Jonathon Rosen
A short, hand-drawn visualization of the mental process of meditation. Wacky and amusing, yet at times enveloping and intense, the animation illustrates a surge of thought-images, and their inevitable retreat back to a pure and simple circle, a buzzing mantra. The swelling sound effects recorded on cassette and created only by a voice interact with the ever-morphing imagery in a way that guides the viewer through a bizarre experience; it is like watching an extracted slice of the mind displayed onscreen.

The Assignment dir. Scott Brignac
Brian Crane is a boring kid who is failing his literature class, but due to an eccentric teacher he is pushed to overcome his awkwardness and live a better story.

Beneath the White City Lights dir. Christopher Kai Olsen
This documentary follows the creation and development of the critically acclaimed 2011 story ballet “THE WHITE CITY: THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION” which brings the infamous Chicago World’s Fair OF 1893 to life through dance, in a story filled with passion, ingenuity, intrigue, and murder.  Its cast of historic characters includes famed architect John Root, ill-fated Chicago                mayor Carter Harrison, Sr. and America’s first serial killer Dr. H.H. Holmes, who preyed upon young women amidst the chaos of the Fair.  An insider’s view of the creative process, featuring intimate rehearsal footage, breathtaking performance video and candid interviews with renowned co-creators Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos, as well as the many talented dancers who helped bring this story to life.

Bunker 731 dir. Jacob Scarpaci
Trapped in a bomb shelter, a married couple struggle with their only remaining option for survival.

Busted Walk dir. Steven Tanenbaum
Busted Walk follows a father and his teenage son as they walk to work on a winter morning in 1974. It is based on the writer/directors experience growing up with ankylosing spondalitis, a severe form of arthritis and what happened before his father revealed he had only months to live.

The Carnival is on Fire dir. H.R. McDonald
A girl ponders her loss of innocence while she is stalked by a lusting boy.

Chin Up dir. Michelle Walson
Days before Wendy Bloom will undergo corrective jaw surgery, her surgeon suggests an additional, purely cosmetic procedure to enhance her chin, throwing Wendy into an existential crisis about her appearance and lackluster love life.

Contra el Mar (Against the Sea) dir. Richard Parkin
Set in the coastal town of Baja Mexico, CONTRA EL MAR (Against the Sea) is a portrait of a young marriage struggling to find common ground amid hardship and uncertainty.

Crossing dir. Gina Atwater
In 1960s Georgia, a black teenager defies the rules of segregation and his conservative father when he walks through the front door of his white employer’s home.

The Darkness is Close Behind dir. Sheena McCann
A teenage boy anxiously watches over his meth cook father and his little brother – but his vigilance is wearing thin.

Die Beobachtung (The Observation) dir. Roman Gonther
On as normal a day as any other, K wakes up to be surprised by two formal-looking strangers who calmly explain that they have been assigned to observe him. They don’t know anything about the reasons or who sent them. All they know is that they have to observe K day in and day out. He comes to realize that it is no use complaining and shouting, the two strangers won’t leave…

The God Phone dir. D. C. Marcial
A down-and-out infomercial pitchman accidentally discovers the Ultimate As-Seen-on-TV device.

Golden Ears dir. Jonathon Rosen
A peaceful Mountaineer with mountains for ears is visited by an absurd and foreboding cast of characters: the Electioneer, the Engineer, the Musketeer, and the Auctioneer.

Happy Voodoo dir. Jenny Goddard
Happy Voodoo follows Damien as he attempts to use voodoo dolls to alter the lives of his three best friends.

Homecoming dir. Gursimran Sandhu
When Nina Patel is nominated to represent her eighth grade class at Homecoming, she’s thrilled.  But while trying to convince her traditional Indian parents to let her go to the dance, she discovers her father in a compromising position.

HWY dir. Michael Evanet
Julian Easton is lonely, twenty-seven and struggling with life as a musician. In search of a place to restart his life he drives to Portland from LA. He soon gets more than he bargained for when he gives a ride to a mysterious woman abandoned on the highway.

Idle Hour dir. Josh Harrell
Home to “Real stars, ex-stars, has-beens, wannabes, never-wases, never-will-bes, and hangers-on,” Bobby’s Idle Hour is the last bar on Nashville famed Music Row — the center of the music industry. The small, dive bar represents a dying breed of American songwriters.

Infinity dir. Randy Crowder
Elizabeth enjoys the perfect life.  But bad things happen to good people as this perfect life unravels in the blink of the eye from the unthinkable to the unimaginable.  What if, the eyes truly are the windows to the soul?

Lost Night dir. Jason Affolder
The story of an insurance salesman and a young florist struggling to cope in the aftermath of a violent robbery. But this seemingly straightforward crime evolves into a more complicated scenario that questions the nature of justice in a world that is far from black-and-white…A fractured narrative touching upon themes of trust, racism, and guilt, LOST NIGHT provides a glimpse at the dark side of life in contemporary New Orleans.

Man in Fear dir. William Jewell
A bloodied man walks into a police station wanting to be locked up. He tells the Policeman artists are trying to kill him. “By accident.”

Mr. Christmas dir. Nick Palmer
Every Christmas, Bruce Mertz lights up the neighborhood with the 50,000 lights covering his house. For decades he’s obsessively added to his display, creating beautiful, towering fixtures that people travel across the country to see.  In this offbeat, touching portrait, we learn what drives him, and discover how a kid who grew up on a farm with no electricity became Mr. Christmas.

The Sea is All I Know dir. Jordan Bayne
When estranged couple, Sara [Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo] and Sonny [Peter Gerety], come to the aid of their dying daughter, the experience sends them spiraling into spiritual crisis and brutal heartbreak. In the end, an act of selfless love, renews their lives, transcends their loss of faith, even death itself. —-it is a testament to the strength and resilience of the soul.

This is Our House dir. Ramtin Nikzad
A renowned Iraqi painter, displaced by war, longs for his past while observing his young daughter grow up with only a fading memory of her birthplace.

The beautifully shot, Civil War Era, zombie film Exit Humanity won the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s fest and is a must see for everyone.  I’m very proud to say that next year we will be doing another Little Rock Horror Picture Show and it will be bigger and better than this year (also scarier)! We’ll bring in more filmmakers, more movies and more genres and have a few parties as well! Can’t wait to see you there!

More directly related to film I was asked to moderate a discussion with author Jason Zinoman, a critic and reporter who writes for the New York Times, regarding his book Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, ConqueredHollywood, and Invented Modern Horror. It is an excellent book that details the likes of famous horror directors like Wes Craven, John Carpenter, and Roman Polanski. His tales of the dark side of the New Hollywood coin of the 1970s is fascinating and really puts in perspective the early makings of the genre came to be. Zinoman has mentioned to me that he will have some short film clips from back in the day of a certain screenwriter of a certain sci-fi horror movie I consider to be one of the greatest films of all time.
Video: Jason Zinoman reads an excerpt from his book Shock Value.

Please come to the Arkansas Literary Festival and come to our discussion of Jason Zinoman’s book on Saturday, April 14, 10:00 a.m. on the 1st floor of the Main Library downtown. Check out the schedule here for other panels, workshops, and presenters you might be interested in like Arkansas native Jenny Wingfield who wrote the script to the Reese Witherspoon film The Man In The Moon and for all you visual artists, I’d also recommend the Graphic Novels & Comics panel too.

General Press Inquiries Contact: Mallory Nickels, (479) 880-6936 Mallory@Littlerockfilmfestivial.org

Argenta Film Series to Screen Award Winning Documentary from Arkansas Native

Little Rock, AR- The Little Rock Film Festival and Argenta Arts Foundation are presenting a screening of the documentary feature film, Just Like Us, April 26^th at 7p.m.  at the Argenta Community Theater as part of the Argenta Film Series. Arkansas native and film producer, Taylor Feltner, will be in attendance and will be available for question and answer after the screening.

The documentary features Egyptian-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed along with a host of critically acclaimed international stand-up comedians. It documents their attempts to correct cultural misconceptions about Middle Eastern cultures through contemporary stand-up comedy. Variety Magazine described the film as “funny [and] thoughtful,” and The Hollywood Reporter said it was “fast, funny and light on its feet.”

Feltner, and Arkansas native, holds a B.F.A. from the Florida State University College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts. He began his work in Los Angeles for the documentary film company Allentown Productions under Emmy- and Oscar-winning filmmaker James Moll.

The film showed at 26 national and international film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival.  It won Best Documentary Feature at Tallahassee Film Festival and Tallgrass International Film Festival and won the Audience Award at North Country Film Festival and Tallgrass International Film Festival.

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It was after Tim Hetherington died that, Sebastian Junger his co-director on the LRFF Golden Rock winning documentary Restrepo, got the idea to help train journalists in the the kind of emergency medical treatment that can help save lives in those crucial first minutes after an injury takes place. Junger has said that he believes had the people around Tim at the time of the attack had known some basic combat medical procedures, that Tim might not have died. The workshops will all be free of charge as Junger explained to the Huffington Post “Most of the risks are being run by freelancers, People really in the meat grinder of the front lines are not, for the most part, insured or salaried network correspondents.”

The workshops called Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues (RISC) will take place in New York, London, and Beirut. The training will be a valuable service to working journalists and a great tribute to Tim Hetherington. We are honored to be invited into the first session in NYC.

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