It’s hard to keep track of the days while festival events have my schedule spinning. The films and panels discussions have me hopping all day and the parties…well the parties are just too much fun. The problem is that I want to see all the films, meet all the makers, attend all the events and it is definitely impossible. All I can do, I guess, is to keep trying to squeeze absolutely as much into these five days as humanly possible. As you can imagine, it is hard to even make the time to write about these experiences in an even semi-timely fashion. I will attempt now to re cap my experiences briefly as I have another movie to watch here shortly (of course).

I will start with yesterday. In the morning I headed across the river to Cornerstone Pub for some World Shorts: The Beginning, The Middle, The End. I enjoy the shorts, especially from around the world. The little bits of culture and the perspectives from foreign lands with all of these powerful messages. As I go about my day, these messages flash in my mind periodically and without warning. Definitely impacting, if not haunting. Mostly Sahasi Chori, Un Mundo Para Raul and Divine Rite. Later in the evening I saw Hide Your Smiling Faces across the street from home base (that’s what I’m calling The Rep because it is the location of the “Filmmakers Lounge” and the place to refuel.) I am so glad I saw this film and was able to speak to director Daniel Patrick Carbone afterword. This film was heavily influenced by personal experiences he had in his youth, particularly his first exposure to death and extreme loss. I have two boys myself and was very much moved by watching the story unfold. In particular, the scene with a bear and the oldest boy in the story line was not only impressive because, well, bears are scary I would imagine, especially in such an intimate situation. Carbone told me a handler was involved, as so that is good. I had imagined it was some sort of camera trick – my photojournalism teacher in college warned us of getting in close proximity of bears. The story was touching and emotional and I enjoyed it very much. A’int in it for my Health’ – the Levon Helm documentary was a full house and it was amazing to a packed theater all eagerly waiting to get a glimpse into the life of Levon Helm. The director Jacob Hatley was in attendance.

The after party was at White Water Tavern. The rest of the evening, other than knowing I was overwhelmed by creative genius in an alcohol-induced environment was a very happy end to a most entertaining day.

Along with an amazing line-up of films, music and parties at the 7th Annual Little Rock Film Festival this year, the LRFF in association with FOOD XING has a mouth watering line-up of Little Rock’s finest mobile eateries (a.k.a. FOOD TRUCKS!) open and available from during the festival weekend Friday  through Sunday -10:30 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Take your pick from a variety of options as you stroll down downtown Little Rock this year, while waiting on your next screening/event or are simply just hungry and want a taste of Little Rock’s finest. Eat you heart away!

Fridays- May 17 at Capitol and Main on the plaza. Open from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.

1. Prawn Stars- fresh gulf shrimp and crawfish, corn, potatoes and craw daddy sandwich

2. KBird- garden rolls with peanut sauce, papaya salad, pad Thai (chicken/tofu), fried rice (pork/chicken/tofu), vegetable red curry with fried egg, red curry beef, green curry salmon, fresh mango and coconut sticky rice

3. Big Daddy’s Dogs- grilled hot dogs and sausages with fresh sautéed peppers, onions and mushrooms available along with other fixing’s, brownies

4. The Food Commander-catfish straws, boneless chicken wings, slaw burgers and dogs, crawfish etouffee, fried noodles, homemade fried pies

5. Lobolly Creamery- hand crafted, small batch ice cream and frozen novelties

Kirk Anderton will be playing live music. SYNC will have a display set up with games and will be giving out prizes.

Friday night , May 17 at 6th and Main at the BEST Day Parking lot (across from The Rep). Open from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m.

1. Bryant’s BBQ- fresh cut fries, smoked pork and beef, jerk chicken and Cajun beans and rice, hand squeezed lemonade

2. Prawn Stars- fresh gulf shrimp and crawfish

3. Mexicana Alicia’s - tacos, tostadas, fajitas, burritos and quesadillas

Saturday, May 18 at 6th and Main at the BEST Day Parking lot (across from The Rep). Open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

1. The Food Commander- catfish straws, boneless chicken wings, slaw burgers and dogs, crawfish etouffee, fried noodles, homemade fried pies

2. The Southern Gourmasian- shrimp and grits, steamed buns

3. Haygood’s BBQ- pulled pork and chopped beef sandwiches, BBQ ribs, baked beans, potato salad, turkey legs

4. KBird- garden rolls with peanut sauce, papaya salad, pad Thai (chicken/tofu), fried rice (pork/chicken/tofu), vegetable red curry with fried egg, red curry beef, green curry salmon, fresh mango & coconut sticky rice

5. Red River Catering- BBQ Nachos, catfish basket, BBQ sandwich, fried pies

6. Mexicana Alicia’s- tacos, tostadas, fajitas, burritos and quesadillas

7. Kona Ice- savor your OWN flavor! Make your own shave ice flavor.

8. LePops- gourmet popsicles

Some of the vendors will stay from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m

Sunday, May 19 at 6th and Main at the BEST Day Parking lot (across from The Rep). Open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

1. Blackhound BBQ- pit smoked meats and sides, turkey legs, lemonade, sausage sandwiches

2. Bryant’s BBQ- fresh cut fries, smoked pork and beef, jerk chicken and Cajun beans and rice, hand squeezed lemonade

3. Trott’s Place- burgers, gizzards, wings and fries

4. Roxie’s Hot Dogs- hot dogs, nacho’s and Frito pies

Some of the vendors will stay from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.

AMPI Producers Forum – Moderated by Arkansas Motion Picture Institute Director and Film Producer Courtney Pledger, 120 min

Courtney Pledger hosts a panel discussion with noted producers. Producers Brad Simpson (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Boys Don’t Cry, upcoming World War Z and Electric Slide) and Jocelyn Hayes (Lola Versus, The East) reveal lessons learned from nearly two decades of developing and producing films. From their start at New York-based Killer Films with indie producing legend Christine Vachon to working in the Hollywood Studio System, Simpson and Hayes, who also happen to be husband and wife, bring insider insights to the producing process that range from dealing with the change from movie business to media business, working as an independent vs.harnessing the power of a major studio, adapting best-selling books to the screen, staying in love with movies….to figuring out how to stay married when making a movie together.

Cinematic NonFiction: The New Documentary – Moderated by award winning filmmaker and writer Robert Greene, 60 min

Panelists include Rick Rowley (Dirty Wars) Bill Ross (Tchoupitoulas) Lauren Wissot (Filmmaker Magazine) Philip Martin (Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

In the past decade we have experienced a renaissance in nonfiction filmmaking. With access to cheap cameras and a collective education in cinematic storytelling, documentary filmmakers are pushing the boundaries and creating some of the most exciting films out there. Meanwhile, most established film critics seem to have completely missed the boat, writing about documentaries in terms of “subject” or “issue,” instead of basing their criticism around an advanced discussion of documentary form, including the collapsing walls between fiction and nonfiction. Jumping off from his essay in Hammer to Nail (http://www.hammertonail.com/editorial/cinematic-nonfiction-2012-robert-greene/), filmmaker/writer Robert Greene will lead a discussion with a a panel of filmmakers and critics about the state of documentary storytelling today and the role critics are playing for better or worse. Panelists include Rick Rowley (Dirty Wars) Bill Ross (Tchoupitoulas) Lauren Wissot (Filmmaker Magazine) Philip Martin (Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

Distributor Spotlight: Oscilloscope Laboratories – 60 min

Panelists include: Joshua Fu, Director of Marketing Oscilloscope Laboratoties, Lotfy Nathan – dir 12)’Clock Boys, These Brids Walk – Omar Mullick, After Tiller – Martha Shane and Lana Wilson

Founded by former Beastie Boy, the late Adam Yauch, Oscilloscope Laboratories is one of the most exciting and innovative players in independent film distributor. Joshua Fu, head of Marketing at Oscilloscope will discuss his company’s mission and direction and sit down with directors of some of Ocilloscope’s newest acquisitions including LRFF2013 Official Selections 12’0 Clock Boys, These Birds Walk, and After Tiller.

The Making of Beasts of the Southern Wild – Featuring Filmmaker Bill Ross and Moderated by award winning filmmaker/writer Robert Greene, 90 min

Bill Ross a New Orleans filmmaker behind LRFF2012 Official Selection Tchoupitoulas–will present two behind the scenes films he made on the making of the Oscar nominated film and LRFF2012 Golden Rock Winner Beasts of the Southern Wild. The first short covers pre-production for the film shot entirely in the Louisiana Bayou with many first time actors. The second short focuses on the first day of production. This special screening and talk will be moderated by award winning filmmaker/writer Robert Greene.

Don Jon, dir. Joseph Gordon Levitt, Color, 89min

The Little Rock Film Festival will close it’s 7th Annual event with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut — ‘Don Jon‘, a comic film about a guy who is addicted to online pornography and works to find intimacy with his potential true love. The film screens May 19th, 9pm at The Rep.

Principal Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza

Written by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the film revolves around Don Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy whose buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to “pull” a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn’t compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) is a bright, beautiful, good old fashioned girl. Raised on romantic Hollywood movies, she’s determined to find her Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset. Wrestling with good old fashioned expectations of the opposite sex, Jon and Barbara struggle against a media culture full of false fantasies to try and find true intimacy in this unexpected comedy.

1. How do you guys know each other?  Was this the first project that you all had done in Pakistan?

B: Omar and I met through a very close mutual friend of ours, Musa Syeed. After getting an early glimpse of a photo gallery he was putting together, I sent him a long-winded email about this film project I’ve been trying to get off the ground about Abdul Sattar Edhi, the elusive humanitarian that kickstarts the film.

O: The only thing I would add is that Bassam and I had not been friends for very long, but after a few chats about aesthetic interests and risk, it was clear we would attack the film with a shared sensibility.

2. What is the  Edhi Foundation? Are they making a difference in Pakistan, in your opinion?

B: The Edhi Foundation started off as a rogue ambulance service by Abdul Sattar Edhi in the 1950′s. It’s now the largest and most important social and health service provider for the majority of folks in Pakistan.

Before we left to Pakistan, I was watching a livefeed of a bombing in Karachi from the comfort of my office in NYC. It was a frantic scene. Everyone was running away from the blast, including the police. The only people that were running towards the smoke were Edhi’s ambulances. I don’t know what Pakistan would look like without his services.

3. Can you talk about the film’s style? These Birds Walk has a frenetic pace. Was this a conscious decision? If so, why?

O: There was a conscious choice certainly to capture the physical energy and rhythm of Omar, the central character, and his friends. So much of his character feeds off a kind of coiled tension that then explodes into these confrontations or great flights, either within the runaway home or outside it. We were also committed to making as immersive and experience as possible to sidestep standard approaches to people that reduces them to socio-political slogans. Movement, sound, intimate conversation – all these points of emphasis are the avenues in we pursued to the narrative.

B: There is a level of angst and frustration that plagues the runaway home. Everyone is waiting. The ambulance drivers are waiting to get dispatched. The kids are waiting to get home. The energy is constantly bottlenecked.

4. Omar has a photography background. This was your first time shooting a feature documentary. How did your photography background inform the visual style of the film and the equipment you used?

O: I used the Canon 5DmkII with essentially two lenses with rare exception: the 24mm – 105mm as my go to glass and a prime lens at night. I almost always went for a 50mm prime when shooting the children talking. I read something, I think by filmmaker Stan Brakhage, where he talked about the eye’s focal length being close to a 50mm lens, so I thought that would push the verite to further intimacy if also kept at or around eye level. You can see that visual choice at key elements in the film. Beyond that, I actually do not believe that a photography  background necessarily makes for good cinematography at all. Good cinematography for me is probably more informed by other disciplines like dance and architecture. It is almost an entirely different muscle and way of thinking. That said, if I concede the point a little, I would have to admit that some thing in the color palette of photographers like Mike Brodie, who shot hobo kids riding rails, and Todd Hido’s book A Road Divided were swimming around my head as we went in to this film.

5. It seems as though this film tries to steer clear from social commentary. What made you all make that decision?

B: Early in the edit, we tried a version of the film that opened with statistics of runaways in Pakistan. We had unintentionally oversimplified the role of all the people in our film. Every frame afterwards would have to warrant this “thesis”. I almost vomited when I saw the title card. The people on the screen have shared their lives with us, they told us things they wouldn’t tell their families, they talk about their depression, they weep, they talk of redemption, forgiveness from God. They have trusted us with their lives. And we would sidestep it all for this idea of “relevance” or “social context”. I never understood that because I believe every scene in our film gives you social context. The claustrophobia in the runaway home, the praying, the ambulance driver trying on tight jeans. This is all context, texture. If we can show complexity to a region that is continuously marginalized, than I feel, maybe, we are doing something interesting, worthy of being shared.

6. How long did you all stay in Pakistan to film? How were you able to gain access to your subjects?

B: On and off, three years. We were able to gain access by perfecting our broken Urdu and drinking tea without crashing.

7. Do you all have any future collaborations in the works?

B: I am scribbling some ideas that Omar will have to polish. We will then film them immediately. Maybe we’ll get funding, but if we are as bold and ambitious as we hope, we won’t.

Destin Daniel Cretton is on a roll after winning both the Grand Prize and Audience awards at SXSW with his film Short Term 12 this Spring.  Short Term 12 will open the 2013 Little Rock Film Festival on May 15. This is Cretton’s second time at the LRFF his film I am not a Hipster was a 2012 Official Selection.  Short Term 12 was recently picked up for distribution by Cinedigm. 

1. Can you Describe Short term 12? What is the meaning of the title?

Short Term 12 is the name of the residential foster-care facility that much of the film takes place in. The story follows Grace, the group home’s supervisor, as she counsels the teens in her care while learning to deal with the deeply rooted issues in her own life. But at its core, this is a story about the incredible human ability to love when it’s not easy, to laugh in the midst of tragedy, and to create family wherever we are

2. Tell us about the origins of Short Term 12? It was initially a 20 minute film?  

Before I went to film school, I worked at a foster-care facility for teenagers. In 2008, I wrote and directed a short, 20-minute film, based on my experiences working at that group home. That short film (also titled Short Term 12) won the Jury Prize at Sundance in 2009, which encouraged me to write a feature screenplay in the same world. I finished that script in 2010 and it ended up winning an Academy Nicholl Fellowship that year, which allowed me to write another screenplay, “I Am Not A Hipster,” which we made in late 2011, premiered at Sundance and Little Rock FF in 2012, and that helped us get funding to make Short Term 12 the feature, which we shot last year, premiered at SXSW, and are now SO excited to be back at Little Rock to share it with everyone.

3. Talk about casting the film? Everyone is amazing but particularly Keith Stanfield seems like a discovery?

All the actors in this film really poured every ounce of themselves onto the screen. It’s kind of ridiculous how talented they all are. But yes, Keith is the real deal. He was actually in the short film as well (check it out on iTunes). And when we were casting for the feature, 5 years later, I couldn’t find him anywhere. No agents or managers, no phone numbers were working, all his emails seemed to be out-of-date. We were auditioning a bunch of kids for the role, and nothing was really clicking, and I was starting to panic a bit. And then after a few weeks, I checked my email and he had written me back. The next day he drove down from Victorville, auditioned in my living room, blew us all away, and I couldn’t be more excited for everyone to see his subtle, powerful performance in this film.

4. Is there a story behind the funding of the film?  

The film was financed by the wonderful, fearless team at Animal Kingdom.  We also received a very generous post-production grant from the San Francisco Film Society, whose support has been unbelievable since the very beginning.

5. What was it like winning at SXSW I think a grand prize and an audience award?

The entire experience at SXSW was really special for everyone involved in the movie. More so than winning those awards, we were all moved by seeing how audiences reacted to the film, and touched by the conversations we had with people afterwards. Being there celebrating the hard work of so many wonderful friends and family, it was pure joy.

6. The Film was acquired by Cinedigm? What is the rollout plan for the film?

Yes, I can’t describe how happy I am to have Cinedigm behind this film. They’re such a genuine, passionate team over there and we’re all excited and eager to let everyone see the film in theaters, which we’re planning to do in late-summer.

7. This is your 2^nd time at the LRFF. What do you feel about returning to Little Rock Film Festival this year with an Opening Night film?

Last year, I got to see some of my favorite films of the festival circuit, made genuine friendships that I know will last until I die, went to a party on a riverboat, and came home with a talking Bill Clinton doll. So yeah, to say I’m excited for this year doesn’t even come close.

This year the LRFF2013 will bring child actors Zachary Gordon, who plays Greg Heffley, and Robert Capron , who plays Rowley Jefferson, in Diary of Wimpy Kid-Rodrick Rules to Little Rock along with producer Brad Simpson. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules will screen at the Arkansas Repertory Theater May 18th at 10am.

Geff the kid who made “wimpy” cool and Rowley along with producer Brad Simpson will host a Q&A post the screening and will also present behind the scenes photos and stories. A great opportunity for kids to know more about their favorite characters. Individual tickets to this special screening can be purchased here.

And if that brush with the stars for your kids isn’t enough, then head to the Little Rock Zoo following the screening where the LR Zoo will host an autograph and meet and greet the stars at 2pm. The zoo admission is $10 for adults and $8 for children (1-12 years old).

Diary of a Wimpy Kid-Rodrick Rules is a family comedy based on the best-selling follow-up novel by Jeff Kinney. (Kinney’s Wimpy Kid” series has thus far sold 42 million books.) As he begins seventh grade, Greg and his older brother – and chief tormentor – Rodrick must deal with their parents’ misguided attempts to have them bond.

LRFF2013 Gold Pass holders do not need to buy tickets to either event. Buy passes to the LRFF2013 HERE.

The Little Rock Film Festival 2013 will be held May 15th-19th.  Feel free to email us at info@littlerockfilmfestival.org in case you may have any questions for us.

The Narrative Feature film lineup this year brings to Little Rock an impressive list of award winning filmmakers including David Riker, Justin Schwarz, Sean Gallagher, Destin Daniel Cretton, Brad Simpson and Adam Rifkin among others and a cast lineup that includes noted actors Griffin Dunne, Abbie Cornish, Brie Larson, Stuart Margolin and stars from the hit HBO TV Series “Girls” - Christopher Abbott and Alex Karpovsky. LRFF2012 alumni Destin Daniel Cretton returns to open LRFF2013 with his film Short Term 12.

“The narrative competition will bring to Little Rock some of the best talent working in independent film today, and Little Rock audiences will have the unique and special opportunity to interact with them face to face” – Craig Renaud, LRFF co-founder and Executive Director

Each of the following films will compete for the LRFF2013 Golden Rock Narrative for Best Feature title. Some will be eligible for the Oxford American Best Southern Film Award and the Heifer International Humanitarian Award

Burma, directed by Carlos Puga (82min)

Cast: Christopher Abbott, Gaby Hoffmann, Christopher McCann, Dan Bittner, Emily Fleischer, Jacinta Puga, Matt McCarthy, Kelly Aucoin

When Dr. Lynn abandoned his terminally ill wife on her deathbed, he left his three children Susan, Christian, and Win essentially orphaned. Almost a decade later, on the eve of their annual family reunion, Dr. Lynn unexpectedly shows up at Christian’s door claiming he can justify his nine-year absence. Drug-addled and emotionally vulnerable, Christian reluctantly agrees to escort his father to the reunion, sending an already volatile family environment reeling. Special Jury Recognition for Ensemble Cast SXSW 2013.

Coldwater, directed by Vincent Grashaw (104 min)

Cast:  PJ Boudousqué, James C. Burns

A teenage boy is sent to a juvenile reform facility in the wilderness. As we learn about the tragic events that sent him there, his struggle becomes one for survival with the inmates, counselors, and the retired war colonel in charge.

Good Night, directed by Sean Gallagher (85 min)

Cast: Adriene Mishler, Jonny Mars, Alex Karpovsky, Chris Doubek, Todd Berger, Samantha Thomson, Parisa Fakhri, Laura Clifton, Jason Newman, Jeff Benson

Good Night revolves around a young twenty something couple, Leigh (Adriene Mishler) and Winston (Jonny Mars) Rockwall, as they gather with their closest friends to celebrate Leigh’s twenty-ninth birthday. The guests enjoy casual conversation as well as controversial and current topics as they enjoy their dinner, until Leigh drops a bomb having a profound effect on them all.  The guests, including Leigh’s best friend Alice (Samantha Thomson), all react differently as they process the news. Through voice-overs and flashbacks we learn how each person became connected to Leigh.

Hide Your Smiling Faces, directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone (81 min)

Cast: Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson

During a hot summer in rural America, brothers Tommy (Ryan Jones) and Eric (Nathan Varnson) are confronted with devastation as death forces its way into their young lives. This stunning debut feature explores the nature of the relationship between boys, as both violence and support is encapsulated in quiet storytelling and breathtaking photography. With incredibly sensitive performances by its two leads, Hide Your Smiling Faces packs a subtle but powerful punch.

Junk, directed by Kevin Hamedani (104 min)

Cast: Kevin Hamedani, Ramon Isao, Cooper Hopkins

Kaveh and Raul are two B-movie co-writers who have suffered a bitter falling out. Kaveh’s lost his girlfriend and spends his days getting high, while Raul is across the country studying at Columbia. But, when one of their films is accepted by a film festival, the ex-friends are forced to reconnect in order to pitch a new script to the festival’s marquee guest; the mysterious & powerful producer, Yukio Tai (James Hong). Along the way, the pair will struggle with and against prima donna actors, cutthroat colleagues, inept agents, brutish bodyguards and romantic entanglements–all while trying to resolve their own issues and seize the opportunity of a lifetime.

Reality Show, directed by Adam Rifkin (92 min)

Cast: Adam Rifkin, Scott Anderson, Kelly Menighan Hensley, Monika Tilling, Valerie Breiman, Lindsay Grubbs, Constantine Paraskevopoulos, Shane McAvoy, Margaret Savinar, Brian Borello, Kendra Waldman

“Reality Show” is a darkly comedic satire that follows the exploits of reality TV producer Mickey Wagner and his amoral attempt to re-invent the reality genre. Mickey’s revolutionary idea is to pick an average family and put them under all encompassing surveillance… without their knowledge. Unfortunately Mickey soon realizes that the family is boring. In a desperate attempt to salvage the show, Mickey begins to interfere by injecting conflict to create drama. As the show gets better, the family starts to disintegrate. Mickey rationalizes that all will be OK in the end, for once the episodes begin airing, fame will heal all the wounds.

Short Term 12, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (96 min)

Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, Keith Stanfield, Kevin Hernandez, Melora Walters, Stephanie Beatriz, Lydia Du Veaux, Alex Calloway

“Short Term 12″ is told through the eyes of Grace (Brie Larson), a twenty-something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Passionate and tough, Grace is a formidable caretaker of the kids in her charge – and in love with her long-term boyfriend and co-worker, Mason (John Gallagher Jr). But Grace’s own difficult past – and the surprising future that suddenly presents itself – throw her into unforeseen confusion, made all the sharper with the arrival of a new intake at the facility: a gifted but troubled teenage girl with whom Grace has a charged connection. While the subject matter is complex, this lovingly realized film finds truth – and humor – in unexpected places. #LRFF2013 Opening Night Film, Grand Jury and Audience winner SXSW2013

 The Discoverers, directed by Justin Schwarz (104 min)

Cast: Griffin Dunne, Stuart Margolin, Madeleine Martin, Cara Buono, Devon Graye, Dreama Walker, Becky Ann Baker

Washed-up history professor Lewis Birch (Oscar and Emmy nominated Griffin Dunne) takes his begrudging teenage kids – Zoe (Madeleine Martin, “Californication”) and Jack (Devon Graye, “American Horror Stories”) – on a road trip to a conference in hopes of putting his career back on track. But, when Lewis’s estranged father Stanley (Emmy Award-winning Stuart Margolin) goes AWOL on a Lewis and Clark historical reenactment trek, Lewis is forced to make a family detour. The Birch family find themselves on a journey of discovery and connection as they make their own passage west.

 The Girl, directed by David Riker (90 min)

Cast: Abbie Cornish, Will Paton, Martiza Santiago Hernandez

Struggling with the loss of her child to Social Services, a single mother is trapped in the quicksand of her south Texas life. When her path collides with a young girl from Mexico, she begins a journey that will change her life – discovering that she is the architect of her own fate and learning what it is that truly defines home.

This is Where We Live, directed by Josh Barrett and Marc Menchaca (92 min)

Cast: Ron Hayden, CK McFarland, Marc Menchaca, Tobias Segal, Frankie Shaw, Barry Corbin, Carolyn Gilroy, Katherine Willis

Set in the Texas Hill Country, THIS IS WHERE WE LIVE is a portrait of the Sutton family: Diane, while ignoring her own health issues, is caregiver to her son August, who has cerebral palsy, and her husband, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Overburdened, she hires Noah, a local handyman, to build a wheelchair ramp up the front steps to the family home. August observes Noah working, and through dinner with the family. Diane notices their connection, and stops Noah as he leaves to ask if he could use some money helping out with August. The friendship that Noah and August forge has a ripple effect; life makes unexpected turns for those around them, and forces Noah to confront his past.

Wajma-An Afghan Love Story, directed by  Barmak Akram (115 min)

Cast: Wajma Bahar, Mustafa Habibi, Hadji Gul, Breshna Bahar

Wajma, a modern, middle-class young Afghan woman living in Kabul with her mother and brother, is being secretly courted by Mustafa who’s not ready to let his family know about their relationship yet. Clandestine rendezvous consisting mostly of hugging and cuddling lead to a decisive moment and when Wajma discovers shortly after that she’s pregnant, her world begins to disintegrate. “My life is in your hands,” she tells Mustafa. “I’m dishonored. I fear the worst,” but still he won’t accept paternity, contending that Wajma must not have been a virgin when they consummated their relationship.

Zero Charisma, directed by Katie Graham & Andrew Matthews (87 min)

Cast: Sam Eidson, Garrett Graham, Brock England, Anne Gee Byrd, Cyndi Williams, Brian Losoya, Vincent Prendergast, Katie Folger, John Gholson, Dakin Matthews

Metal-loving gamer geek Scott Weidemeyer is the omnipotent Game Master, guiding his role-players through a tabletop journey of fantasy and adventure. However, when neo-nerd hipster Miles joins his game, Scott begins to resent the admiration Miles receives from the other players. To make matters worse, the health of his grandmother begins to falter, and his estranged mother visits town, reminding Scott of a childhood he’d just as soon forget. Caught in a spiral of rage and delusion, Scott is forced to take drastic steps to reclaim his honor, and his identity as the Game Master.

All screenings for the LRFF2013 (May 15^th – May 19^th, 2013) will be held in downtown Little Rock/NLR this year. The full festival schedule will be announced soon. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates as we close in on LRFF2013.

See our #LRFF2013 Golden Rock Documentary Competition line-up HERE

Book your passes to the LRFF2013 at the Box Office.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@littlerockfilmfestival.org

One of the biggest and most memorable films of the weekend was Motivational Growth directed by Don Thacker and starring Jeffrey Combs (of Re-Animator fame!) and Adrian DiGiovanni. The film followed with one of the most memorable Q&A’s in LRFF history. Festival goers sitting in the mezzanine of the theater threw flowers down to Don.  Motivational Growth went on to win the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature that weekend.

With that we’re proud to announce we’re bringing Motivational Growth and director Don Thacker and producer Alexis Thacker back to Little Rock for a spotlight screening! Not only was it our top prize winner at LRHPS it’s also been racking up accolades across the globe:

Official Selection 2013 Boston Science Fiction Festival 38
- Award: Grand Jury Best Feature (GORT Award)
Official Selection 2013 Sun Valley Film Festival
Official Selection 2013 Little Rock Horror Picture Show (Little Rock Film Festival)
- Award: Grand Jury Best Feature
Official Selection ÉCU – The European Independent Film Festival
- Award: Grand Jury Best Non-European Dramatic Feature
Official Selection LA New Wave International Film Festival
- Award: Best Special Effects
- Award: Grand Jury Honorable Mention
Official Selection 2013 Fantastic Planet Film Festival (Sydney, Australia)
- Award: Best Special Effects

 And upcoming:

Official Selection 2013 Seattle True Independent Film Festival
Official Selection 2013 Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
Official Selection 2013 Grand Rapids Film Festival

If you missed this film at Little Rock Horror Picture Show make sure you don’t miss it at the 7th Annual Little Rock Film Festival. It will literally blow your mind and impress you with the love and skill that went into the making of this film. Check out the trailer below!