FESTIVAL PROGRAM THE 4TH ANNUAL
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
AUGUST 23-26, 2018 middfilmfest.org
2 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
THE 4TH ANNUAL MIDDLEBURY NEW FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL! Greetings, everyone! We’re excited to offer our fourth edition of the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival. Each round of this film intensive four-day weekend, and each incoming class of emerging filmmakers, is different and we’re full of anticipation for what’s on tap for this year, with a record number of filmmakers planning to join us for the festivities.
We’ll host four Academy Award winners and nominees at the Fest, including the renowned documentarians Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail), Barbara Kopple (w/ her latest film A Murder in Mansfield) and Peter Davis (screening Hearts and Minds and The Selling of the Pentagon) who will lead a conversation on the growing role of film as a vehicle for investigative journalism. Also of particular note, 2017 Oscar-winning production designers David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, will join us. These exceptionally talented folks will take us behind the scenes to better understand their superb and monumental contributions to La La Land and Molly’s Game. We’ll also pay tribute to Pakistani documentarian Mo Naqvi whose courageous film, Among the Believers, which dug into Pakistani jihad schools, screened at MNFF two years ago. Mo will show two of his other documentaries this year, Shame and Insha’Allah Democracy, and he’ll discuss various aspects of his work and vision. And there’s much more, including a world-premiere live performance by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra of composer Matt LaRocca’s film score to accompany the screening of an excerpt from VSO awardee Robin Starbuck’s new film. And our dynamic VSO partnership continues this year, when one of our filmmakers will be similarly awarded on Closing Night for her or his excellence in integrating music into film.
We’ll also present our second annual Hernandez/ Bayliss Prize, recognizing a feature film that best captures the triumph of the human spirit. We thank Michele Hernandez and Bruce Bayliss for their vision and generosity in underwriting this important award. The Clio Visualizing History Prize for the Advancement of Women in Film will be awarded for a second time. Thanks to Lola van Wagenen for her continued support of this award. And new this year, MNFF presents the Gaia Prize for Environmental Filmmaking, underwritten by an anonymous local donor. Thanks to Bill McKibben for advising on this year’s awardee selection, from among our many submissions. We will also be offering a stimulating Producers Workshop held over two days featuring producers Beth Levison, John Morrissey and Nancy Schwartzman. Look for that at 4pm on Festival Friday and Saturday. Enjoy the Festival! Join us for happy hours and nighttime parties. And spread the word to friends and family to join you for all or part of this year’s film extravaganza. Feel free to also tell us your thoughts on the films and events you see. And please pick up a donation card at an MNFF venue and consider tax-deductible support – to help us light up the screen. Warm regards,
Jay Craven MNFF Artistic Director
Returning also will be the showcase of fine work from the prestigious Jacob Burns Film Center’s Creative Culture program. MNFF is the
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4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Todd Balfour
We’ve got more than 100 films from 16 countries scheduled for MNFF4 and they promise to open multiple windows of insight, enjoyment and fun. We’ll kick off this year’s Festival a day early, on Wednesday, August 22nd at the Marquis Theater, with the exciting new Kids & Family Day, screening three terrific films for family audiences, highlighted by Sundance favorite, Science Fair. There will be lots of popcorn!
exclusive Vermont home for these films. And the Burns’ Sean Weiner will once again present its Creative Culture Award, offering an extended residency at the Burns to one of this year’s MNFF short film directors in support of his or her next work.
Matt Kiedaisch
We’ve been busy since the conclusion of last year’s Fest on several fronts - organizing this summer’s special events, staging our expanding Winter Screening Series at the Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater, viewing newly submitted films, screening selected shorts for area high school students, and touring our 2018 Best of Fest selections, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, The Peacemaker, and An Autobiography, to cities and towns throughout Vermont.
Lloyd Komesar MNFF Producer
FESTIVAL MAP Seymour St
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MAHANEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS @ PORTER FIELD RD
WELCOME
to Middlebury
While you are here, be sure to pop into our eclectic variety of local shops, sample our delicous locally-sourced restaurants and take in our world-class outdoor recreation. Experience all that Middlebury has to offer! Thank you to the organizers of Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival for their hard work in bringing another wonderful festival to Middlebury this year!
4 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WHERE DO I PICK UP INFORMATION? The Festival Information & Merchandise Store has stacks of printed MNFF Festival Programs. It’s located at 48 Merchants Row, just down the hill from Town Hall Theater. Our staff will be on site from 9:00am to 5:00pm on Thursday, August 23, Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25 and 9:00am to 1:00pm on Sunday, August 26. Printed film and event schedules will also be available throughout town, at numerous locations and all screening venues.
WHERE AND WHEN ARE FILMS BEING SCREENED? On Opening Day, Thursday, August 23, films screen at 10:30am and 1:30pm at Marquis Theater and Town Hall Theater. Our Opening Night film will be screened that night at Town Hall Theater at 7:00pm. (Please note: this event is ticketed separately. A Festival Pass does not grant entry.) On Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25, films screen at Town Hall Theater, Marquis Theater, Dana Auditorium and Twilight Hall [new venue, see Map for location]. Screening times are 10:30am, 1:30pm and 7:15pm. No films screen between 4pm-7pm. The 4pm slot features special panels and on-stage conversations. Check the daily schedule grid for details. On Sunday, August 26, films screen at Town Hall Theater, Marquis Theater, Dana Auditorium and Twilight Hall, starting at 10am, 1pm and 4pm. The presentation of the VTeddy Awards at the Closing Ceremony will be on Sunday, August 26 at 6:30pm at Town Hall Theater followed by our Closing Night Film at 7:30pm.
WHERE CAN I BUY FESTIVAL & DAY PASSES? Festival Passes and Day Passes can be purchased directly at our website at middfilmfest.org or in person at the Town Hall Theater Box Office, corner of S. Pleasant Street and Merchants Row. Festival Passes are $80 and admit you to any film on any of the four main screening days. Day Passes are $32 and admit you to any film on a specific day, either Friday, Saturday or Sunday. There are no Thursday Day Passes. Use your Festival Pass or purchase single admission tickets at the Town Hall Theater or Marquis Theater for Thursday screenings. Online purchasers of Festival Passes and Day Passes: bring your photo ID and confirmation number or print-at-home ticket to exchange for your actual Pass at the Town Hall Theater [THT] Box Office. Passes are not mailed but can be picked up from the THT Box Office beginning 12 noon on Monday, August 20. Town Hall Theatre Box Office hours during the Festival are 10:00am-6:00pm on Thursday-Saturday and 9:00am-12:00pm on Sunday. Best to pick up your pass at least THIRTY MINUTES before your first screening.
WHY BUY A PASS? When you purchase a Festival Pass, you receive special perks. Fest Pass holders will be seated first at all screenings. Day Pass holders will be seated following the seating of all Festival Pass holders. No seats are reserved, but your place will be held until 10 minutes before show time.
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Also note that the Friday Happy Hour at the Sheldon Museum Garden and Friday Night Party at Notte are open only to Festival Pass holders, as is the Saturday Happy Hour at the Middlebury Inn and the Saturday Night Party at American Flatbread in the Middlebury Marble Works. (Non-Passholders can attend the Saturday night party for $15, payable at the door.)
CAN I JUST BUY SINGLE TICKETS TO MOVIES? Individual ADVANCE tickets to all feature films will be on sale through August 22 at middfilmfest.org. Tickets are $15 and provide priority seating following Festival Pass holders. Ticket quantities are limited. Single WALK UP/RUSH tickets for any film are available for $12 at each of the four main venues’ lobby box offices – at any time during the Festival. A single ticket is good for any film at any venue on any day. Single ticket seating begins 5 minutes prior to listed showtime after all Passholders and Advance Ticket holders have been seated.
DOES MY FESTIVAL PASS ADMIT ME TO THE OPENING NIGHT FILM? No. Opening Night is a separately ticketed event and can be purchased at our website middfilmfest.org, or in person at the THT Box Office. Admission to both the Film Screening and the After Party at Swift House Inn is $60. Please note: Opening Night is now on a Waitlist Only basis.
WHERE CAN I BUY FESTIVAL MERCHANDISE? Festival merchandise will be sold at the MNFF Information & Merchandise Store. Hours and location are noted above in the Festival Information paragraph. 2018 items include a Danforth Pewter custom-designed pair of film-themed earrings and colorful MNFF mugs, hats and tote bags. Joining us at the Merch & Info Store will be lu•lu Ice Cream and Bread Loaf View Farm specialty maple syrup.
ARE THERE FREE EVENTS AT THE FESTIVAL? Absolutely! We have gone to great lengths to ensure that there is something for everyone. All of our panels and presentations with filmmakers and industry professionals are free and open to the public. For times and details on panels and parties, visit middfilmfest.org or our printed Festival Schedule.
WHERE DO I FIND PARKING? Parking options exist throughout the town of Middlebury and the Middlebury College campus. Street parking is available throughout downtown. There are municipal lots below the Cross Street Bridge and in Frog Hollow at the base of Mill Street. Many additional spaces are in the lot behind the Mahaney Center for the Arts at Middlebury College (72 Porter Field Rd).
CAN I SPEAK WITH FILMMAKERS & PRODUCERS AT THE FESTIVAL? Of course! This is one of the special benefits of the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival. Attending filmmakers will be available to audiences at post-screening Q&A sessions, panels, happy hours and parties. Feel free to engage with them. Filmmakers genuinely appreciate your interest in their work and life stories.
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Supporting the Arts in Addison County Communities
NEW KIDS & FAMILY DAY! FILMS WEDNESDAY 8/23 @ MARQUIS THEATER - MAIN (MQM)
Bill Beck Real Estate 802-388-7983
UNDER 8 FREE / 8-18 $5 / 18+ $10
10:00 AM The Big Bad Fox And Other Tales (age 6+) | 83m
1:00 PM Through The Windmill (age 8+) | 80m
View our online photo album at
www.BillBeck.com
4:00 PM Science Fair (12+) | 90m
EVENTS WEDNESDAY 8/23
Enjoy the Shows!
MAKE FLIPBOOKS W/ MINIBURY 9:00 AM @ MARQUIS THEATER CAFÉ
Courtyard by Marriott • Rt. 7 South, Middlebury 802-388-7600 www.middleburycourtyard.com We Proudly Serve Starbucks Coffee!
hing Business B Refres OPEN DAILY istro Breakfast: Monday – Friday 6-10 a.m. Saturday & Sunday 7-11 a.m. Dinner daily 5-10 p.m.
Open to the Public!
Join Minibury in a fun hands-on activity! We’ll be making our very own flip-books, the original form of animation. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL AGES--
FACEPAINTING 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM @ MARQUIS THEATER CAFÉ Who doesn’t love face painting? Visit us at the Marquis Cafe – bonus points if you choose a design tied to a movie! -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL AGES--
BOARD GAMES GALORE 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM @ MARQUIS THEATER CAFÉ Tinker & Smithy Game Store is generously providing games to moviegoers! Want a break from the screen? Or just really love Settlers of Catan? Games available all day. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL AGES--
NANOTECHNOLOGY, 3D PRINTERS, SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS, OH MY! 3:00 PM @ MARQUIS THEATER CAFÉ We are so excited to partner with Burlington’s Starbase to present some incredibly cool science gadgets and experiments. Calling all scientists – you won’t want to miss this! -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL AGES-6 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
EVENTS FRIDAY 8/24 AMERICA TO ME HONOREE EVENT 10:30 AM @ DANA AUDITORIUM
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ DIRECTOR STEVE JAMES
HENRY SHELDON MUSEUM in MIDDLEBURY
DOUGHBOYS AND
FLYBOYS
HOSTED BY LOCAL WRITER ALEX WOLFF Catch a first look at the first two episodes of MNFF Honoree Steve James’ upcoming 10-part documentary series debuting soon on Starz. It explores America’s charged state of race, culture and education today with unprecedented depth and scope through a year-long immersion into one of Chicago’s most progressive and diverse public schools, located in suburban Oak Park.
DATELINE-SAIGON SPECIAL EVENT
WWI STORIES BY VERMONTERS FROM THE HOME AND BATTLEFRONT JULY 31 - NOVEMBER 11, 2018
1:30 PM @ TOWN HALL THEATER
Henry Sheldon Museum One Park Street ▪ Middlebury 388-2117 ▪ www.HenrySheldonMuseum.org
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ DIRECTOR TOM HERMAN & SPECIAL GUESTS MODERATED BY MNFF'S JAY CRAVEN Dateline: Saigon profiles five Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists’ groundbreaking reporting during the early years of the Vietnam War – David Halberstam, Malcolm Browne, Neil Sheehan, Peter Arnett and photographer Horst Faas. Director Tom Herman will be joined on stage for a Q&A by Le Lieu Browne, Malcolm Browne’s widow, and Thomas Vallely, Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Senior Advisor to Ken Burns’ epic documentary The Vietnam War.
THE PRODUCERS: WHAT DO THEY DO AND HOW DO THEY DO IT? (A TWO-PART WORKSHOP)
Live Music Weekly Specials 10% D is Great Barbecue for Pas count s Great Bar August Hrdolders 23 –2 th 6 AND a Bucking Mechanical Bull! Large & Small Scale Take Out Open Wed – Sun, 4pm – 9pm
Relax.
4:00 PM @ TOWN OFFICE BUILDING 77 MAIN ST, 1ST FLOOR MEETING ROOM Part One. What is the role of a film producer? How do they find material to acquire? When should a producer attach to a film that may have already started development? Do documentaries require a different approach than dramas? Join successful producers Beth Levison and John Morrissey as they address these and other questions in a lively session on this integral aspect of movie making. --FREE & OPEN TO ALL!-7
51 Main Street Middlebury, VT (802) 458-8972 info@roughcutbbq.com
Reflect. Take time out for tea. Monday 11a-5p • Tuesday-Saturday 11a-6p stoneleaftea.com
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
EVENTS FRIDAY 8/24
CONTINUED
FESTIVAL FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR 5:00 PM @ THE GARDEN OF THE SHELDON MUSEUM, 1 PARK ST Enjoy the light food and array of beverages in the Garden at the Sheldon Museum. MNFF thanks Bill Brooks and the Sheldon Museum team for their generosity. -- Passholders Only, Please. --
In the movie of your life.... do you have a starring role? Follow your dreams and be a star in Brandon, Vermont !
FILMMAKERS CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION 5:00 PM @ MARQUIS THEATER CAFÉ 65 MAIN ST An informal opportunity for filmmakers to meet, mingle, eat and drink in one of Middlebury’s iconic spaces. -- Filmmakers Only, Please. --
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL HONOREE EVENT 7:15 PM @ TOWN HALL THEATER
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ DIRECTOR STEVE JAMES Visit us at brandon.org
HOSTED BY MNFF'S JAY CRAVEN From acclaimed director and MNFF Honoree Steve James comes Abacus, the little-known story of the only U.S. bank prosecuted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. A 2017 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature. A two-time Academy Award nominee, Mr. James will discuss the making of Abacus and the cultural and historical context that the film lives in and share his thoughts about his storied and exceptional career as a filmmaker.
FRIDAY NIGHT PARTY 9:15 PM @ NOTTE, 86 MAIN ST
802-247-6401 info@brandon.org
Gather for a great finale to Festival Friday with food and drink at Middlebury’s newest restaurant, Notte. Food courtesy of the chefs at Two Brothers Tavern and Notte. -- Passholders Only, Please. --
8 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
EVENTS SATURDAY 8/25 COFFEE WITH... THE GREAT DOCUMENTARIANS: STEVE JAMES, BARBARA KOPPLE, PETER DAVIS & MOHAMMED NAQVI 8:30 AM @ MIDDLEBURY INN PATIO 16 COURT SQ MNFF Artistic Director Jay Craven talks candidly over coffee with prominent documentary filmmakers about identifying a compelling subject and building a truthful real-life narrative, through investigation and discovery, for a breakthrough documentary. Coffee and baked goods provided by MNFF sponsor, the Middlebury Inn. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL––
HEARTS AND MINDS SPECIAL EVENT 10:30 AM @ TOWN HALL THEATER
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ DIRECTOR PETER DAVIS HOSTED BY MNFF'S JAY CRAVEN A tribute screening of this brilliant and provocative Academy Awardwinning documentary that recounts the history and attitudes of the opposing sides of the Vietnam War using archival news footage as well as its own film and interviews.
SHAME HONOREE EVENT 1:30 PM @ TOWN HALL THEATER
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ DIRECTOR MOHAMMED NAQVI MODERATED BY FILMMAKER BESS O'BRIEN The riveting story of international human rights icon Mukhtaran Mai, a Pakistani peasant who was gang-raped and shamed as a teenager in her village, but then used her trauma to spark a legal revolution that exposed centuries of tribal conflict and government mismanagement. Join celebrated Pakistani director, Mo Naqvi, recipient of MNFF’s Courage in Filmmaking Award, for a wide ranging Q&A.
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4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
EVENTS SATURDAY 8/25
CONTINUED
SELLING OF THE PENTAGON 1:30 PM @ MARQUIS THEATER SCREENING ROOM
SPECIAL EVENT W/ DIRECTOR PETER DAVIS MODERATED BY MNFF'S LLOYD KOMESAR A very controversial 1968 film that examined the increasing utilization and cost to the taxpayers of public relations activities by the military-industrial complex in order to shape public opinion in favor of the military. Director Peter Davis recalls the controversy following the screening.
LA LA LAND HONOREE EVENT 1:30 PM @ DANA AUDITORIUM
SPECIAL PRESENTATION W/ PRODUCTION DESIGNERS DAVID WASCO & SANDY REYNOLDS-WASCO HOSTED BY MNFF'S JAY CRAVEN La La Land was celebrated for its beautiful signature look – a glorious, magical vision of Los Angeles created by David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco. Their renowned work brought them the Oscar for Production Design. Learn how they made the magic happen in this very special visual presentation prepared by the Wascos following the screening.
MINDING THE GAP HONOREE EVENT 1:30 PM @ TWILIGHT HALL
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ EXECUTIVE PRODUCER STEVE JAMES
THE PRODUCERS: WHAT DO THEY DO AND HOW DO THEY DO IT? (A TWO-PART WORKSHOP) 4:00 PM @ MIDDLEBURY INN 16 COURT SQ, FOUNDERS ROOM Part Two. You’ve got the right project – now what? Where do producers look for money to complete a film? What are the best exhibition and distribution strategies to implement – festivals, theatrical, HBO, PBS, Netflix, iTunes? Will the film have an “impact” campaign that extends its life into specific cultural/political areas following its completion? “Impact” Producer Nancy Schwartzman joins Beth Levison and John Morrissey on Day Two of the Producers Workshop. --FREE & OPEN TO ALL!--
FESTIVAL SATURDAY HAPPY HOUR 5:00 PM @ MIDDLEBURY INN PATIO 16 COURT SQ Mingle with filmmakers and special guests under the tent on the patio of the Middlebury Inn. MNFF thanks the Inn for providing food and beverages. Music by THE BALLADEER & THE BLUESMAN. -- Passholders Only, Please. --
SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY, FEATURING LEGENDARY VERMONT MUSICIAN BOW THAYER 9:15 PM @ AMERICAN FLATBREAD MARBLE WORKS, 137 MAPLE ST Enjoy great complimentary flatbreads and small bites, and enjoy a full bar offering craft cocktails and local beers and ciders, from our host and sponsor American Flatbread at our big Saturday Night Party! -–FREE FOR PASSHOLDERS–– All others $15 at the door.
HOSTED BY LOCAL WRITER ALEX WOLFF Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship. Get the inside story behind Minding the Gap with MNFF4 Honoree Steve James, who executive produced this fine documentary by first time feature director Bing Liu. 10 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
EVENTS SUNDAY 8/26 MOLLY’S GAME HONOREE EVENT
BURNED: ARE TREES THE NEW COAL? HONOREE EVENT
10:00 AM @ TOWN HALL THEATER
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ PRODUCTION DESIGNERS DAVID WASCO & SANDY REYNOLDS-WASCO
4:00 PM @ TWILIGHT HALL
HOSTED BY MNFF'S JAY CRAVEN
HOSTED BY MNFF'S JAY CRAVEN
Following the screening, The Wascos will discuss the creation of the distinctive look that inhabits Molly’s Game and the process of working with first time director Aaron Sorkin.
INSHA’ALLAH DEMOCRACY HONOREE EVENT
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ CO-DIRECTORS ALAN DATER & LISA MERTON Burned: Are Trees the New Coal? tells the little-known story of the accelerating destruction of our forests for fuel, and probes the policy loopholes, huge subsidies, and blatant greenwashing of the burgeoning biomass power industry. Alan Dater and Lisa Merton, MNFF Awardees for Sustained Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, discuss the significance of their latest film.
CLOSING CEREMONIES & VTEDDY AWARDS PRESENTATION
1:00 PM @ TOWN HALL THEATER
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ DIRECTOR MOHAMMED NAQVI HOSTED BY MNFF'S JAY CRAVEN The film’s director Mohammed Naqvi will vote for the first time during Pakistan’s elections but he has a tough choice between a religious hardliner and a secular liberal leader who happens to be a former military dictator. Who will he vote for and is democracy achievable in Pakistan? Director Mo Naqvi will discuss his latest film’s exploration of the volatile political climate of Pakistan.
HOW WE SEE WATER W/ LIVE PERFORMANCE OF ORIGINAL SCORE BY VERMONT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
6:30 PM @ TOWN HALL THEATER Join us for the joyful VTeddy Awards with Honoree presentations and awards for Best Feature Narrative, Best Short Narrative, Best Feature Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Audience Award/Feature, Audience Award/ Short, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Award, the Jacob Burns Film Center’s Creative Culture Award, the Hernandez/Bayliss Prize, the Clio Visualizing History Prize for the Advancement of Women in Film and the inaugural awarding of the Gaia Prize for Environmental Filmmaking. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL––
CLOSING NIGHT FILM: THE SENTENCE 7:30 PM @ TOWN HALL THEATER
1:00 PM @ MAHANEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 72 PORTER FIELD RD MNFF, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and Middlebury College’s Mahaney Center for the Arts jointly present an exclusive first-look at VSO Awardee Robin Starbuck’s new short film, How We See Water, an experimental documentary shot over four years in Chiapas, Mexico in conjunction with a live performance by the VSO of an original score by composer Matt LaRocca. Audiences will experience this dynamic integration of film and music in the impeccable acoustics of Robison Hall. -–FREE FOR PASSHOLDERS–– All others $12 at the door.
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ON-STAGE CONVERSATION W/ DIRECTOR & WRITER RUDY VALDEZ HOSTED BY JAY CRAVEN Cindy Shank, mother of three, is serving a 15-year sentence in federal prison for her tangential involvement with a Michigan drug ring years earlier. This intimate portrait of mandatory minimum drug sentencing’s devastating consequences, captured by Cindy’s brother, follows her and her family over the course of ten years. The director of The Sentence, Rudy Valdez, closes out the 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival with a candid conversation about his emotionally moving film. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL––
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
THT TOWN HALL THEATER DANA DANA AUDITORIUM MQM MARQUIS THEATER - MAIN SCREEN TWI TWILIGHT HALL MQS MARQUIS THEATER - SCREENING ROOM
SCHEDULE THURSDAY 8/23
FILMMAKER TO ATTEND MNFF4
10:30 AM THT
Aliens of Extraordinary Ability 14m
Vermont Fancy 47m
MQM
For the Love of Mary 6m
Meeting George 20m
Wild and Precious 60m
MQS
Are You Holding Me or Am I Holding Myself 12m
Endure 12m
In the Name of… 58m
1:30 PM THT
Fings 3m
Pickle 21m
MQM
When We Can 20m
To Let 99m
MQS
Eden 5m
Kupal 81m
Big Wata 79m
DOORS OPEN @ 6:00 PM
OPENING NIGHT @ TOWN HALL THEATER
–– Opening Night Ticket Holders Only, Please –– Introductions by MNFF Festival Producer Lloyd Komesar and MNFF Artistic Director Jay Craven.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE DIRECTORS: JULIANE DRESSNER , EDWIN MARTINEZ PRODUCER: BETH LEVISON
Documentary | 87m | Three seniors at Brooklyn high schools are determined to get their entire classes to college, even though they aren’t even sure they are going to make it there themselves. They are working as peer college counselors in their three schools because many of their friends have nowhere else to turn for support. They work tirelessly to realize better futures for themselves and their peers. They struggle and they stumble, but refuse to succumb to the barriers that prevent so many low-income students from attending and graduating from college.
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION TO FOLLOW
Director Juliane Dressner, Producer Beth Levison and some very special guests talk with MNFF Artistic Director Jay Craven about the making of this compelling documentary.
9:00 PM
AFTER PARTY @ SWIFT HOUSE INN –– Opening Night Ticket Holders Only, Please –– The festivities continue at one of Middlebury’s most beautiful settings. Enjoy the food, drink, music and mingling with our hosts Dan and Michele Brown.
12 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
THT TOWN HALL THEATER DANA DANA AUDITORIUM MQM MARQUIS THEATER - MAIN SCREEN TWI TWILIGHT HALL MQS MARQUIS THEATER - SCREENING ROOM
SCHEDULE FRIDAY 8/24
FILMMAKER TO ATTEND MNFF4
10:30 AM THT
Vignette 19m
All the Wild Horses 89m
MQM
Goodbye Sirena 7m
My Son. My Moon. 8m
MQS
Straws 32m
Kim Swims 75m
DANA
America to Me 120m
HONOREE EVENT / ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Director Steve James. Q&A with Mr. James, hosted by local writer Alex Wolff.
TWI
Phulsiri 29m
Balian 82m
Touched 78m
1:30 PM Dateline-Saigon 96m
SPECIAL EVENT / ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Director Tom Herman & Special Guests. Director Tom Herman will be joined on stage for a Q&A by Le Lieu Browne, Malcolm Browne’s widow, and Thomas Vallely, Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Senior Advisor to Ken Burns’ epic documentary The Vietnam War.
MQM
Paleonaut 16m
Silent Night 100m
MQS
Raising Son 10m
Dancing in Limbo 14m
DANA
Hidden Blueprints : The Story of Mikey 16m
TWI
Coming of Age 8m
THT
Yasuni Man 92m A Murder in Mansfield 87m
SPECIAL GUEST Q&A with Director Barbara Kopple & Producer John Morrissey to follow.
Man Made 97m
4:00 PM TOWN OFFICES 77 MAIN ST MEETING ROOM
THE PRODUCERS: WHAT DO THEY DO AND HOW DO THEY DO IT? (A TWO-PART WORKSHOP) Part One. What is the role of a film producer? How do they find material to acquire? Join successful producers Beth Levison and John Morrissey as they address these and other questions in a lively session on this integral aspect of movie making. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL––
5:00 PM GARDEN AT THE SHELDON MUSEUM 1 PARK ST
FESTIVAL FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR ––Passholders Only, Please–– Enjoy the light food and array of beverages in the Garden at the Sheldon Museum. MNFF thanks Bill Brooks and the Sheldon Museum team for their generosity.
MARQUIS THEATER CAFÉ 65 MAIN ST
CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION ––Filmmakers Only, Please–– An informal opportunity for filmmakers to meet, mingle, eat and drink in one of Middlebury’s iconic film spaces.
7:15 PM Abacus: Small Enough to Jail 88m
HONOREE EVENT / ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Director Steve James Two-time Academy Award nominee Steve James discusses the making of Abacus and the cultural and historical context that the film lives in and will share his thoughts about his storied and exceptional career as a filmmaker.
MQM
The Yellow Room 5m
Bless Me Father 16m
The Guilty 85m
MQS
Rodney 4m
I Was Here 5m
Everything’s More Fun In Costume 14m
DANA
Sonja 5m
Late Afternoon 10m
Puzzle 103m
TWI
Dormancy 16m
The Providers 85m
THT
Moroni for President 76m
9:15 PM ––Passholders Only, Please–– Gather for a great finale to Festival Friday with food and drink at Middlebury’s newest restaurant, Notte. Food courtesy of the chefs at Two Brothers Tavern and Notte.
FRIDAY NIGHT PARTY @ NOTTE 86 MAIN ST 13
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
THT TOWN HALL THEATER DANA DANA AUDITORIUM MQM MARQUIS THEATER - MAIN SCREEN TWI TWILIGHT HALL MQS MARQUIS THEATER - SCREENING ROOM
SCHEDULE SATURDAY 8/25
FILMMAKER TO ATTEND MNFF4
8:30 AM Coffee with... The Great Documentarians: Steve James, Barbara Kopple, Peter Davis & Mohammed Naqvi. MNFF
MIDDLEBURY INN PATIO Artistic Director Jay Craven talks candidly over coffee with prominent documentary filmmakers about identifying a compelling subject and building a truthful real-life narrative that produces a breakthrough documentary. Coffee and 16 COURT SQ baked goods courtesy of MNFF sponsor, the Middlebury Inn. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL––
10:30 AM THT
Hearts and Minds 112m
SPECIAL EVENT / ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Director Peter Davis, Academy Award winner, and MNFF Artistic Director Jay Craven following the film.
MQM
Lily 9m
Light of the World 11m
MQS
Freedom & Unity 60m
DANA
Talking to Tony: Five Attempts 20m
TWI
Jacob Burns Creative Culture Showcase 85m
Until First Light 82m
The Testament 88m
1:30 PM Honeypot 7m
Four Keys 14m
MQM
Night Call 18m
Rust Creek 103m
MQS
Selling of the Pentagon 60m
THT
DANA TWI
Shame 95m
HONOREE EVENT / ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Director Mohammed Naqvi Join celebrated Pakistani director, Mo Naqvi, recipient of MNFF’s Courage in Filmmaking Award, for a wide ranging Q&A, moderated by Bess O’Brien.
SPECIAL EVENT with Director Peter Davis. Director Peter Davis recalls the controversy his film created upon its release in 1968 in a Q&A session following the screening.
La La Land 128m
SPECIAL PRESENTATION with Production Designers David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds-Wasco. La La Land was celebrated for its beautiful signature look – a glorious, magical vision of Los Angeles. See how Oscar winners David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco made the magic happen in this very special visual presentation they’ve prepared.
Minding the Gap 93m
HONOREE EVENT / ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Executive Producer Steve James. Get the compelling inside story behind Minding the Gap with MNFF4 Honoree Steve James, who executive produced this fine documentary by first time feature director Bing Liu.
4:00 PM MIDDLEBURY INN 16 COURT SQ FOUNDERS ROOM
THE PRODUCERS: WHAT DO THEY DO AND HOW DO THEY DO IT? (A TWO-PART WORKSHOP) Part Two. You’ve got the right project – now what? Where do producers look for money to complete a film? Will there be an “impact” campaign that extends its life into specific cultural/political areas? “Impact” Producer Nancy Schwartzman joins Beth Levison and John Morrissey. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL––
5:00 PM MIDDLEBURY INN PATIO SATURDAY HAPPY HOUR ––Passholders Only, Please–– Mingle with filmmakers and special guests under the patio tent at the Middlebury Inn. Thanks to the Inn for providing food and beverages. Music by The Balladeer & The Bluesman. 16 COURT SQ
7:15 PM THT
The View from Up Here 18m
The Invisibles 110m
MQM
Life After 13m
The Rider 104m
MQS
Charmer 12m
Gloria Talks Funny 18m
Outer Spaces 84m
DANA
Dr. Mantis 3m
Lotte that Silhouette Girl 10m
Love, Gilda 88m
TWI
Yanvalou 5m
RAMP 10m
Radiogram 85m
9:15 PM -–FREE FOR PASSHOLDERS–– All others $15 at the door. Enjoy great complimentary flatbreads and small SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY bites, and enjoy a full bar offering craft cocktails and local beers and ciders, from our host and sponsor American @ AMERICAN FLATBREAD MARBLE WORKS, 137 MAPLE ST Flatbread at our big Saturday Night Party! Featuring LEGENDARY VERMONT MUSICIAN BOW THAYER 14 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
THT TOWN HALL THEATER DANA DANA AUDITORIUM MQM MARQUIS THEATER - MAIN SCREEN TWI TWILIGHT HALL MQS MARQUIS THEATER - SCREENING ROOM
SCHEDULE SUNDAY 8/26
FILMMAKER TO ATTEND MNFF4
10:00 AM THT
Molly’s Game 140m
HONOREE EVENT / ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Production Designers David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds-Wasco The Wascos will discuss the creation of the distinctive look that inhabits Molly’s Game and the process of working with first time director Aaron Sorkin. Hosted by Jay Craven, MNFF Artistic Director.
MQM
7/8ths of the Way There 27m
Modified 87m
DANA
‘the beautiful’: The Stories She Tell 3m
The Test 14m
TWI
Fail State 94m
Heimlich 14m
Break the Silence 56m
1:00 PM Insha’Allah Democracy 85m
HONOREE EVENT / ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Director Mohammed Naqvi Director Mo Naqvi will discuss his latest film’s exploration of the volatile political climate of Pakistan. Hosted by Jay Craven, MNFF Artistic Director.
MQM
Fall River 7m
Monty 11m
MQS
VTIFF Showcase – Foxtrot 108m
DANA
Lake Effect 32m
THT
Against All Odds-The Fight for a Black Middle Class with Bob Herbert 76m
My Country No More 70m
MAHANEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS 72 PORTER FIELD RD
MNFF, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and Middlebury College’s Mahaney Center for the Arts jointly present a world premiere of VSO Awardee Robin Starbuck’s new short film, How We See Water, an experimental documentary shot over four years in Chiapas, Mexico in conjunction with a live performance by the VSO of an original score by composer Matt LaRocca. Audiences will experience this dynamic integration of film and music in the impeccable acoustics of Robison Hall. -–FREE FOR PASSHOLDERS–– All others $12 at the door.
4:00 PM THT
It’s Just a Gun 14m
Roll Red Roll 80m
MQM
No Kissing 13m
Love After Love 91m
DANA
Turyn Goes to the Club 4m
One. 6m
TWI
Burned: Are Trees the New Coal? HONOREE EVENT /ON-STAGE CONVERSATION with Co-Directors Alan Dater & Lisa Merton Alan Dater and Lisa Merton, MNFF Awardees for Sustained Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, 76m discuss the significance of their latest film. Hosted by Jay Craven, MNFF Artistic Director.
I Love Your Fucking Name 8m
Bathtubs over Broadway 87m
6:30 PM @ TOWN HALL THEATER -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL––
CLOSING CEREMONIES & VTEDDY AWARDS 7:30 PM @ TOWN HALL THEATER
THE SENTENCE
Documentary | 85m | Cindy Shank, mother of three, is serving a 15-year sentence in federal prison for her tangential involvement with a Michigan drug ring years earlier. This intimate portrait of mandatory minimum drug sentencing’s devastating consequences, captured by Cindy’s brother, follows her and her family over the course of ten years. -–FREE & OPEN TO ALL––
ON-STAGE CONVERSATION TO FOLLOW
The director of The Sentence, Rudy Valdez, closes out the 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival with a candid conversation about his emotionally moving film with MNFF’s Jay Craven.
VERMONT PREMIERE DIRECTOR: RUDY VALDEZ PRODUCERS: LANCE ACORD, THEODORA DUNLAP 15
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
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16 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
2018 JURY KATE HEARST
JON ANDREWS
Historian, film critic and recent professor of Film History at Sarah Lawrence College
Middlebury-based educator and filmmaker, and teaching film writing and directing at Yale since 2003
BILL AYDELOTT
MARTHA GREGORY
A veteran Boston-based producer of independent features, shorts, docs, tv spots and marketing videos
Filmmaker, director and editor, currently teaching film and post production at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH
DEBORAH ELLIS
SIGNE TAYLOR
Filmmaker and Director, Film and Television Studies Program/University of Vermont
Award-winning documentary filmmaker, whose work
FRED STRYPE
CHRISTIAN KEATHLEY
Professor and Chair, Filmmaking and Moving Image Arts, Sarah Lawrence College
has been broadcast on PBS, C-Span and FUSE
Professor of Film & Media Culture at Middlebury College
STAFF & FRIENDS LLOYD KOMESAR – PRODUCER Todd Balfour
Lloyd Komesar spent nearly 30 years as a sales, research and distribution exec in the film and television programming industry, first at Blair Television in New York, then, for the next 25 years, at the Walt Disney Company in New York and Los Angeles. Having acquired extensive knowledge of the distribution models of film and television over his rewarding career, he brings a considerable amount of perspective and insight to the MNFF endeavor.
JAY CRAVEN – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Matt Kiedaisch
MNFF’s founding Artistic Director is also an independent filmmaker with nine narrative films and four documentaries to his credit. His films have played Sundance, Lincoln Center and others. He teaches film at Sarah Lawrence College - venues and directs its biennial Cinema Sarah Lawrence program where professionals mentor and collaborate with students from multiple colleges to make an ambitious narrative feature film for national release. Information at www.sarahlawrence.edu/cinema/
PHOEBE LEWIS – ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Phoebe Lewis has worked with six regional and international festivals over the past two years, including Tribeca, Sundance and Mill Valley Film Festivals. She is pleased to return for her fourth year with MNFF and second year as Associate Producer.
ISABEL MERRELL – BUSINESS INTERN
time performing in "The Otter Nonsense Players," an improv comedy group; "Boozy Cherry," a sketch comedy group; and "The Middlebury Mamajamas," an a cappella group. She is grateful to work with talented MNFF filmmakers and to be in Vermont for the summer.
MUNYA MUNYATI – VIDEO INTERN Munya is a rising Junior at Middlebury College from Harare, Zimbabwe pursuing a joint major in Film and Political Science with ambitions of one day being a filmmaker.
HEATHER REED – SENIOR PROGRAMMER Heather Reed, with MNFF from the beginning, has managed submissions and the screening process to bring outstanding programming to Middlebury. Passionate about finding new voices telling new stories in new ways, she previously worked for The Provincetown Film Society and The Provincetown International Film Festival, helping bring their vision of "Cinema on the Edge" to life. Heather currently lives in New Orleans, where she performs and tells her own stories in comedy and burlesque shows around the city.
MATT HEYWOOD – DESIGNER Matt is an award-winning designer and illustrator with more than 20 years of experience. He is an agile communicator with and a distinct knack for distilling information. He also loves to make things. He is cofounder of The Image Farm – a dynamic design studio with a multidisciplinary approach to fostering community, creating positive change, and making people take notice.
Isabel Merrell is a rising senior (Feb) at Middlebury College, where she studies History and Music. She hopes to pursue TV and comedy upon graduation. At Middlebury she spends her free 17
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
18 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
2018 FILMS A-Z
THT TOWN HALL THEATER MQM MARQUIS THEATER - MAIN SCREEN MQS MARQUIS THEATER - SCREENING ROOM
SUNDAY MQM 10:00 am 27M
FRIDAY THT 7:15 pm 88M
In the wake of a terminal diagnosis, a couple reflects on the lives they’ve lived, the people they’ve loved, and the penile implant one of them is about to receive.
From acclaimed director Steve James, the little-known story of the only U.S. bank prosecuted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. A 2017 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature.
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Mary Gerretsen
Language: English
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Steve James
Language: English
Producesr: Gracie Corapi, Anthony Mangini
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Aliens of Extraordinary Ability
FILMMAKER TO ATTEND MNFF4
Against All Odds-The Fight for a Black Middle Class with Bob Herbert
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
7/8ths of the Way There
DANA DANA AUDITORIUM TWI TWILIGHT HALL
SUNDAY MQM 1:00 pm 76M Against All Odds-The Fight for a Black Middle Class looks at the difficulty African Americans face in establishing and maintaining a middle class standard of living. Through dramatic historical footage and personal interviews, the documentary explores the efforts of black families to pursue the American dream. Documentary Location: USA Director: Bob Herbert
Language: English
Producers: Mark Mitten, Julie Goodman
Producers: Sam Aleshinloye, Sally Roy
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
All the Wild Horses
America to Me
THURSDAY THT 10:30 am 14M
FRIDAY THT 10:30 am 89M
FRIDAY DANA 10:30 am 120M (2 episodes)
An Alien of Extraordinary Ability, the O-1 nonimmigrant visa, is for an alien who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. But the feeling one has as a stranger sometimes exists within all of us. In this innovative short, the filmmaker morphed into the body of an alien and asked others what their extraordinary abilities were.
A dramatic and beautiful film that follows five international riders from the USA, Canada, South Africa, Ireland and the UK as they compete in the Mongol Derby horse race in Mongolia. This multihorse, multi-station race over a 1000 kilometers of Mongolian steppe is the longest and toughest horse race on the planet.
A year-long immersion into one of Chicago’s most progressive and diverse public schools, located in suburban Oak Park, America To Me explores America’s charged state of race, culture and education today with unprecedented depth and scope. MNFF will screen the first two episodes of Steve James’ upcoming 10-part series.
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: Mongolia
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Molmol Kuo
Language: English
Director: Ivo Marloh
Language: English
Director: Steve James
Language: English
Producer: Molmol Kuo
US PREMIERE
Producers: Ivo Marloh, Darcia Martin
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producers: Steve James, Justine Nagan, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
VERMONT PREMIERE
Are You Holding Me, or Am I Holding Myself?
A Murder in Mansfield FRIDAY DANA 1:30 pm 87M
Balian
THURSDAY MQS 10:30am 12M
FRIDAY TWI 10:30am 82M
After nearly 30 years, Collier Boyle returns to his hometown of Mansfield, Ohio where as a 12-year-old he served as a prosecution witness in the trial of his father, John Boyle, who was convicted of murdering his wife and Collier’s mother. Another profound piece of documentary journalism from Barbara Kopple.
An experimental film that visually examines the relationship between our minds and our bodies, our thoughts and our actions and the gaps between what we want to feel and what we actually experience.
A visually provocative film shot over 20 years, Balian is an engrossing fable of globalization. It tracks the remarkable rise and fall of a Balinese healer and priest after he is discovered by Western tourists. Note: there is nudity in the film.
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Director: Barbara Kopple
Language: English
Director: César Brodermann
Language: English
Director: Daniel McGuire
Producers: Barbara Kopple, David Cassidy, Collier Landry, John Morrissey
Producer: César Brodermann
Producer: Daniel McGuire
19 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Location: Indonesia Language: Indonesian (w/ English subtitles)
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4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
the beautiful: The Stories She Tell
Bathtubs over Broadway SUNDAY DANA 4:00 pm 87M
The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales SUNDAY DANA 10:00 am 3M
WEDNESDAY MQM 10:00 am 83M
Comedy writer Steve Young’s assignment to scour bargain-bin vinyl for a Late Night segment becomes an unexpected, decades-spanning obsession when he stumbles upon the strange and hilarious world of corporate musicals in this comedic music documentary. With David Letterman, Martin Short, Chita Rivera, Susan Stroman, Jello Biafra, Florence Henderson, and more.
By unraveling her head scarf, a woman reveals her hair as well as her reflections on black self-image.
Adapted from Renner’s own comics, The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales is drawn as a play with three acts chronicling different animal tales. Renner’s handdrawn 2-D animation style sends these characters on laugh-out-loud adventures that are action-packed from start to finish.
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Narrative, Animated
Location: France
Director: Dava Whisenant
Language: English
Director: Maeve Jackson
Language: English
Producers: Dava Whisenant, Ozzy Inguanzo, Amanda Spain
Producer: Maeve Jackson
VERMONT PREMIERE
Directors: Benjamin Renner, Patrick Imbert
Language: French [w/English subtitles]
Big Wata
Bless Me Father THURSDAY THT 1:30 pm 79M
Producers: Thibaut Ruby, Didier Brunner, Damien Brunner, Vincent Tavier
KIDS & FAMILY
Break the Silence FRIDAY MQM 7:15 pm 16M
SUNDAY DANA 10:00 am 56M
Big Wata is a entertaining documentary about the first and only surf club in Sierra Leone. During an Ebola outbreak the younger members of a West African fishing community discover surfing as their identity and purpose in life.
A parish priest is faced with a moral dilemma when a local parishioner comes to deliver a confession which directly affects the priest’s life and that of his extended family. The priest is torn between his duty to offer forgiveness and his personal reaction to such a life changing revelation.
Raw, powerful, intimate interviews with 18 Southern Vermont women of diverse backgrounds about their personal sexual & reproductive health histories. The film challenges social taboos with unflinching candor and often great humor.
Documentary
Location: Sierra Leone
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Language: English
Director: Paul Horan
Language: English
Director: Willow O’Feral
Language: English
Producers: Paul Horan, Mike Donnelly
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producer: Willow O’Feral
VERMONT COLLECTION
Director: Gugi Van Der Velden Producer: Floris Loeff
VERMONT PREMIERE
Burned: Are Trees the New Coal?
Charmer
SUNDAY TWI 4:00 pm 76M
Coming of Age SATURDAY MQS 7:15 pm 12M
FRIDAY TWI 1:30 pm 8M
Burned: Are Trees the New Coal? tells the little-known story of the accelerating destruction of our forests for fuel, and probes the policy loopholes, huge subsidies, and blatant greenwashing of the burgeoning biomass power industry.
A middle-aged woman meets up for a date with a bachelor she met on an Internet dating site. On first impression he’s unpleasant and blunt, but as the date goes on, the pair finds a common ground in their shared loneliness and romantic failures.
The loss of innocence can come at any age. In the afterglow of sex, a generation gap opens between two men as they struggle to define trust in the age of open marriage and No-Strings-Attached hookups.
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Language: English
Director: Judah Finnigan
Location: New Zealand
Narrative
Director: Alan Dater , Lisa Merton
Language: English
VERMONT COLLECTION
Producer: Olivia Shanks
Language: English
Director: Doug Tompos Producers: Doug Tompos, Risa Bramon Garcia, Steve Braun
Producers: Alan Dater, Lisa Merton
21
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
22 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Dancing in Limbo
Dateline-Saigon FRIDAY MQS 1:30 pm 14M
Dormancy FRIDAY THT 1:30 pm 96M
When dance becomes the only way to express yourself and forget your troubles as a refugee, true passion emerges.
Dateline: Saigon profiles five Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists’ groundbreaking reporting during the early years of the Vietnam War. As President Kennedy committed US troops to what was initially dismissed as a “nice little war in a land of tigers and elephants,” these five young reporters took on a superpower — and who won?
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Director: Amanda Larsh
Language: English
Director: Thomas D. Herman
Producers: Jeff Swimmer, Amanda Larsh
VERMONT PREMIERE
Dr. Mantis
FRIDAY TWI 7:15 pm 16M A young French Canadian couple living in rural Vermont confronts a strange new reality after the passage of the 1931 Vermont Law, “An Act for Human Betterment by Voluntary Sterilization.” The woman, Emily Cloutier, struggles to hold onto the future that she dreams of.
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Language: English
Director: Luke Becker-Lowe
Language: English
Producers: Thomas D. Herman
Producers: Luke Becker-Lowe, Nicholas Callais
VERMONT COLLECTION
Eden
Endure
SATURDAY DANA 7:15 pm 3M
THURSDAY MQS 1:30 pm 5M
Dr. Mantis is a practicing psychotherapist and a full time praying mantis. Fred is her patient and an annoying transitioning caterpillar. Fred bugs her so much that, at this appointment, Dr. Mantis makes Fred pay in advance.
THURSDAY MQS 10:30 am 12M
Adam and Eve are bored to death in the Garden of Eden. One night, they run off in God’s Cabriolet. Early the next morning, God notices their absence. Furious, he summons a Dinosaur, his henchman, and sends him to get the fugitives.
Endure chronicles a young man’s struggle to return to his normal life after the loss of a loved one.
Narrative
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: France
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Brandon Mikolaski
Language: English
Director: Julie Caty
Language: Silent
Director: Walter Mirkss
Language: English
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producer: Gary Ray King
Producer: Gary Grant
Producer: Ron Dyens
Everything’s More Fun in Costume
Fail State FRIDAY MQS 7:15 pm 14M
Fall River SUNDAY TWI 10:00 am 94M
SUNDAY MQM 1:00 pm 7M
Helen’s Pacific Costumers has been dressing up Easter bunnies, gangsters, beavers, and Medieval wenches in Portland, Oregon for 128 years. Helen’s talented staff make playing dress up fun for even the most reluctant party goers. But the shop has struggled as Portland and the costume industry change.
An expansive documentary exposé, the film reveals the dark story behind the rise of predatory forprofit colleges and how a cabal of politicians and unscrupulous business tycoons sold out the dream of American higher education. Fail State is executive produced by news legend Dan Rather.
Through the intimate reflections of one extraordinary woman, Fall River tells the story of a family’s tragedy, their once-thriving hometown, and how hope can blossom in unexpected places.
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Megan Wilde
Language: English
Director: Alex Shebanow
Language: English
Language: English
Producer: Megan Wilde
NORTHEAST PREMIERE
Producers: Alex Shebanow, Dan Rather
VERMONT PREMIERE
Director: Jamil McGinnis , Pat Heywood Producers: Sasha Hirschfeld, Evyn Bruce
23 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Fings
For the Love of Mary THURSDAY THT 1:30 pm 3M
Four Keys THURSDAY MQM 10:30 am 6M
SATURDAY THT 1:30 pm 13M
A spoken word poem about a man’s battle with challenging philosophical concepts. He begins to question everything around him and even himself. Is he real? What if everything is just in his head?
97-year-old runner George Etzweiler has completed the race up Mount Washington every year since he was 69. Despite having a pacemaker, George continues to compete in the 7.6-mile race up 4,700 feet, breaking his own record for oldest finisher. In addition to his lucky, green running shorts, Etzweiler carries something else special with him: his late wife of 68 years, Mary.
Since January of 2017, thousands of immigrants have chosen to cross the Canadian border, self-deporting from America. With nonconsensual deportation and family separation both common practices in the U.S., self-deportation is the only option for some, as depicted in this powerful narrative short.
Narrative
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Directors: Simon Perkins, Kirk Horton
Language: English
Director: Israel Brooks
Location: USA, Puerto Rico
VERMONT COLLECTION
Producers: Israel Brooks, Nadia Barbarossa
VERMONT COLLECTION
Director: Adam McHattie Producer: Adam McHattie
Location: United Kingdom Language: English
Producers: Simon Perkins, Kirk Horton
VERMONT PREMIERE
Freedom & Unity
Gloria Talks Funny SATURDAY MQS 10:30 am 60M
Language: English
Goodbye Sirena SATURDAY MQS 7:15 pm 18M
FRIDAY MQM 10:30 am 7M
A collection of 12 short films from local Vermont teens, selected from the winners of the statewide Freedom & Unity TV Competition. The films illuminate their lives, passions and interests in their home state. The screening will be hosted by Vermont filmmaker Signe Taylor and a Q&A with the filmmakers will follow.
When struggling voice actress, Gloria, discovers her agent failed to tell her that her claim-to-fame cartoon is being remade, she sets her sights on reprising her role as the famous BioBoy.
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Various
Language: English
Director: Kendall Goldberg
Language: English
Director: Melissa Dalley
Language: English
Producer: Various
VERMONT COLLECTION
Producer: Michael Stanziale
Producers: Suzanne Weinert, Michelle Faires
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Hearts and Minds
Heimlich
The Guilty FRIDAY MQM 7:15 pm 85M
It’s Molly’s last day, and her mom is having a hard time letting go. The two women navigate memory and grief, finding an unexpected way to say goodbye. Lyrical and haunting, Goodbye Sirena wears its heart on its sleeve, but still surprises.
SATURDAY THT 10:30 am 112M
SUNDAY DANA 10:00 am 14M
A suspended police officer, assigned alarm dispatch duty, enters a race against time when he answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman. When the call is suddenly disconnected, the search for the woman and her kidnapper begins. Armed only with a phone, he soon realizes that the crime is far more complex than he first thought.
A tribute screening of this brilliant and provocative Academy Award-winning documentary that recounts the history and attitudes of the opposing sides of the Vietnam War using archival news footage as well as its own film and interviews.
Nina and Alex are married with a beautiful toddler, Elsie. A woman who slowly comes to realize that the life she thinks she’s leading is a far cry from her reality, Nina ultimately makes a choice she never could have imagined possible before this realization.
Narrative
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Peter Davis
Language: English, French, Vietnamese
Director: Lisanne Sartor
Language: English
Producers: Lisanne Sartor, Samuel Kim
VERMONT PREMIERE
Location: Denmark
Director: Gustav Möller
Languages: Producers: Lina Flint, Henrik Zein Danish, English
VERMONT PREMIERE
24
Producers: Peter Davis, Bert Schneider, Tom Cohen
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
VERMONT COLLECTION
Hidden Blueprints: The Story of Mikey
Honeypot FRIDAY DANA 1:30 pm 16M
I Love Your Fucking Name SATURDAY THT 1:30 pm 7M
SUNDAY DANA 4:00 pm 8M
An innovative film that tells the story of an art collection hidden in the prison system for years. Interrelated to this is a story, told through expert re-creations, of a champion fighting praying mantis named Mikey that won all of its prison fights before being martyred in a corporate prison riot.
Inspired by the audio of Harvey Weinstein obtained by the NYPD’s sting operation in 2015 with Ambra Gutierrez, the film not only lays out visually what it may have felt like as a young woman to be tricked into this dangerous situation but is also an openended exploration of the complicity surrounding Weinstein’s actions.
Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardeau, Peter Pan and Ronald MacDonald. Yes, those are their real names. I Love Your Fucking Name is a short documentary film about the complex relationships people have with their given names.
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: Canada
Director: Jeremy Lee Mackenzie
Language: English
Director: Jill Greenberg
Language: English
Director: Finn O’Hara
Language: English
VERMONT COLLECTION
Producers: Robert Green, Martin Schulman
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producer: Emily Goldberg
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Producers: Julie Pacino, Aron Meinhardt, Mike Jacobs
I Was Here
In the Name of… FRIDAY MQS 7:15 pm 5M
Insha’Allah Democracy THURSDAY MQS 10:30 am 58M
Artist or curated hoarder? For the past forty years, Louis Zoellar Bickett has operated an archive out of his home in Lexington, KY. From q-tips and stamps to urine and semen samples, Louis’ archive documents all aspects of his daily life.
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Julian Dalrymple
Language: English
Producers: Julian Dalrymple, Matthew Hill
The man you love converts to Islam for you…but you try to escape Islam. In a search for compromise, the filmmaker shares with the world a universal story: what will you sacrifice for love?
The film’s director Mohammed Naqvi will vote for the first time during Pakistan’s elections but he has a tough choice between a religious hardliner and a secular liberal leader who happens to be a former military dictator. Who will he vote for and is democracy achievable in Pakistan?
Documentary
Location: Norway
Documentary
Director: Erlynee Kardany
Languages: English, Malay, Norwegian
Director: Mohammed Naqvi
Producer: Atle Evang Reinton
US PREMIERE
The Invisibles
SUNDAY THT 1:00 pm 85M
SUNDAY THT 4:00 pm 14M
Four young Jews hide from the Nazis in plain sight in World War II Berlin and live to tell their stories many years later. The Invisibles boldly and beautifully interweaves the survivors’ actual accounts with highly accomplished dramatizations, an unusual hybrid approach that brings edge-of-the-seat suspense to their years spent underground. A film quite unlike other Holocaust related films and thoroughly engrossing.
It’s Just A Gun charts the life of one Smith & Wesson Model 640 from the assembly line to a protective husband, then a pawn shop owner, then a desperate drug addict and finally Gabe, a scrawny nine-year-old boy from South Central, Los Angeles.
Narrative
Location: Germany
Director: Claus Räfle
Language: German
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Brian Robau
Language: English
Producer: John Sayage
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producers: Frank Evers, Claus Räfle, Jörg Schulze 25
Language: English
Jacob Burns Creative Culture Showcase
It’s Just a Gun SATURDAY THT 7:15 pm 110M
Producers: Mohammed Naqvi, Jared Ian Goldman, Dan Cogan
Location: Pakistan, USA, UAE
SATURDAY TWI 10:30 am 85M The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), based in Pleasantville, New York, continues its fruitful collaboration with MNFF to advance the work of emerging voices in independent filmmaking. MNFF presents its second showcase of the JBFC's Creative Culture program. The Creative Culture directors represented at this year's screening are: Reggie Altidor, Leah Galant, Emily Ann Hoffman, Crystal Kayiza, Kerry LeVielle, Ariel Noltimier Strauss, Tyler Rabinowitz and Rahessa Vitorio. Narrative, Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Various
Language: English
Producer: Various
VERMONT PREMIERE
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Location, Location, Location! And the perfect location is not just critical to the
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26 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Kim Swims
Kupal FRIDAY MQS 10:30 am 75M
La La Land THURSDAY MQS 1:30 pm 81M
SATURDAY DANA 1:30 pm 128M
Kim Swims tells the story of an open water swimmer’s attempt to become the first woman to swim 30 miles through a stretch of cold, rough and shark-inhabited water off of the San Francisco coast.
Made in Iran, this is the unusual story of a hunter and a taxidermist, named Dr. Ahmad Kupal, who, on the last day of the year, faces an unexpected challenge.
In this highly regarded movie-musical, a pianist and an actress fall in love while managing their aspirations for the future and navigating their careers in Los Angeles. Special event with the Academy Award-winning Production Designers of La La Land, David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco follows the screening.
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: Iran
Narrative, Musical
Location: USA
Director: Kate Webber
Language: English
Director: Kazem Mollaie
Language: Persian
Director: Damien Chazelle
Language: English
Producers: Kate Webber, Donald NEW ENGLAND Ngai, David Orr PREMIERE
Producer: Kazem Mollaie
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producers: Jordan Horowitz, Marc E. Platt, Fred Berger, Gary Gilbert
VERMONT COLLECTION
Lake Effect
Late Afternoon SUNDAY TWI 1:00 pm 32M
Life After FRIDAY DANA 7:15 pm 9M
SATURDAY MQM 7:15 pm 13M
A northern New England-based father-daughter filmmaker team explores the connection between neurotoxins found in the water and the onset of sporadic cases of a terminal disease.
Emily finds herself disconnected from the world around her. She goes on a journey through her memories to relive different moments from her life.
Nisha, a single mother and Indian immigrant, travels to New York City to clear out her deceased daughter Zara’s apartment. In the midst of her profound grief, Nisha must decide whether to embrace or ignore the truth about her daughter’s short life.
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: Ireland
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Jackie Heltz
Language: English
Director: Louise Bagnall
Language: English
Director: Ria Tobaccowala
Language: English
Producers: Jim and Jackie Heltz
VERMONT COLLECTION
Producer: Nuria González Blanco NEW ENGLAND
Producer: Maria Altamirano
VERMONT PREMIERE
PREMIERE
Light of the World
Lily SATURDAY MQM 10:30 am 11M
Lotte that Silhouette Girl SATURDAY MQM 10:30 am 9M
SATURDAY DANA 7:15 pm 10M
Gordon and Ralph, two octogenarians, meet weekly to chew the fat about life, football, Proust, world affairs. Light of the World is a study of love, friendship and loss, about holding on to life in the valley of the shadow of death.
After insisting, Lily convinces her husband Cooper to visit the local nursing home. She is excited about the place, but the tour does not impress. He meets Samantha, one of the residents, and has a conversation that changes his mind. When he finally decides to go back to Lily, he realizes it is already too late.
Before Walt Disney, there was Lotte Reiniger. She invented the multiplane camera and created the first animated feature. This innovative film explores the life and times of a groundbreaking woman who is finally being given her due.
Narrative
Location: England
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Malachi Smyth
Language: English
Director: Danilo Herrera
Language: English
Language: English
Producers: Malachi Smyth, Ben Pullen
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Producer: Danilo Herrera
WORLD PREMIERE
Directors: Carla Patullo, Elizabeth Beecherl
VERMONT COLLECTION
27
Producer: Trick Studio
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
VERMONT PREMIERE
Love After Love
Love, Gilda SUNDAY MQM 4:00 pm 91M
Man Made SATURDAY DANA 7:15 pm 88M
FRIDAY TWI 1:30 pm 97M
Following the death of their father, two sons deal with the trials of their own lives while watching their mother explore new beginnings of her own. Features Andie MacDowell and Chris O’Dowd.
In her own words, comedienne Gilda Radner looks back and reflects on her life and career. Weaving together recently discovered audiotapes, interviews with her friends, rare home movies and diaries read by modern day comediennes (including Amy Poehler), Love, Gilda offers a unique window into the honest and whimsical world of a beloved performer whose greatest role was sharing her story.
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Russell Harbaugh
Language: English
Director: Lisa Dapolito
Language: English
Director: T Cooper (via Skype)
Language: English
Producer: Téa Leoni
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Producers: Eric Mendelsohn, Robert Halmi, Jim Reeve
Producers: Lisa Dapolito, Bronwyn Berry
Four transgender men prepare to compete at TransFitCon, the only all trans-bodybuilding competition in the world—held in Atlanta, GA. What precedes this triumphant moment are a set of diverse journeys taken on the path to self-identity and empowerment. Told through the intimate and authentic lens of trans filmmaker T Cooper, this stirring film intertwines the nuances of manhood, the drive for social justice, and the competitive desire to forge one’s own path.
VERMONT COLLECTION
Meeting George
Minding the Gap THURSDAY MQM 10:30 am 20M
Modified SATURDAY TWI 1:30 pm 93M
SUNDAY MQM 10:00 am 87M
A son searches to reconnect with his deceased father through old home movies and conversations with the past.
Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.
In Modified, the filmmaker and her mother embark on a personal and poignant investigative journey to find out why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled on food products in the United States and Canada, despite being labeled in 64 countries around the world.
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: Canada
Director: Matt Lennon
Language: English
Director: Bing Liu
Language: English
Director: Aube Giroux
Language: English
Producer: Matt Lennon
WORLD PREMIERE
Producers: Steve James , Bing Liu, Diane Quon, Gordon Quinn
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producers: Aube Giroux, Camelia Frieberg
VERMONT COLLECTION
Molly’s Game
Monty SUNDAY THT 10:00 am 140M
Moroni for President SUNDAY MQM 1:00 pm 11M
Molly Bloom, a beautiful young Olympic-class skier, ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans, and, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. The film’s Production Designers, David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco , will appear after the screening. Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Language: English
Producers: Oren Aviv, Felice Bee, Stuart Besser, Adam Fogelson, Leopoldo Gout
28
FRIDAY MQS 7:15 pm 76M
Monty J. makes one-of-a-kind ceramic planters. His work is playful yet edgy and full of character. Though he wishes he could just make his art all day, Monty has to work two jobs to support himself. In this film, Monty reveals his process, how he thinks about his art, and what it takes to survive as an artist in New York today.
Moroni Benally runs for the presidency of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American nation in the United States. Young, gay, Mormon, and armed with a degree in public policy, he wants to shake up the status quo and kick out old leadership. An eyeopening and humorous portrait of a political race that runs surprisingly parallel to the current political landscape of the US at large.
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Margaret Metzger
Language: English
Language: English
Producer: Margaret Metzger
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Director: Saila Huusko , Jasper Rischen Producer: Sara Goldblatt
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
VERMONT PREMIERE VERMONT COLLECTION
My Country No More
My Son. My Moon. SUNDAY TWI 1:00 pm 70M
Night Call FRIDAY MQM 10:30 AM 8M
SATURDAY MQM 1:30 pm 18M
Tracking the rise and fall of the new American oil boom, My Country No More paints an intimate portrait of a rural North Dakota community in crisis, forced to confront the meaning of progress as they fight for a disappearing way of life.
This narrative short explores a mother and son’s struggle with the many dimensions of her Alzheimer’s.
When on a routine patrol, a black female cop living in and patrolling Inglewood [California], gets called to a disturbance, she is forced to make an unprecedented, life altering decision.
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Jeremiah Hammerling, Rita Baghdadi
Language: English
Director: Shaya Mulcahy
Language: English
Director: Amanda Renee Knox
Language: English
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Producers: Shaya Mulcahy, Michael Reilly
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Producers: Phabillia AfflackBorja, Miriam Anwari
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producers: Jeremiah Hammerling, Rita Baghdadi, Jeff Consiglio
No Kissing
One. SUNDAY MQM 4:00 pm 13M
Outer Spaces SUNDAY DANA 4:00 pm 6M
Two high school best friends struggle to have sex with each other in this emotionally raw and extremely discomforting comedic drama about losing one’s virginity.
SATURDAY MQS 7:15 pm 83M
Modern life assumes we come in pairs. Two-forone deals. Table for two? But what if we’re single? In this short film, comedian Nikki Britton tackles the unexpected hurdles of updating her bedroom furniture – on her own.
Struggling comedy writer Jimmy Becker returns to his childhood home to help his grandfather move into an assisted living facility. Back in the suburbs, he reconnects with figures from his past — some he welcomes, some he’d rather forget, and some he never knew were there.
Narrative
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: Australia
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Jacob Seltzer
Language: English
Director: Gavin Banks
Language: English
Director: Sean Weiner
Language: English
Producers: Jacob Seltzer, Jacob Sussman , Miranda Konar
Producer: Olivia Olley
US PREMIERE
Producer: Andrew Jupin
NORTHEAST PREMIERE
Paleonaut
Personal Statement FRIDAY MQM 1:30 pm 16M
Phulsiri THURSDAY THT 6:30 pm 87M
FRIDAY TWI 10:30 am 29M
A scientist studying the first human time traveller falls in love with her subject. But if her research succeeds, they will become separated by eons of history. She must find a way to connect with him across the ages or lose him forever.
Three seniors at Brooklyn high schools are determined to get their entire classes to college, even though they aren’t even sure they are going to make it there themselves. They are working as peer college counselors in their three schools because many of their friends have nowhere else to turn for support. They work tirelessly to realize better futures for themselves and their peers. An inspirational film of the highest order.
One and a half months after an earthquake reduced a village to rubble, a ten old longs for normalcy. School reopens in a day and she is overjoyed. However, there is a hitch: according to school rules, she must locate her shoes, which are lost in the debris that was once her home.
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: Nepal
Director: Eric McEver
Language: English
Directors: Juliane Dressner , Edwin Martinez
Language: English
Director: Ngima Gelu Lama
Language: Nepali
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Producers: Ngima Gelu Lama, Sange Sherpa
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Producers: Eric McEver, Mufei Xu VERMONT PREMIERE
Producer: Beth Levison
VERMONT COLLECTION
29
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Pickle
The Providers THURSDAY THT 1:30 pm 21M
Puzzle FRIDAY TWI 7:15 pm 85M
FRIDAY DANA 7:15 pm 103M
After accidentally freezing the family dog to death, Oscar attempts to make good with his soon-to-be stepson by driving the lad and the family pet’s ashes across the country.
Set against the backdrop of the physician shortage and opioid epidemic in rural America, this moving film follows three healthcare providers in northern New Mexico. Amidst personal struggles that reflect those of their patients, the journeys of the providers unfold as they work to reach rural Americans who would otherwise be left out of the healthcare system. With intimate access, the documentary portrays the transformative power of providers’ relationships with marginalized patients.
Agnes, taken for granted as a suburban mother, discovers a passion for solving jigsaw puzzles which unexpectedly draws her into a new world – where her life unfolds in ways she could never have imagined. Features the luminous Kelly Macdonald.
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Grant Moore
Language: English
Language: English
Director: Marc Turtletaub
Language: English
Producers: Peter Henckel
VERMONT PREMIERE
Director: Laura Green, Anna Moot-Levin
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Producers: Wren Arthur, Guy Stodel
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producers: Laura Green, Anna Moot-Levin, Jamie Meltzer, Sally Jo Fifer
Radiogram
Raising Son SATURDAY TWI 7:15 pm 85M
RAMP FRIDAY MQS 1:30 pm 10M
SATURDAY TWI 7:15 pm 10M
Bulgaria 1971, under the Communist regime, when any religious expression or music from the West is a national threat. Based on a true story, Radiogram follows a father who walks almost 100 km to the nearest town, so he can buy a new radio for his rock ‘n roll obsessed son. A feel good drama about identity, the power of music and freedom.
Raising Son follows balloonist, Brian Boland, and his mentee, Jordan Long. Anchored around the art of flying and building hot air balloons, the film explores the dynamics of mentorship and the concept of fatherhood.
An elderly woman becomes obsessed with returning a portable ramp to Home Depot years after she bought it for her recently-deceased husband. This is what happens when anxiety mutates into obsession.
Narrative
Location: Bulgaria
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Rouzie Hassanova
Language: Bulgarian
Director: Ben Bishop
Language: English
Director: Ethan Mermelstein
Language: English
Producer: Ben Bishop
WORLD PREMIERE
Producers: Ethan Mermelstein, Talya Davidoff, Miranda Kahn
WORLD PREMIERE
Producers: Gergana Stankova, Stanislaw Dziedzic, Klaudia Smieja
VERMONT PREMIERE
VERMONT COLLECTION
The Rider
Rodney SATURDAY MQM 7:15 pm 104M
Roll Red Roll FRIDAY MQS 7:15 pm 4M
After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America – a supreme challenge for a man born and bred to be a champion rodeo bronc rider.
SUNDAY THT 4:00 pm 80M
The very amusing story of Rodney, a young penguin, who aspires to make it in the human world.
In small-town Steubenville, Ohio, at a pre-season football party, a horrible incident took place involving two teen boys and an inebriated girl. What transpired would garner national attention and result in the sentencing of two key offenders. Questions would linger around the collusion of teen and adult bystanders. The Steubenville story acts as a cautionary tale of what can happen when adults look the other way and deny that rape culture exists.
Narrative
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Chloe Zhao
Language: English
Director: Will Lupica
Language: English
Director: Nancy Schwartzman
Language: English
WORLD PREMIERE
Producers: Steven Lake, Jessica Devaney
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producers: Dickey Abedon, Mollye Asher
Producer: Will Lupica
VERMONT COLLECTION
30
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Rust Creek
Science Fair
The Selling of the Pentagon
SATURDAY MQM 1:30 pm 103M
WEDNESDAY MQM 4:00 pm 90M
When overachieving college senior Sawyer Scott makes a wrong turn, her road trip becomes a lifechanging fight for survival in the wilds of eastern Kentucky. A vibrant homage to the “backwoods mayhem” thriller pioneered by Deliverance.
Nine high school students from disparate corners of the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks, and hormones on their quest to win the international science fair and the grand prize of $75,000. Only one will be named “Best in Fair.”
Narrative
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Jen McGowan
Language: English
Language: English
Producer: Stu Pollard
VERMONT PREMIERE
Director: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster Producers: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Jeff Plunkett, Daniel Eilemberg, Isaac Lee, Keith Summa
(Writer: Julie Lipson )
Shame
Writer: Mohammed Naqvi Producers: John Moser, Mohammed Naqvi, Jill Schneider
Language: English
Silent Night FRIDAY MQM 1:30 pm 100M Adam, who lives and works abroad, visits his family home in the Polish provinces on Christmas Eve. At first, he keeps the real reason for his visit to himself, but it isn’t long before he starts letting one relative after another in on his plans.
Location: Pakistan, USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: Poland
Language: English, Urdu
Language: English
Director: Piotr Domalewski
Language: Polish
Producers: Lance Acord, Theodora Dunlap
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producer: Munk Studio
Director: Rudy Valdez
Straws FRIDAY DANA 7:15 pm 5M
Talking to Tony: 5 Attempts FRIDAY MQS 10:30 am 32M
A poetic portrayal of the story of the sightless potter Sonja Zeliskova, who despite an adverse fate found her life’s journey in art and ceramics.
Director: Maros Milcik
Location: USA
Director: Peter Davis
Cindy Shank, mother of three, is serving a 15year sentence in federal prison for her tangential involvement with a Michigan drug ring years earlier. This intimate portrait of mandatory minimum drug sentencing’s devastating consequences, captured by Cindy’s brother, follows her and her family over the course of ten years.
Sonja
Documentary
Documentary
SUNDAY THT 7:30 pm 85M
Shame, a riveting Emmy–winning documentary, tells the story of international human rights icon Mukhtaran Mai. She is a Pakistani peasant who was gang-raped and shamed as a teenager in her village, but then used her trauma to spark a legal revolution that exposed centuries of tribal conflict and government mismanagement. Documentary
A very controversial 1968 film that examined the increasing utilization and cost to the taxpayers of public relations activities by the military-industrial complex in order to shape public opinion in favor of the military. Narrated by Roger Mudd, the film focused on three areas of Pentagon activity to illustrate its theme of public manipulation: direct contacts with the public, Defense Department films, and the Pentagon’s use of the commercial media–the press and television.
Producer: Peter Davis
The Sentence SATURDAY THT 1:30 pm 95M
Director: Mohammed Naqvi
KIDS & FAMILY
SATURDAY MQS 1:30 pm 60M
SATURDAY DANA 10:30 am 20M
Used once and tossed, billions of plastic straws wind up in landfills and streets and oceans. Actor Tim Robbins narrates the history and story of marine researchers, citizen activists, and business owners who discuss how to make a sea of change, one straw at a time.
In 2011, the filmmaker’s best friend from college committed suicide at the age of 26, leaving behind an unfinished novel. Talking to Tony is a narrative/ doc hybrid film which attempts to make sense of his death. At the same time, it is an exploration of the differences between memory, dreams, fiction and video.
Location: Slovakia
Documentary
Location: USA
Documentary
Location: USA
Language: English
Director: Linda Booker
Language: English
Director: Mojo Lorwin
Language: English
Producer: Mojo Lorwin
WORLD PREMIERE
Producer: Maros Milcik
Producers: Linda Booker, Andrea VERMONT PREMIERE Arria-Devoe, Mike Maguire
31
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
VERMONT COLLECTION
The Test
The Testament SUNDAY DANA 10:00 am 14M
Through the Windmill SATURDAY DANA 10:30 am 88M
WEDNESDAY MQM 1:00 pm 80M
Confronted with a class of cheating students, a young Chinese professor decides on a course of action that threatens to undermine the entire school system and expose the tangles of deceit in her own life.
Yoel, a meticulous historian researching a WWII massacre of Jews in Austria while leading a significant debate against holocaust deniers, discovers that his mother carries a false identity. A riveting mystery about a man who is willing to risk everything to discover the truth.
Through the Windmill looks at the history of miniature golf in the United States and how it has evolved over the last 100 years. The film explores the unique, family-friendly roadside attractions and the people who design, build and operate them.
Narrative
Location: China
Narrative
Location: Israel
Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Caroline Guo
Languages: English, Chinese
Director: Amichai Greenberg
Languages: Hebrew, German, English
Director: Amanda Kulkoski
Language: English
Producer: Amanda Kulkoski
KIDS & FAMILY
Writers: Caroline Guo, Ziqin Han Producers: Caroline Guo, Mufei Xu
Producers: Yoav Roeh, Aurit Zamir
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
To Let
VERMONT PREMIERE
Touched THURSDAY MQM 1:30 pm 99M
Turyn Goes to the Club FRIDAY MQM 10:30 am 78M
SUNDAY DANA 4:00 pm 4M
Based on real life incidents that took place in 2007 in the Indian city of Chennai, a small family is confronted with the fallout from a real estate boom when their landlord greedily seeks a much higher rent. Unable to pay, they have only 30 days to find new housing with their modest middle-class income. On their mopeds, they start a race against time and all kinds of prejudice.
Part ghost story, part psychological drama. Touched is about a tenement landlord who investigates the disappearance of one of his tenants who communicates with him in the form of a nine-yearold girl.
Turyn, born into the world totally unaffected by gender politics, faces a night with no plans. Her two friends, Tiffany and Bobber, who are very much entrenched in that world, offer to take her to The Club. Upon arriving she quickly encounters club patrons in various surrealist situations, deconstructing stereotypical behaviors.
Narrative
Location: India
Narrative
Location: Canada
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Chezhiyan Ra
Language: Tamil
Director: Karl Hearne
Language: English
Director: Lauren Ireland
Language: English
Producer: Prema Chezhiyan
VERMONT PREMIERE
Producer: Karl Hearne
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Writer: Lauren Ireland
VERMONT PREMIERE
Until First Light
Vermont Fancy SATURDAY MQM 10:30 am 82M
Producer: Haley Rawson
The View from Up Here THURSDAY THT 10:30 am 47M
SATURDAY THT 7:15 pm 18M
Until First Light follows an unnamed protagonist returning to his childhood home following the suicide of his brother. The man struggles with loss as fall gives way to winter and he assumes responsibility for the family farm.
Candid and articulate, Doug Densmore is a single farmer in rural Vermont, struggling with the consequences of his choice of lifestyle and the existential problem of what happens in the future as he ages and faces losing the ability to maintain his farm. Over the course of a year, Doug reveals much about what his life has amounted to.
Claire and Lila are neighbors. They live in the same building and see each other every day, but hardly know each other’s name. One particular day, Claire decides to pay Lila a visit to ask for something that puts Lila’s fragile hold on life in America at risk.
Narrative
Location: Canada
Documentary
Location: USA
Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Kyle Armstrong
Language: English
Language: English
Director: Marco Calvani
Language: English
Producer: Kyle Armstrong
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Kathleen Dougherty Huxley
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Writer: Marco Calvani
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
32
Producer: Kathleen Dougherty Huxley
VERMONT COLLECTION
Producers: Dean Ronalds, Emanuela Galliussi
4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Vignette
VTIFF Showcase – Foxtrot FRIDAY THT 10:30 am 19M
When We Can
SUNDAY DANA 1:00 pm 113M
Vignette is a compilation of four portraits that delve into the journeys of Patti, Rashad, Grace, and Kaitlyn as they share their stories about relationships, love, identity, and family. Documentary
Location: USA
Director: G.G. Alves
Language: English
Producer: G.G. Alves
THURSDAY MQM 1:30 pm 20M
A troubled family must face the facts when something goes terribly wrong at their son’s desolate military post. MNFF has forged a promotional partnership with the Vermont International Film Festival. This presentation of Foxtrot is a selection of Orly Yadin, VTIFF Artistic Director, who will host this screening.
David, a young freelancer, lives with his girlfriend and their newborn child who suffers an unexpected medical emergency. Without the money to buy medication and nobody to turn to, David is forced to sell an object of great sentimental value.
Narrative
Location: Israel
Narrative
Location: Portugal
Director: Samuel Maoz
Language: Hebrew
Director: Miguel Cardoso Faria
Language: Portuguese
Producer: Eitan Mansuri
Producer: Jose Mazeda
VERMONT COLLECTION
Wild & Precious
Yanvalou
THURSDAY
One man’s 60 year journey of gay liberation, from sissy boy on the Vermont family farm, to tender teen discovering sexuality, to the trauma of the closet, to the crushing tragedy of AIDS, to finding power and hope in activism. Documentary
Location: USA
Director: Steve Cadwell
Language: English
Producer: Steve Cadwell
VERMONT COLLECTION
Yasuni Man SATURDAY TWI 7:15 pm 5M
MQM 10:30 am 60M
WORLD PREMIERE
An awkward computer programmer learns to dance to impress his next-door neighbor. (The film’s title is a dance from the Afro-Haitian Vodoun tradition.)
FRIDAY MQS 1:30 pm 92M
Narrative
Location: USA
Yasuni Man is a compelling documentary feature about the Yasuni Biosphere of Amazonian Ecuador, the world’s most biodiverse forest, and the Waorani, an indigenous Amazonian tribe plagued by deception, exploitation and murder. Note: there is nudity in this film.
Director: Angeline Gragasin
Language: English
Documentary
Producer: Angeline Gragasin
VERMONT PREMIERE
Location: Ecuador, Director: Ryan Patrick Killackey USA Producers: Ryan Patrick Killackey, Language: English Tomi Sugahara
The Yellow Room
VERMONT PREMIERE
FRIDAY MQM 7:15 pm 5M
WATCH FILM TRAILERS @ middfilmfest.org/2018-films
In a series of increasingly lush and intimate encounters, two dancers are forced to confront each other and themselves, exploring the expansion of identity beyond solely masculine or feminine. Narrative
Location: USA
Director: Kitty McNamee
Language: English
Producers: Kitty McNamee, NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE Jim Doyle
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4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
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Festival Program Published by the Addison Independent | Design by The Image Farm 35 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
36 4th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival | 2018 FESTIVAL PROGRAM