Welcome
to the 19th Annual Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival On behalf of myself and the Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival group, I would like to welcome everyone to the 2017 Festival. My hope is that everyone leaves saying “I had a great time!” and that you will be back again next year. So...sit back, enjoy the films, the food, the fun and the friendships!
Thank you again for coming! Hal Wixon Founding Director
Program
Master of Ceremonies
Film Screenings:
Friday, September 29, 2017 • 6:00 P.M. - 11:30 P.M. Saturday, September 30, 2017 • 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Nassau Bay City Hall
1800 Space Park Dr. Houston, TX 77058
Awards Ceremony:
Saturday, September 30, 2017 • 6:00 P.M. - 11:00 P.M.
Lakewood Yacht Club
2425 E NASA Pkwy, Seabrook, TX 77586
A Special Thank You
To all our committee members and volunteers Liz Chapman Van Shotwell Peggy “Domino” Taylor Hector Luna Karen Wixon Hal Wixon
Rebecca Collins J.Kargue Thomas Dorsch Mickey Matthews Shaun Petitt
Nick Nicholson
Film Critic / Producer / Actor
www.gulfcoastfilmfest.com
Disclaimer: The Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival presents independent films without editing or censorship. While the Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival hopes you enjoy your participation, the Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival is not responsible for any views, scenes or language within the films presented. As such, the Gulf Coast Film & Videos Festival cannot assume responsibility for any offense or expressions you might experience by viewing these films. Please take notice that all scenes, opinions and statements are offered by the director and actors in each film, and are not the views or expressions of the Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival. Some films may have violence, adult language or content that may not be suitable for children under 17.
Presenters
ERNIE MANOUSE
Senior Producer/Host - Houston Public Media Ernie Manouse is an eight time Emmy Award winning TV anchor, producer and host, who currently has two series running on Houston Public Media: InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse (currently in its 15 season, airing on PBS stations across the country), and the arts magazine show Arts InSight. Additionally, Ernie recently wrapped production on the top rated Downton Abbey inspired talk show, the nationally syndicated Manor of Speaking. Ernie began his career in radio, and has for the last 21 years worked primarily in television. With the re-launch and rebranding of Channel 8 as part of Houston Public Media, you can now hear and see him on Radio, TV and the internet. Manouse tours the country interviewing Al Pacino in the stage show Pacino: One Night Only; is co-host to finance expert Suze Orman on her bi-annual PBS specials; and holds the title of “Ultimate Interviewer” from the Houston Chronicle.
Nellie Gonzalez
Director/Producer/T.V. Personality Nellie Gonzalez is an award winning Director/Producer and TV personality. She hosted several entertainment shows that aired on KHOU and KPRC. Nellie also Co Directed and Produced “An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story” which sold to CNN and Discovery and can now be found on Amazon Prime. Most recently her documentary “Little Angles” won Best Documentary at the 168 Film Festival in Los Angeles August 2016 and was awarded a Silver Telly this past June 2017 for the same.
Scheduled to Appear
Stephanie Ludwig – 2017 Miss Kemah USA
Stephanie Ludwig is a native Texan from Tomball. She is a graduate of Tomball High School where she was involved in FFA and an NCA All-Star Cheerleader. She received an associate’s degree from Lone Star College and is now a student at Sam Houston State University, majoring in Mass Communication/Multimedia Journalism with a minor in Communication Studies. Stephanie is a professional model and has worked for multiple clients including Mary’s Bridal, Chi/ Farouk Systems, Sakowitz Furs and was in Seventeen Magazine Feb/March 2017 issue. Stephanie has placed in the top 5 at Miss Kemah and Miss Houston and has received numerous specialty awards including the Swimsuit Fitness Award, JuCan Spirit Award (Miss Congeniality) and Most Photogenic and won the coveted Most Photogenic award at MISS TEXAS USA 2017. In June, Stephanie’s hard work and determination paid off. Her dream was realized and she won the title of Miss Kemah 2017, as well as the Most Photogenic Award. Stephanie enjoys spending time on the lake with her family, fishing, camping and anything outdoors as well as volunteering with the JuCan Foundation, Star of Hope and the Alzheimer’s Association. During her reign, Stephanie will focus on mental health treatment and awareness.
Bryn Carden – 2017 Miss Kemah Teen USA Bryn Carden was recently crowned Miss Kemah Teen 2017. She won Most Photogenic and the Fitness Award A junior at Cy Fair High School, Bryn is on the honor roll, is a varsity cheerleader and as a sophomore was JV co-captain of her cheer squad. She is active in Young Life and numerous philanthropic organizations. Bryn spent time volunteering at the Galveston Urban Missions organization this summer. A past Vice President of Philanthropy at National Charity League, Bryn worked closely with the NAM Food Pantry. As 2017 Miss Kemah Teen, Bryn’s message includes empowering young women to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin. During her reign she plans to focus her outreach effort in schools and organizations where she can be a positive mentor to young women. Bryn has also started her own line of bracelets called “Bryn’s Stules for Smiles”, where she is helping to raise money for the international Organization “Smile Train” that helps children in undeveloped countries have corrective surgery for cleft palates. Bryn looks forward to numerous community appearances as Miss Kemah Teen and competing in the MISS TEXAS TEEN USA competition Thanksgiving weekend.
Lifetime Achievement Honoree
Gary Chason started by putting on “garage shows” for family and friends with his sister, Carolyn (who went on to have a distinguished career as a Producer/Director/Choreographer in musical theater). He studied ballet at The Houston Ballet Academy and sang in the chorus of the Houston Grand Opera. In college at The University of Texas he began producing and directing plays, concentrating on avant garde, experimental work. Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” was one of his shows. After college he continued, directing Euripides’ “The Trojan Women,” Pinter’s “The Caretaker,” Jarry’s “Ubu Roi,” and Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” among many others. He directed his own scripts, “Charlie’s Ear,” and “Denizens” at Houston’s Equinox Theater and the controversial “The Beard” at an art gallery in the Montrose District between assignments as a film Casting Director. Robert Altman hired him as Location Casting Director for “Brewster McCloud,” which led to Location Casting and Dialect Coach for Peter Bogdanovich’s “The Last Picture Show.” He got the entire casting credit on Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon,” and shared that credit on “Texasville” for the same director. He handled casting chores for Sam Peckinpah on “The Getaway,” and for Michael Ritchie on “The Bad News Bears,” “SemiTough,” “Student Bodies,” and “The Island.” His other casting credits are too numerous to mention here, but “Race With the Devil,” “Logan’s Run,” and “Futureworld” come to mind.
He continued to work as a Dialect/Dialogue Coach, working with Jeff Bridges, Ann-Margret, Brooke Shields, Cybill Shepherd, Tim Bottoms, Ellen Burstyn, and Cloris Leachman, among many other less well known performers. In the Nineties, he left his casting career behind to concentrate on directing his own films: “Charlie’s Ear,” starring Austin Pendleton; “Everything or Nothing,” starring Natasha Melnick; and “God Thinks You’re a Loser,” starring Melnick and Sue
Rock – all feature films. He has written, produced and directed too many shorts to list, but many of them have played in – and won awards in – various festivals: “Clementine’s Grave;” “The Beheading;” Puppet Love;” “Little Adorable;” and “Perverse Disorder,” to name a few. He has written three feature scripts, twelve short scripts, and six stage plays that have been produced. As a Writer-for-Hire he has written six feature-length screenplays and and six shorts and/or training videos. On speculation, he has written nine feature scripts, two stage plays, three children’s novels, with another children’s novel and a regular novel in the works. He wrote film reviews and other stories for The Rag and Space City News, both “underground” newspapers. He has also written an instructional book about acting for film and television. Late in his career, his talent for acting was discovered. The highly-acclaimed “Dear Pillow,” and “Fourplay, San Francisco” are two of the most noteworthy efforts and he continues to be sought after by independent filmmakers. “Strings,” “Sex and the Septuagenarian,” “Nursing Holmes,” “The Problem of Evil,” and “Blood and Water” are some of the titles. As of this writing, he is preparing for a starring role in “Sweet Velvet Grace,” a faith-based feature for Austin Writer/Director Ben Snyder, which he is also Co-Producing. Having started his film career in 1970, he is now the longest continuously engaged film professional in the state of Texas.
Film Screenings Friday, September 29th
Gardeners of the Forest
Can’t Live Up
For generations, Laos was known as the Land of a Million Elephants. Today, there are around 600 elephants left in Laos. If the Laotian elephants become extinct, not only does it mean a loss of one of the largest mammals on earth but also the loss for Laotian history and culture. This documentary will explore how the Chinese market, deforestation, and tourism all play a role in the imminent extinction of elephants in Laos.
Can’t Live Up is the story of an underemployed college graduate. Gavin (Jordan Hill) has been living with his parents for over a year. His dad and mom are not sure if he’s doing his best to find a job. Gavin is not sure they will ever understand how tough it is to start a career.
Kevin Harman, Director Ceylan Carhoglu & Nicole Jordan – Webber, Producers Screen Time: 6:15 p.m. Running time: 14mins-32secs Genre: Student
Adam Randall, Screenwriter Roy S. Ford, Producer/Director Screen Time: 6:35 p.m. Running time: 5mins-55secs Genre: Drama
Cast: Jordan Hill (Gavin), Patricia Bell (Mom), Mark Rhodes (Dad), Ty Bowman (Tommy)
Texoma
Matt Jenkins, Screenwriter Matt Jenkins, Producer/Director Screen Time: 6:45 p.m. Running time: 1hour-19mins-8secs Genre: Drama Rancher Clint Forest’s girlfriend Kat has dumped him again. She’s fed up with his easygoing nature and inattentiveness. Clint’s mind is elsewhere. At his ex-wife’s insistence, he’s looking into the suspicious death of an old friend. Clint’s problems are compounded by rival rancher Nick Grandfield, who wants Clint’s land. The windy plains of Texoma are filled with clues for one death and are ready to be the place for murder. Production Company: Misfits of Film, LLC, 3AM Films
The Gold Line
Lance Childers, Screenwriter Lance Childers, Producer/Director Screen Time: 8:15 p.m. Running time: 12mins-15secs Genre: Action/Adventure/Art/Experimental/Drone The sun breaks the horizon and covers the Houston skyline in the morning light and long shadows. Steven wakes up with a great idea for a graffiti mural. After roughly sketching his idea, he leaves his apartment and skates toward downtown. Along the way, he is inspired by the stunning visuals that come with a great sunrise. At the same time, five other young skateboarders are navigating their own individual paths through the urban downtown landscape. The day, and their live shave just begun. There are few spontaneous moments in life that are perfect in every way. With each reflection, they shimmer more brilliantly than the last…eventually turning to gold. For these six skateboarders, this is one of those moments Cast: Steven Robinson, Max Peterson, Joseph Rodriguez, Deandre Daniels, Colton Dennes and Andrew Wallace.
If I Could bark
Shawn Welling, Screenwriter Don Miller, Producer Shawn Welling, Director Screen Time: 8:30 p.m. Running time: 12mins-19secs Genre: Short/Drama A elderly man (Don Miller) forms a lasting bond with a dog that he finds salvation in till his very end. Cast: Shawn Welling, Jena Willard, Max Welling Production Company: Welling Films
Antidote for the Wicked World We Live In Margo Stutts Toombs, Screenwriter Margo Stutts Toombs, Producer/Director Screen Time: 8:50 p.m. Running time: 4mins-36secs Genre: Music Video
Rap video created in response to the political/cultural environment in the US in 2017. Production Company: Margo Stutts Toombs
You’ve Been Pot’d
Joseph Clark, Screenwriter Tobey Jorre, Producer/Director Screen Time: 9:00 p.m. Running time: 18mins-36secs Genre: Documentary A documentary on the art of poting people. Learn how to celebrate the new holiday on August 14th that is Pot’ers Day. Production Company: JMC Films/Buckfumbler FX
Turning The Hands of Time
Norman Ray Fitts, Gary Chason, Screenwriters Gary Chason, Director Mark Docherty, Judy Docherty, Producers Screen Time: 9:30 p.m. Running time: 22mins-6secs Genre: Drama Desperate to save his pregnant wife from being killed by a bloodthirsty member of a Mexican drug cartel, a distraught detective turns to his estranged father for the kind of help only he can give. Cast: Mia Rujiz, Gary Chason, Marc Isaacs Production Company: Saltire-Productions, LLC
Shh…
Robert Jauregui, Kristen Marie Perry, Screenwriters Robert Jauregui, Director Screen Time: 10:00 p.m. Genre: Short, Comedy An oddball alcoholic spends a night of fun with her ditzy best friend at the theater, only to find herself being interrogated by a detective for the murder of Mellisa Jones. Cast: Kristen Marie Perry, Nick W. Nicholson, Kristin Cochell
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Saturday, September 30th Me and My Shadow
Joseph Clark, Director Screen Time: 8:30 a.m. Running time: 7mins-5secs Genre: Drama
Strange Bird
Shawn Welling, Screenwriter Don Miller, Producer Shawn Welling, Director Screen Time: 8:45 a.m. Running time: 1hour - 10mins Genre: Drama The film tells a story in the life of a young teenager from a broken Midwestern family who can not sleep. She believes a band of ragtag outlaws, who kills their victims in their dreams, will chase her down to her demise. The young teen Carrie Sane (Presley Bishop) visits a neurologist, Dr. Steve Blackburn, in hopes that he can cure the unstoppable seizures that she is plagued with day by day and monsters that haunt her at night. Cast: Preslee Bishop, Shawn Welling, Nick W. Nicholson Production Company: Welling Films
The Neighborhood That Disappeared Mary Paley, Director Screen Time: 10:00 a.m. Running time: 86mins-3secs Genre: Documentary
In the early 1960’s, New York’s billionaire governor, Nelson A. Rockefeller used eminent domain to raze 98.5 acres of Albany’s multi-ethnic South End for the construction of a monolithic state government complex-the largest ever in American history. More than 1,600 buildings, including churches, schools, and family businesses were demolished, and 3,600 households were displaced while the Governor led a campaign to justify the project by falsely describing it as a crime and vice ridden slum. As the film reveals, the truth about “the neighborhood” was quite different, and through the use of rare archival photos and film footage, along with interviews with former residents and local historians, the real South End emerges: a close-knit, working-class, mostly Italian-American community that provided a welcoming refuge to generations of immigrants while enriching New York’s capital city with its Old World values and skills. “It’s a story that had to be told,” says Paley. “It had been hidden for 50 years.” A resident of Albany, Paley conducted interviews and inquiries for five years in preparation. This documentary broke donation pledge records during its debut broadcast by public television station WMHT-TV (PBS) in 2014 and was rebroadcast multiple times due to viewer demand. The Neighborhood That Disappeared was named Best Local Film by Metroland newsweekly and has earned jurist recognition from the Hudson Valley International Film Festival, the Kingston Film
Festival, and the NYC Independent Film Festival, as well as being officially selected for the Socially Relevant Film Festival in New York City. More recently, the film was selected for screening at the 41st Gala of the National Italian American Foundation in Washington, D.C. Production Company: Omikronicles, LLC
Echoes From The Neighborhood That Disappeared Mary Paley, Director Screen Time: 11:30 a.m. Running time: 56mins-40secs Genre: Documentary
A resident of Albany, Paley conducted interviews and inquiries for five years in preparation, and together with the many interviewees who remember their lost community with heartbreak and humor expose the ruthless political maneuvering that resulted in the demise of “the heart of the city” and the dispersal of the 9,000 people who lived there. Production Company: Omikronicles, LLC
The Lawn Boy
Penney Gibben, Screenwriter Mark Baird, Producer/Director Screen Time: 12:45 p.m. Running time: 9mins-44secs Genre: Short Cast: Matthew Carter, Anita Darby, Relisa Franklin | Production Company: Clear Lake Christian Media Project
Dazed
Nikki Palomino, Producer Screen Time: 1:00 p.m. Running time: 3mins-30secs Genre: Short/Drama Eric’s visionary descent into the drug culture of the ‘90s and his inspiration to Grunge Rock ascension.
Cast: Cortney Palm, David Brackett, Ginger Coyote
The Witching Hour
Riley Geis, Director Anabel Boyanova, Producers Screen Time: 1:10 p.m. Running time: 12mins-29secs Genre: Horror On Halloween night, George, a fearful young boy crosses paths with the spooky and bewitching Susie as she takes him by the hand on an adventurous night of mischief into the haunted Beauregard Manor.
Cast: Maddox Henry, Amber Romero Production Company: Chapman University
Icarus
Tom Teller, Director Michelle Evans, Producer Tom Teller, Andrew Guastaferro, Screenwriters Screen Time: 1:30 p.m. Running time: 19mins-59secs Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama When a Mars colony’s satellite is damaged, Emilia Riley embarks on a seemingly harmless repair excursion. A shuttle malfunction cuts connectivity to the ground and Chris, her son makes the knee jerk decision to go after her. Production Company: Chapman University
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Rocket Brenna Malloy, Director Sarah Hulsman, Producer Ian Hock, Screenwriter Screen Time: 1:55 p.m. Running time: 28mins-54secs Genre: Drama Rocket tells a bittersweet fairy tale set in the world of 1950’s dirt track racing. With a legacy traditionally passed down from father to son, Annie Pankratz strives to build a destiny all her own.
Thank you again for coming to the 19th Annual Gulf Coast Film and Video Festival!
Production Company: Chapman University
The Night Stuffed Animals Attacked Joseph M. Clark IV, Director Joseph Clark, Screenwriter Screen Time: 2:30 p.m. Running time: 5mins-34secs Genre: Comedy/Horror
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One family struggles to survive a dark spell that transforms two cute, cuddly stuffed animals into crazy killing machines. Production Company: JMC Films
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Ghost Lynn Stevens, Georgina Beccerra, Screenwriters Mark Baird, Director Lynn Stevens, Producer Screen Time: 2:45 p.m. Running time: 2mins-17secs Genre: Drama Production Company: Clear Lake Christian Media Project
Shenanigans Mark Baird, Screenwriter Mark Baird, Director Mark Baird, Lynn Stevens, Producers Screen Time: 3:00 p.m. Running time: 5mins-3secs Genre: Comedy Production Company: Clear Lake Christian Media Project
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The Kemah Lighthouse District has the spectacular Kemah Boardwalk, unique shops and restaurants of every kind, and world class yachting marinas.
There’s more than you can do in a day... so stay the weekend and enjoy all that Kemah has to offer!
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www.VisitKemahTX.com • 1.877.77KEMAH (1.877.775.3624)
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Join Krewe du Lac as we celebrate
Mardi Gras Kemah 2018 We kick off the season with our
Toy Fund/Pub Crawl December 8, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. Bring a gift card or contribute $10 per person. We will start our crawl at then through the streets of Kemah. To find out more about 2018 Mardi Gras Krewe du Lac Kemah
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visit our website krewedulac.org or call 281.334.1884 • 281.455.2011
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