Indie Grits 2019 Festival Guide by Nickelodeon Theatre

INDIE GRITS 2019

Table of Contents Organized by Indie Grits Labs, the Indie Grits Film Festival is a four-day event that celebrates the visionary, and experimental culture of the South through film, art, music and tech.

Festival Info p. 02 Passes & Tickets

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Rural Project

Filmmaker Focus

p. 04

p. 07

2019 Fellows and

Fresh Docs with SDF

Rural Project Artists

p. 05-06 The Rural Project Premiere

p. 08 Grits in Progress

p. 09

p. 12

Feature Doc Panel

The Rural Project

Silence Sam: Impact

at the Indie Bits Arcade

Producer Screening

p. 16

Impact Producer Workshop

Rural Projects at the

p. 10

Fist & Spoon Zine Fair

The House of Sweet Magic

p. 18

p. 11

Rural Project Films

Kindie Grits

at The Fist & Spoon Fair

Indie Grants

p. 03 Masthead

p. 26-29 Festival Schedule

Centerfold

Events p. 13

p. 21

Opening Night in Cottontown

Jury & Awards

Festival Maps

p. 14

p. 22-32

About the CFS

Overdue Grits

Feature Blocks

p. 51-54

p. 15-18

p. 33-48

Film & Artist Index

The Fist & Spoon Fair

Shorts Blocks

Puppet Slam Performances

Indie Bits

p. 19 The Weekly Revue After Party at The Whig!

Film

p. 12

p. 20

Indie Bits Arcade

Closing Night Dance Party

INDIE GRITS 2019

PASSES & TICKETS

Festival Passes & Tickets Festival Pass Prices $150 GENERAL PUBLIC

$100 NICKELODEON MEMBER

Festival Pass Benefits FREE ADMISSION TO:

Film Ticket Information $11

All film screenings at the Nickelodeon (based on availability)

NICKELODEON MEMBER

All special events - The Weekly Revue, one Puppet Slam performance, and Closing Night Dance Party (based on availability)

IMPORTANT INFO

GENERAL ADMISSION

$8 STUDENT (BOX OFFICE ONLY)

Event Ticket Information $10 THE WEEKLY REVUE PUPPET SLAM PERFORMANCES

$5 CLOSING NIGHT DANCE PARTY (AT THE DOOR)

Tickets are first come, first served. Online ticket sales cut off one hour before the screening, and there is no assigned seating. All tickets can be purchased through the Nickelodeon Theatre at the Box Office, located at 1607 Main Street, Columbia, SC. The Box Office opens one hour before the first screening of the day.

You must wear your festival pass to receive festival pass benefits. Reserving your tickets in advance is strongly encouraged. Your festival pass does not guarantee you a seat, so you must reserve in advance for a guaranteed spot. The festival pass does not act as a fast pass. We recommend arriving 15 minutes early to each programmed event to guarantee your favorite seat in the house! A festival pass is nontransferable and can be used only for the benefit of the named holder. PICK UP INFO

Beginning March 18, 2019, passes will be available for pick up at the Nickelodeon Theatre Box Office (1607 Main Street, Columbia, SC) from 3 PM to 9 PM, Monday through Friday. During the festival itself, passes will only be available for purchase in person at the Box Office.

MASTHEAD

Festival Staff

STAFF, SPECIAL THANKS

Avni Gupta-Kagan Interim CEO, Columbia Film Society Seth Gadsden Director, Indie Grits Labs

Rico McDaniel Indie Grits Labs Mega MediaLab Instructor

Steffi Brink Festival Programming Coordinator

Bree Burchfield Development and Administrative Assistant

Carrie Grebenc Director of Development and Theater Operations

Adrian Williams Projectionist and IT Coordinator

Amada Torruella Senior Film Programmer

THEATER MANAGERS

Ashleigh Lancaster Festival Marketing, PR Phillip Blair Event Operations Lillian Burke Rural Project Coordinator Ony Ratsimbaharison Filmmaker Hospitality Aaron Walker Volunteer Coordinator, Event Logistics Anna Weller Volunteer Coordinator

1013 Duke Avenue Columbia, SC 29203 indiegrits.org

Lyon Hill Puppet Slam Coordinator

Savannah Taylor Project Manager, Designer

Omme-Salma Rahemtullah Nick Programming Coordinator

INDIE GRITS LABS

Lee Snelgrove Logistics Support

Rachel Pittman Juror Hospitality Amanda Windsor Nick Marketing Manager Mahkia Greene Indie Grits Labs Education Instructor Cecil Decker Indie Bits Coordinator

Deborah Adedokun Torres Perkins Keelyn Rogers Lillian Burke Max Thompson

THEATER STAFF Mai Agullo Henry Coonrod Allie Dugger Jacory Frazier Alice Lilitu Cade McConnell Kaylyn Middleton Daniel Niati Caesar Nieto Debria Robinson FILM PROGRAM TEAM Seth Gadsden Amada Torruella Steffi Brink Lillian Burke Mahkia Greene O.K. Keyes Omme-Salma Rahemtullah Charlotte Taylor Aaron Walker Amanda Windsor Joshua Yates

About Us THE NICK 1607 Main Street Columbia, SC 29201 (803) 254-8234 nickelodeon.org

The Columbia Film Society (CFS) serves Columbia, SC as a center for critical dialogue, anchored by the presentation of films that showcase the diversity, challenges, joy, and aspirations of its community. A destination for enjoyment, enrichment, and education, CFS provides the tools to make, interpret, appreciate, and teach the moving image in all its variety through its two arms: the Nickelodeon Theatre and Indie Grits Labs.

INTERNS Joshua Lewis Jordan Bridgsche Brianna Hamlin Rodderick Haynes Yumi Naruke Cassidy Spencer Melvonia Taylor

FESTIVAL GUIDE MASTHEAD Savannah Taylor Project Lead, Designer Luke Hodges Writer and Editor Melvonia Taylor Contributing Editor Advertising and Sponsors Carrie Grebenc Printer Sheriar Press, Myrtle Beach, SC

SPECIAL THANKS ACS Light and Sound A Peace of Soul Bluetile Skate Shop Buonasera Media Services Columbia Museum of Art Curiosity Coffee Bar Hotel Trundle Indah Coffee Lenoir Rhyne University Lula Drake The Marriott New Orleans Film Festival One Columbia for Arts and History Richland Library SC Arts Commission South Carolina Film Commission Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) The War Mouth Working Films

RURAL PROJECT

FELLOWS & ARTISTS

2019 Fellows and Rural Project Artists p. 18 Haitham Alrikaby PITTSBURGH, PA

Anderson p. 18 Kara COLUMBIA, SC Belton p. 16 Sherrie WINNSBORO, SC

p. 05

Lillian Burke COLUMBIA, SC

p. 05 Kelly Creedon

p. 05

Dillinger p. 06 Ian WALTERBORO, SC

p. 06

Cedric Umoja

p. 08, 18 Adam Forrester

p. 16

Aaron Walker

Greene p. 06 Mahkia COLUMBIA, SC

p. 16,18

LOS ANGELES, CA

DURHAM, NC

ATLANTA, GA

Amada Torruella

HOPKINS, SC

COLUMBIA, SC

Margaret Walters NEWBERRY, SC

Yutsi

Ivey p. 12 Shannon COLUMBIA, SC

p. 12

Jones Jr. p. 06 Thaddeus COLUMBIA, SC

The Rural Project

p. 18 p. 06

Zaire Love OXFORD, MS

Yulian Martinez-Escobar CHARLESTON, SC

Maur p. 18 Carleen COLUMBIA, SC

p. 16, 18 Ony Ratsimbaharison COLUMBIA, SC

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

In 2018-2019 we are focusing on the issues facing small town and rural communities in the Southeast in the 21st century. The dominance of industrialized farming and the shrinking of domestic manufacturing have transformed the landscape of much of the South. In its wake, we see rural communities struggling with many of the same issues faced by underserved urban populations: poor access to education, health care, and opportunities for advancement. This year, we identified ruralbased artists to develop projects around the stories and experiences of this often overlooked and disrespected part of our community.

THE RURAL PROJECT

RURAL PROJECT PREMIERE

THURSDAY, MARCH 30 AT 7:00PM

The Rural Project Premiere

180 MIN NICKELODEON THEATRE 1607 MAIN STREET $11 GENERAL ADMISSION $8 NICK MEMBERS FREE WITH A FESTIVAL PASS

Join us for the film premieres from the 2019 Indie Grits Labs Fellows and Rural Project media artists. The screening will include a mixture of Fellowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projects as well as a selection from our open call for proposals, followed by a Q&A from the participating artists. LITTLE SALUDA USA Lillian Burke & Amada Torruella | Columbia, SC In Saluda, SC, established latino immigrants and generations of black and white residents coexist in isolation. A poetic exploration of the rural South, this immersive documentary showcases a collage of experiences from 21st-century America.

THE LAST STAND Kelly Creedon | Durham, NC Set in Orangeburg, SC, this documentary follows a battle over a Confederate Flag flying in the center of town in the wake of the 2015 Charleston Massacre. Through the battle, the film challenges audiences to consider if the flag has a place in Southern culture of the 21st Century.

THE RURAL PROJECT

RURAL PROJECT PREMIERE

VOICES OF THE LAND: SUSTAINING LIFE IN THE RURAL SOUTH Ian Dillinger | Walterboro, SC An informative story-driven documentary of the rural South seen and heard through the lives of farmers and individuals who make their living off the land, this film highlights the diverse natural resources and traditions that shape the landscape and issues a call to action for stewardship and sustainability.

INVISIBLE HANDS Yulian Martinez-Escobar | Charleston, SC With sweat and toil, migrant farm workers provide the invisible labor bringing food to tâ&#x20AC;&#x2039;he American table from seed to harvest. Invisible Hands is an intimate film documenting a group of Mexican seasonal laborers in the rural South Carolina.

LOWER RICHLAND STORYLAB Mahkia Greene & Students from Lower Richland High School | Columbia, SC This film serves as an experimental visual record of Lower Richland StoryLab (LRSL), a high school arts program in rural Hopkins, SC. Fusing both the student and instructor perspective of the art process, this film follows the students of LRSL as they explore the past, present, and potential of their community.

UP THE ROAD (WORKING TITLE) Thaddeus Jones Jr. | Columbia, SC This documentary offers an intimate look into the lives of entrepreneurial businesses through interactions with a current and former breadman in Hampton County, SC. Interviews and decaying spaces are contrasted with scenic sprawling spaces and bumpy roads as residents strive to keep their dying towns alive.

TEN TOES DOWN Cedric Umoja | Hopkins, SC To ensure a future for itself and its children, The Land possesses a man and performs various spells.

FILMMAKER FOCUS

FRESH DOCS WITH SDF

Filmmaker Focus A new, FREE series of programming open to the public, aimed at supporting filmmakers currently working in the documentary and doc-narrative hybrid field. Indie Grits has identified the need to be more than an exhibitor of emerging and established Southern voices. We are working to create an open space for dialogue and collaboration in which filmmakers can find support in every level of their projects, from pre-production to post. Work-in-progress screenings, panels, and workshops, make this festival track a unique, resourceful experience for filmmakers and film-lovers alike. FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 4:00PM

120 MIN NICKELODEON THEATRE 1607 MAIN STREET FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC In partnership with The Center for Documentary Studies and the Southern Documentary Fund, we are pleased to present a work-in-progress screening of Lauren Waring Douglas’s When Porgy Came Home. Fresh Docs is the Southern Documentary Fund’s (SDF) free work-in-progress screening series. These screenings give filmmakers an opportunity to show their work and receive constructive feedback on story, structure, and characters from a diverse audience. As a result, not only do our artists make better films, but SDF grows documentary audiences by engaging them meaningfully in the creative process. MODERATOR: Naomi Walker, Co-Director of the Southern Documentary Fund

WHEN PORGY CAME HOME Lauren Waring Douglas | Charleston, SC | 40 min Though it premiered in the 1930s, the world-famous opera Porgy and Bess did not receive its debut production in Charleston, South Carolina—the city of its birth—until 1970, due to segregation laws. When Porgy Came Home offers a glimpse at the people and the culture that inspired the show’s author, Dubose Heyward. The documentary also shares untold stories of the performers from the 1970 show, and features a look at its most recent rendition at the 2016 Spoleto Festival in Charleston.

GRITS IN PROGRESS

FILMMAKER FOCUS

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 12:00PM

Grits In Progress 180 MIN RICHLAND LIBRARY | 1431 ASSEMBLY ST 2ND FLOOR THEATER FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

DEVIL TOWN 12:00 PM Adam Forrester | Atlanta, GA Devil Town examines the sordid history of a now sleepy small town in the American South: Phenix City, Alabama. It was here that local officials once allowed violent murders and a criminal network of drugs, gambling, prostitution, and black-market adoptions to flourish, leading the town to earn the moniker "Sin City, USA."

Above: Sediment, William Stephen Davis

One of the most important aspects of documentary filmmaking is seeing your work on a big screen and having a real, live audience respond to it. Indie Grits is proud to present our first-ever series of "rough cut" screenings by regional visiting filmmakers. These screenings are free and open to the general public, and each is followed by a facilitated session where the audience is encouraged to provide constructive feedback on story structure and character development.

THE CAREGIVERS 12:30 PM Lauren Cater & Abbey Hoekzema Tucker, GA In 2005, it was estimated that 1.3 - 1.4 million children between the ages of 8 and 18 act as caregivers in their household to a sibling, parent, grandparent, or extended family member. The Caregivers shares the intimate stories of caregiving youth growing up in the South. These young adults sacrifice their education, childhood, and general well-being to support their families. By not acknowledging and experiencing these children's lives, we run the risk of leaving a generation behind. And this generation has critical skills needed for our changing society.

THE LAST DOCTOR 1:00 PM Matthew Hashiguchi | Savannah, GA Since 2010, seven rural hospitals have closed in Georgia, leaving a health disparity in much of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rural areas. In Clay County, its last remaining doctor tries to maintain her rural clinic so she can continue treating residents in one of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poorest counties, where the closest hospital is thirty miles away. SEDIMENT 1:30 PM William Stephen Davis | Charlotte, NC The collapse of industry. Limited support for public education. Poor medical services for those grappling with long-term illnesses. In rural North Carolina, small towns are beset by an unyielding series of crises, both public and private. Sediment delves into the invisible stories of the people who occupy these spaces, utilizing interviews, landscape imagery, and individual memories to communicate the breadth of the devastation there.

PANELS & WORKSHOPS

FILMMAKER FOCUS

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 11:00AM-12:00PM

Feature Doc Panel RICHLAND LIBRARY | 1431 ASSEMBLY STREET ROOM 214 FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Thinking about making a documentary feature? Are you currently in production, post or pre-production? Join these filmmakers who currently have their first doc features in the festival circuit for a conversation about documentary storytelling and the ins-and-outs of feature production.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 3:00PM

Silence Sam: Impact Producer Screening 60 MIN RICHLAND LIBRARY 1431 ASSEMBLY STREET 2ND FLOOR THEATER FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SPECIAL GUESTS: Jeremiah Rhodes, Lead Producer Mistyre Bonds, Impact Producer

SPECIAL GUESTS: Andrea Patiño Contreras, Co-Director of America First: The Legacy of an Immigration Raid Emily Harrold, Director of While I Breathe, I Hope Jon Kasbe, Director of When Lambs Become Lions

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 | 4:00-5:00PM

Impact Producer Workshop RICHLAND LIBRARY | 1431 ASSEMBLY STREET ROOM 214 FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Impact producing is about developing strategies to guide the vision of your film, create culture, engage key audiences and ensure your story generates tangible social change. This workshop will use the impact campaign of Silence Sam as a jumping off point to talk about impact producing in your next documentary film. A panel of experienced producers will share their thoughts on the importance of impact producing in their own work. WORKSHOP HOSTS: Naomi Walker, Co-Director of the Southern Documentary Fund Jacqueline Olive, Director of Always in Season Mistyre Bonds, Impact Producer of Silence Sam Molly Murphy, Co-Director of Working Films MODERATOR: Lauren Waring Douglas

SILENCE SAM (FINE CUT SCREENING) Jeremiah Rhodes & Courtney Staton Chapel Hill, NC | 40 min Since its dedication in 1913, students, staff, faculty, and community members at UNC have advocated for the removal of Confederate monument Silent Sam, standing at the entrance of campus. Silence Sam, a documentary short produced by students of UNC’s School of Media and Journalism, follows the most recent student-led movement to remove the statue, as well as their silencing by university administrators.

THE HOUSE OF SWEET MAGIC

FILMMAKER FOCUS

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 4:00PM

The House of Sweet Magic

60 MIN RICHLAND LIBRARY 1431 ASSEMBLY STREET 2ND FLOOR THEATER FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

These handcrafted animations, unflinching documentaries, heartfelt narratives, and fiercely original music videos—all created by youth media-makers—are suffused with the same DIY spirit present in the work of Helen Hill, a noted experimental animator and champion of independent cinema. Hill, a Columbia native, made her first-ever animated short, The House of Sweet Magic, in the fifth grade. The love of movie magic that began in Hill’s childhood inspired this block, which features the work of filmmakers age 3 through 18.

WHO LOVES MICHAEL JACKSON MORE? | Stop Motion Club | 18 secs Binford Middle School | Richmond, VA

THE LOST GIRL | Anonymous 1 min | Women's Well Being Initiative Columbia, SC

IG2BYITM | Eric VanHoose | 6 min Appalshop | Whitesburg, KY

SECOND CHANCE | Anonymous 35 secs | Art 180 | Richmond, VA

MY MOTHER'S HANDS | Briana Johnson | 2 min | Lower Richland StoryLab at Indie Grits Labs Columbia, SC

BRUTE FORCE | Charli Shapiro | 7 min Camp Flix | Atlanta, GA

FILMMAKER FOCUS

KINDIE GRITS & INDIE GRANTS

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 | 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Kindie Grits RICHLAND LIBRARY MAIN 1431 ASSEMBLY ST. STORYTIME ROOM FREE AND FAMILY FRIENDLY! ALL AGES Kindie Grits is a free event that welcomes future filmmakers and families of all ages. We utilize everything from markers to magazines, glitter, and other crafty tools to create imaginative stop motion animations together. All of this is led by an Indie Grits alumni filmmaker who always delivers a fun morning of creativity and filmmaking.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 12:00PM

Indie Grants 90 MIN NICKELODEON THEATRE 1607 MAIN STREET FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Indie Grants is a joint effort between the South Carolina Film Commission and Trident Technical College, connecting South Carolina scriptwriters and their stories with top production professionals. Filmmakers and Indie Grants staff members will be on hand to answer questions about the grant application and the production process.

WHISTLER’S MOTHER Robbie Robertson & Lorie Gardner | Columbia, SC

AND THE PEOPLE COULD FLY | Roni Nicole Henderson Columbia, SC

ABDUCTED | Directed by Ben Joyner, Written by Josh Barkey | Fort Mill, SC

VOICES Written & Directed by Will Stewart | Greenville, SC

The artist James Whistler spent years trying to capture the essence of his mother for his most famous work of art. Not to create a masterpiece, but to save his mother from possession by the Baba Yaga, an evil Russian witch.

And the People Could Fly explores a 10 year old girl’s adventure in a parked ‘84 Bonneville. When the street grows too hectic for her, she ventures into the house of a gentrifying heroin dealer and discovers her power to truly awaken and transmute.

News of strange disappearances cast an unsettling mood as Jen, a young professional, goes out for drinks with a man she met online.

Plagued with a disorder that makes him mimic celebrity voices when he gets nervous, a desperate man has one last chance to find true love before it’s too late.

INDIE BITS ARCADE

MARCH 28 - MARCH 31 | 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Indie Bits Arcade

INDIE BITS

FEATURED RURAL PROJECT WORKS AT INDIE BITS ARCADE:

1216 TAYLOR STREET FREE ADMISSION ALL AGES

Indie Bits is a celebration of independent interactive media. That’s video games, board games, card games, and virtual reality. There’s playful, imaginative worlds of escape. If you want slick systems that challenge your mind, here is the place. The IB19 Arcade shares work from developers all over the south and beyond. Experience strange alternative controllers, sound games, multiplayer madness, and more. This year will feature a special a collection of youth games from the VCU Art Education Department.

GEOGRAPHY OF ROBOTS Yutsi | Charlottesville, VA Geography of Robots is a collection of pixel art, games, interactive fiction, and other experiments that explore the hidden geographies, environmental histories, and speculative futures of the Deep South. A collection of games, pixel art, and other experiments that explore the hidden geographies and environmental histories of the Deep South.

THE DIRT PROJECT Shannon Ivey | Columbia, SC The Dirt Project is an immersive multimedia exploration of one woman’s journey home to unravel the strained connection to family land, legacy, and privilege using audio interviews, video, and dirt. Join Shannon for a community discussion on Sunday, March 31 at 1:00 PM.

EVENTS

OPENING NIGHT IN COTTONTOWN

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 | 5:00 - 10:00 PM

Opening Night in Cottontown

Indah Coffee 2238 SUMTER STREET

9:00 STAGBRIAR Columbia, SC

7:30 REAL WORK Columbia, SC

6:30 FINNEGAN BELL Charleston, SC

Curiosity Coffee Bar

The War Mouth

2327 MAIN STREET

1209 FRANKLIN STREET

10:30 DUMB DOCTORS

10:00 6IXX

Charleston, SC

Columbia, SC

9:30 MASONJAR MENAGERIE

7:00 & 7:45 THE WEEKS SISTERS

Food & Drinks A PEACE OF SOUL Food Truck at Curiosity THE WAR MOUTH Special food menu and Indie Grits cocktail for the night.

Fountain Inn, SC

Nashville, TN

COLUMBIA CRAFT BREWING COMPANY

8:00 SHE RETURNS FROM WAR

DJ CHRIS WENNER

A special Indie Grits beer, available at all satellite spaces and at the Nickelodeon Theatre throughout the festival.

Charleston, SC

6:00 RACHEL KATE Nashville, TN

Help us kick the festival off right. Join us at three venues in Cottontown for an opening night featuring 10 bands at Indah Coffee, Curiosity Coffee Bar, and The War Mouth.

Columbia, SC

EVENTS

OVERDUE GRITS

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 | 7:00-11:00PM

Overdue Grits

RICHLAND LIBRARY 1431 ASSEMBLY STREET FREE ADMISSION. 21+ UP.

A gritsy edition of Richland Library's Overdue—live music, art, interactive games, food, and drinks. Join us after hours at Richland Library for a night of tunes, tech, crafts, and so much more. Get inspired with interactive artwork from some of South Carolina’s best creatives. It’s time for you to check back in!

Activities Music

ADULT KINDIE GRITS (STOP-MOTION ANIMATION) BLOCK PRINTING

KING VULTURE

GREEN SCREEN BOOTH

Columbia, SC

COLORFUL FELT COASTERS

JENNY BESETZT

Columbia, SC

WIRE WRAPPED JEWELRY VIRTUAL REALITY BY INDIE BITS MULTIPLAYER VIDEO GAMES BY INDIE BITS

Food & Drinks

ZINE MAKING STATION

VILLAGE IDIOT PIZZA CURIOSITY COFFEE

EVENTS

THE FIST & SPOON FAIR

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 | 5:00-9:00PM

The Fist & Spoon Fair

THE COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART & BOYD PLAZA 1515 MAIN STREET FREE ADMISSION ALL AGES

The Fist & Spoon Fair is a sampling of mixed media that represents Indie Grits as a wholeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;free film screenings, print media and zines, music, puppetry, and of course food & fun! This event is supported by a grant to the Columbia Museum of Art from the Knight Foundation Fund at Central Carolina Community Foundation.

THE FIST & SPOON FAIR

EVENTS

EVENT SCHEDULE

5:00-9:00pm Zine Fair CMA Lobby A showcase of zine makers, artists, presses, organizations, and all of their fine print media. VENDORS: 9th hourr Cait Maloney Charleston Zine Fest Dojo Nowhereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mound of Miscellany Abigail Hardee Indie Bits (Cecil Decker) Charlotte Johnston

Ed Madden Tyler Muehl One Columbia needlezkane no.radius SUBPAR Magazine terps UofSC Photo Dept. ...and more!

FEATURED RURAL PROJECT WORKS AT THE ZINE FAIR:

FOODWISE Aaron Walker | Columbia, SC

ROUTE 3 BOX 187D

Foodwise is an ongoing, anecdotal collection of recipes that looks to the ubiquitous spiral bound community cookbook as its subject and guiding light. Foodwise is comprised of recipe contributions excerpted from regional, self-published family and community cookbooks. The publication and collection includes food focused poetry, collages, notes and stories that consider how recipes are shared. Foodwise will also be on sale at all merch locations throughout the festival.

Mo Jess had a love that stuck to you like a pot of pinto beans, Seib was as steady as the barrel of his shotgun, and their 12 children inherited the best of the both of them. Through their stories, this audio series is a love letter to Fairfield County, SC that celebrates everyday triumph, overcoming challenges, and the resiliency of black families in the rural south.

Sherrie Belton | Winnsboro, NC

ZINE FAIR SPONSOR: One Columbia for Arts and History

EVENTS

THE FIST & SPOON FAIR

5:00-8:00pm CMA Galleries open to the public for free Come see the newly organized collection! The CMA has gathered ancient and modern works of art that explore our shared archetypes, myths, and ideals.

Food Trucks On Boyd Plaza A PEACE OF SOUL LOS CHICANOS

6:00-7:30pm The Puppet Slam CMA Auditorium $10.00 GENERAL ADMISSION FREE WITH A FESTIVAL PASS An evening of hilarious and thought-provoking puppetry for an adult audience. Please note: the Puppet Slams are not appropriate for children.

6:30-7:00pm Hip Tags: A Columbia Symphony CMA Pavilion HIP TAGS: A COLUMBIA SYMPHONY Dan Cook, Brian Harmon, Lydia Pappas | 15 min | Columbia, SC Discovered by an intern at the University of South Carolina Libraries' Moving Image Research Collections (MIRC), ‘Hip Tags’ is an intriguing orphan film mystery with 1970s Columbia, SC as its main character. Without any provenance and defying description, this hypnotic film was passed from MIRC to Historic Columbia where staff and volunteers began to sift through it in search of clues. Hip Tags: A Columbia Symphony is the first in a series of multimodal engagements with this archival material. It follows a long tradition of city symphony films by combining these historic Columbia cityscapes with a soundtrack by local musician Dan Cook (A Spot on the Hill) to give viewers a poetic look at the capital city nearly 50 years ago.

HIP TAGS SPONSORS: University of South Carolina Libraries' Moving Image Research Collections (MIRC), Historic Columbia, The Jasper Project

EVENTS

THE FIST & SPOON FAIR

7:00-9:00pm Rural Project Films CMA Pavilion Join us for a screening of the Rural Project Premiere films, in addition to: NEWBERRY OLD HOTEL Haitham Alrikaby | Pittsburgh, PA Newberry Old Hotel tells the story of an old hotel, built in 1878 in Newberry, South Carolina. The hotel houses the historic Newberry Art Center, founded by Marguerite Palmen. When the hotel went up for sale, Joseph McDonald and his wife decided to purchase the building because they were worried that if an outsider bought the Hotel, the art center and history would be destroyed.

GETTING FREE Kara Anderson | Columbia, SC In this personal profile, the filmmaker reflects on her work as a young Southern white antiracistâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and the lifelong search for belonging that led her there.

STONE SOUP Ony Ratsimbaharison & Margaret Walters | Columbia, SC After reading Jon J. Muthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stone Soup, Newberry County students collaborate to create their own stone soup, along with several other projects, during a weekend arts program at the Newberry Arts Center. This film documents their creative process over a period of two workshop days, during which the students discuss what they would share with their community as they paint stones to go into their "soup."

ESTRANGED Carleen Maur | Columbia, SC

TREES Zaire Love | Oxford, MS

Estranged is a meditation on rural landscapes, queer sexuality and multiple modes of invisible and camouflaged communication.

Southern trees are the griots of the South. They hold wisdom and knowledge of the godly and the terror in the region. Listen as the trees talk my chile.

SEVEN MILLION MILES Adam Forrester | Atlanta, GA Atop Sand Mountain, a sandstone plateau in northeast Alabama infamous for poultry processing, Pentecostal snake-handling, and meth production, we meet Chico, Alice, and Misty, whose lives have been shaped by methamphetamine use. In a series of confessional vignettes, Chico struggles with reintegration into society following a jail sentence; Alice pursues recovery and fights for custody of her daughter; and Misty rebuilds a stable life after ending an abusive relationship. Set within a rural landscape of abundant beauty and deep poverty, Seven Million Miles presents a meditation on loss and the search for redemption amidst systemic social and economic marginalization.

8:30-10:00pm The Puppet Slam Encore CMA Auditorium $10.00 GENERAL ADMISSION FREE WITH A FESTIVAL PASS An encore performance of the Puppet Slam! Please note: the Puppet Slams are not appropriate for children.

EVENTS

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 | 8:00 - 10:00PM

The Weekly Revue

THE WEEKLY REVUE

DOORS AT 7PM SHOW AT 8PM THE PASTOR’S STUDY 1635 MAIN STREET $10.00 GENERAL ADMISSION FREE WITH A FESTIVAL PASS

SPECIAL GUESTS ZY YEAR Zaire Love, better known by her stage name ZY YEAR, is a singer-songwriter and filmmaker with music that’s a fusion of Neo-Soul, R&B, and Hip Hop. Her music submerges you in southern soulful sounds with a beautiful blend of soul, rhyme, and eclectic vocal nuances. BILL & TURNER ROSS

Toby Lou is returning for a sixth straight year to dazzle, educate, and entertain. This raucous New Orleans variety show designed and hosted by Lou "to edify and romance the people," features special guests, live music, comedy, and more!

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 | MIDNIGHT - UNTIL

After Party at The Whig! THE WHIG | 1200 MAIN ST | 21 AND UP

Join us at Columbia's greatest dive bar! Known as the unofficial watering hole for Indie Grits filmmakers, musicians, and festival-goers alike, The Whig will open its doors for a late night of drinks, food, and pleasant company.

The Ross Brothers are accomplished and decorated filmmakers whose collaborative projects include 45365, Tchoupitloulas, Western, and Contemporary Color. In 2015, their feature documentary, Western, won the Special Jury Prize for vérité filmmaking at Sundance.

CLOSING NIGHT DANCE PARTY

EVENTS

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 | 10:00PM-2:00AM

Closing Night Dance Party

1216 TAYLOR STREET AGES 21 AND UP $5.00 AT THE DOOR FREE WITH A FESTIVAL PASS

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your last chance to dance! Dancing, live music, drinks, and interactive games.

Music: BREATHERS

10TH LETTER

Columbia, SC

ZENSOFLY

INFINITIKISS

Columbia, SC

Charleston, sc

FILMS IN COMPETITION

Jury & Awards We’re excited to welcome our three jurors, who hail from across the Southeast and are here to help us celebrate this year’s crop of moviemaking talent.

Darcy McKinnon Darcy McKinnon is a documentary filmmaker and Executive Director of NOVAC, the New Orleans Video Access Center, which has been supporting community-based media in Southeast Louisiana since 1972. A native Floridian and decades-long resident of New Orleans, McKinnon is interested in work that highlights the unique cultures and social issues of the Gulf South. She is a co-founder of ALL Y’ALL, with Elaine McMillion Sheldon. McKinnon’s work in documentary includes the film Maquilapolis and Live, Nude, Girls, UNITE!. McKinnon’s work has been broadcast nationally on POV and Cinemax, and her current projects have received support from Chicken and Egg, Firelight Media, ITVS and Black Public Media.

Chloë Walters-Wallace Chloë Walters - Wallace is the manager of the Firelight Media Documentary Lab, an 18 month fellowship that provides mentorship, funding, and access to first and second time filmmakers from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities. She also heads up Firelight’s newest initiative the Groundwork Day Lab, which aims to expand the pipeline of emerging diverse makers from the South and the Midwest. Previously, Chloe was program director of the New Orleans Film Society’s Emerging Voices Mentorship Program, and the brand new Southern Producers Lab, a regional program bringing together 13 emerging, diverse producers from across the South. She lives in New Orleans, LA.

Eugene Haynes Eugene Haynes builds bridges that connect the gaps between craft, creative voice and commerce. He is currently a film and media arts Professor at Temple University, and works closely with undergraduate and graduate filmmakers to develop film analysis skills on issues of race, class and gender. Prior to coming to Temple, Eugene was the Director of Production and Acquisitions at USA Films (now known as Focus Features) and has also served as the Festival Artistic Director of the International Jamerican Film and Music Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica WI with actress/activist Sheryl Lee Ralph. He also currently serves as Program Manager of the BlackStar Film Festival held annually Aug. 1-4 in Philadelphia, PA. The BlackStar Film Festival is a celebration of cinema focused on work by and about people of African descent in a global context.

JURY & AWARDS

$1000 TOP GRIT Given to the top film as determined by our jury. Films from all categories are eligible to win this award. $500 HELEN

HILL MEMORIAL AWARD Awarded to the best work by a female filmmaker. In honor of Columbia native and celebrated animator, filmmaker, and teacher Helen Hill (1970-2007).

$500 BIG

GRIT Given to the top Feature Film

$500 SHORT

GRIT Given to the top Short Film

$250 ANIMATED

GRIT Given to the top Animated Film

$250 PEOPLE’S

GRIT Awarded to the film considered best, determined by a public vote.

$250 EXPERIMENTAL

GRIT

Given to the top Experimental Film.

$250 LOCAL

GRIT Given to the top film from South Carolina.

Digital Distribution REEL SOUTH AWARD Given to the best short documentary filmed in or about the South.

$250

YOUTH GRIT Given to the top Student Film.

Films must be in competition to receive awards. All films are in competition unless otherwise noted. Filmmaker Focus and Rural Project films are not-in-competition.

FEATURE BLOCKS

FILMS IN COMPETITION

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 AT 4:00PM

The Unafraid HEATHER COURTNEY & ANAYANSI PRADO LOS ANGELES, CA 87 MIN

Shot over a period of four years, this observational documentary feature follows Alejandro, Silvia, and Aldo, three DACA recipients for whom attending college in their home state of Georgia is all but impossible, given the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refusal to grant them entry or offer in-state tuition. Rather than giving in, the three students deftly navigate the political maelstrom that surrounds them, not only fighting for their own rights but for the rights of their families and their communities as well.

Pig Film

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 AT 4:30PM

PRECEDED BY:

Guster JOHN C. KELLEY KNOXVILLE, TN | 4 MIN JOSH GIBSON | DURHAM, NC | 60 MIN In an empty world, a solitary woman mechanically follows the protocols of a factory hog farm. Her labors are sporadically punctuated by musical rhapsodies as she moves toward the impending end. Is it the end of the world, a program malfunction, or the beginning of a film? Indie Grits alum Josh Gibson returns to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival with this striking experimental feature.

Through brief conversations with an adaptive chatbot, a professor sees more clearly his own creativity and depression in this animated short. Guster is based on actual messages and poetry written by the app.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

FEATURE BLOCKS

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 AT 6:30PM

This Taco Truck Kills Fascists

PRECEDED BY:

En la Frontera del Arte (On the Margins of Art) MICHAEL CURRAN & MIRANDA HARRIS MARTÍNEZ

Silk Duck - “Clear” LAURA IANCU | BLACKSBURG, VA 2 MIN

MINNEAPOLIS, MN | 15 MIN

RODRIGO DORFMAN | DURHAM, NC | 61 MIN "No guacamole for immigrant haters." That’s the message New Orleans-based performance activist José Torres-Tama hopes to spread through his Revolutionary Taco Truck Theatre. Drawing its title from musician Woody Guthrie’s famous motto, This Taco Truck Kills Fascists is the true story of an immigrant artist of color struggling to raise his two boys—and to champion the voices of the marginalized—in Trump’s America.

A collaboration with artists living and working in the border communities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, this insightful and visually arresting documentary short shares thoughtful conversations with a host of creatives who dare to imagine an alternate future, one free of border militarization and unchecked American imperialism.

Birdlike, Morphsuit-wearing creatures topple off bales of hay, strut across alternately lush and forbidding woodland landscapes, and play on swing sets in this colorful music video.

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 2:00PM

Gimme a Faith HAO ZHANG BEIJING, CHINA 85 MIN Sponsored by the Confucius Institute at the University of South Carolina.

In this engaging documentary self-portrait, engineer-turned-filmmaker Hao Zhang, a recent transplant to the United States, finds solace in the company of a devout group of fellow Chinese expats, who—in the heart of the Bible Belt South—have embraced an evangelical Christian faith seemingly at odds with their roots. Gimme a Faith premiered at the 2018 New Orleans Film Festival.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

FEATURE BLOCKS

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 6:30PM

Lumpkin, GA PRECEDED BY:

NICHOLAS MANTING BREWER LOS ANGELES, CA | 38 MIN This timely documentary feature—a lyrical exploration of indifference and isolation in today’s divided political climate—zeroes in on a poverty-stricken community in rural Georgia that plays host to one of America’s largest immigrant detention centers.

Walker’s

Uniontown

KYLE MYERS-HAUGH WILMINGTON, NC 12 MIN

FRASER JONES ATLANTA, GA | 16 MIN

Striking visuals dominate in this carefully composed observational documentary short, a study of a smalltown Black barbershop in the coastal North Carolina city of Wilmington.

In the midst of a highstakes local election, a group of grassroots activists in rural Alabama band together to take on big industry and complacent politicians. Uniontown is the latest documentary short from Indie Grits alum Fraser Jones.

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 7:00PM

Always in Season JACQUELINE OLIVE WILMINGTON, NC | 88 MIN "How far would you go to get to the truth?" That’s the question Claudia, mother of the late Lennon Lacy, puts to viewers of this elegiac documentary feature, a study of lingering historic traumas and their effect on the present day. Though authorities ruled Lennon’s death by hanging a suicide, Claudia—an African-American woman and longtime North Carolina resident—suspects it was a racially motivated lynching. Always in Season premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the US Documentary Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

While I Breathe, I Hope

FEATURE BLOCKS

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 8:30PM

PRECEDED BY:

All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk ANGELA TUCKER NEW ORLEANS, LA | 21 MIN EMILY HARROLD | NEW YORK, NY | 72 MIN What does it mean to be young, Black, and a Democrat in the heart of the American South? That’s the question at the center of Indie Grits alum Emily Harrold’s warm documentary portrait of Bakari Sellers. A rising star in the progressive political establishment, Sellers’ 2014 bid to become South Carolina’s lieutenant governor—as well as his activism following the shooting deaths of the Emmanuel Nine in Charleston—serve as the backdrop for this moving feature. Winner of the 2018 Audience Award at New Orleans Film Festival.

Combining archival footage with campaign advertisements, talk show interviews, stump speeches, and more, aw chorus of Black women voters offer their varying perspectives on Desiree Charbonnet and LaToya Cantrell—two Black Democrats vying to become New Orleans’ first woman mayor.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 4:30PM

When Lambs Become Lions JON KASBE NEW YORK, NY 76 MIN From the producers of the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land, this riveting documentary feature (directed by Indie Grits alum Jon Kasbe) follows a small-time ivory dealer in the Kenyan bush, who fights to stay on top while forces mobilize to destroy his trade. When he turns to his younger cousin, a conflicted wildlife ranger who hasn’t been paid in months, they both see a possible lifeline.

THURSDAY, MARCH 28

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

10 AM

11 AM

12 PM FESTIVAL SERVICES

1 PM

FESTIVAL SERVICES

INDIE BITS

Festival Lounge

Indie Bits Arcade

Box Office opens at 12:30pm Nickelodeon Theatre, 1607 Main St. Open to filmmaker, artist, and Indie Bits badge holders only

FILM

2 PM

3 PM

Fiction Medley

FILM

Southern Scenes

1:30 pm 71 min p.33

1:45 pm 96 min p.35

4 PM

One Columbia

FILM

1219 Taylor Street 5 PM

The Unafraid

FILM

4:00 pm 87 min

Pig Film p.22

4:30 pm 65 min

11:00am - 6:00pm

6 PM

RURAL PROJECT

8 PM

9 PM

10 PM

Rural Project Premiere 7:00 pm 180 min

This Taco Truck Kills Fascists 6:30 pm 78 min

1216 Taylor Street 11:00am - 7:00pm

Opening Night in Cottontown

FILM

7 PM

FREE Admission

EVENT p.22

p.23

p. 12

FREE Admission Indah Coffee: 2327 Main St. The War Mouth: 1209 Franklin St. Curiosity Coffee: 2238 Sumter St. 5:00-10:00pm

FILM p.05

Moving Memoirs

p. 13

9:15 pm 70 min p.37

11 PM

FEATURE BLOCKS

INDIE BITS

SHORTS BLOCKS

FESTIVAL SERVICES

RURAL PROJECT

EVENTS

FILMMAKER FOCUS

All events categorized as FILM and RURAL PROJECT will take place at the Nickelodeon Theatre. All films are in competition unless otherwise noted. FILMMAKER FOCUS events are non-competition.

FRIDAY, MARCH 29

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

10 AM

11 AM

12 PM FESTIVAL SERVICES

1 PM

INDIE BITS

FESTIVAL SERVICES

Indie Bits Arcade

Festival Lounge

Box Office opens at 12:30pm Nickelodeon Theatre, 1607 Main St. Open to

FILM

2 PM

Resilience 1:30 pm 82 min

3 PM

filmmaker, artist, and Indie Bits badge holders only*

FILM

Gimme a Faith p.39

2:00 pm 85 min p.23

4 PM FILMMAKER FOCUS

5 PM

Fresh Docs with SDF

FILM

4:00 pm 120 min

4:30 pm 84 min

People Portraits p.07

p.41

6 PM

One Columbia FREE Admission

1219 Taylor Street

1216 Taylor Street

11:00am - 6:00pm

11:00am - 7:00pm

FILM

7 PM

p. 12

Lumpkin, GA 6:30 pm 67 min

FILM p.24

8 PM

p.24

10 PM

1 AM

Pleasure Pursuits 9:30 pm 85 min

FILM

11:00 pm 54 min

1431 Assembly St. 7:00-11:00pm

Late Night Mixtape 12 AM

FREE Admission Richland Library

FILM p.25

11 PM

$10 General Admission The Pastorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Study 1635 Main St. Doors: 7:00 pm p. 19 Show: 8:00 pm

Ages 21 and up

While I Breathe, I Hope 8:30 pm 92 min

The Weekly Revue

Overdue Grits

7:00 pm 88 min FILM

9 PM

EVENT

Always in Season

p. 14 p.43 EVENT

p.45

After Party at the Whig 1200 Main St.

2 AM

11:30pm-until

p. 19

INDIE GRITS 2019

FESTIVAL MERCH

Shirts, Totes, Posters, & More!

Festival merch is available at all special event locations, and at the Nickelodeon Theatre throughout the duration of the festival.

1209 Franklin St.

FRANKLIN ST.

2327 Main St.

DOWNTOWN MAIN STREET SUMTER ST.

FESTIVAL MAP

MAIN ST.

Curiosity Coffee Bar

BELLEVIEW ST.

ELMWOOD AVE.

BLANDING ST.

SUMTER ST.

MAIN ST.

ASSEMBLY ST.

Lula Drake

Pastorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Study 1635 Main St.

Nickelodeon Theatre 1607 Main St.

One Columbia 1219 Taylor St.

Mast General Store

TAYLOR ST.

1216 Taylor St.

Columbia Museum of Art

Hotel Trundle

1515 Main St.

Boyd Plaza 1515 Main St.

5 HAMPTON ST.

THE BIG APPLE

The Marriott

Richland Library

SUMTER ST.

MAIN ST.

ASSEMBLY ST.

1431 Assembly St.

The Whig! 1200 Main St.

GERVAIS ST.

ELMWOOD AVE. The South Carolina State House

Indah Coffee

2238 Sum

FESTIVAL MAP

LEGEND / COTTONTOWN MAP

Festival Maps

Richland Library

Columbia Museum of Art

1431 ASSEMBLY STREET

1515 MAIN STREET

EVENTS

Overdue Grits | pg. 14

The Fist & Spoon Fair | pg. 15 Puppet Slams | pg. 17 & 18

Nickelodeon Theatre 1607 MAIN STREET

COMPETITION FILMS

FILMMAKER FOCUS

THE RURAL PROJECT

Feature Doc Panel | pg. 09

Foodwise | pg. 16

Kindie Grits | pg. 11

Stone Soup | pg. 16

Grits In Progress | pg. 08

Route 3 Box 187D | pg. 16

Silence Sam: Impact

All Features and Shorts Blocks

Producer Screening | pg. 09

pg. 22-48

Impact Producer

The Pastorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Study

Workshop | pg. 09

1635 MAIN STREET

FESTIVAL SERVICES Nickelodeon Box Office | pg. 02 Festival Merch Store THE RURAL PROJECT Rural Project Premiere | pg. 05

The House of The Weekly Revue | pg. 19

1216 Taylor Street EVENTS

Fresh Docs with SDF | pg. 07

Closing Night

One Columbia 1219 TAYLOR STREET

The Whig! 1200 MAIN STREET

FILMMAKER FOCUS Indie Grants | pg. 11

EVENTS

Sweet Magic | pg. 10

EVENTS

Dance Party | pg. 20

After Party at The Whig! | pg. 19

INDIE BITS Indie Bits Arcade | pg. 12

FESTIVAL SERVICES

THE RURAL PROJECT

Festival Lounge | open to Filmmakers, Artists, and Indie Bits Pass Holders only!

The Dirt Project | pg. 12

Downtown Parking P

Geography of Robots | pg. 12

Metered parking at the Taylor St. Garage, Cannon Garage, and along Main St.

Cottontown Map CURIOSITY COFFEE 2327 Main St. THE WAR MOUTH 1209 Franklin St. INDAH COFFEE 2238 Sumter St.

FRANKLIN ST.

Curiosity Coffee Bar

SUMTER ST.

MAIN ST.

Opening Night in

1209 Franklin St.

2327 Main St.

EVENTS

The War Mouth

PRICE AVE.

BELLEVIEW ST.

Cottontown | pg. 13

Parking available at the Curiosity parking lot and street parking on Sumter St.

ELMWOOD AVE.

BLANDING ST.

Indah Coffee 2238 Sumter St.

SUMT

MAIN

ASS

ABOUT US

COLUMBIA FILM SOCIETY

Columbia Film Society Columbia’s destination for enjoyment, enrichment, and education for the last 40 years. $9.6 MILLION IN ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS 370,000+ GUESTS SERVED SINCE 2012

Nickelodeon Theatre

Indie Grits Labs

Redefining what an art house theater can be.

Showcasing the challenges and aspirations of our community.

Last year we...

PLAYED 206+ FILMS.

WORKED WITH 354 ARTISTS.

SERVED 22,049 BAGS OF POPCORN.

SERVED 1,100 STUDENTS.

“THE NICK”

WELCOMED 68,517 THEATER ATTENDEES.

“IG LABS”

WELCOMED 6,000 FESTIVAL ATTENDEES.

Join us for a cold beer, hot popcorn, and the best in independent cinema! Open 365 days a year on Columbia’s Main Street.

Come see our gallery, PrintLab, AudioLab, and learn something new in a workshop! Located off North Main in the heart of the Eau Claire community.

1607 MAIN STREET COLUMBIA, SC 29201

1013 DUKE AVENUE COLUMBIA, SC 29203

(803) 254 - 8234 | WWW.NICKELODEON.ORG

WWW.INDIEGRITS.ORG

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

10 AM

11 AM

FESTIVAL SERVICES

Box Office opens at 11:00am 12 PM

FILMMAKER FOCUS

Indie Grants 1 PM

FREE! 12:00 pm 90 min

FILMMAKER FOCUS

Kindie Grits

1:00 pm 58 min

FILM

3 PM

p.30

Places Disturbed 2:00 pm 78 min

Indie Bits Arcade

Festival Lounge

Grits in Progress

FREE Admission

Open to filmmaker, artist, and Indie Bits badge holders only*

1216 Taylor Street

FREE Admission Richland library 12:00 - 3:00pm

11:00am - 7:00pm

p. 12

p.47

3:00 - 4:00pm

p.25

p. 09

The House of Sweet Magic 4:00 - 5:00pm

p. 10

EVENT

FILM

The Fist & Spoon Fair

Pleasure Pursuits 5:15 pm 85 min

7 PM

FILMMAKER FOCUS

Impact Producer Workshop 4:00 - 5:00pm

When Lambs Become Lions

11:00am - 6:00pm p. 09

FILMMAKER FOCUS p.37

One Columbia 1219 Taylor Street

Silence Sam

Moving Memoirs

FILM

6 PM

FESTIVAL SERVICES

FILMMAKER FOCUS

FILM

3:00 pm 70 min

4:30 pm 76 min

INDIE BITS

p. 08

4 PM

5 PM

FILMMAKER FOCUS

FILM

America First 2 PM

Feature Doc Panel 11:00 - 12:00pm p. 09

FREE, family friendly Richland Library 11:00am - 1:00 pm p. 11

p.11

FILMMAKER FOCUS

p.43 FILM

EVENT

Puppet Slam

FREE Admission

Columbia Museum of Art

6:00-7:30pm

p.17

1515 Main Street 8 PM

Resilience

5:00-9:00pm FILM

7:00 pm 82 min p.39

9 PM

10 PM

FILM

p.15

Southern Scenes

EVENT

8:00 pm 95 min

Columbia Museum of Art

Puppet Slam

Fiction Medley 11 PM

9:30 pm 71 min

EVENT

Closing Night Dance Party

FILM p.33

12 AM

8:30-10:00pm

p.35

Black Mother 10:45 pm 77 min

Ages 21 and up p.30

$5.00 at the door 1216 Taylor Street

1 AM

2 AM

10:00 pm - 2:00 am

p.20

p.18

SUNDAY, MARCH 31

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

10 AM

11 AM INDIE BITS

FESTIVAL SERVICES

12 PM

Box Office opens at 11:30am

Indie Bits Arcade

Nickelodeon Theatre, 1607 Main St. FILM

1 PM

2 PM

White Ravens

FILM

12:30 pm 93 min

Long Time Coming p.31

1:00 pm 92 min

p.32

3 PM FILM

4 PM

Jaddoland

FILM

3:00 pm 92 min

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Get Trouble In Your Mind

p.31

5 PM

6 PM

7 PM

3:30 pm 94 min

p.32

FREE Admission 1216 Taylor Street

FILM

Encore Screening (TBD) 5:30 pm 92 min

11:00am - 7:00pm FILM

Shorts Winners (TBD)

p. 12

6:00 pm 120 min 8 PM

9 PM

10 PM

FEATURE BLOCKS

INDIE BITS

SHORTS BLOCKS

FESTIVAL SERVICES

RURAL PROJECT

EVENTS

FILMMAKER FOCUS

All events categorized as FILM and RURAL PROJECT will take place at the Nickelodeon Theatre. All films are in competition unless otherwise noted. FILMMAKER FOCUS events are non-competition.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

FEATURE BLOCKS

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 1:00PM

America First: The Legacy of an Immigration Raid PRECEDED BY:

ANDREA PATIÑO CONTRERAS & ALMUDENA TORAL MIAMI, FL | 39 MIN It’s been a decade since Postville, Iowa suffered the largest immigration raid at a worksite in US history—389 immigrants were arrested in the biggest kosher meatpacking plant in the country. As Donald Trump revives aspects of George W. Bush’s immigration enforcement policies, this documentary feature sheds light on the repercussions of such massive raids. America First marks the return of Indie Grits alum Andrea Patiño Contreras to this year’s festival.

Gutk’odau (Yellow)

A Line Birds Cannot See

ADAM PIRON | LOS ANGELES, CA | 8 MIN

AMY BENCH | AUSTIN, TX | 9 MIN

It’s difficult to pass down a language as complex as that of the Kiowa Tribe— but that doesn’t stop its members from trying to do just that. This experimental documentary short combines audio captured from language lessons with breathtaking shots of the Great Plains.

In this riveting animated documentary short, a tenacious twelve-year-old separated from her mother by smugglers survives the intolerable heat of the desert, grapples with unbearable hunger on the streets of Ciudad Juárez, and eludes would-be kidnappers during her trek toward the United States.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 10:45PM

Black Mother KHALIK ALLAH | NEW YORK, NY | 77 MIN Soulful and profound, filmmaker Khalik Allah (co-director of Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade) offers a stark meditation on faith and Jamaican identity in Black Mother, juxtaposing scenes of the country’s churches and holy spaces with those of its sex workers, and presenting a series of searingly powerful images that will burn themselves into your memory.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

FEATURE BLOCKS

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 AT 12:30PM

White Ravens: A Legacy of Resistance

PRECEDED BY:

Passerine in Time LAURIDS ANDERSEN SONNE DURHAM, NC | 8 MIN GEORG KOSZULINSKI | WILMINGTON, NC | 85 MIN Indie Grits alum Georg Koszulinski returns to this year’s festival with White Ravens, a contemplative documentary feature about the indigenous Haida Gwaii people of British Columbia. Told from the perspective of a young Haida poet, White Ravens bears witness to the transgenerational trauma of colonization as survivors, their children, and grandchildren struggle with the effects of substance abuse, suicide, and interfamily trauma.

Jaddoland

A ruminative 16mm study of the encounters between humans and nature—specifically, between the hands of men, and the birds that they capture to inspect, measure, band, and log before the creatures depart and begin their long migration elsewhere.

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 AT 3:00PM

PRECEDED BY:

What Stays DANET GRABBE WILMINGTON, NC | 2 MIN NADIA SHIHAB | OAKLAND, CA | 90 MIN Craggy, boulder-lined cliffs transform into tall, bristling trees and other fragments of landscape in this gorgeously textured, hand-drawn animated short, a thoughtful consideration of the images that linger on—and those that fade away—in our memories.

In this vivid, wistful documentary portrait, filmmaker Nadia Shihab returns to her hometown in the Texas panhandle to visit her mother, an artist from Iraq; her mother’s increasingly isolated life—and dynamic creative process— become the object of her attention. Soon, Shihab’s grandfather arrives from Iraq, prompting a deeper engagement with questions of place, migration, and the spaces we call home.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

FEATURE BLOCKS

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 AT 3:30PM

Don’t Get Trouble in Your Mind: The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Story PRECEDED BY:

The Tumbling Wheels “Sleepwalking”

Sound and Sole

JOHN WHITEHEAD | SAINT PAUL, MN | 83 MIN

EMILY MACKENZIE & SASHA SOLODUKHINA NEW ORLEANS, LA 5 MIN

Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson—the North Carolina trio that came to comprise the Carolina Chocolate Drops—refurbished a nineteenth-century musical style for twenty-first century listeners, and in doing so earned a Grammy, as well as legions of adoring fans. This compelling documentary portrait charts their meteoric rise from busking on the street to playing sold-out crowds at some of the most prestigious music festivals in the world.

An alligator performs onstage for a bewitched audience of curiously attired men and women. This quirky music video features the twang-tinged down South sounds of the Tumbling Wheels.

Birdlike, Morphsuit-wearing Born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, Arthur Grimes is the only working African-American buck dancer in Boone, North Carolina. This documentary short shares his journey from eager youth to professional master, offering a glimpse of his performances, and demonstrating his deep love for Appalachian music, dance, and history.

CARA HAGAN BOONE, NC | 7 MIN

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 AT 1:00PM

Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story JON STRONG ORLANDO, FL 88 MIN

In 1955, when racial segregation defined the South, two groups of twelve-year-old boys stepped onto a baseball field in an act of cultural defiance that would change the course of American history. More than 60 years later, these players explore how this game changed their lives—and how, ultimately, it was more than just a game.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

Fiction Medley

SHORTS BLOCKS

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 AT 1:30PM SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 9:30PM

What flavor are you after? There are plenty to choose from in this cinematic smorgasbord. Whether you’re hankering for a bittersweet lunar fairy tale, a southern-fried sibling rivalry, a slowly simmering revenge fantasy, or something else entirely, our Fiction Medley can satisfy your cravings. Expect a range of delights, served a host of different ways—from goofy comedic narratives to blood-pumping thrillers and beyond. There’s something here for every palette. Go ahead. Dig in.

Magic Video - “Coffee Grind Brains” PATRICK NUGENT | PHILADELPHIA, PA | 3 MIN A shower-capped marshmallow struts toward Video Village, and a tub of mayo hurtles past Saturn, all while a feel-good pop tune thrums in the background. Indie Grits darling Patrick Nugent collapses time and space in his new music video, an ecstatic, neon-tinged feat of computer-animated imagination.

Hornet’s Revenge JING NIU | LOS ANGELES, CA | 4 MIN With help from an all-girl skate gang, a cashier at a Chinese restaurant exacts revenge on the racist, entitled man who insulted her. Hornet’s Revenge is the second film by Indie Grits alum Jing Niu screening in this year’s festival—check out her music video "Chalo" in our Pleasure Pursuits block.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Bennifer RYAN MCGLADE | NEW YORK, NY | 13 MIN Eerily funny (in a downright Lynchian way), Bennifer follows Jed, who— years after being kidnapped by a man in a canoe—returns to his parents’ lakeside manor for an ill-fated reunion with his mother. Shot on sun-washed film stock, this surreal comedic short is not to be missed.

The Moon’s Milk RI CRAWFORD | OAKLAND, CA | 14 MIN A gruff sea captain, his daughter, and an intrepid crew of misfits sail toward a distant expanse of sea, where a rapidly receding moon (and its delicious milk) can still be reached from Earth. Tom Waits lends his trademark rasp to this stunning stop-motion odyssey, serving as the film’s narrator.

Truck Slut RYAN CRAVER | NEW YORK, NY | 15 MIN Frank and funny, this expertly crafted coming-of-age tale charts the turbulent relationship between a gay teenager and his Instagram-obsessed older sister, an explosive personality used to getting her way in their small southern town.

Craving LANCE KESTREL JOHNSON | BROOKLYN, NY | 11 MIN Starved of his favorite vices by a health-conscious girlfriend, a man rents a motel room by an industrial park to indulge in what has long been denied him.

Her Body JUAN AVELLA | LOS ANGELES, CA | 10 MIN In this adrenaline-fueled narrative short, a woman left for dead by her abusive partner wakes up in a body bag, and quickly realizes she’s going to have to fight her way out of this dangerous predicament. Her Body features slick cinematography and thrilling hand-to-hand combat sequences.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Southern Scenes

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 AT 1:45PM SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 8:00PM

Thrivers and strivers, underdogs and outcasts: the queer Appalachian painters, Guatemalan stable hands, and 911 operators-turned-quiltmakers that fill these Scenes are unmistakably Southern, in outlook if not always in identity. Why? Because they’re all reaching—reaching for redemption. For a life of dignity and purpose in a landscape hostile, in some instances, to their very being. Does the place we live determine who we are or what we become? Not for these determined few.

The Derby

Shoot the Duck

Street Flame

REMINGTON SMITH LOUISVILLE, KY | 15 MIN

SHANNON SILVA WILMINGTON, NC | 8 MIN

KATHERINE PROPPER AUSTIN, TX | 12 MIN

From loquacious bow-tied gentlemen showing off their winnings to modest horse handlers working in the stables, colorful characters abound in this eclectic group portrait from Indie Grits alum Remington Smith, a reflective documentary short exploring the range of personalities on view at the Kentucky Derby.

Working past her rattled nerves with the help of her two best friends, roller skating aficionado Mia decides to challenge the uber-talented Zoe to a skate-off at their local rink’s eighth-annual "Shoot the Duck" competition.

Wracked with grief over the loss of one of their own, a group of skateboarders grapple with their friend’s absence, arguing amongst themselves, tagging the underside of a trestle with graffiti—all grasping for a way to honor their lost companion.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Nashedonia

To West End, With Love

AS IN DEATH

WILL BERRY | PORTLAND, ME 4 MIN

MELISSA ALEXANDER ATLANTA, GA | 12 MIN

MARK RAAFAT KAMMEL DURHAM, NC | 16 MIN

In this charming Tennessee travelogue (shot entirely on Super 8mm film), a rudderless, Esperanto-speaking guitar player sets off for Nashville after the death of his father, but has trouble fitting in with the locals given his language limitations.

Shot in stark black-and-white, director and cinematographer Melissa Alexander’s monochromatic marvel—a visual love letter to Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood—celebrates Blackness and community identity against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming urban landscape.

Sweeping, assured camerawork. A swelling, emotional score. This gripping, well-crafted documentary short follows 911 operator Sidney Brodie, who—spurred to act by the wrongful death of a child years ago—founded Durham’s Homicide & Memorial Quilt to honor the fallen of his community.

I AM TX

Whistle Down Wind

RYAN DARBONNE AUSTIN, TX | 10 MIN

JULIA CHRISTGAU & ANDIE MORGENLANDER | ASHEVILLE, NC 15 MIN

Nomadic War Machine “The Fields Lay Fallow”

In this droll comedy short, a trio of Black hardcore punk musicians on the last leg of a cross-country tour contend with racial profiling from the cops, bigoted fans, pretentious critics, and other routine horrors before their performance at a popular Austin music venue.

Frustrated artist Janie feels boxed in by more than just the intolerant folks populating her small mountain town. Her childhood friend turned lover, Alex, doesn’t mind keeping their relationship a secret—especially from her boyfriend—nor does she seem too interested in escaping to more enlightened climes.

CHARLOTTE TAYLOR ASHEVILLE, NC | 4 MIN Ritualistic woodburnings, riverbed initiation rites, and roadside ambushes, all set to a pulsing industrial soundtrack: savor the occult thrills and chills on display in the latest music video from Indie Grits alum Charlotte Taylor.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Moving Memoirs

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 AT 9:15PM SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 3:00PM

"We tell ourselves stories," Joan Didion once wrote, "in order to live." To rid ourselves of the memories that burden us. Or, at the very least, to come to terms with them, so we can proceed through life a little less encumbered than before. Shot through with melancholy, these fiercely intelligent, mordantly witty confessionals span a range of genres—from music videos to experimental animated shorts—but are united in their commitment to radical acts of disclosure.

This is What We’re Left With ALEXIS STRATTON | ENGLEWOOD, CO | 6 MIN In this deeply introspective video essay, Indie Grits alum Alexis Stratton plumbs the depths of their home movie archive, stitching together clips of snow days, band performances, prom nights, and other hallmarks of adolescence to ruminate on queer identity, the nature of memory, and lingering personal trauma.

And By the Night ANNA KIPERVASER | DURHAM, NC | 10 MIN Prayer-like in its contemplation of color and motion, this silent experimental documentary combines disparate images (an empty carousel, tall grasses bending in the wind, a lone jet inching across the sky) to reflect on the filmmaker’s abortion. Shot on radiant 16mm film.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Moon Racer - “Song of the Mogwai” AUTUMN EHINGER | DURHAM, NC | 4 MIN With lyrics to her hazy, hypnotic "Song of the Mogwai" spilling forth stop-motion style from a marbled composition notebook, musician-turned-filmmaker Autumn Ehinger (who performs under the moniker Moon Racer) invites viewers into a space of deep self-reflection.

Fucked Like a Star STEFANI SAINTONGE | THE BRONX, NY | 8 MIN This graceful study of feminine labor—featuring narration drawn from Toni Morrison’s acclaimed novel Tar Baby—juxtaposes near-microscopic close-ups of busy soldier ants with images of hardworking Haitian women, all speeding through their daily routines.

Foreclosed Home Movie LISA DANKER | ORLANDO, FL | 8 MIN Indie Grits alum Lisa Danker assesses the human toll of America’s ongoing foreclosure crisis, linking two sister tales of loss (that of a 1930s-era Miami homeowner, and that of her mother in 2013) through archival imagery, family testimonies, celluloid printmaking experiments, and more.

GEORGIE ODILE POSTIC | RICHMOND, VA | 3 MIN After finding his own obituary taped to the door of his apartment, a frizzle-haired man with the body of a cello ditches work, hops on a plane, and mulls over his predicament. GEORGIE is the latest work from Indie Grits alum (and Columbia native) Odile Postic.

Between my flesh and the world’s fingers TALENA SANDERS | SEBASTOPOL, CA | 31 MIN Writer, filmmaker, provocateur—Mary MacLane, by her own admission, had "a hundred sides." An openly queer woman who lived in Butte, Montana in the early twentieth century, MacLane’s fiery, fiercely individual films and written works supply the raw material for this expressive experimental portrait.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

Resilience

SHORTS BLOCKS

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 1:30PM SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 7:00PM

The figures that populate these documentary shorts refuse to be confined, or defined, by their oppression. If anything, the challenges theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve faced are an opportunity. An opportunity to embrace, without reservation, who they are and what they believe. Gun control advocates, sanctuary-seekers, the wrongfully imprisoned: these courageous individuals mine painful pasts and contemplate uncertain futures, but remain steadfast in their resolve to resist at any cost.

Marcie Cohen Ferris Does the Work AVA LOWREY | OXFORD, MS | 9 MIN For Marcie Cohen Ferris, a distinguished professor of American Studies at Chapel Hill, food has always been a lens through which to view the world. As a Southerner and a Jew, the cuisines and cultures unique to both aspects of her identity have animated her scholarship for decades.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

The Arrest KIRA AKERMAN | NEW ORLEANS, LA | 7 MIN In this riveting documentary, shot in near claustrophobic close-up by Indie Grits alum Kira Akerman, soft-spoken Chastity recounts the degrading days she spent in the Louisiana prison system following a wrongful arrest during a blind date.

Santuario CHRISTINE DELP & PILAR TIMPANE MINNEAPOLIS, MN & DURHAM, NC | 26 MIN Juana Ortega immigrated to the United States from Guatemala over a quarter century ago. After decades spent living and working in Greensboro, North Carolina, the government threatens to deport her—an outcome that seems all too likely, until an Episcopal church steps in to provide sanctuary.

Practice IYABO KWAYANA | ATLANTA, GA | 10 MIN Throngs of perfectly synchronized martial arts practitioners fill each and every frame of this meticulously observed documentary short, a study of uniformity, discipline, and fearsome focus within a group of dedicated young men in China.

VONN EMILY MACKENZIE | NEW ORLEANS, LA | 5 MIN There are losses that, on closer inspection, aren’t actually losses at all. Of their double mastectomy, cancer survivor Vonn Jensen says: "Finally, there was room for me to grow into me." This emotionally unvarnished documentary about one person’s journey toward self-actualization follows Vonn through their morning routine.

Come & Take It PJ RAVAL | AUSTIN, TX | 24 MIN Texas is full of contradictions. In a state where a major university allows open-carry in classrooms, it’s a misdemeanor to brandish a dildo in public. To highlight this absurdity, activist Jessica Jin founds the #CocksNotGlocks movement, galvanizing fellow students and hordes of social media followers to protest lax gun regulations.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

People Portraits

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 4:30PM

The Portraits on display in this block are much like their subjects: uncompromising, thoughtful, and fiercely individual, in both style and substance. If you’re hungry for a vision of the South and its people as they really are, void of all those down-home, Southern Gothic caricatures plucked straight from some two-bit meemaw’s storybook, look no further than this dynamic crop of documentaries, music videos, and narrative shorts.

All the Leaves are Brown

Collapsing Time

Jane

DANIEL ROBIN ATLANTA, GA | 11 MIN

DORIAN WARNECK PORTLAND, OR | 5 MIN

ABRAHAM FELIX NEW ORLEANS, LA | 12 MIN

In this moving study of memory and silence, director Daniel Robin contemplates—with zen-like tranquility—his older father’s fading mind and his own fading voice, the latter a casualty of a rare condition called Spasmodic Abductor Dysphonia. All the Leaves Are Brown was shot entirely on Super 8mm film.

Verdant visuals abound in this thoughtful documentary short from Indie Grits alum Dorian Warneck. For Portland-based artist Zoe Keller, drawing in graphite is just another way of engaging, in a meaningful way, with the lush natural landscape that surrounds her.

In this poignant narrative short, a mixed-race woman in the midst of a move to New Orleans finds an old cassette recorder stashed in her car—one that contains a host of painful memories she recorded during her formative years.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Helen Hill Makes a Filmmaker WILL NICHOLS NEW ORLEANS, LA | 3 MIN A college student’s ill-fated 16mm short about a bagel becomes an occasion to pay homage to one of his idols, the late Helen Hill, a noted animator (and Columbia native) who championed DIY cinema and whose irrepressible creative spirit can still be felt in the work that survives her.

Habana Boxing Club DANNIEL RODRIGUEZ & ROBERT COLOM | LOS ANGELES, CA & MIAMI, FL | 11 MIN In this heated drama, the relationship between a closeted Cuban boxer and his closest friend turned rival comes to a head, with the two men sparring over a last-ditch opportunity to escape their rural town for a big city environment.

Strange Kid BETH FLETCHER BROOKLYN, NY | 15 MIN Quiet, determined, and blessed with a singular focus, Ethan Gingerich pursues what some might consider a strange line of work: transforming old film projectors and other antiques into guitar amps. This observant documentary portrait introduces unfamiliar viewers to a young musical mind on the rise.

Rob Nance “Motion Sickness” GEN LIU & ZACH STRUM CARY, NC | 3 MIN Combining scratchy animation with black-and-white cinematography to mesmerizing effect, this plaintive music video follows a solitary figure as he journeys through cemeteries, along shorelines, and beyond.

Pearl Fryar, the Man with a Green Thumb SAVANNAH CERNIGLIA, CHELSIE GRIFFIN, BRI HAMLIN, & RACHEL SMITH COLUMBIA, SC | 5 MIN Topiary artist and Bishopville, South Carolina resident Pearl Fryar is known the world over for his whimsically intricate landscape art. This fresh and engaging documentary explores Fryar’s process and cuts close to the heart of what inspires his unique creative visions.

Alma GRANT CONVERSANO NEW YORK, NY | 19 MIN This expressive narrative short offers a glimpse into the vivid interior life of Melodia, a budding writer and recent transplant to the North Carolina public school system. A native of Venezuela, Melodia grapples with the pain and isolation of this new environment the only way she knows how: through writing.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Pleasure Pursuits

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 9:30PM SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 5:15PM

In a culture that exerts an enormous amount of effort to police women’s bodies, embracing pleasure is an act of insurrection. Whether they’re offering up tender first-person accounts of BDSM experiences, producing excessive shellfish feasts to spite their image-obsessed mothers, or issuing fiery found footage manifestos, the women and femmes of Pleasure Pursuits refuse to bend to the will of others, flouting the conventions of self-denial on which our patriarchal culture insists.

Applied Pressure KELLY SEARS | DENVER, CO | 6 MIN Instructional images appropriated from massage books provide the raw materials for this gauzy, red-tinted experimental short, a stop-motion study of force, manipulation, and the strange positions that bodies assume under duress.

SPOON BRANTLY JACKSON WATTS, KRISTIAN ZUNIGA, & JON WATTS ATLANTA, GA | 10 MIN Surveyed in one continuous take on crisp 16mm film, Rachel’s roadside motel room has all the trappings of a seedy rendezvous, from the scratchy bedspread to the dingy lampshades. But she’s after more than just a physical connection with the man she’s hired to meet her there.

Sweet Sweet Kink: A Collection of BDSM Stories MAGGIE M. BAILEY | AUSTIN, TX | 13 MIN Four exhilaratingly tender testimonies of bondage, dominance, and sadomasochism form the backbone of this vividly drawn animated documentary, which reframes BDSM as a vehicle for deepening intimacy— with oneself and others.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Clams Casino PAM NASR | NEW YORK, NY | 10 MIN Arcelia—a devotee of an extremely peculiar Internet subculture—prepares a decadent shellfish dinner for herself, irking her image-conscious mother Gladys and, ironically enough, paving the way for a chance at their reconciliation.

Tightly Wound SHELBY HADDEN | AUSTIN, TX | 10 MIN In this unflinching animated self-portrait, a woman grappling with longstanding pelvic pain details the routine humiliations and profound romantic isolation she experienced as a result of her condition, while chronicling the spirit of resilience she was able to access because of it.

Slower KELLY GALLAGHER | SYRACUSE, NY | 7 MIN The hypnotic drip-drop of a leaky tub faucet gives way to a series of berserk guitar riffs on the soundtrack of this fiery found footage essay film, a call-to-arms for women to re-center the pursuit of their own pleasure. Slower is the latest work from Indie Grits alum Kelly Gallagher.

Nettles RAVEN JACKSON | BROOKLYN, NY | 25 MIN Extreme close-ups and strong performances dominate this accomplished, lyrical narrative short, which chronicles six different moments of fleeting pain in the lives of ordinary girls and women. Nettles was shot entirely on 16mm film over the course of one year.

KOHINOORGASM - “Chalo” JING NIU | LOS ANGELES, CA | 3 MIN In this gorgeously saturated music video—shot on film by Indie Grits alum Jing Niu—three queer folks bask in the sun along a rocky shoreline, communing with the ocean and with one another in a misogyny-free space.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Late Night Mixtape Oddballs, rascals, scoundrels—call the merry band of troublemakers behind this year’s Late Night Mixtape what you will, but there’s no denying the unbridled manic energy they bring to their work. If you’re in the market for a bit of mischief and mayhem on your Friday night—for a cranium-bursting infomercial supercut, a bloodsucking home invasion story, or a bit of gruesome graveside gratification—knock back whatever you’re drinking and plop yourself into that plush theater chair.

No Good Deed ETHAN HANSON, CAROLINE MOBLEY, AMY BROWER & JONATHAN FURNELL COLUMBIA, SC | 7 MIN Late one night, a woman hears a blood-curdling scream—she rushes outside and finds a young girl unconscious, lying in the middle of the street. She invites the young girl in, but not all is as it seems, and she soon comes to regret her decision.

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 AT 11:00PM

Like This/Like That TOMMY HEFFRON CHICAGO, IL | 3 MIN A man on a soundstage tests out a variety of expressions for the camera—all of which seem to come up short—as the text from his teleprompter engulfs the screen.

Boo Hag “Pop the Clutch” WINSTON WARNER MYRTLE BEACH, SC | 3 MIN Caustic guitar riffs, thrashing cymbals, and plenty of glowsticks: the punk-infused sounds of Columbia-based rock band Boo Hag light up the screen, literally and figuratively, in this bewitching new music video, a seizure-inducing swirl of glitched-out colors.

The Amazing Anti-Fart Formula

Space Coke “Corpsewood Manor”

BRAD KENNEDY & LUKE PILGRIM DAHLONEGA, GA | 9 MIN

STEVE DANIELS COLUMBIA, SC | 3 MIN

An origami-obsessed nerd with chronic flatulence attempts to cure his disorder with anti-fart pills so that he has a shot with the best-looking girl in his office. Ultimately, he discovers that being comfortable in his own skin is more important than trying to be someone he’s not.

Once you’ve seen Corpsewood Manor, you can’t unsee it. And why would you want to? Indie Grits alum Steve Daniels’ gruesomely funny blackand-white music video, set to muscular guitar riffs by Columbia-based band Space Coke, takes libido issues to a whole other level.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

content generation

Future Song

Party

ONY RATSIMBAHARISON COLUMBIA, SC | 7 MIN

ODILE POSTIC RICHMOND, VA | 3 MIN

CHANDLER YONKERS LEXINGTON, SC | 2 MIN

Stitched together via chaotic, Tim & Eric style editing, this riotously funny supercut examines consumer culture in the Internet age by mashing up various infomercials, product placement segments, and other commercial content.

A green-haired, Morphsuit-wearing woman (Indie Grits alum Odile Postic) plucks an imaginary harp, watches a virtual stork deliver an infant Jesus on her computer screen, and sings wistfully of a future in which she conceives the Messiah.

In this found footage artifact, folks are cutting up, drinking, smoking— just generally having a great old time at the party in question. All the while, Joel can’t seem to quit horsing around with his camera.

Space Wind

Big Mouth Billy Bass

VÉRONIQUE VANBLAERE BIRMINGHAM, AL | 3 MIN

CHRIS DEAN CHARLOTTE, NC | 10 MIN

This lovably goofy short takes us to the outer reaches of our universe, where two women discover—on consuming a can of beans—that passing gas in a compact spaceship presents its own set of difficulties.

It seems like just another crummy Christmas gift that someone left on her front porch during the holidays. But, soon enough, the woman at the center of this comedic short discovers that this Big Mouth Billy Bass does more than just sing.

Infinitikiss - “Pas” HENRY MOONROD COLUMBIA, SC | 2 MIN Otherworldly 3D figures inhabit the lunar landscape of this surreal black-and-white music video, set to the pulsating electronic rhythms of Infinitikiss.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Places Disturbed

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 AT 2:00PM

Icy Arctic archipelagos, lush Costa Rican mountainscapes, the swiftly flowing current of the Mississippi. Don’t let such calm, picture-perfect surfaces fool you. In reality, these Places are anything but tranquil. There’s mounting uncertainty—a palpable restlessness—lurking at the perimeter of this eco-conscious block of documentary and experimental shorts. With global temperatures rising and climate change destabilizing ways of life worldwide, spaces that were once areas of respite, refuge, and stability no longer seem viable.

My Dear Kyrgyzstan NOAM ARGOV & ALEX PRITZ SAN FRANCISCO, CA & NEW YORK, NY | 13 MIN Emil is a social media obsessed entrepreneur in one of the most remote places on Earth: an abandoned Soviet mining town in the mountains of eastern Kyrgyzstan. Why choose to live here? Because Emil wants to refashion his old village as a vacation destination for wealthy tourists and bloggers.

Polar Rising ASHLEIGH GOH | BROOKLYN, NY | 3 MIN

Shot on location in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, this beguiling experimental short incorporates abstracted sun imagery (inspired by the works of artist Devra Freelander) with breathtaking vistas of the icy island landscape.

FILMS IN COMPETITION

SHORTS BLOCKS

Café de Temporada MARIA LUISA SANTOS | AUSTIN, TX | 13 MIN In the winter months, migrant workers from Nicaragua travel to neighboring Costa Rica to assist with the coffee bean harvest—and usually bring their children along with them. This tender observational documentary combines scenes of work and play with stunning views of volcanic landscapes.

The Real Thing JULIANNA VILLAROSA | IOWA CITY, IA | 3 MIN Using physical media (16mm film, VHS footage) destroyed by Coca-Cola, this experimental documentary short contrasts the famous "I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad with grim news regarding the soda company’s unconscionable water privatization efforts in Chiapas, Mexico.

Places Disturbed JULIANNA VILLAROSA | IOWA CITY, IA | 13 MIN Shot on location at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas, this tense, ruminative essay film—director Julianna Villarosa’s second to appear in this year’s festival—considers the proximity of a protected wilderness to the site of a recent oil boom.

Let’s Look at Florida AMANDA JUSTICE & HOGAN SEIDEL BROOKLYN, NY & BOSTON, MA | 5 MIN Floridians live in a state of denial. Though the landscape refuses to be tamed, residents have spent centuries trying to do just that. In this 16mm short, Indie Grits alum Amanda Justice joins forces with filmmaker Hogan Seidel to interrogate their home state’s troubled legacy of environmental manipulation.

Life on the Mississippi BILL BROWN | CHAPEL HILL, NC | 28 MIN Using Mark Twain’s memoir Life on the Mississippi as a roadmap, this essay film escorts viewers down the Mississippi—from Memphis to New Orleans—and considers the ways in which paddlers, historical reenactors, civil engineers, and others attempt to know the river.

Indie Grits 2019 Festival Guide

Articles inside

Festival Schedule