OFF 2005 Printed Program by Oxford Film Festival

To the people who will come to the festival, Welcome to Fantasy Island. With those words, Ricardo Montalban would begin many an amazing adventure on his quaint island somewhere in the vast ocean of Saturday night. Likewise, I (or we, rather) welcome you to Fantasy Oxford Film Festival, 2005. I'll be your host, Mr. Roarke. And the rest of the co-directors will act as a collective version of Tattoo. My job entails making sure that your every cinematic dream comes true, while Tattoo's only job will be talking in that scratchy voice and pointing out airplanes.*

Jimmy Thomas

Will Pepper

Ann Abadie Molly Fergusson

Contributing Writers Jim Dees Micah Ginn Sam McClatchy

Art Director Cover Photo by Bruce Newman

Also, it has an excellent, if not fantastical, slate of films. Read on in the following pages and see what cinematic opportunities await you. Whether you're a filmmaker, filmgoer, or filmy residue, we want you to approach us and let us help you anyway we can. This is your festival, your fantasy, and your moment in time. One moment in time, to be exact. So, welcome. Sincerely,

Mr. Roarke and Tattoo

The festival is lovingly dedicated to the memory of two dear friends, Larry Brown and Robert Freeland (please see Jim Dees story on page 24). A screening of the award-winning best documentary film from 2003, The Rough South of Larry Brown by Gary Hawkins, followed by a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker from North Carolina and special guest Mary Annie Brown and an opening night party upstairs at City Grocery* kick off the week's events. The Oxford Film Festival celebrates the art of film by presenting some of the best new independent films including an Academy Award-winner and Sundance favorites, question-and-answer sessions with attending filmmakers (from as far away as India and as close as next door), panels about screenwriting, producing, documentary films, talent and casting, kids workshops, and the always unique and entertaining awards ceremony. Perhaps Steven Soderbergh's remarks after winning the Oscar for directing Traffic say it best: “I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating. I don't care if it's a book, a film, a painting, a dance, or a piece of music; anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us. I think this world would be unlivable without art.”

a Dear Oxford Film Festival visitors: Welcome to Oxford, home of the University of Mississippi and one of the great small-town communities in America. We weren’t born great—we have had more than our share of challenges—so it took the hard work of a lot of people to get us going in the right direction. Many of these people have been, and are, creative—artists, writers, musicians, and those who enjoy and value all the benefits of the arts and humanities. Oxford is very glad to be hosting the third annual Oxford Film Festival, which brings exciting, new, and unusual films, and the people who create them, to our city. We hope that you will feel at home here, and take the opportunity to get around town and enjoy our diverse amenities, and into the beautiful surrounding countryside, the setting of quite a few films. On behalf of the board of aldermen and the people of Oxford, I extend this open welcome, and wish you a great film festival. Sincerely, Richard Howorth Mayor of Oxford

Elaine Abadie, Executive Director

*The codirectors for the 2005 OFF are Molly Fergusson, Jimmy Thomas, Margaret Gaffney, Rhes Low (didn't do much), Michelle Emanuel, Will "Hot" Pepper, and Micah Ginn (who really didn't do much).

The event you'll read about in these pages is the creation of three groups—the amazingly brilliant and hard-working festival codirectors Michelle Emanuel, Molly Fergusson, Margaret Gaffney, Micah Ginn, Rhes Low, Will Pepper, and Jimmy Thomas, who have spent the past year with other enthusiastic filmlovers on the arts council's film committee (please see the list on page 27), the generous sponsors who've funded it, and the talented filmmakers from around the globe who've made the wonderful movies we'll spend the next six days watching in the cool comfort of the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

We thank you for joining us.

Yoknapatawpha Arts Council

Box Office Smith Stuart

The Oxford Film Festival is a project of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council (YAC), www.oxfordarts.com, the official arts agency for Oxford-Lafayette County. The mission of this 501(c)3 non-profit agency is to celebrate and promote all the arts to all people in the community and surrounding region. Contact YAC by telephone at 662.236.6429 or electronically at yac@watervalley.net.

I'm sorry, I've become very disoriented from the strange blue umbrella drink. Suffice to say, this year's Oxford Film Festival will surpass the previous two in year count, as it will be the third one. So it has that going for it.

Margaret Gaffney

Wait, though. We were talking about movies, I believe. And fantasies. And Fantasy Island. The 2005 Oxford Film Festival promises to be more fantastical than fantasy and, at the same time, more fantasy than fantasticalness.

Rhes Low

Susan Bauer Lee

Also, you'll find the Oxford Square to be quite charming, as it is made up of many restaurants and shops, as well as huge groves of coconuts. I've always been especially impressed by the way the sand comes right up to every doorway of every shop and the friendly islanders weave grass skirts for their children to wear during hours of carefree play.

Molly Fergusson

Advertising Ginger Weston Easley Ellen Bordeaux Michele West McNeely Drew Wheeler

Michelle Emanuel

Copy Editors

Micah Ginn

Let me show you around, if I may. Our venue for all screenings is the Gertrude C. Ford for the Performing Arts Center, on the campus of the University of Mississippi. The Ford Center is a stateof-the-art, yet classically designed, theatre space, which throughout the year plays host to all varieties of the performing arts. For the six days of our festival, the Ford Center becomes like an Publisher island of movies, with long, cool palm branches for a roof, and Yoknapatawpha Arts Council the recessed lighting acting as a starry sky overhead. The stage Editors becomes like a rock cliff, overlooking the ocean of movie-goers Jimmy Thomas enthralled by the images on the giant screen, which kind of Michelle Emanuel looks like a big white cloud. Also, I like to pretend that the Will Pepper dressing rooms are caves and the curtains are giant-winged bats. Elaine Abadie Do be careful, oh do be careful.

Welcome to the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council’s third Oxford Film Festival!

Tickets may be purchased in advance at http://yac.ticketsxchange.com/index.asp or at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts on University Avenue during the festival September 6-11. One Day Pass: $10 each or $7 with a valid student I.D. • Six Day Pass: $45 each or $30 with a valid student I.D. (Individual film passes will not be sold.) * Kickoff party upstairs at City Grocery. $15 tickets sold at the party door only.

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get ready to turn on Now Available at Square Books: THE OXFORD AMERICAN’s 7th Annual Southern Music Issue (with Free CD).

OFF 2005 Festival Schedule MAIN Hall

REHEARSAL HALL TUESDAY: September 6

5:30-7:00 7:10-8:15 8:45-10:30 9:00-12:00

The Rough South of Larry Brown Undefeated: The Chucky Mullins Story (Barton’s Pick)* Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story Party at City Grocery Bar $15 Tickets at Door Only

5:30-7:15 Shorts = Pre$idency; The Big Thing; Faith-Based Space Battle; Programming to Die For; The Fix 7:30-8:55 Shorts = La Puta; Lift; Disturbing Leonard 9:10-10:45 The Green Bus vs. the White House

WEDNESDAY: September 7 5:30-7:00 Herstory 7:10-8:45 You See Me Laughin’: The Last of the Hill-Country Bluesmen 9:00-9:20 Local Music Videos = Rednecks at Redrocks/Kudzu Kings, What the Old Man Told Me/Cary Hudson 9:25-11:10 Beanland: Rising from the Riverbed

5:30-6:40

International Shorts = Samuel DeMango; Trekant (Threesome); A Good Family 6:50-7:50 International Shorts = Action Anton; Suhane Sapne (Sweet Dreams); Photomateurs; 90 8:00-10:15 Variations on a Theme: To Be an Israeli Woman (Rebecca, Regina)

THURSDAY: September 8 2:00-4:45

Southern Foodways Alliance Food Films Block = Yum, Yum, Yum; It’s Grits; The Welcome Table; Hamburger America 5:30-6:40 Shorts = Instrumental Treason: A Mutiny in Four Movements; Moving Along/The Planets; Jon Hendricks: The Freddie Sessions 7:00-9:00 Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation 9:00-10:45 Smartcard; Automusik Can Do No Wrong

5:30-6:55 Walking the Line 7:00-8:20 Witches in Exile 8:30-10:15 One Weekend A Month; Code 33: the Hunt for the Miami Serial Rapist

FRIDAY: September 9 10:00-10:50a 11:00-12:05p 12:15-1:45 2:00-3:45 4:00-5:50 6:00-6:50 7:00-8:50 9:00-9:25

May All Your Days Be Another Side of Peace Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King Purgatory House The Essence of Irwin Life Like/The Cooters; Town Planner; The Accountant Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel I Don’t Love Nobody/Ruby Jane Smith and the Taylor Grocery Band; Hot Java; Learn Self Defense 9:30-11:15 Cold War; The Milk Can

10:00-11:25 Mardi Gras: Made in China 12:50-2:00 Shorts = Southern Family; Fly; Cotillion ’65; Hellbent for Good Times 2:00-3:00 Screenwriting Panel 3:00-4:00 Producers’ Panel 4:15-6:10 Chickens in the City; Peaceable Kingdom 6:20-8:05 Monkey Junction; How I Know You; Juke Joint/Carl Sims; Root Doctor 8:15-9:50 Phoenix with a Heartache/Kids in the Way; Sleeping While You Drive/Socadia; Deprivation

SATURDAY: September 10 10:00-11:00a 11:10-12:30 12:40-2:30 2:45-4:30 4:45-6:20 6:30-7:05 7:15-8:40 9:00-10:00

Local Youth Films = Anything for a Guy, The Spirit That Is Before Us, Not So Quiet on the Western Front, Menendez The Zit; Automated Assets; The Lady from Sockholm Company K Mad, Bad and Dangerous/Cary Hudson; Glorious Mail Verflixt Verliebt Shorts = Bachelor 37, Bar Noise, The Red Dawns My Big Fat Independent Movie (Barton’s Pick)* Awards Ceremony

* Who is Barton? See page 26

Brown Bag Luncheons (12:00-1:00):

Featuring Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Buddy Holly, Bessie Smith, Howard Tate, Al Green, and others. Visit www.oxfordamericanmag.com or call (800) 314-9051 to subscribe.

Wednesday, September 7: Center for the Study of Southern Culture, Tupelo Room of Barnard Hall = Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Sense of Place Thursday, September 8: Sarah Isom Center for Women, Johnson Commons = Tahara Thursday, September 8: Center for the Study of Southern Culture, Tupelo Room of Barnard Hall = Conversation with Darren McDaniel (The Essence of Irwin)

10:00-11:00a 11:15-12:25 1:30-3:00 3:15-4:15 4:30-6:00 6:30-7:15 7:30-8:30

The Great American Quilt Revival Caught in Paint; Paul Soldner: Playing with Fire Talent and Casting Panel Documentary Panel The Maharaja of Jodhpur The Children Shall Lead Experimental Films = Air We Breathe/The Dexateens; Hallaig; In Vivo; The Refracted Fractions of Bill Lavendar: Poet, Dogwalker; Thought Tunnels, Love Heights; Turn to the Wind

SUNDAY: September 11 Directors’ Choice and Festival Winners Titles and Times will be posted online after the Awards Ceremony. ALL TIMES ARE TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ALL FILMS CONTAIN ADULT CONTENT AND ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED.

Features

Automusik Can Do No Wrong Winner of the 2004 Indie Memphis Film Fest Hometowner Competition for Best Narrative Feature Automusik is a sensation in Europe, but the band’s “aggo-synth” riffs and totalitarian attitude haven’t yet penetrated the American mainstream. Interzone Records executive Skye Derringer aims to change that with a blitz of publicity and a triumphant American tour. But first, Automusik’s act will require a little tweaking to better connect with the MTV generation. Former Royal Historiographical Society Associate Lead Videographer and rabid Automusik fan Phil Johnson is on hand to document Automusik’s journey through the bowels of the music industry. Remember, members of Automusik are celebrities, and you are nobody. This is This Is Spinal Tap with an attitude. A must-see for fans of Kraftwerk, Devo, Yaz, or just good music in general. Director: Chris McCoy, Running Time: 79 min Memphis filmmaker

Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story Winner of the 2004 Oxford Film Festival Best Feature and Audience Awards Banned for 10 years from the sport he helped bring to the masses, Paintball’s first superstar Bobby Dukes (Rob Corddry of The Daily Show) returns to reclaim his title and erase the memory of his tainted past. As a teenager, with explosive style and charisma, Bobby led his team, the River Rats, to an unprecedented three consecutive victories at the Hudson Valley Paintball Classic. On June 12, 1993, the River Rats were competing for their fourth “Classic” victory when disaster struck. During one of Bobby’s signature daring moves, he was shot. Desperate to stay in the game, Bobby intentionally wiped the paint from his jersey, thus committing paintball’s most heinous crime, “wiping.” Bobby was ejected from the tournament and became the laughing stock of the paintball community. Disgraced and humiliated, Bobby disappeared. Ten years later, an older and wiser Bobby enters the 2003 Classic but finds no self-respecting paintball player will be caught dead on his team. On the verge of giving up hope, Bobby joins forces with the most unlikely of allies: the referee that caught him cheating. Now, the two improbable partners must recruit a team of paintball misfits and take back the Hudson Valley Paintball Classic. Director: Brant Sersen, Running Time: 91 min www.bobbydukes.com

Company K

Glorious Mail B

A troubled World War I named Joe Delany, as a way of recovering from his nightmares, struggles to write history of the company in which he served. As he reimagines his comrades, each man is defined by a singular moment in which his true character is revealed. Finally, Delaney’s own character—and the reason for his continued torment—is revealed through his interaction with a dead German soldier who haunts his dreams. His book completed, Delaney revisits the deserted base where he once trained with his comrades to finally put the war behind him. This film is based on the classic novel by decorated U.S. Marine William March, who later wrote the cult classic The Bad Seed. “March has succeeded,” wrote Graham Greene when Company K was published in 1933. “His book has the force of a mob protest, and outcry from anonymous throats.” Today considered an antiwar classic, Company K has now been made into a feature film for the first time. Director: Robert Clem, Running Time: 100 min www.companykthefilm.com

World Premiere Glorious Mail is the story of NYU film student Morris Farbstein’s visit to the town of Sinnaville, Mississippi, to make his thesis documentary about a controversy over a man, Cesar Nutley Willingham IV, a flamboyantly gay antique dealer, singer, and community theatre actor. Cesar is causing a local and federal controversy with his new mailbox that was crafted for his 33rd birthday by his lesbian artist friend, Kymeleon Cockerham. The mailbox meets American Postal Service guidelines and was approved by Valerie Simpson, the local postmaster, who just happens to be Kymeleon’s life partner. The controversial mailbox is an abstract sculpture of a man bending over with his hands on his knees and his rear end facing the curb. When Bob the mailman delivers the mail, he throws Cesar’s mail onto the ground near the box, refusing to put his hand inside it. Some Sinnavillains see the mailbox as pure art. Others see it as pure evil. This mockumentary humorously, yet compellingly, illustrates issues currently pertinent to our national debate over censorship and homosexual rights. Filmed on location in Oxford. Director: JD Evermore, Running Time: 100 min www.gloriousmail.com

Deprivation When Thomas unexpectedly drops in on his friend, Steven, the excitement of their reunion quickly ferments into the childlike bliss of friends at play. Still, it is clear that the two have changed since the last time they met. Steven, now a 20-something loner, lives a rather detached, isolated existence in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Thomas, however, is full of energy and eager to help his friend regain a lust for life. Yet Thomas’s zeal seems a bit too concocted as it becomes increasingly apparent that his visit may be a quest for escape, not reunion. Together, they provide each other with a momentary distraction from the reality of their troubled lives, that is, until their friendship winds itself into a knot of tension that quickly unravels, descending into a much darker reality where actions and values are questioned and put to rest. Director: Jesse Scolaro, Running Time: 78 min

The Essence of Irwin Brown & Elias, a national advertising firm, hires sociologist/filmmaker Darren McDaniel and cameraman Jim Anthony Rich to collect documentary footage for a top-secret new campaign. The firm sends them to tiny Irwin, Texas, to film the essence of Irwin and its people. They meet the sword-wielding minstrel policeman (Warren Black), a curmudgeonly conspiracy theorist, the hyper-ebullient inspirational message writer and her secret-laden husband, a cluster of backwoods naturists, a car-part artist-auctioneer, lovelorn mascots, and the worst high school football team in Texas. Four months later, the corporate set descends upon Irwin to launch their mystery product, ultimately dealing Irwin the lowest of blows. Director: Darren McDaniel, Running Time: 99 min www.downrightswell.com/irwinmain University of Mississippi Alum Features Oxonian Warren Black and the music of the Circuit Riders.

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filmmaker in attendance

Herstory World Premiere Marly, a documentary filmmaker, decides to call the world’s bluff. If women are seen as mere reflections of the men in their life—who is she? What better way to find out than to grill her ex-boyfriends and record the process on film! Her first interview is with Jim (Coleman McClary), a high school “boyfriend” who doesn’t really remember her. As predicted by Mark, her lippy cameraman, the first interview is a disaster. They plow ahead to the next boyfriend, Steve, who likes his pants tight and his women bossy. It’s a volatile combination. Next up is Bob—an actor engaged in a dramatic monologue—however, once the monologue is over, only a self-conscious, insecure shell remains. Marley inadvertently eats him alive. The interviews continue . . . while she and Mark battle themselves, each other, and a growing connection between them. Director: Krista Eulberg, Running Time: 86 min Features Oxford High School alumnus Coleman McClary.

The Lady from Sockholm c Wool War II rages and times are tough for sock puppets. Terrence M. Cotton, a washed-up gumshoe, finds himself knee-high in debt and praying for a big case. Enter Heelda Brum, a finely spun piece of highend hosiery who hires Cotton to find Darnell, her missing mate. When Darnell’s unraveled remains are discovered, local hood Big Toeny Marnetti is at the top of Cotton’s suspect list, but Cotton soon discovers that hostile witnesses and Heelda’s dirty secrets may have stained the investigation. But can a clean sock find justice in a dirty town? As Cotton threads

the strands of the case together, he must watch his step or risk meeting the same frayed fate as Darnell. Directors: Eddy von Mueller and Evan Lieberman, Running Time: 72 min www.sockholm.com

The Milk Can Each year, two towns in northern California, Fortuna and Ferndale, play a football game for possession of a milk can. The winning town displays the can in its gymnasium—much is at stake. In the face of an approaching storm, the game is cancelled for the first time in its 70-year history. Lacking the outlet the game provided, tensions rise. Threats lead to violence; violence begets retribution. Linus, the high school history teacher, recognizes the growing cycle of violence for what it is: the Civil War in miniature. Bosnia set in Northern California. As radicals in both towns stockpile weapons, he faces the most difficult decision of his life and ultimately does what men of conscience have always done in the face of frenzied patriotic mobs: Join them. The real question is: can they wear cool uniforms? Or will that draw too much attention from neighboring towns, or worse, the federal government? Given what they know about the horrors of war, will two modern towns actually conspire to keep their bloody conflict secret? And if a responsible man who ought to know better willfully allows it to happen, what would you call him? Typical. Director: Matt Kresling, Running Time: 95 min www.themilkcan.com

My Big Fat Independent Movie Blazing Saddles did it to the Western. Airplane did it to the Disaster Flick. Scary Movie did it to the Horror Film. Not Another Teen Movie did it to the, uh, Teen Movie. And now, it’s time for Independent Films to get what they got comin’ to ‘em. My Big Fat Independent Movie is a feature comedy that includes spoofs of some of the indie film world’s most renowned movies such as Memento, Pulp Fiction, Magnolia, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Amélie, Run Lola Run, El Mariachi, The Good Girl, Pi, Swingers and many others. The story follows Johnny Vince, a hipper-than-thou swingin’ hepcat and band trombone player. Two talkative hit men, Sam and Harvey, mistakenly believe Johnny to be the third member of their gang, assembled by their evil crime boss to pull a “botched robbery” in Las Vegas. Along the way, they take a beautiful hostage—the lovely, desperate, and lonely cashier Julianne. Little do they know that she will forever changes their pathetic lives. During the journey our foursome encounter their share of freaks including a bald genius, a forgetful thug, a jogging red-head, a well-dressed mechanic, a bound and gagged girl, rabbis on a mission, Pete Jones and lots of lesbians. (You know, the kind you see in any one of a hundred independent films). As in all indie films, they form an unlikely bond. The result, hilarity ensues. My Big Fat Independent Movie is a lowbrow comedy for the high brow crowd. Director: Philip Zlotorynski, Running Time: 80 min www.mybigfatindependentmovie.com

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a narrative film features the natural beauty and “hard luck” folklore of rural North Carolina. Director: Emily Edwards, Running Time: 53 min

Purgatory House Have you ever felt like you just didn’t fit into this world? Silver did. So she left this place, hoping for a better one; the place where God existed. Doomed for eternity to watch via a giant TV set, her friends and family living their lives without her, Silver realizes that the real journey is only now beginning. Through the friendships made, and by discovering her own power at Purgatory House, Silver realizes that the real journey is only now beginning. Purgatory House begins where most stories end, as it chronicles the afterlife journey of a lonely teenage girl who has abandoned her life of turmoil and drug addiction in search of unconditional love. It is a living, breathing snapshot of how it feels to be a teen in a fast-paced, media-saturated world—undiluted by adult sensibility. Told in nonlinear fashion, this stylistic dark comedy/fantasy marks the feature writing debut of 14-year-old Celeste Davis, and offers a quirky, uncensored glimpse into the mind of today’s American youth. Director: Cindy Baer, Running Time: 96 min www.purgatoryhouse.com

Verflixt Verliebt (Crazy Love Crazy) Argentinean biology student Miro falls madly in love with young Swiss actress Mercedes, but is without a clue as to how to win her love. Then a series of misunderstandings put him in the hot seat as a famous film director. Miro grabs his chance to shoot a film with Mercedes as his leading lady, hoping that she will fall for him. Whilst his plan is crazy, it is simple enough and Cupid is on his side. But Miro hasn’t reckoned with two film students who wish to shoot a “making-of” documentary of the great Argentinean “director” at work. Director: Peter Luisi, Running Time: 91 min Switzerland, In Swiss German with English subtitles. www.verflixtverliebt.ch

Documentaries

Raiders of the Lost Ark The Adaptation B One year after Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark dominated theaters, a trio of 12-year-old boys from the Mississippi Gulf Coast set out to remake the film on a Sony Betamax— not to improve upon it but to make their own version of it, line for line, scene for scene, stunt for stunt (yeah, stunt for stunt). Seven years later they wrapped. They did not have digital cameras, editing tools, a budget, or even a decent computer. Instead, they had dedication, courage, allowances, and lots of fire. They used every available location within a 45-mile radius, ranging from a family basement to a dirt farm. It took that entire first summer to storyboard each scene of the original Raiders. Then they had to build the fake boulder. Then they had to get their hands on a bunch of live snakes. These children drove speeding trucks down dirt roads while their best friend clung to a rope beneath it. And they filmed it. Well. This film defines guerilla filmmaking. (Sorry for the absence of a plot synopsis, but if you’re not familiar with the film, well, you’re probably not attending the festival anyway.) Producers: Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb Running Time: 100 min www.theindyexperience.com/raiders_adaptation/raiders_adaptation_main.php

When Sister suffers at the hand of an abusive husband, her friends, Lucie, Minna, and Ida go with her to search for the legendary root doctor, Onzi Jack, and a cure for all their troubles. But what may be the cure for one, might kill another. This short

Another Side of Peace “If we can find reconciliation as parents who have lost our own children, why can’t our leaders do the same” —Roni Hershenzon, a 60-yearold Israeli man who lost his oldest son Amir in a double suicide bombing nine years ago. Hershenzon’s second son, Elad, committed suicide five years later when his best friend was also killed by a suicide bomber. Rather than be consumed by hatred and despair, Roni took a less-traveled road by cofounding the Parents Circle, an Israeli and Palestinian support group for bereaved families who have lost children in the conflict. Another Side of Peace follows Roni’s personal journey to come to terms with his sons’ deaths and his outward journey, with his Palestinian counterpart Ghazi Brigrieth, to connect with other bereaved parents in Israel and the West Bank in their shared search for reconciliation and an end to the violence. Director: Ellen Frick, Running Time: 61 min www.anothersideofpeace.org

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308 Jackson Avenue ★ 234.3331

Caught in Paint c Caught in Paint is a six-minute video capturing painter/sculptor Rita Blitt painting on four-by-eight-foot transparent surfaces while choreographer David Parsons and members of the Parsons Dance Company are seen in midair, through the painting, imitating the dancing lines of Blitt’s paint strokes. Lois Greenfield, who collaborated in this union of paint, dance and photography, made dynamic photographs as she, too, was being filmed. The creative sparks and positive energy of all the artists challenged the group to stretch their limits and perform magic. Director: Rita Blitt Running Time: 6 min

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B Mississippil Filmmaker

Somewhere beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, the cable cars, and the coffee bars, San Francisco is teeming with chickens. One question looms: “Are they pets or are they food?” Chickens in the City is a chicken-level view of two backyard coops in San Francisco. Archival footage traces the TV dinner back to the chicken, as the viewer follows philosophies of how and what chicken owners eat. They are not vegetarians, but they have confronted the dark side of their carnivorousness and made peace with their poultry. Their chickens have forced them to face the means of modern food production, and they don’t always like what they’ve found. It’s not surprising. After all, when is the last time you looked YOUR dinner in the eye? Director: Christie Herring, Running Time: 8 min

Make your first taste of Oxford

The Children Shall Lead B The Children Shall Lead documents the 1961 Freedom Rides. Produced by the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation and Media Production in the Division of Outreach, both at The University of Mississippi, and the nonprofit PieceWorks: A Deep South Arts Collective. The Civil Rights Movement is an important example of local people becoming empowered to create positive change. The Children Shall Lead encourages understanding of this period in order to be more truthful about the past as we move forward toward building an equitable future together. Director: April Grayson, Running Time: 34 min

Rising from the Riverbed is a lively chronicle of the origins of the Southern jam band scene as seen through the smoky eyes of one of its seminal groups, Beanland. The band’s rise is richly illustrated with interviews and

Chickens in the City B

Beanland: B Rising from the Riverbed

Root Doctor

archival video footage spanning nearly 20 years, from back-porch, Mississippi hippie, cover band to their hard-earned arrival as a genuine musical force across the South. The film also contains blistering concert footage shot on the Square in Oxford, Mississippi, during the 2004 Beanland Reunion. Rising from the Riverbed is a celebration of a time and place, in this case, the last two decades in a small town in Mississippi, a rural area usually known for its writers, from Faulkner to John Grisham. As keyboardist JoJo Hermann says, “Mississippi has a groove, and the groove is the way of life.” Though Beanland grew organically from the kudzu choked hills of North Mississippi, Rising from the Riverbed demonstrates that theirs is a groove, and a way of life, for all. Director: Scotty Glahn, Running Time: 98 min www.risingfromtheriverbed.com

a delicious one! PEARL STREET PASTA 308 South Lamar • 234.7525

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In May 2003, Miami natives and emerging directors David Beilinson and Zachary Werner teamed with acclaimed filmmakers Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky to follow the cases of renowned Miami-Dade Police forensic artist Samantha Steinberg, whose life-like composite drawings of criminals based on victims’ descriptions have led to over 100 arrests. Their intention was to capture the delicate process of creating a sketch, and then follow the detectives, the media and the community as they use the drawings to investigate a crime and ultimately catch a perpetrator. Using unprecedented access, the filmmakers go behind the scenes of the Miami Police Department’s largest serial rape case. From the detailed process by which Steinberg creates the sketches, to the sexual battery detectives knocking on doors and following up leads, to the hi-tech forensic analysis, Code 33 reveals those extraordinary moments in the investigation when a clue is uncovered, a theory is realized, and a match is made. Director: Zachary Werner, David Beilinson, Michael Galinsky, Suki Hawley Running Time: 84 min www.code33thefilm.com

Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel Official Selection, 2004 Vancouver Film Festival Official Selection, 2005 Seattle Film Festival Three decades after the untimely drugrelated death of 27-year-old trust fund baby, former Byrd, and father of “alt country,” comes this definitive portrait of the fearless life and musical legend of Gram Parsons. Born Ingram Cecil Connor III to a wealthy Florida citrusgrowing family, whose history reads like a Tennessee Williams play complete with suicide and alcoholism taking his parents by the time he was 18, Gram’s life had a privilege-tragedy dichotomy running through it. His all-too-short career saw him revitalize the Byrds, form the Flying Burrito Brothers, hang out with the Rolling Stones, and produce two timeless solo albums, all in pursuit of his vision of Cosmic American Music—a previously unthinkable synthesis of rock, soul, and country. His life and its somewhat grotesque aftermath, in which his body was stolen and ceremonially burned at the Joshua Tree, spawned a million myths, and his music has inspired countless imitators. The interviewees include such key witnesses to the Parsons phenomenon as acknowledged keeper of the flame Emmylou Harris, former hang-out buddy Keith Richards, wife Gretchen, former manager and self-confessed body burner Phil Kaufmann. All give testament to a God-given talent and beyondhelp victim of unshakable personal demons. Director: Gandulf Hennig, Running Time: 92 min

Hamburger America c

The Great American Quilt Revival c

Code 33: The Hunt for the Miami Serial Rapist

A single monumental art show at New York’s Whitney Museum of Art in 1971 helped to transform the world of quilting and ignite the modern art world with interest in quilts. In some thirty years quilting has become one of the most popular handicrafts, enjoyed by more than 20 million American households. Great American Quilt Revival explores the historic roots of quilting as well as the people, the art, the economics and the historical forces that brought quilting in and out of fashion. Many of the most influential quilters active today share their personal stories, their art, and their thoughts on the revival and growth of quilt making and its impact on the art form and the future of quilting. Director: Paul Bonesteel, Running Time: 57 min www.bonesteelfilms.com/GAQR.html

The Green Bus vs. the White House In a country evenly divided politically, every vote counts. This documentary films the last three weeks of the 2002 U.S. Senate race in Minnesota as a model in democracy for the nation. Incumbent Democrat Paul Wellstone runs against Republican Norm Coleman, handpicked and supported by the White House. This race is one of six close ones that will dictate the majority in the Senate. Days before the election, Wellstone’s campaign plane goes down killing the senator, his wife, daughter, and three staffers. The Democrats put Vice President Walter Mondale on the ticket and President Bush makes a fourth visit to stump for Coleman. In the midst of grief and battles over absentee ballots, Minnesota struggles to prove it is not another Florida. Narrated by Peter Coyote. Director: Sally Hanley, Running Time: 86 min www.hanleyproductions.com

Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King Covers the rise of the extremely alternative, Maryland-bred band Half Japanese from the early days when brothers Jad and David Fair recorded loud music in their bedroom for distribution via mail order cassette tape, to their contemporary incarnation after David’s departure for married life and Jad’s increased stature among musicians and critics. Includes interviews with Maureen Tucker (the Velvet Underground), and Penn Jillette (Penn and Teller) who produced one of their albums. Director: Jeff Feuerzeig, Running Time: 90 min

George Motz’s Hamburger America tells the story of eight unique interpretations of the hamburger from across the country and the people behind them. Not only is each restaurant featured in the film, but their booths, counters, and stools have seen families come together and grow over the years. The tenets of tradition, family, and pride are what make Hamburger America a truly American tale. Director: George Motz, Running Time: 54 min Southern Foodways Block

1-Day Signs 2422 South Lamar Blvd 236.5441 www.onedaysign.com

It’s Grits c A classic in the field of first-person filmmaking, It’s Grits examines the culture of the South through the metaphor of “grits,” the true common denominator of Southern cuisine, cutting across all race and class lines. Impromptu polls conducted on elevators and at bus stops immediately set the tone of this classic treatise on grits in this 1978 documentary saved from deterioration through digital restoration (NEA Film Preservation grant). Director: Stan Woodward, Running Time: 44 min Southern Foodways Block

Jon Hendricks: The Freddie Sessions c Jon Hendricks has been called the “James Joyce of Jive” and the “Poet Laureate of Jazz.” As a member of the trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, he gained notoriety for adding lyrics to jazz instrumental classics. Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Buck Clayton, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Wynton Marsalis, and Bobby McFerrin are among those with whom he has worked. This film documents the recording of his album Freddie Freeloader (a song from the landmark Miles Davis album Kind of Blue), and features interviews with and performances by George Benson, Al Jarreau, and Bobby McFerrin. Director: Jeff Feuerzeig, Running Time: 30 min

The Maharaja of Jodhpur c Official Selection, 2004 Arpa International Film Festival Official Selection, 2004 Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Official Selection, 2005 Newport Beach Film Festival The Maharaja of Jodhpur is the story of a boy who would be king, one of India’s most distinguished royals, His Highness The Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur. The film tracks his life from his coronation, at age four, and the story of his quest to reinvent his role in a democratic, republican India. While intimately introducing the Maharaja and his family, The Maharaja of Jodhpur presents poignant moments with them. It is a visual treat, with romantic images brought alive through haunting original and ambient music. Director: Anu Malhotra, Running Time: 78 min India www.aimtelevision.com/maharaja.htm

Air-Taxi Service Coming soon to Oxford

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May All Your Days Be . . . In May All Your Days Be . . . the dedication and commitment of circus professionals, fans, and scholars is recognized and honored. It is a tribute to an American icon, rich in its history that remains, despite changing tastes and a gamut of challenges, an important component of this nation’s culture. A myriad of voices, ranging from a six-year-old performer to a 92-year-old fan and model builder, form the basis of this exploration. The contemporary and the historical are blended to provide a thoughtful appreciation of a unique entertainment phenomenon. Steeped in tradition, it continues to provide amusement to “children of all ages” in an ever evolving environment. Director Bruce Johnson’s camera investigates a variety of perspectives—from a funeral for a fallen circus owner to designing a new tent. Director: Bruce Johnson, Running Time: 55 min

Mardi Gras: Made in China Official Selection, 2005 Sundance Film Festival Mardi Gras: Made in China is a story of globalization told through humor and sadness, hope and violence by the owner of a bead factory in China; the largest Mardi Gras bead distributor in the world; Carnival revelers who exchange beads during Mardi Gras; and four teenage bead-

workers in China who make Mardi Gras beads. By confronting an increasing globalized world where consumers and producers are alienated from each other, the film attempts to re-establish human connections through curiosity and humor as it renders visible the seemingly invisible bead trail from the factory to the festival. Viewers are swept into a whirlwind of action, where drunk revelers exchange beads for nudity, guess who made them, and eventually toss them in the trash. Director: David Redmon, Running Time: 63 min www.mardigrasmadeinchina.com

Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Sense of Place c Patrick Smith is a popular writer and speaker living in Florida. He has enthralled hundreds of audiences with his experiences researching, writing, and promoting his books. In Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Sense of Place Smith tells of his life’s adventures in literature. His book Forever Island was the result of months of winning the trust of Seminole tribes of South Florida. A Land Remembered, was based on two years of research and covers over 150 years of Florida history. Smith’s stories about the writing of these books are richly illustrated with video, historical documents and sounds of the South. Smith takes viewers into the swamps and colorful past of a Florida that is no more in his travels and research for his popular novels which have won him three Pulitzer Prize nominations and won him the Florida Historical Society’s Fay Schweim Award as the “Greatest Living Floridian.” In the 1960s, Patrick Smith was the Public Relations director for the University of Mississippi and in 1990 received the award for Distinguished Alumnus. Director: Rick Smith, Running Time: 56 min www.patricksmithonline.com Brown Bag Luncheon: Center for the Study of Southern Culture

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The Rough South

Paul Soldner: Playing with Fire explores the life and art of Paul Soldner—a revolutionary ceramic artist who transformed a 3,000-year-old craft into a new expression of modern art. While earning an MFA at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles during the mid-1950s, Paul Soldner challenged the established aesthetic in ceramics—much like New York painters such as Jackson Pollack did with Abstract Expressionism. It was during this Otis Movement that ceramic art graduated from functional craft to fine art. At the forefront of this revolutionary period was Paul Soldner, pushing the boundaries of both clay and kiln. Today, at 84 and after decades of teaching his skills to younger generations, Soldner remains on the cutting edge of modern ceramic sculpture. He pushes no one harder than himself, understanding that the only limitation is one’s own imagination. His unique persona, gentle and wise yet playfully unconventional, clearly challenges the norm and inspires more than just ceramic artists, but whoever encounters this eccentric sage. Director: Renee Bergan, Running Time: 59 min www.playingwithfirethemovie.com

Best Documentary 2003 Oxford Film Festival Using simple, elegant language, Larry Brown described the gritty lives of rural Southerners. The Mississippi native developed his minimalist style of fiction in the 1980s while working as a firefighter with the Oxford Fire Department. His second published story, “Facing the Music,” appeared in Mississippi Quarterly in 1987, and caught the eye of Shannon Ravenel, an editor at Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Looking to fill the anthology “New Stories From the South,” Ravenel contacted Brown and asked if he had any other stories in need of publication. Brown wrote back and said he had nearly a hundred. Algonquin published his first short story collection, Facing the Music, in 1988. Brown’s debut novel, Dirty Work, an antiwar story about two Vietnam veterans from Mississippi recuperating in adjacent hospital beds, was published in 1989. He followed it up with the short story collection, Big Bad Love, which was adapted to the big screen in 2001 and starred Debra Winger and Arliss Howard. Brown later penned four more novels, a collection of essays about writing and an autobiography. A two-time recipient of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award, Brown also won the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Literature, The Thomas Wolfe Award, and the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Award. Larry Brown died on November 24 2004 of an apparent heart attack. He was 53. The Rough South of Larry Brown is about his life. Director: Gary Hawkins, Running Time: 79 min

Peaceable Kingdom Imagine awakening one day to realize that the work you were trained to do since birth, the life you had always imagined you’d lead, the very values that had been taught in your family for generations, went against the deepest part of your being. In Peaceable Kingdom, we hear the riveting stories of people struggling with their conscience around some of our society’s most fundamental assumptions. There’s the fourth-generation Montana cattleman whose growing angst about the treatment of farm animals run so much against the grain of his community that he can’t even discuss it with his minister. There’s a Michigan farmer whose life is turned completely upside down by the unexpected affection of a rescued sanctuary cow. And there’s the young couple who stumble upon a massive injustice hidden away by the factory farming industry, and find they cannot turn away, even though they can only help one animal at a time. An inspiring story of personal redemption, compassion, healing, and hope, Peaceable Kingdom is described by many of its viewers as “a life changing experience.” WARNING: Includes graphic scenes which might be upsetting to sensitive viewers. Director: Jenny Stein, Running Time: 70 min www.tribeofheart.org

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Southern Family Best Documentary Short, Downstream International Film Festival Second Prize, Best Documentary Short, Oregon Queer Film Festival Honorable Mention, Best Documentary Short, Chicago Gay & Lesbian Film Festival It’s Christmas in Dixie with a twist. A Christmas party at a Southern grandmother’s home turns into an unexpected and tense coming-out story in this award-winning and heart-warming documentary that spans several generations. Southern Family is a tribute to two grandmothers whose unconditional acceptance questions popular notions of what it means to be Southern. Director: Keith Wilson, Running Time: 14 min

Undefeated: The Chucky Mullins Story

Chronicles the life and untimely death of Roy Lee “Chucky” Mullins. From a humble childhood filled with trials and tragedies, to an on-the-field accident as a college athlete, Mullins transcended the modern sports hero. Inspiring, heartening, and moving, Undefeated is a film not just for the sports fan, but for anyone who celebrates the triumph of the human spirit. It features footage of Mullins playing football at his high school in Russellville,

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Alabama and on-camera interviews with his teachers, coaches, friends, former teammates and his guardian, Carver Phillips. Directors: Micah Ginn & Matthew Nothelfer Running time: 67 minutes Local filmmaker

Variations on a Theme: To Be an Israeli Woman Two parts of a 5-volume saga about Israeli society from five feminine points of view: each volume represents a one hour variation of the theme. The film examines the meaning of identity in a land of immigrants like Israel—in the search for roots, the tension between tradition and modernity, between past and present, between Israeli identity and Jewish identity, as well as in the difficulties faced by other ethnic identities. Rebecca was born in Ethiopia, and Regina was born in the Ukraine. Director: Ziva Postec, Running Time: 120 min Israel, In Hebrew with English subtitles.

shorts

Witches in Exile Winner of the Special Jury Award at the 2004 South by Southwest Film Festival In Ghana, women accused of witchcraft are torn from their families and banished to isolated “witch villages.” This film follows accused witches through their daily struggle to survive in the Kukuo Witches Camp in Northern Ghana. As government agencies attempt to banish this ageold tradition, these women find themselves caught between their society’s deeply-rooted beliefs and its drive toward modernization. “Shocking and tragic. Witches in Exile is a remarkable example of what can happen when ignorance, poverty and superstition are allowed to fester”—Merle Bertrand, Film Threat Director: Allison Berg, Running Time: 79 min

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Walking the Line Best Human Rights/Human Dignity Film, 2005 Ohne Kohle Film Festival Vienna, Austria Walking the Line offers a harrowing view of the chaos, absurdity, and senseless deaths along the U.S.–Mexico border through private citizens who are taking the law into their own hands. The region, celebrated for its history of lawlessness, has become the most highly trafficked areas for immigrants in the world—and one of the most dangerous. A shift in border policy forces migrants to cross the unforgiving desert where thousands die; those who make it face volatile civilian militias. Following rancher vigilantes with semiautomatic weapons, outlaw pastors with four-wheel drives, and impoverished immigrants with dreams of a better life, the film explores the uncertain line between what is patriotic, what is moral, and what is just. Director: Landon Van Soest, Running Time: 58 min www.walkingthelinefilm.com

Wake up to the conspiracy, one PBR at a time. The Accountant Winner of 2001 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film The O’Dell brothers are desperate. The Accountant is here to help. Not just to save the family farm, but to stop a national conspiracy, and prove that Billy Bob Thornton ain’t a real person. How far will these boys go to save a way of life? Fires, amputations . . . cold-blooded murder? Director: Ray McKinnon, Running Time: 38 min www.ginnymule.com/accountant

Action Anton

This documentary takes a look at the often untamed lifestyles of the last great North Mississippi bluesmen and the Oxford, Mississippi-based recording label— Fat Possum Records—that struggles to record them. The film is an exciting collage of exclusive interviews, live performances and personal anecdotes, and includes rare, black-and-white footage of R.L.Burnside from 1974, disturbingly funny stories about touring told first-hand by Iggy Pop and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, as well as an interesting encounter with Junior Kimbrough described by Bono from U2 and much, much more. You See Me Laughin’ is a significant film for its cultural as well as anthropological value. This is where the music came from and where it continues to thrive. These men must be heard. Director: Mandy Stein, Running Time: 77 min

Dumb luck turns nitwit Anton into a hero as he unknowingly beats up two thieves. The thieves go to jail and Anton has a new life as: Action Anton. When the two thieves are released from prison, they want revenge. Now Anton must confront the villains or he will lose his hero status. Only two things stand in Action Anton’s way: a very dangerous villain, and the basic fact that Anton himself is an utter prat. Cover your eyes and hold your breath as Action Anton tries to trick his way into the heroes shoes. Vodka will flow, fists will fly, hearts will break, and someone will have to wash his Elvis jumpsuit. Director: Ole R.B. Takanashi Gran, Running Time: 15 min Norway, In Norwegian with English subtitles. home.no.net/cinemaa/

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The Welcome Table c In this documentary short produced by the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi, residents of Montgomery, Alabama, remember Georgia Gillmore, whose in-home cafe literally fed the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery, and her successor, Martha Hawkins, whose home cooking continues to bring people from this historically divided community together, one plate at a time. Director: Joe York, Run Time: 14 min www.southernfoodways.com Southern Foodways Block

Yum, Yum, Yum c Les Blank marries his passion for spicy, down home food and his admiration for Cajuns and Creoles to create this mouth-watering exploration into cooking and other enthusiasms of French-speaking Louisiana. Featuring tangy music, Marc Savoy, Paul Prudhomme, and other great cooks. Director: Les Blank, Run Time: 31 min www.lesblank.com Southern Foodways Block

First Place College/University and Judge’s Favorite at the 2005 5 Minute Film Festival Two automatons share a busy workday. Director: Robert and James Dastoli Running Time: 3 min www.automatedassets.dastolidigital.com

Bachelor 37 Paul Burton can’t seem to find the right woman. After years of failed relationships, the 37-yearold bachelor is convinced that true love is nothing more than a fairytale. But an unexpected phone call from his very first girlfriend brings new hope. After 14 years, Paul will reunite with his soul mate only to find she has other things in mind. Do fairytales come true, or is Paul destined to be an eternal loser in love? Director: Jay Gormley, Running Time: 12 min www.parkviewplace.net/

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THE ACCOUNTANT (Friday Night-Main Hall-6:45) How many times are you going to find a film that thumbs its nose at Hollywood’s stereotypes and at the same time wins an Oscar? That can be said of The Accountant, the 2001 Academy Award Winner for Best Live Action Short. Written, directed and starring Georgia native Ray McKinnon, The Accountant takes a look at the perils facing the modern farmer with a social conscience that will make your granddaddy proud. McKinnon, known for his roles in movies such as Apollo 13 and Oh brother, where art thou?, has created a true gem with this film, his directorial debut. The story takes place in the deep South, and centers around two brothers trying to save the family farm. At their wits end, the brothers have turned to the McKinnon’s unconventional ‘accountant’, and soon have their eyes opened to the “conspiracy” that is being perpetrated on the rural South. “I come here to save a way of life” the accountant tells the O’Dells. “See, they’re all in it together…Hollywood, Wall Street, Boston Market.” With the fiery conviction of a revival preacher, the accountant spells out the impending doom hovering over Southern culture. He soon has the brothers contemplating unthinkable acts in order to save their farm. Just how far will the O’Dells go to keep their family’s land, and is it even possible with two mortgages and almost $300,000 in debt? As the accountant tells them… “It’s do-able, but it ain’t gonna be purdy”. Praise for THE ACCOUNTANT: “Hysterical as it is haunting…” -Film Threat Magazine “A big hit. A true discovery.” -INDIEWIRE “A clever blend of wit and social criticism.” -Moviemaker Magazine

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Bar Noise Reveals the sometimes humorous and tragic look at the bar and the people who are pulled into its daily life. Director: Gary Laramore and Richard Clampitt, Running Time: 15 min Features Oxford High School alum Coleman McClary

tion, Miriam must decide if there is any truth to his stories about the mysterious reality TV show that ruined his life, the one that broadcast images from his brain, destroyed his marriage, and spiked his coffee with hot fish sauce. Is Leonard legitimately paranoid or certifiably delusional? And is he asking for something more than just a nurse’s care? Director: Bill Folman, Running Time: 24 min www.disturbingleonard.com

This is the awkward moment before you get stabbed. Our witless hero rolodexes through a list of possible scenarios to decipher how he could possibly know the man walking toward him. Director: Matthew Timms, Running Time: 3 min

Instrumental Treason: A Mutiny in Four Movements c The Big Thing Winner, 2005 San Francisco Independent Film Festival, Staffpick Best Short Film Winner, 2005 Garden State Film Festival, Best International Short Film, Winner, 2005 BareBones Film Festival, Best Foreign Short Film Honorable Mention, 2005 World of Comedy International Film Festival, Best Production Value Lucifer and the Archangel Michael get together to do the Big Thing: End the World. In 1889 Paris the two team up to put in motion a cunning plan predestined by design, but the devil is in the details. Times have changed since the good ol’ days, and the duo have to contend with modern conveniences. The Antichrist is a bit of an idiot in some ways, but unfortunately for the budding alliance between would-be enemies not when it comes to family planning. No matter how distasteful it might be, they must overcome this spanner-in-the-works, or they’ll have to wait a millennium for their next opportunity. Director: Carl Laudan, Running Time: 9 min Canada www.homepage.mac.com/claudan/thebigthing/Personal10.html

Cotillion ’65 c Best Comedy Short Film, 2000 Santa Clarita Film Festival Best Short Film and Audience Choice Award, Carlsbad Film Festival Thirteen-year-old George Anderson is eager to grow up and become an adult. When his parents send him to cotillion class to learn dancing and manners, he falls in love with his beautiful, golden-haired dance teacher, Miss Tiffany. George believes that Miss Tiffany loves him too. Swept away by his fantasies he dreams about their movie-like romance. On the final day of cotillion class he goes to Miss Tiffany’s dressing room to ask her to marry him. Director: Judy Chaikin, Running Time: 20 min www.onestepproductions.com/prod.htm#one

Winner, Best Narrative Short Film, Winnipeg International Film Festival Shay Riley, once a heavyweight contender, lost his career years ago by throwing a fight for money. Now Shay coaches his son Benny in the ring. Shay’s corner man Cyrus prepares Benny for the fights by injecting his hands with “Novacain” to give him an edge and unknown to his father, Benny quickly becomes hooked. On a high stakes fight night, Shay withholds the drugs. Benny explodes and confronts his father for the first time . . . and this is when the biggest challenge of each of their lives is about to begin. Director: Adam Kane Running Time: 33 min

A Good Family Nora is the only daughter to an Egyptian father and a Lebanese mother. They might seem like a very “normal” family,” but under the surface everyone in the family has a secret. Director: Ahmed Amer, Running Time: 23 min In English and Arabic with English subtitles.

Hellbent for Good Times In the depression-era South, John (James Best, best known as Roscoe P. Coltrane in The Dukes of Hazzard) and Ada Lambert struggle to raise their teenage grandchildren, Heather and Orville. Times are tough, but with love and humor they are “Hellbent for Good Times.” Director: James Best, Running Time: 34 min

Hot Java Disturbing Leonard Winner of First Prize, 2004 Redstone West Film Festival, Los Angeles, California Librarian? Mental patient? Reality TV star? The title character of Disturbing Leonard claims to be all three. This dark comedy chronicles the relationship between Leonard and Miriam, a quiet nurse who cares for him after he attempts to commit suicide. As Leonard recounts the events that led to his hospitaliza-

This is a film about an orchestra of 45 musicians on the verge of a meltdown. Their conductor, a proud authoritarian, intends—like he always has—to rule over them with a demanding baton. The music must be played perfectly—at all costs. Some fear him. Some loathe him. Some love him. Tensions are high. On this night the conductor makes the mistake of pushing his musicians too far. On this night desperation takes hold of those who oppose him, forcing them to fight against the conductor—and the faithful musicians who support him—lest they be subjected forever to his severe methods. On this night, there are those in the orchestra who find the strength to mutiny. Director: Jake Elsas, Running Time: 29 min www.7minutecinemas.com/treason/index.html

Fly c B Follows two mysterious men chasing each other through the cotton fields and landscapes of Sunflower County, Mississippi. Director: Mark Pett and Chris Myers, Running Time: 8 min

David, an obsessive coffee barista, distills a love potion out of rare coffee beans in order to win his dream girl. Despite the sage advice from his guru and coworker Jake, David choreographs an intricate strategy. But the chaos of the coffee world gets the better of David’s planning, soon launching him into the unknown. Director: Adam Stein, Running Time: 12 min Features Oxford High School alum Coleman McClary

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How I Know You

The Fix

Lift c Otis is an elevator operator. Used to being the discreet conveyer of people from one floor to another, he doesn’t say anything. But his quiet demeanor belies what is going on inside him. Otis is in love. The object of his affection is a junior stenographer named K. She too is quiet, but lacks Otis’s selfconfidence. K is even afraid to take the elevator. This one-sided love affair has been going on for some time. Otis has initiated a plan to win her. Starring Dominique Pinon (Delicatessen/Amélie). Director: Hugues Dalton, Running Time: 30 min www.liftthemovie.com

Hwy 6 West • Oxford, Mississippi www.belkford.com 662.234.4661

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Monkey Junction Shawna mops pizza-puke and runs kiddy rides for minimum wage at Monkey Junction. Which was bad enough before she figured out she’s pregnant. And now she’s supposed to get some freak out of the tubes before the birthday parties start. Ern’s little daughter is dead and it’s pretty much his fault. He can’t face himself, his wife, or any of the rest of the world right now. That big tube playground at the amusement park seemed like the perfect plastic womb when he crawled inside. But now there’s this snotty teenager yelling at him to get out. Well, she can forget it. Director: Dave Monahan, Running Time: 34 min

Call 601.359.3297 For your Mississippi Location and Production Guide P. O. Box 849 Jackson, Mississippi 39205 www.mississippi.org/film

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a and Samuel’s distant muse, the beautiful neighbor, Eva, Samuel finally escapes when he finds the courage to understand his existence. Director: Everett Aponte, Running Time: 14 min In Spanish with English subtitles.

Programming to Die For

Official Selection, 2005 Newport Beach International Film Festival Official Selection, 2005 Cleveland Film Festival Two prisoners venture out of hiding in search of food and safety, only to find one SS officer’s last effort to stay in power. A look at the foundations of guilt and fear for two men who have their tragic first encounter during the last days of WWII and their final meeting 45 years later on the streets of New York City. 90 weighs one man’s chance at revenge against another’s chance at redemption. Director: Jason Wise, Running Time: 14 min In German with English subtitles. www.forgottenmanfilms.com/90

Frustrated by life’s daily minutiae, one man nearly lost hope. Such is the fate of Fred, the hero of our film. Gun in hand and pressed against his temple, Fred stops himself when he hears a voice from his television, “Coming up next on the Animal Geographic Channel, the first ever live footage of the rare and elusive giant squid.” Realizing what a momentous event this is and that he can’t die before seeing it, Fred puts off his suicide. As luck would have it, the squid show is only part one of the “Sea Monsters of the Deep” series, so Fred has to postpone his death again. This pattern continues as Fred slowly finds what is missing in his life——really cool nature shows. Director: Sam Frazier, Jr., Running Time: 9 min www.dtbdfilms.com

One Weekend a Month

La Puta (The Whore)

Official Selection, 2005 Sundance Film Festival Megan McDermott is a single mom and a reserve in the National Guard. One day as she is busy getting her kids out the door her phone rings. She is called up for active duty. Megan’s life, and the lives of her two kids, will be changed forever. Director: Eric Escobar, Running Time: 12 min

Set in 1952 France, this is a tale about a unique camera that captures reality. When the photos rebel against the photographer (a charming, henpecked toymaker) a battle begins. Who will win? The photos or the photographer? Director: Pascal Tosi, Running Time: 19 min France, In French with English subtitles.

World Premiere Gaby is growing up much too fast and struggling to find her identity. Her trials are beyond her self-indulgent mother’s ability to cope with. Luckily for her, the local town whore, La Puta, has a heart of gold and is doing her best to help the girl out by giving her some much-needed advice on dealing with overly anxious boys and mothers with hardships beyond their daughter’s comprehension. Meanwhile, Gaby’s mother is so wrapped up in finding her dark knight that Gaby takes the role of mother and Chencha becomes the irresponsible daughter. La Puta is the story of three women who, like the town they live in, are stuck in between opposing streams of life. Director: Iris Almaraz, Running Time: 30 min www.bdfilms.biz/laputa.html

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Zack Weinberg, a high school student, decides to run for president of his senior class, opposed by Josh Gallner, his childhood friend. The election starts out as a regular student government election should, but the pressures of winning and competition turn them against each other, and the corruption that so classically goes along with politics kicks in. This mockumentary satire parodies the last two presidential elections, making fun of both sides and the decisions in their campaign and Bush’s first term in office. Overall, this movie pokes fun at the all too familiar stereotypes in the political world. Director: Zack Weinberg and Stefan Popescu, Running Time: 38 min

A chicken farmer’s best friends try to convince him to help rob a liquor store. Director: Thad Lee, Running Time: 4 min

Photomateurs

Smartcard Smartcard is a tale of a utopian future where every aspect of your life integrated into one system. Convenience and simplicity are the product, and Smart Corporation does the packaging. Robert Sharpe has been living this care free life. Everything is perfect, until he encounters a philosophical vagrant at a local fueling station who steals the one item he can not do without, his Smart Card. Director: James Oxford, Running Time: 16 min www.oxford-entertainment.com/smartcard/index.html

Fergusson Pitts, PLLC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW ENTERTAINMENT LAW GENERAL BUSINESS LAW Phone: 662-236-1561 Fax: 662-234-1864 Attorneys Licensed in Mississippi & Tennessee

119 Heritage Drive Oxford, Mississippi 38655

Suhane Sapne (Sweet Dreams) Meet Soshila, an Indian ingénue who leads two vastly different lives. By night, she prowls clubs with her friends, kindling hearts, inciting mischief—reigning like a queen amused by her own powers. But as soon as day breaks, it seems, her powers are completely lost. Director: Soman Chainani, Running Time: 11 min In Hindi and English with English subtitles.

662.234.5611 Fax: 662.232.8060

Tahara Tahara portrays the harsh reality of female genital mutilation on the psyche of Amina, who must decide if she will follow tradition and circumcise her daughter, Suha. As Amina recalls her own tahara, will she find the courage to abandon this age old practice or will she submit her daughter to the same horrifying fate? Director: Sara Rashad, Running Time: 18 min www.taharafilm.com In English and Arabic with English subtitles. Brown Bag Luncheon: Sarah Isom Center for Women

Town Planner c Samuel DeMango Samuel DeMango is a dark comedy that presents the surreal adventures of a troubled young man who finds his place in the world by trying to leave it. A failed suicide attempt leads Samuel to discover that not only can he not die, but he bleeds the nectar of the very fruit he’s come to hate and fear. Derived from this fear, Death appears to him in the form of a mango and advises Samuel to try any means necessary to die. With Mango’s help

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When Neil is suddenly fired from his job, his world is turned upside down, and he finds the cowboy within—and his true calling as a country musician. Director: Nicholas Coles, Running Time: 7 min

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Trekant (Threesome) North American Premier Michael, 17, is in love with Veronica but does not know how to approach her. His best friend, Faye, has a crazy plan. She wants to organize a threesome hoping that Michael and Veronica will end up a couple. The only problem is that Michael is a virgin. Director: Carl Jonas Smensgard, Running Time: 30 min Sweden, In Swedish with English subtitles.

attempt he makes to rid himself of the ever-growing dilemma only succeeds in making the situation worse. Timmy comes up with an ingenious plan to rectify his situation, but he never anticipated the surprising consequences of his actions. And neither will the audience. Director: Mike Blum, Running Time: 5 min www.thezitmovie.com

experimental

Music Video

Air We Breathe Artist: The Dexateens Director: Thomas Davis, Running Time: 4 min

Special Showing at the MalcoCiné 4 Thursday, September 8, 2005 7:00pm Group tickets available by calling 901.761.3480 x 117 or visit www.malco.com

I Don’t Love Nobody B

animation

Artist: Ruby Jane Smith and the Taylor Grocery Band Director: Tate Moore, Running Time: 5 min Local musician / Local Filmmaker

Hallaig c The film is an exploration and visual interpretation of the poem “Hallaig” by Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean. The poem originally written in Gaelic and translated describes the tragic loss and memories of a highland community on the Island of Raasay. Director: Neil Kempsell, Running Time: 9 min

Cold War c Cold War is a hi-tech mix of “old meets new.” The art direction and character design are influenced by 1930s sci-fi pulp magazines and vintage advertising posters. It’s a tribute to Warner Brothers and Mad Magazine. Director: Brian Garrigan, Running Time: 4 min

Found footage from the mid-1970s has been re-edited and re-mastered with a new musical score. Director: Melanie Panush, Running Time: 14 min

The Refracted Fractions of Bill Lavendar: Poet, Dogwalker

Official Selection, 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival After being brutally attacked in an alley, George decides he must learn to protect himself. A cocksure narrator walks him through five practical lessons of self-defense for the citizen on the go— or nation-state on the rampage! Learn Self Defense is a basic how-to guide for anyone interested in personal safety and/or world domination. Director: Chris Harding, Running Time: 6 min www.chrisharding.net/animation/selfdefense/index.html

Thought Tunnels, Love Heights This is a portrait trying to map the thoughts of one confused young man as he walks the streets of New York City. It aims at integrating the intricate way in which humans’ minds work into a visual experience. Director: Daniel Lichtenberg, Running Time: 7 min

Shot on location at the SunBridge Wind Farm near Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, Turn to the Wind is an aesthetic exploration of towering wind turbines in the unique landscape that surrounds them. The film is both a day in the life of these amazing high-tech structures and an attempt to reconcile the new dynamic between landscape and technology in Southwest Saskatchewan. Director: Lea Nakonechny, Running Time: 6 min

child-appropriate film •

B Mississippil Filmmaker

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Mad, Bad, and Dangerous B Artist: Cary Hudson Director: Thad Lee, Running Time: 5 min Mississippi musicians

Dark imagery of conformity takes the screen as hip-hop, rhythm, and poetry are visualized in the Planets’ track “Moving Along.” Director: Patrick Smith, Running Time: 3 min www.blendfilms.com 0(0%(5 )',&

Phoenix with a Heartache Kids in the Way Director: Jonathan Rej and Tom Bingham, Running Time: 5 min

Turn to the Wind c

Artist: The Cooters Director: Newt Rayburn Running Time: 6 min Local musicians

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Moving Along

The Zit c First Place for Best Short Film, 2005 Firstglance 8 Philadelphia Film Festival Audience Award winner, 2005 Filmstock International Film Festival Timmy, a young boy on his way to the big school dance is forced to deal with his first pimple problem—and what a problem it is! Every

Life Like B

Onsite Real Estate Services

Poet Bill Lavendar meditates on progress, art, and sleep as he is sucked into and spit out of New Orleans. Director: Thad Lee, Running Time: 10 min

Learn Self Defense

Artist: Carl Sims Director: Pat Ryan, Running Time: 5 min Memphis filmmaker

In Vivo c

The Faith-based Space Battle A comedic cartoon about hi-tech churches that battle in space for galactic religious supremacy. Director: Sean Condon, Running Time: 8 min

Juke Joint

I n t r o d u c i n g …

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filmmaker in attendance

Rednecks at Redrocks B Artist: The Kudzu Kings Director: Tate Moore, Running Time: 12 min Local musicians

On the Square since 1910 www.fnboxford.com

662-234-2821

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a Sleeping While You Drive

Oxford Film Festival 2005 – Alphabetical List/Category List

Artist: Socadia Director: Andrea Giacomini, Running Time: 5 min

Welcome to the Cellular South What the Old Man Told Me B

234.3000 Oxford Locations On Campus in Student Union

Wal-Mart Booth

1901-C W. Jackson Ave.

Artist: Cary Hudson Director: Thad Lee, Running Time: 5 min Local musicians

Local Youth Films c Anything for a Guy B An undercover teenage agent solves the mystery of dying girls in a middle school. Director: Mary Bryant Myres, Running Time: 9 min Oxford Middle School Drama Students

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185 Main Street • Biloxi, Mississippi 39533 228.374.6720 Our Gulf Coast law firm supports the Oxford Film Festival

THE NAUTILUS PUBLISHING COMPANY extends its congratulations to the following filmmakers:

April Grayson, Director THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD

The Bloody Toe B The Bloody Toe is a scary film short based on the traditional story “Tailypo.” It was filmed on a RCA 22x video camera in single takes with all scenes in order and with one edit (cut). The music and sounds for the credits were composed and performed spontaneously. Director: Dave Woolworth, Running Time: 5 min Local children

Menendez B

Thad Lee, Director COOL BREEZE (CARY HUDSON) THE RED DAWNS THE REFRACTED FRACTIONS OF BILL LAVENDAR: POET, DOGWALKER WHAT THE OLD MAN TOLD ME (CARY HUDSON) J.D. Evermore, Director, Producer, Co-writer Alice Walker, Producer & Co-writer GLORIOUS MAIL Micah Ginn, Director UNDEFEATED: THE CHUCKY MULLINS STORY

A buddy cop comedy with a twist: the top cop on the force, Menendez, is a sedentary cardboard box robot. With crime sprees rampant, can Officer Menendez and partner Johnson save the day, or will personal issues come between them? Director: Nitin Mantena, Sam Dornan, Zach Dicks, Running Time: 25 min Mississippi School for Math and Science Students

Not So Quiet on the Western Front B The harsh realities of World War I are portrayed through a letter written by a soldier to his distant love. Director: Will Eubanks, Running Time: 7 min Oxford High School Students

The Spirit That Is Before Us B

THE NAUTILUS PUBLISHING COMPANY Magazines • Books • Films • Custom Publishing www.nautiluspublishing.com

Four students attempt to get better grades in school. When they attempt to steal a smart person’s brain spirit, their plan completely backfires. Director: Eli Williams, Running Time: 8 min Oxford Middle School Drama Students

child-appropriate film •

B Mississippil Filmmaker

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filmmaker in attendance

The Accountant – Short Action Anton – Short Air We Breathe / The Dexateens – Music Video Another Side of Peace — Documentary Anything for a Guy – Local Youth Automated Assets – Short Automusik Can Do No Wrong – Feature Bachelor 37 – Short Bar Noise – Short Beanland: Rising From the Riverbed – Documentary The Big Thing – Short Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story – Feature The Bloody Toe - Local Youth Films Caught In Paint – Documentary Chickens in the City – Documentary The Children Shall Lead – Documentary Code 33: The Hunt for the Miami Serial Rapist – Documentary Cold War – Animation Company K – Feature Cotillion ’65 – Short Deprivation – Feature Disturbing Leonard – Short The Essence of Irwin – Feature Faith Based Space Battle – Animation Fallen Angel: Gram Parsons – Documentary The Fix – Short Fly – Short Glorious Mail – Feature A Good Family – Short The Great American Quilt Revival – Documentary The Green Bus v. the White House – Documentary Hallaig – Experimental Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King – Documentary Hamburger America – Documentary Hellbent for Good Times – Short Herstory – Feature Hot Java – Short How I Know You – Short I Don’t Love Nobody / Ruby Jane Smith & the Taylor Grocery Band – Music Video Instrumental Treason: A Mutiny in Four Movements – Short In Vivo – Experimental It’s Grits – Documentary Jon Hendricks: The Freddie Sessions – Documentary Juke Joint / Carl Sims – Music Video The Lady From Sockholm – Feature Learn Self Defense – Animation Life Like / The Cooters – Music Video Lift – Short

Mad, Bad and Dangerous / Cary Hudson – Music Video The Maharaja of Jodhpur – Documentary Mardi Gras: Made in China – Documentary May All Your Days Be – Documentary Menendez – Local Youth Films The Milk Can – Feature Monkey Junction – Short Moving Along / The Planets – Music Video My Big Fat Independent Movie – Feature 90 (Ninety) – Short Not So Quiet On the Western Front – Local Youth Films One Weekend a Month – Short Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Sense of Place – Documentary Paul Soldner: Playing with Fire – Documentary Peaceable Kingdom – Documentary Phoenix With a Heartache / Kids in the Way – Music Video Photomateurs – Short Pre$idency – Short Programming to Die For – Short Purgatory House – Feature La Puta – Short Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation – Feature The Red Dawns – Short Rednecks at Redrocks – Music Video The Refracted Fractions of Bill Lavendar: Poet, Dogwalker – Experimental The Rough South of Larry Brown – Documentary Root Doctor – Feature Samuel DeMango – Short Sleeping While You Drive / Socadia – Music Video Smart Card – Short Southern Family – Documentary The Spirit That Is Before Us – Local Youth Films Suhane Sapne (Sweet Dreams) – Short Tahara – Short Thought Tunnels, Love Heights – Experimental Town Planner – Short Trekant (Threesome) – Short Turn to the Wind – Experimental Undefeated: The Chucky Mullins Story – Documentary Variations On a Theme: To Be an Israeli Woman – Documentary Verflixt, Verliebt – Feature Walking the Line – Documentary The Welcome Table – Documentary What the Old Man Told Me / Cary Hudson – Music Video Witches in Exile – Documentary You See Me Laughin’: The Last of the Hill Country Bluesmen – Documentary Yum, Yum, Yum – Documentary The Zit – Animation

Let’s All Get Paneled

candid discussion of their careers are actors Coleman McClary, James Best (see page 26), Rhes Low, and Carlisle Forrester. For McClary and Forrester, the return to Oxford is a homecoming, as they are both natives. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to leave home and head west for a shot on the silver screen, these actors can tell you all about the peaks and valleys that come with following your heart.

200 5 Ox for d Fil m Fes tiv al Pan els Let us be clear about one thing for sure: the film festival is not only the celebration of films made, but also of films to come. To that end, the 2005 Oxford Film Festival is proud to outline our slate of filmmaking panel discussions geared at giving anybody and everybody a chance to get a “leg up” with an insiders peek into film. Two of the greatest ways to learn are by doing and by talking with those who have “done”. Our panels give audience members the opportunity to interact, question, and gain insight that can only be afforded by those who fought the fight already. If you have ever wanted to be behind (or in front of) a movie camera, or ever thought about writing a screenplay, you’d better find yourself a seat in the front row and pick the brains of our talented panelists.

SCREENWRITERS PANEL: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE SCREENPLAY (Friday-FCRH-2:00) When is the last time you said to yourself “That sure would make a great movie,” only to let the idea slowly slip from your mind? Well, it’s time you stopped slipping and started writing, and the screenwriter’s panel is the best place to begin. This panel is designed to give you the complete picture of how a screenplay is born, lives…or in most cases dies. Our panelists include: Tom Huckabee, a Texas native who has spent the last 25 years working in Hollywood on many sides of the camera. In addition to writing several screenplays of his own, Tom has worked the studio system in the famous “pitch session.” which is an art form all its own. It’s your first kiss meets public speaking meets the lottery, and it’s something you’ll want to learn about. Tom has also worked extensively in development, and can quickly diagnose a screenplay (or a pitch) as a good idea, a really good idea, or a “don’t quit your day job” idea. He’s also a real cool guy. Anne Rapp (Cookie’s Fortune, Dr. T and the Women) will also be joining in the discussion of what goes into the writing of a screenplay. With two major motion pictures under her belt, and countless other projects from which she’s drawn valuable insight, Anne is one of the best resources you’ll find for advice on writing your script. And, like Tom, she’s very cool. Schedule permitting, Brent Hanley (Frailty, The Good Sailor) will be on hand to offer his take on writing feature films. Brent watched his career skyrocket after the success of Frailty, and is currently in preproduction on a film he is set to direct. Of course, there are always last minute additions to the panels, so be sure to come out and take advantage of these veterans and their vast knowledge and experience. You never know, but that idea you’ve had creep-

Anne Rapp

ing around in your head may just be the next Oscar winner for best picture. Or, even better, you might win a Hoka.

James Best TALENT and CASTING PANEL: ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP? (Saturday-FCRH-1:30) A life in front of the camera…or at least the pursuit thereof. That is the focus of the Talent & Casting Panel. This panel is intended to give the aspiring thespian an opportunity to see “behind the curtain” and fully reveal what goes into an acting career. Mary Gail Artz, of Artz & Cohen Casting in Los Angeles, will be on hand to answer your questions regarding the grueling world of “cold-reads” and “call-backs”. Having worked with studios and independents (just IMDB her, she’s awesome), Mary Gail has plenty of wisdom to hand down. While casting big studio films like The Replacements or I Am Sam, and cult favs like Rushmore, Mary Gail has worked with some amazing talents in front of the camera. She’s also watched several “unknowns” make their mark on their way to stardom. If you’re considering a move to Hollywood, your road map should start at this panel. Also joining us will be Jeffrey Nightbyrd, (Born on the Fourth of July) the director of Acclaim

Jeffrey Nightbyrd

Coleman McClary

Talent in Austin, Texas. Jeffrey has over 25 years of experience in the talent agency business, working in Los Angeles, New York, and now Texas. His agency gives regionally located actors the opportunity for national representation. Now the real road-warriors of this panel (Mary Gail and Jeffrey will attest to this) are the actors. These are the dogged dream-chasers who go in front of agents on a regular basis, working hard to make each audition the one that changes it all. Joining us from Los Angeles for a

DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS PANEL: HERE IN THE REAL WORLD (Saturday-FCRH-3:15) Truth is often stranger than fiction. Truth is also at the heart of documentary filmmaking. The documentary filmmaker strives not to tell a story, but to allow a story to tell itself. In all its glory, with all its warts, life is peeled back a layer at a time by the documentary filmmaker. This year we are honored to have filmmakers whose achievement in documentaries is a testament to the craft itself. Jeff Scheftel visits us from Los Angeles, and his work in the field of documentaries has been featured in theatres nationally and on History Channel, A&E, Discovery, and HBO, to name a few. Documentarian Kent Moorehead is no stranger to Oxford as the filmmaker spends half the year here and the other half working on projects in Sweden. Kent’s work Brice’s Crossroads has been featured on PBS, and his latest film, The Most

Jeff Scheftel

Kent Moorehead

Carlisle Forrester

Gandulf Hennig

Segregated Hour, is screening in theatres regionally. Gandulf Hennig from Berlin and Nashville shares his film Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel (Friday night-main hall-7:00) that is already drawing praise as one of the best music documentaries to come along in a while. These three will be sharing their stories and answering questions for all those who’ve ever considered picking up a camera and capturing life the way it happens.

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PRODUCERS PANEL: “NOW, WHAT DOES THE PRODUCER DO?” (Friday-FCRH-3:00) It should read “What doesn’t the producer do?” The producer is often the magic glue that binds a film project together long enough to get it done. It is a challenging, often thankless, job, and it is a critical role to play in the production of a film. While finding money, actors, the director, a great script (not necessarily in that order), a producer becomes the architect for the finished product. If the producer is sharp and puts in all the right ingredients, the result is often seen in dollar signs and statuettes. If the producer misses the mark, we have Ishtar. And Ishtar happens more often than the former. So, whether you just want to produce a short film in your backyard, or you’re ready to make the next Titanic, you’d better find your way to this panel discussion. You’ll be hearing from Deborah Liebling (Dodgeball, Stuck on You, South Park the Movie) (see page 26), Jesse Scolaro (Deprivation*, Blackballed*), and Tom Huckabee (Frailty, Traveller). These producers have worked with studio and independent films and have been eyeball-deep in the long, arduous, and highly gratifying process of bringing ideas and people together for the common goal of filmmaking. Get a good seat and find out what it takes make a movie.

Deborah Liebling

Jesse SCOLARO

FAMOUS ACTORS WORKING A BUFFET LINE PANEL (Sunday-Slappy’s Quick Lunch-12:00) Yes, we’ve done it, but don’t ask us how. Simply put, this panel will take place at the old Slappy’s Quick Lunch on Barn Street, and is open to anyone who has ever wanted to see a celebrity working a buffet line. See the likes of Kelly Ripa as she refills the salad. Watch Tom Cruise empty freshly diced ham cubes into the proper plastic-chiller. Enjoy the sites of Ben Affleck cleaning the sneeze-guard, and Mickey Rourke sneezing on the sneeze-guard.*** Yes, this panel is made up. *Deprivation screens Friday night - Rehearsal Hall-8:15 *Blackballed screens Tuesday night - Main Hall-8:45 **All panelists are scheduled to appear at the time of this printing. Due to the nature of the industry, some panelists may not be available at festival time. Hope for the best. ***Mickey Rourke will actually be sneezing on a sneeze-guard somewhere, but it won’t be here. That is merely coincidental.

The Third Annual Oxford Film Festival Dedicated to Larry Brown and Robert Freeland Since last year’s film festival, Oxford has lost two of its most ardent champions of cinema, author Larry Brown and video storeowner Robert Freeland. Robert Freeland translated his love of film into advocacy by establishing a video store on the Oxford square that gave the town a funky alternative to the big, boring chain stores. Esoteric and deserving underground films found a willing audience here, thanks to Robert’s tireless enthusiasm and knowledge. A small conservative town like Oxford was enhanced by Robert’s grasp of the far-flung corners of cinema world, from noir to new, foreign to family, and animation to provocation. By knowing his customers and what to recommend to them, Robert Freeland held up a much-needed lantern on Oxford’s path to enrichment. Larry Brown reveled in storytelling and was equally happy staying up all night to write or to watch movies. He even named one of his sons after his favorite screen hero, Allan Ladd’s classic, Shane.

TULA, 1993,

TOM RANKIN

Larry grew up in Oxford, and throughout all those years he enjoyed WREG-TV out of Memphis and their all-night movies, which started at midnight and ran with few, if any, commercials. A dazzling black-and-white world of Hollywood history was on display night after night: Bogart, the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, westerns, pirate tales, musicals, Tarzan, drawing-room mysteries, melodrama, slapstick, sports bios, and John Wayne swaggering through a variety of wars. Next time you read Larry’s work, notice how often his characters are watching movies on TV (they’re usually enjoying a smoke and a frosty beverage while they watch).

Mary Annie & Larry Brown

Oxford is poorer for the loss of Larry and Robert, and the Oxford Film Festival is to be commended for honoring these two men who so honored our town. —Jim Dees

The Spirit of Hoka Award

Festival Award Sculpted by Taylor Artist Bill Beckwith The Academy Awards might have its coveted “Oscar” but only winning filmmakers at the Oxford Film Festival are able to get their hands on a “Hoka.” The model for these unique award statues is none other than the legendary Chickasaw Princess Hoka. Famous locally as the namesake Hoka Theatre and the subject of a series of paintings by Oxford artist Bill Lester, Princess Hoka was an even greater figure in the Oxford of the past. “I came across Princess Hoka in the history of Lafayette County and was impressed that the first name on the land deed is a Native American, and a woman at that,” said Ron Shapiro, proprietor of the now-defunct Hoka Theatre. “I believe she represents Native Americans, women, and independence in a very positive way.” The task of creating the award statue fell into the capable hands of renowned sculptor and Ole Miss art professor Bill Beckwith. Oxonians might recognize Beckwith’s work from the life-size William Faulkner statue that occupies the bench in front of city hall; or they might have peeked into Beckwith’s spacious sculpture studio adjoining the popular Taylor Grocery Restaurant. Since no pictures of Hoka have survived, Beckwith relied on his imagination and the inspiration of Native American folk music to sculpt a likeness that was, to him “powerful, feminine and self-contained.” “I depicted her as a young Chickasaw girl wrapped in a deerskin,” said Beckwith. The statues are 12-inch polymer sculptures painted to imitate bronze, using a method known as patina. The award statues are not Beckwith’s first foray into American Indian subject matter; he has been commissioned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma to create a likeness of the revered Chief Piomingo. —Sam McClatchy

Robert Freeland & Mabry

VOLUNTEERS

The “Best” Is Yet To Come James Best, known the world over for his role as Rosco P. Coltrane on the “The Dukes of Hazzard,” will be featured on the Talent/Casting Panel (Saturday the 10th, 1:30, FCRH). Though gaining a heaping-helping of notoriety from his days as a lawman in Hazzard County, the actor’s career began over five decades ago. After gaining theatre experience on stages in New York and across Europe, Best was spotted by an executive for Universal Pictures in Los Angeles, and spent the next two years as a contract player for the studio. Afterwards, Best embarked on a freelance career that firmly established his credentials in the performance arena of Hollywood. His film credits include working opposite some of cinema’s most legendary performers, such as Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Paul Newman, Burt Reynolds, and Anthony Quinn.

Laughing With Liebling You’ll be hearing from Executive Vice President of Production at 20th Century Fox Deborah Liebling where she is in charge of developing theatrical feature films for the studio (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, the children’s book film adaptation of Because Of Winn-Dixie directed by Wayne Wang; the upcoming Mike Judge comedy Idiocracy starring Luke Wilson and Dax Shepard and Betty Thomas’ teen comedy John Tucker Must Die staring Jesse Metcalf). Prior to 20TH CENTURY FOX, Liebling served as chief programming executive for all of Comedy Central’s original shows, which defined the brand of the network including “South Park.” Previous to joining Comedy Central, Liebling served as West Coast executive-in-charge of production for Nickelodeon. In addition to the festival’s Producers’ Panel Friday, September 9 at 3 p.m., Debbie will be working with drama and film students from local and regional schools.

In all, James Best has appeared in more than 600 television shows and 83 feature films. In addition, Best has written and directed for the screen, with films such as The End and Gator, both of which starred Burt Reynolds. Best’s latest writing/directing work is Hellbent For Good Times, which screens at this year’s festival on Friday the 9th, at 1:00 pm (FCRH). Hell Bent For Good Times is the story of the trials of a Depression Era familydealing with poverty and struggles of the heart. The Oxford Film Festival is privileged and honored to have such a veteran of the stage and screen to take part in our Talent/Casting Panel. If you’ve got a question about how an actor makes it in Hollywood (and keeps on making it) you’d better find yourself a seat on Saturday the 9th.

Barton’s Picks If you talk film in Oxford, Barton will hear you. IF you have a question about film, don’t bother asking because Barton knows what you’re thinking. Barton spent many years as the projectionist at the Hoka Theatre, and in that time developed a knowledge of film that is kind of unrivaled. In addition to making an appearance in the Beanland documentary screening Wednesday, September 7 at 9:25 p.m. (see page 6), Barton has selected a few choice films for you to be sure to catch. So take in Barton’s picks and then let him tell you why you liked them.

The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council thanks all those who volunteered their time and efforts to the Third Oxford Film Festival and especially:

Ann Abadie Melanie Addington Laura Antonow Jack Barbera David Bell Allison Borders Ellen Bourdeaux Rebecca Bourgeois Mary Annie Brown Karen Chain Althea Church Bjoern Classen Peter Cleary Rebecca Cleary Jim Dees Scott Deleve John T. Edge Macey Edmondson Michelle Emanuel J.D. Evermore Ron Feder Beth Ann Fennelly Molly Fergusson Margaret Gaffney Micah Ginn Edward Gutting Melissa Booth Hall Tiffany Hamlin Penny Harvey Chad Henson Lance Herrington Angela Hornsby Michael Jacobson Joy Kloman Dicki Lee King Susan Bauer Lee Thad Lee Tom Levis Theresa Levitt Rhes Low T. Kilpatrick Low

Carmen Mattox Michele McNeely Johnny McPhail KB Melear Tate Moore PJ Morrone Daniel Morrow Taylor Neal Bruce Newman Charlene Ott Terry Ott Robbie Palmertree Greg Park Will Pepper Mary Ann Percy Roy Percy Anne Pitts Anne Quinney Julia Rholes Donna Ruth Roberts Brenda Robertson Jan Robertson Paul Robinson Barton Segal Paula Shanks Ron Shapiro Karen Smith Nathan Smith Elizabeth Stephan Kevin Stuart Smith Stuart Annie Thomas Jimmy Thomas Kate Valenza Randy Wadkins Alice Walker Ginger Weston Easley Drew Wheeler Robin Wiebe Monte Wood Joe York