OFF 2007 Printed Program by Oxford Film Festival

This is a note from the Co-Directors ... ... of the two thousand and seven Oxford Film Festival. Welcome, we’re glad you came. When we started this festival four years ago, we were pretty sure it would one day be awesome. Now we know, it is indeed awesome. But what is awesome about it? We’re actually asking that. I don’t know.

We are committed to this festival, and to making it the best, most awesome it can be. To that end, we’ve done a little research on what makes a festival awesome, and we’re proud to say we’ve met all three criteria.

Co-directors Michelle Emanuel, Molly Fergusson, Micah Ginn

Sponsorship

The first critical element of an awesome film festival is, of course, including the words film and festival in your name. We’ve done that here. Oxford Film Festival. Second, having lots of films in the film festival makes the title all the more appropriate and is consistent with audience expectations. This year we have 80-ish films. Next year, why not 90-ish?

Abby Coker

We are thrilled to have you as guests at the festival this year. Whether you made a film, or will be watching a film, or are volunteering your time to help the festival, we want you to enjoy your time awesomely. If there is any awesome thing that we can do for you, please, don’t hesitate to ask. Actually, chances are good that if you ask Micah for a favor, it won’t happen, but Molly and Michelle are pretty awesome. We’ll take care of you. We have one simple rule here at the Oxford Film Festival: Have a good time, watch a lot of films, and give Micah a ride when he needs one. Even if it’s completely unrelated to the festival, like a trip to Kroger. Let the films begin. It’s go time. 2007 Oxford Film Festival style. Be awesome, Micah Michelle Molly

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Festival Credits 2007

Lauren Freeman, Ginger Weston Easley

Thirdly, we’ll be screening all the films on movie screens with audio. We understand from our reading that this is standard, and makes the festival awesome.

Hospitality Web Design Daniel Morrow, Amy Evans

Publication Design Susan Bauer Lee

Cover Photo Bruce Newman

Tabloid Articles Jamie Dakin, Michelle Emanuel, Micah Ginn, Will Pepper, Elizabeth Stephan, Twinkle Van Winkle

Special Thanks To Elaine Abadie, Lynda Addington, Melanie Addington Singh, Laura Antonow, Jack Barbera, Barton, Bill Beckwith, Andi Bedsworth, Tim Bedsworth, Amanda Bennett, Scott Bennett, Rebecca Bourgeois, Ryan Bubalo, Ricky Burkhead, Shugana Campbell, John Currence, Kirsten Dellinger, Sarah Duncan, Meta Ginn, Ross Haenfler, Andy Harper, Sam Haskell III, Lance Herrington, Kristin Hughes, Jeff Jackson, Derek Jenkins, Ryan Johnson, Emily Johnston, Gloria Kellum, Jason Klodt, Jennie Lane, Odie Lindsey, Don Mason, Susan Mason, Nathan McDaniel, Steve McDavid, Minjoo Oh, Charlene Ott, Terry Ott, Robbie Palmertree, Hyun Park, Mary Ann Percy, Anne Pitts, Julia Rholes, Donna Ruth Roberts, Karen Scott, Ron Shapiro, Laura Sheppardson, J.J. Singh, Skadi Snook, Elizabeth Stephan, Kevin Stuart, Smith Stuart, Hugh Stump, Maggie Tate, Randy Wadkins, Alice Walker, Brooke White, Robin Wiebe, Gabriel Wrobel, and of course…the Academy. The Oxford Film Festival is a project of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, 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. http://www.oxfordarts.com

WWW.OXFORDAMERICANMAG.COM

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The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council welcomes you to the Fourth Annual a Oxford Film Festival! YAC has seen tremendous changes during the past year with the opening of the Powerhouse Community Arts Center right in the heart of Oxford and the announcement of new Executive Director, Camp Best and my appointment as Business Manager. The Oxford Film Festival, however, continues to run seamlessly through the efforts of co-directors Michelle Emanuel, Molly Fergusson and Micah Ginn and a group of dedicated volunteers and sponsors. The Film Festival itself also sees many changes this year including a change in venue, a new time of year and, with the opening of the Powerhouse, a new place to congregate and talk about why we are here this weekend: the art of film. We think Oxford is a great place to live and, given the number of artists who live in our small town, a great place to create. You will have the opportunity to see some of these creations this weekend. This year's festival lineup includes favorites from the film festival circuit like, “The Big Bad Swim”, “Chalk”, “Puppet”, and “Mother” as well as documentaries both touching and irreverent in “Darius Goes West” and “PEZHeads”. Equally exciting are submissions from the Mid-South like “Just the Two of Us” and several new films from

Dear Oxford Film Festival visitors: Welcome to the fourth annual Oxford Film Festival. We are happy to have you back in town, or, if you’re a newcomer, here for your first visit. Like many small towns, a lengthy period of our history is defined by the life of the silver screen.

Yes, we can read. A few of us can even write. Tennessee Williams

Nevada Barr

Willie Morris

Jill Conner Browne

Barry Hannah

Beth Henley

Eudora Welty

William Faulkner

John Grisham

Margaret Walker Alexander

Richard Ford

Richard Wright

The Lyric Theater, where “Intruder in the Dust” enjoyed its world premiere in 1949, would age into “the two stick” before I was a teen. Then The Ritz – where my friends and I first saw “The Birds” and “A Hard Day’s Night” – dominated local box office sales. We loved going to Rebel Drive-In on what was then Highway 6, practically in the sticks in those days, but most of us can’t recall actually watching a film there. The world of cinema has changed since then, but it still brings us excitement, entertainment, artistic vision, and documentary interest. While Oxford has changed, we continue to be a place where culture and the arts bring an identity and essential purpose to the community. And – we now have two new theatre complexes with eighteen screens!

Mississippi filmmakers. Welcome and enjoy!

On behalf of the Board of Aldermen and the people of Oxford, we are glad to have you in town for this event, and hope you enjoy yourself here.

Rebecca Bourgeois Business Manager

Richard Howorth Mayor

Interim Executive Director

Box Office

Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.malco.com or at Malco’s Oxford Studio Cinema on Jackson Avenue West during the festival, February 8-11, 2007. One Day Pass: $10 each or $7 with a valid student I.D. / Four Day Pass: $30 each or $20 with a valid student I.D. / Children under 15 will be admitted FREE during the Saturday morning Youth Block, but must be accompanied by an adult.

From Pulitzer Prize winners to revolutionaries who initiated momentous cultural change … oh, yes, Mississippians can write. No other state in the country can claim as many honored, awarded and revered writers as Mississippi. Yes, Mississippi. Where words transcend.

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In Praise Of Elaine Famous Elaines (Arts & Leisure edition): Elaine Stritch, Tony award-winning actress and singer Elaine May, director-screenwriter-actress Elaine Benes (fictional), writer-editor, would-be dancer Elaine Abadie, Executive Director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, 2000-2006 The Oxford Film Festival, a project of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, has been motivated and inspired by the creative energy that Elaine Abadie brought to the Oxford community. Since the first festival in 2003, Elaine encouraged our ideas, even the craziest ones. But she also had ideas of her own: because of her efforts, we continue to set aside a block on Saturday morning for children’s programming. “Elaine’s enthusiasm for bringing art to Oxford inspired us to make the festival stronger each year,” says Michelle Emanuel, Festival CoDirector. “We learned a lot from her example, and wish her the best in her new endeavors.”

KidsFirst.org This year, we are proud to participate with KidsFirst.org, a project of the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, a non-profit organization founded in 1991. The Coalition is a voluntary collaboration comprising more than 10,000 media professionals, lobbyists, policymakers, child advocates, educators, parents and families nationwide. KIDS FIRST!® evaluates, rates, and endorses children's feature films, DVDs, videos, audio recordings and television using a volunteer, community-based jury comprising child development professionals, teachers and parents as well as children from diverse geographic, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. More than four thousand titles have been evaluated to date. Reviews of endorsed titles are published on the KIDS FIRST! web site, kidsfirst.org, and in reviews provided to publications such as Access Learning, Parenting, and United Parenting Publications. Learn more about them from their website: www.kidsfirst.org The KidsFirst.org compilation will screen on Saturday from 10:00am12:00pm, after a selection of other kid-friendly short films.

“She always loved the excitement of bringing something new, unique and educational to this community. Every day and every meeting molded the (Yoknapatawpha) Arts Council into the creative unit it is today,” says Will Pepper, Co-Director of the 3rd OFF (2005).

As Seen On….

Molly Fergusson, Festival Co-Director, adds, “The festival would not be where it is today without Elaine.”

Hey! I’ve seen that guy…. Lots of familiar faces (and voices) from TV and film are in this year’s festival. Check them out in unfamiliar roles:

“Elaine worked very hard on the festival, and I appreciate all that she did. She never lost her cool, even when we were up against deadlines, and she always had a nice thing to say about people that I was badmouthing,” explains Micah Ginn, Festival Co-Director.

Kevin Pollack (The Usual Suspects, Grumpy Old Men, A Few Good Men), Jorge Garcia (Lost), and Rick Hoffman (The Practice, Jake in Progress) in the short “Our Time is Up”.

Elaine’s legacy to YAC includes expanded children’s art programming, the creation of the Oxford Film Festival, the publication of the extremely popular Square Table cookbook and, on April 27, 2006, the opening of the Powerhouse Community Arts Center. Located at the corner of University Avenue and South 14th Street,

Vinnie Jones (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Extras), Eriq La Salle (ER), Lennox Lewis (heavyweight champion boxer), and Roger Daltrey (The Who) in the feature “Johnny Was”.

this multi-purpose venue is the cornerstone for the future of the Arts Council with its 140-seat theater, exhibit hall, studio space, workshop layouts, and the YAC office. Good luck Elaine! Thanks for all your hard work!

It’s all about CHOICES!

Paget Brewster (Huff, Criminal Minds) in the feature “The Big Bad Swim”.

Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega (Spanglish, Sex and Lucía) in the feature “10 Items or Less”. Harry Anderson (Night Court) in the documentary “Hexing a Hurricane”. Dennis Hopper and the Monkees’ Peter Tork in the documentary “Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose”. James Earl Jones narrating the documentary “The Clinton 12”.

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Danny Glover narrating the documentary “Willie Francis Must Die Again”.

PARTY AT THE POWERHOUSE! Join us at the Powerhouse Community Arts Center (413 S. 14th Street) on Saturday night, after 10:00pm, following the Awards Ceremony. Schmooze with the attending filmmakers! $15 per person/$25 per couple, cash bar (tickets sold at the door).

Kris Kristofferson narrating the documentary “BRATS: Our Journey Home”. Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous), Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and Tom Waits (legendary musician) in "Wristcutters: A Love Story". Ashley Judd, Diane Ladd, Stacey Keach, Laura Prepon (That 70s Show), and Ray McKinnon (The Accountant, 2005 Oxford Film Festival) in "Come Early Morning".

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But more exciting? Seeing a weekend of films with “unknown” actors by up and coming directors. Then in the future, when you’re watching TV or a Hollywood movie on a big screen, you will be able to say, “Hey! That’s the character from…”

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OFF 2007 Schedule

Thursday, February 8 = 1 screen 5:30-6:30 7:00-7:15 7:20-9:15 9:20-9:40 9:45-11:15

Saturday, February 10 = 3 screens

Thacker Mountain Radio @ Off Square Books Our Time is Up (Shrt) Come Early Morning (Feat) Mother (Shrt) Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose (Doc)

Friday, February 9 = 3 screens SCREEN 1 10:00-12:00 12:00-1:30 1:30-2:00 2:00-4:00 4:15-5:00 5:15-7:00 7:10-7:30 7:30-9:10 9:15-10:45 SCREEN 2 10:00-12:00 12:00-1:15 1:30-2:00 2:00-4:00 4:00-6:00 6:15-8:15 8:30-10:00 SCREEN 3 10:00-12:00 12:00-2:00

2:15-3:15 3:30-5:00 5:15-6:15 6:30-7:15 7:30-9:30

Mirage (Anim) + The Little Death (Feat) Johnny Was (Feat) Binta y la gran idea (Shrt) Just the Two of Us (Feat) Little Birds (MV) + McLaren’s Negatives (Anim) + Star Wars (Anim) + The Girls of Elizabeth Street (Shrt) Darius Goes West (Doc) Me Room Matey (Shrt) + Super Anon (Shrt) Chalk (Feat) 10MPH (Doc) Coyote Funeral (Feat) Room (Feat) Ed I Hide (Shrt) Gone (MV) + BRATS: Our Journey Home (Doc) Seabeast (MV) + TV Junkie (Doc) Dancin’ Like Robots (MV) + PEZHeads (Doc) 10 Items or Less (Feat) Richard Johnston: Hill Country Troubador (Doc) + Hexing a Hurricane (Doc) Building Bridges (Doc) + The Cole Nobody Knows (Doc) + Pitch (Shrt) + Adventures in Geocaching (Doc) + Freedom and Beyond (Doc) + Los Tabaqueros (Doc) A Death in the woods (Shrt) + Kubuku Rides (Shrt) Hard Times (Doc) Whole Hog (Doc) + Hot Chicken (Doc) Watermarks (Shrt) Team Queen (MV) + Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island (90 min)

All times are tentative and subject to change. Refer to our website, www.oxfordfilmfest.com, for the latest info on guest scheduling, panel and event info.

SCREEN 1 10:00-12:00

12:15-2:30 2:45-4:15 4:30-6:00 6:05-7:00 7:00-8:40 9:00-10:15 SCREEN 2 10:00-11:15 11:20-12:45 1:00-2:30 2:45-4:15 4:30-6:30

Willie Francis Must Die Again (Doc) The Sandman’s Garden (Doc) PANEL: Filmmaking 101 Quagmire (Doc) Scotch and Milk: Saving Willie Mae’s Restaurant (Shrt) + On the Water with Joe Mac Hudspeth, Jr. (Shrt) + Bodies and Souls (Shrt) + A Cheaper Way to Go (Doc) 6:45-8:20 Wristcutters: A Love Story (Feat)

SCREEN 3 10:00-11:00 Katrina Diary 11:15-12:45 The Super (Shrt) + The Surface of Things (Shrt) + Sticks and Stones (Shrt) + The Farm, Mississippi (Shrt) + Press On (Shrt) 1:00-2:30 Darius Goes West (Doc) 2:45-4:00 Foolish Love (MV) + Sketch (Anim) + Dummy (Shrt) 4:15-6:30 The Clinton 12 (Doc) 6:45-8:30 The Town in Late Afternoon (Doc) PARTY FOLLOWING AWARDS CEREMONY @ POWERHOUSE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER (Corner of University Ave. and S. 14th Street, $15/person or $25/couple)

Sunday, February 11 = 3 screens FESTIVAL FAVORITES – website will be updated following the Awards Ceremony SCREEN 1 1:00-3:00 Shorts Nominees (short, animation, music video, experimental) 3:00-5:00 Shorts Winners (short, animation, music video, experimental) 5:00-7:00 Features Winner SCREEN 2 1:00-5:00 Documentary Nominees 5:00-7:00 Documentary Winner SCREEN 3 1:00-5:00

All films contain adult content and are not recommended for children under 18 unless otherwise indicated.

YOUTH BLOCK = Rhythm of Youth (Shrt) + Couple Skate (Shrt) + Linear Progression (Anim) + Kidsfirst.org compilation Animation Show (Anim) PANEL: Experimental Films PANEL: Talent and Casting Morbid Curiosity (Shrt) + In Order of Appearance (Shrt) + Runaway Rightie (Anim) + Crunch (Shrt) Puppet (Anim) + The Big Bad Swim (Feat) AWARDS CEREMONY

Features Nominees

Opening Night: Thursday The Oxford Film Festival kicks off with a reluctant babysitter, a brutally honest therapist, a woman driving around with a jukebox in the back of her pickup truck, and Dennis Hopper. Celebrating the return of the Oxford Film Festival after a prolonged absence, we offer you a diverse slate of films for opening night which have appeared at major film festivals across the country. Rob Pearlstein’s Our Time is Up, Academy Award Nominee in 2006 for Best Live Action Short, tells the story of Dr. Stern, a therapist who changes his approach to counseling his patients when he finds he only has 6 weeks to live. True to the indie spirit, the film was shot on location at the director’s parents’ house over a two-day period, and features a number of familiar faces from TV and film – all of whom agreed to work for free. Joey Lauren Adams is a familiar face to fans of both independent and studio films for her roles in movies such as Dazed and Confused, Chasing Amy, Big Daddy and The Break-Up. With her directorial debut, Come Early Morning, which premiered in 2006 at the Sundance Film Festival, she finds herself on the other side of the camera. Shot on location in Adams’s home state of Arkansas, the film follows Lucy, a woman who finds that in order to break some bad habits, she will have to confront some long-buried issues. Mother, inspired by writer-director Siân Heder’s experience as a nanny when she first moved to Los Angeles, was shot for $20,000. The first $5000 came from a grant from the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, but Heder only had three weeks to raise the remaining $15,000 budget. She launched a website to publicize her project, and met her fundraising goal. The finished film had been rejected by a number of festivals before it was submitted to the Cannes Film Festival by someone at AFI acting on her behalf. The budget for her next project is somewhere around $2 million. Sam Wainwright Douglas and Paul Lovelace spent five years working on their film Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose, which documents the folk duo featured on the soundtrack to Easy Rider. Their time was spent watching hours of archival footage, interviewing subjects from Dennis Hopper to the Loving Spoonful’s John Sebastian to Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan and, like many filmmakers, working day jobs that would help pay for their project. The film has played in festivals in New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Sarasota, and Fargo, as well as festivals in the U.K. and Australia. After Thacker Mountain Radio (at Off Square Books), join us for an evening of incredible independent film.

Features

The Big Bad Swim An ensemble comedy-drama about a group of people who meet at an adult education swim class. Male and female, old and young, rich and poor, the one thing they have in common is a fear of the water and their desire to overcome that fear and learn to swim. Our group focuses on an unlikely friendship between Amy, a middle-aged calculus teacher, and the beautiful young Jordan. Together with their swim teacher, Noah, they learn to face their fears and dive into the pool - and life - head first. Not everyone makes it through the class, but those that do come to realize that life isn’t about learning to swim, but every once in a while forcing yourself to get in the water. Cast includes Paget Brewster of Showtime’s “Huff” and CBS’s “Criminal Minds”. Directed by Ishai Setton. 93 minutes. www.learnhowtoswim.com/ Saturday, 7:00-8:40pm

Coyote Funeral When Casey Cannon sees the Texas road sign that proclaims 857 miles to El Paso, he takes it as a challenge to traverse the giant state on foot. His brother Dustin can only follow to protect him. Whether or not they make it will depend less on braving the elements than surviving each other. Directed by Jason May and Phelps Harmon. 90 minutes. www.coyotefuneral.com/ Friday, 10:00am-12:00pm

Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island Jack Jones, a pledge in Zeta Alpha Rho Fraternity, must battle homophobia and a killer clown during Hell Night for his fraternity. The brothers and pledges are trapped on the haunted river park island with someone who has a literal ax to grind with them. Jack Jones must stop the clown and find his boyfriend before it is too late. Directed by Mark Jones. 90 minutes Friday, 7:30-9:30pm

Chalk In the comedic tradition and “documentary” shooting style of ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The Office’, CHALK tells the frenetic and awkwardly painful journey of three novice teachers as they navigate one memorable public school year. Share in the unforgettable comedic trials of Mr. Lowry, the former software engineer and misguided altruist turned history teacher; Coach Webb, the relationally starved shrew of third period gym class; Mr. Stroope, the power hungry small town philosopher; and Mrs. Reddell, their former peer turned assistant principal who has been newly assigned to reign-in the Harrison High staff. In a country where 50% of teachers quit within the first three years, CHALK delivers an enormous dose of heart, hilarity, and hope for America’s most important institution. Directed by Mike Akel. 85 minutes. www.chalkthefilm.com Friday, 7:30-9:10pm

Johnny Was Johnny (Vinnie Jones), trying to escape a violent past in Ireland, hides out in Brixton, London, in the world’s least-safe safe house, sandwiched between a drug den run by a Jamaican gangster (Eriq LaSalle) and a pirate radio station belonging to a Rasta DJ (Lennox Lewis). When Johnny’s former comrade (Patrick Bergin) escapes from Brixton Prison determined to derail the Irish peace process, Johnny faces being dragged back into violence and away from his new love (Samantha Mumba). Directed by Mark Hammond. 90 minutes Friday, 12:00-1:30pm

Come Early Morning

Just the Two of Us

Disgusted with her habit of drinking too much and waking up next to strangers, the 30-something Lucy (Ashley Judd) is ready to re-evaluate her small-town Southern life. But straightening out her present involves delving into her past -- and that involves getting to know her family. Director Joey Lauren Adams also wrote the screenplay for this independent drama about ending unhealthy habits and getting it right. Directed by Joey Lauren Adams. 97 minutes http://www.comeearlymorningthefilm.com/ Thursday, 7:20-9:15pm

Nic finds that he is the father of a two-month old infant, Ashley. Soon the mother fades, leaving him to raise the child alone. Never really having a close family, he doesn’t miss a beat. Through everyday life together, Ashley and Nic lose sight of what is important: each other. Directed by Keenon Nikita. 110 minutes Friday, 2:00-4:00pm

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

Clickstar’s “10 Items or Less” With forty million U.S. homes paying for a high-speed Internet connection, the future of movies continues to move towards much smaller screens. Morgan Freeman, the Academy-Award winning actor from Charleston, Mississippi, has teamed up with producing partner Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment (“Levity” also with Freeman) and Intel Corp., manufacturer of computer chips, to create ClickStar, an online distributor for feature length films, educational programs, and documentaries. “10 Items or Less”, Freeman’s new movie written and directed by Brad Silberling (“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”) that costars Paz Vega (“Spanglish”), represents the latest revolution against the traditional model of movie distribution. The benchmark that new films must initially be shown in theaters before any other platform can be considered was cast aside when Freeman’s “10 Items” was made available for Web sales and rentals a mere two weeks after its theatrical debut. Freeman still believes that the home of movies will continue to be the multiplex but adds that smaller, more personal movies such as “10 Items” are increasingly difficult to get made and distributed. Even if these personal movies somehow get any type of theatrical release, Freeman says, “a lot of movies this size don’t stay around in theaters very long.” “I think it will be the next biggest thing after the DVD phenomenon,” Freeman says of distributing featurelength films over the Internet. “Technology is leading us, and it’s foolish to try to deny it.” “10 Items”stars Freeman as a fading actor researching his next part: a grocery store manager. The apathetic manager in charge of the archaic market (Kumar Pallana) is completely contrasted by dreamful Scarlet (Vega), who’s stuck ringing up infrequent orders at the express line. As Freeman’s ride home dissipates, he reflects on his isolation and realizes he has lived a very sheltered life. With the afternoon to kill, he and the Scarlet share a personal afternoon like old friends. “Rather than go after these $100-million productions,” says Kevin Corbett, Intel’s vice president of content services, “there are a lot of great movies [to be] made at a much smaller budget.” “10 Items or Less” will screen at 8:30pm on Saturday, following the short film “Our Time is Up”. — Will Pepper

The Little Death There is a secret about room 1412 that only Sam knows. The odd building manager knows nothing about it, and neither do the tenants of the run-down apartment building. Voices are heard through the thin walls and other, stranger sounds, but nothing that would tell you what makes 1412 any different than the apartments below or above it. But Sam knows. It’s the whole reason he’s come to Los Angeles over the Christmas holiday. Directed by Morgan Nichols. 90 minutes Friday, 10:00am-12:00pm

Room Dramatizes the midlife crisis of a working-class American woman, Julia Barker, as her daily life in Houston, Texas deteriorates and she embarks on a personal journey of self-discovery which lands her on the streets of New York City’s underbelly. The film challenges the assumptions underlying two quintessential American genres: the psychic thriller and the domestic melodrama. Directed by Kyle Henry. 75 minutes. www.the7thfloor.com/ Friday, 12:00-1:15pm

10 Items or Less While researching a role for an independent film, an aging actor (Morgan Freeman) strikes up an unlikely — and life-changing — friendship with a feisty young Latina grocery clerk (Paz Vega) in this inspiring comedy. Stranded at a tiny market on the edge of Los Angeles, the famous actor accepts a ride from sassy store employee Scarlet. The odd couple hits the road, and so begins a trip filled with offbeat encounters and surprising revelations. Directed by Brad Siberling. 82 minutes Thursday, 7:20-8:45pm

Wristcutters: A Love Story From the moment Zia (Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous ) takes his own life and enters an afterlife reserved for suicides, Wristcutters: A Love Story becomes an uplifting, darkly comic tale about journeying through the hereafter. This familiar yet slightly askew reality offers an existence of menial jobs, dingy bars and jukeboxes that play only suicide heroes like Kurt Cobain and Nick Drake. Soon after his arrival, Zia hooks up with two unlikely companions—Eugene, an inscrutable Russian musician, and Mikal, an eccentric ingenue. These three lost souls form an uncommon bond as they set out across the afterlife in search of what they could not find in their lives, including Zia's ex-girlfriend and fellow suicide, who has joined "the hari-kari club." Sharp humor, clever plot twists and a multitude of quirky characters (including an unforgettable performance by musician Tom Waits) make Wristcutters one of the best indie films of the year. Directed by Goran Dukic. 91 minutes www.wristcutters.com Saturday, 6:45-8:20pm

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

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Inspiring Diversity and Exploration

Creating Something out of Nothing, Darius Went West I thought my younger brother had taught me what I need to know about Athens, Georgia in the year plus he’s lived there, but Logan Smalley, Darius Weems, and crew proved me wrong in Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life. For three weeks in 2005, University of Georgia student (now alum) Logan Smalley and friends took Darius Weems, an Athens teenager living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), on the trip of his lifetime. The venture west began with the goal of having Darius’s wheelchair customized on MTV’s “Pimp My Ride,” while increasing awareness of DMD and wheelchair accessibility across America. On the way to West Coast Customs in Los Angeles, Darius, who had never previously left Clarke County, plays on the beach for the first time, hits the Vegas strip, explores Carlsbad Caverns, and meets the Grand Canyon. DMD, the most common form of muscular dystrophy, has a 100% motality rate, necessitates the use of a wheelchair by about age 11, and claims all “victims” by age 30. Fifteen-year-old Darius not only suffers from DMD, but recently watched his older brother Mario die from it at age 19. Despite this personal loss and the weight of the topic of a fatal disease, Darius’s positive outlook and infectious laughter carry this riotous documentary. From a praying chihuahua to a “goslabi” overdose, this crew knows how to have fun and relish each moment, even under the most absurd circumstances. I turned 30 this summer, and, as geneticists and other researchers progress in the fight against DMD, my hope for Darius and those who love him is that he meets that benchmark as well. Spin on! — Jamie Dakin

Documentaries BRATS: Our Journey Home U.S. military BRATS share intimate memories about their unique childhoods - growing up on military bases around the world, then struggling to fit into an AmericaN lifestyle with which they have little in common. Narrated and featuring songs by Kris Kristofferson. Interviews include General Norman Schwarzkopf. Directed by Donna Musil. 90 minutes. www.bratsourjourneyhome.com/ Friday, 2:00-4:00pm

The Clinton 12 On August 27, 1956, twelve black teenagers in Clinton, Tennessee walked into history and changed the world. They were the first students to desegregate a state-supported high school in the south. The events of that school year and of the bombing of the high school in 1958 are brought to life in the new documentary film THE CLINTON 12. Narrated by award-winning actor James Earl Jones, THE CLINTON 12 tells the compelling story of the integration of the FIRST public high school in the South after the US Supreme Court decision Brown vs. the Board of Education. The title refers to the 12 black teenagers who, in the fall of 1956, were forced to attend the all white high school in Clinton, Tennessee. Directed by Keith McDaniel. 90 minutes Saturday, 4:15-6:30pm

Darius Goes West Eleven college students rent an RV to take Darius Weems, 15, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, on a cross-country road trip. Their goal is to convince MTV’s ‘Pimp My Ride’ to customize Darius’s wheelchair. Along the way, they find joy, brotherhood and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride. Directed by Logan Smalley. 90 minutes. www.dariusgoeswest.com/ Friday, 5:15-7:00pm, Saturday, 1:00-2:30pm

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

PEZ

Country of origin: Austria Creation date: 1927 Creator: Eduard Hass Introduced to the US: 1952 Number of collectors: Who knows? Sanity of collectors: Questionable, but they’re always fun

PEZ was created by Hass as an adult peppermint breath mint sold as an alternative to smoking. The original PEZ dispensers looked like cigarette lighters— later to be known by collectors as a “regular.” The name came from the flavor: Peppermint (English)=Pfefferminz (German). Pfefferminz was abbreviated as PEZ. PEZ was introduced in America in 1952. Not an immediate hit, PEZ was reinvented as a children’s toy and candy. Character heads were added to the “regular” dispensers and the candy went from a grown-up peppermint to a child-friendly fruit-flavor. As with most toys and collectibles, many of the originals were thrown away. And as with many toys and collectibles, people began to see PEZ as something fun, something to collect, something to preserve. But unlike many toys and collectibles, the preservation of the original packaging has not always been important. Older PEZ was in boxes and cellophane making it difficult to display or use the dispenser. Unlike other collectibles, marrying or mixing pieces to create a complete item is accepted. Many collectors feel that head variations and coloring make an item valuable. And collectors will often have bags of feet, heads, and stems they use to repair an item of make an incomplete dispenser whole. Wait. Feet? Yes, feet. Some PEZ despeners have feet. “Feet” refers to the flat, feet-like bases found on newer dispensers. They look almost like flat clown feet. Dispensers made in the US before 1987 (or thereabouts) do not have feet; newer dispensers do. This mainly affects value when a variation of an older dispenser was re-issued with feet. The internet plays a big part in the buying, selling, and trading of PEZ dispensers. But before the Internet, toy shows, PEZ conventions, and ads in PEZ newsletters and toy magazines were the place to find PEZ and meet other PEZheads. And despsite the effect Ebay and other sites have had on the PEZ market, people still want to meet other collectors to discuss PEZ…. Because only one PEZhead will ever truly understand another PEZhead. — Content condensed by Elizabeth Stephan Source: Korbeck, Sharon and Elizabeth Stephan, eds., 2002 Toys & Prices 9th edition. Iola, Wis.: Krause Publications 2001, 515-516.

PEZ Top 10 Witch Regular $3,500 Pineapple $3,500 Make-A-Face $3,400 Lion’s Club Lion $3,000 Alpine $2,500

Asterix $2,000 Space Trooper $2,000 Bride $2,000 Obelix $2,000 Advertising Regular $1,500

Hard Times

The modern world explores a nearly forgotten past through the eyes of a 74year-old, Mississippi-born bluesman named Big George Brock. Memories of sharecropping, boxing and blues mix with live performances and archival images to tell the fascinating tale of a true living fossil and the dying art form he loves. Directed by Damien Blaylock. 70 minutes Friday, 3:30-5:00pm

See Big George Brock in actio n at The Longshot Bar on the Square, Frid ay night after 10:0 0pm.

Hexing a Hurricane Begins during a 9th Ward VooDoo Ceremony asking spirits for protection from dangerous hurricanes. After the ominous storm strikes a few weeks later, the film follows locals on a roller coaster ride of despair, tragedy and hope. Former sitcom star Harry Anderson (Night Court, Dave’s World) trades in his comedy act at his French Quarter nightclub for a new role as “town hall” leader. Jackie and her finance Carl return to view their devastated home for the first time. New Orleans Grammy nominee Irvin Mayfield issues a Call to Action from beneath the unharmed statue of jazz great Louis Armstrong. VooDoo Preistess Sallie Ann Glassman openly admits “what happened” with the service and speaks of a possible spiritual message regarding the disaster. Directed by Jeremy Campbell. 43 minutes www.ten18films.com/ Friday, 11:00am-12:00pm

Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose When fiddler Peter Stampfel collided with guitarist Steve Weber during the “Great Folk Scare” of the early sixties in New York, the two musicians formed a powerful bond based on their shared fascination with American roots music and early psychedelia. Dubbing themselves The Holy Modal Rounders, these eccentric outsiders have been playing their unique brand of psychedelic folk for over four decades, barely surviving on the fringes of the music industry while drawing a dedicated following of luminaries and lunatics. Features endearing and hilarious appearances by playwright (and former Rounders drummer) Sam Shepard, Dennis Hopper, John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful, Peter Tork of the Monkees, Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg of the Fugs, Loudon Wainwright III, Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo, music editor Robert Christgau of the Village Voice, Wavy Gravy and many more. Directed by Sam Wainwright Douglas and Paul Lovelace. 87 minutes Thursday, 9:45-11:15pm

O’Brien, Karen. Ed. Toys & Prices 2007, 14th edition. Iola, Wis.: Krause Publications, 2006. 446.

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

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a Katrina Diary

Through the lens of J. Justin Pearce’s video equipment, you see yourself through him and his friends as they ride along the coastline of Biloxi making jokes of the approaching Hurricane Katrina, filming historical homes and landmarks and having no idea that their predictions would soon become a reality that would destroy their homes and send them on a journey of relief efforts and spiritual growth. Directed by J. Justin Pearce. 50 minutes Saturday, 10:00-11:00am

PEZHeads A documentary about PEZ and PEZ collectors. It explores the phenomenon of PEZ collecting through interviews with a variety of collectors and vendors, as well as visits to conventions, flea markets, the PEZ USA factory, and anywhere else we find PEZ. Directed by Christopher Marshall. 75 minutes. www.pezheadsthemovie.com/ Saturday, 6:15-8:15pm

Quagmire: The Making of the Milk Can An examination of the making of ‘The Milk Can,’ (Best Feature, 2005 Oxford Film Festival), detailing what went wrong, whose fault it was, and why a mountain of awards wouldn’t lure director Matt Kresling to make another no-budget movie. What do you think he is, an imbecile? Required viewing for anyone who has ever wanted to make a low-budget movie; this documentary could save you $12,000. Directed by Matt Kresling. 68 minutes Saturday, 2:45-4:15pm

Richard Johnston: B Hill Country Troubador Richard Johnston’s ferocious one-man-band performances astound audiences. He plays Hill Country music, a tranceinducing mix of voodoo rhythms and traditional blues he learned at the most notorious juke joint in the north Mississippi hills. Prepare to be mesmerized! Directed by Max Shores. 57 minutes. www.maxshores.com/johnston/ Friday, 10:00-11:00am

The Sandman’s Garden

TV Junkie

Examines the life and art of Lonnie Holley, a self-taught African-American artist based in Birmingham, Alabama. The film follows Holley as he builds a sculptural environment out of discarded materials and found objects in the Birmingham Museum of Art’s sculpture garden. His art is by turns profound, playful, and deeply moving. As the garden grows piece by piece, Holley is revealed as a man who has overcome a tortured past. Growing up poor and black in the 20th century American South, Holley worked to overcome prejudice and deprivation by using art to explore his life and ideas. The camera captures the artist’s process and reflections as he gathers materials, creates pieces, interacts with others, and relives the joys and sorrows that forged his unique and genuine artwork. Director: Arthur Crenshaw. 66 minutes Saturday, 11:20am-12:45pm

This 2006 Sundance Film Festival prize winner presents the cautionary tale of Rick Kirkham, a self-confessed TV junkie. At age 14, Kirkham began to document on videotape all aspects of his life, both his seemingly perfect public persona ... and the darker interior beneath the surface. Transcending Kirkham’s personal story, the film becomes a larger meditation on a media-obsessed culture. Supervising Producer Jeff Scheftel will be in attendance. Directed by Michael Cain and Matt Radecki. 107 minutes Saturday, 4:30-6:30pm

Whole Hog

Whole Hog is a paean to the barbecue pitmasters, hog farmers, and butchers of rural western Tennessee, who everyday transform the lowly hog into the edible embodiment of two of the greatest human virtues: patience and hard work. Directed by Joe York. 40 minutes Friday, 5:15-6:15pm

Scotch & Milk: B Saving Willie Mae’s Restaurant When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the levees failed, Willie Mae Seaton’s famed Scotch House restaurant, like so many others, succumbed to the destructive power of the rising water. Over the past year, Oxford restauranteur John Currence has led the effort to restore this culinary and cultural landmark and put Ms. Seaton back in her kitchen. As of today, Ms. Seaton is back cooking, sending out the plates of fried chicken and red beans and rice that two years ago earned her a James Beard Award (the highest culinary award bestowed in America) and served to inspire Currence and other Oxonians to dedicate the last year to saving Willie Mae’s Restaurant. Directed by Joe York. 30 minutes Friday, 4:00-6:00pm

Donna Ruth Roberts supports the Oxford Film Festival

Willie Francis Must Die Again Danny Glover narrates this film about Willie Francis, a 16 year old African American kid from a small town in Louisiana who was charged and convicted of a murder...although the sheriff admitted that the murder weapon belonged to one of his deputies. He was electrocuted in the electric chair in 1946. And then in 1947, the state wanted to put him in the electric chair again. After the first unsuccessful execution, a local attorney, whose grandfather was a leader in a Klan-like organization, took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. By a 5-4 vote, the court voted to allow a second execution, but then the Supreme Court Justice who cast the deciding vote went to work behind the scenes to get the sentence commuted to life in prison. Directed by Allen Durand. 52 minutes Saturday, 10:00-11:15am

Make your first taste of Oxford

10 MPH When their office jobs become soul-numbing, Josh Caldwell and Hunter Weeks ditch the cubicles and hit the open road. The plan is to travel from Seattle to Boston at 10 mph, with Josh riding a Segway and Hunter directing a documentary about the experience. Their goal: to capture a true sense of what America is all about. Director: Hunter Weeks. 92 minutes Friday, 9:15-10:45pm

The Town in the Late Afternoon

Dee Hobbs drives Tommy Ethridge and Will Lewis through Oxford’s present growth, speaking of what used to be. Directed by Thad Lee. 60 minutes Saturday, 6:45-8:00pm

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

Animation Animation Show The Animation Show is an annual feature-length compilation of the best animated short films from around the world, exclusively curated by Mike Judge (Office Space, “Beavis and Butt-Head,” “King of the Hill”) and Academy Award nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt (Billy’s Balloon, Rejected, The Meaning of Life). The theatrical animation festival was born in 1976 with the launch of the Fantastic Animation Festival. This was the first show to create the now-universal “program on a flyer” and the first to receive a first-run 35mm theatrical release. The Fantastic Festival’s popularity helped pave the way shortly thereafter for similar commercial programs throughout the 80s and 90s, including Spike and Mike’s Festival of Animation, the Tournee of Animation, and several others that came and went with varying success. The

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a Animation Show launched in 2003, making it the first festival of animation created and produced with actual animators at the helm. www.animationshow.com/News/newtourarrives Saturday, 12:15-2:30pm

McLaren’s Negatives An intimate look at cinematographic creation, this visual essay shares with us secrets of the legendary Canadian animator Norman McLaren and his personal view of filmmaking. Directed by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre. 10 minutes. www.mjstpfilms.com/normanmclaren/ Friday, 4:20-4:30 pm

Mirage

Star Wars Movie, 7th edition

The Star Wars movies inspire imagination, creativity and passion in young kids. Friends and I once turned our love for the story into reality, albeit action-figure animated. With toys and video tape we created our unique spin on the classic tale of sci-fi adventure. Directed by Andrew Delmastro. 11 minutes Friday, 4:30-4:45 pm

Music Video

Puppet A young man fabricates a simple sock puppet, not knowing the abuse the entity will soon inflict upon its creator. Through an escalating series of torture, the possessed puppet takes on the embodiment of fear and willful self-destruction. Directed by Patrick Smith. 10 minutes. www.blendfilms.com/puppet.html Saturday, 7:00-7:15pm, before “The Big Bad Swim”

Artist: Triple Crème Directed by Leah Meyerhoff. 4 minutes www.teamqueen.com Friday, 7:30-7:35 pm, before “Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island”

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

Foolish Love Artist: Jeff Johnson Directed by Greggor Jones. 5 minutes Saturday, 2:45-4:00pm

Artist: We are Wolves Directed by Yan Giroux and Mathieu Jacques. 4 minutes www.wearewolves.net/ Friday, 4:15-4:20 pm

A new shoe tries to escape his fate, but instead finds an unexpected one. Directed by Will Nail. 5 minutes Saturday, 6:25-6:30 pm

A whirlwind tour through 30 years of the artist-filmmaker’s sketch books, drawings, and paintings, revealing an astonishing range of drawing styles. Directed by Dick Ford. 8 minutes Saturday, 2:50-3:00 pm

Youth Blockc Saturday, 10:00am-12:00pm

Seabeast Artist: Mastodon Directed by Jonathan Rej. 5 minutes Friday. 4:00-4:05 pm, before “TV Junkie”

Dancin Like Robots Artist: lo:museo Directed by Eric Boadella. 6 minutes Friday, 6:15-8:20 pm, before “PEZHeads”

Runaway Rightie

Team Queen

Little Birds

A bio-mechanic robot who has to fill his glass chest with water in order to sustain his life, meets a fish during his journey, which also needs water. Directed by Youngwoong Jang. 9 minutes. www.mirage2006.com/ Friday, 10:00-10:15am, before “The Little Death”

Sketch!

Children under 15 admitted FREE during this block when accompanied by an adult.

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Bag-a-Bunch: c Couple Skate Moose and Kelha try and stay cool but are worried about who they will skate with for the dreaded couples skate. Directed by Adam Scheff. 7 minutes Saturday, 10:00-10:10am

Linear Progression c Gone Artist: Bill Madden Directed by Andrew David Watson. 3 minutes. Friday, 2:00-2:05 pm, before “BRATS: Our Journey Home”

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

Strange creatures! Beautiful animation! Grass! What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Such conundrums abound in this charming traditionally drawn and digitally painted short. Simple but rich in its design, and with a dialogue track of only grunts and sighs, animation proves itself once again to be the universal story-telling language. Now, with over 25 festival screenings and counting, Linear Progression has been warmly welcomed into the world of independent animation and is charming audiences of all ages nationwide. Directed by Kat Kosmala. 5 minutes Saturday, 10:10-10:15am

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a The Rhythm of Youth

Shorts

A short documentary about an 11-year old boy who plays the drums in a rock band with his older brothers. A story of the sacrifices of immigrant parents, and the blurring of the line between brotherhood and surrogate parenthood; this documentary provides a snapshot of a boy’s life unified by his unique talent for drumming. Directed by Brendan Foster-Algoo. 5 minutes Saturday, 10:15-10:20am

KidsFirst.org compilation

Please refer to our website for film descriptions (www.kidsfirst.org) Includes: A Gift from Santa, 3.5 min. Ages 5-8 Gidgie and Philly, 4 min, Ages 5-12; Little Blue: Live the Dream, 8 min, Ages 5-12; Magic Cellar, 12 min. Ages 5-12; Worst Day Ever, 7 min., Ages 5-12; Loopy Sloop, 13 min., Ages 8-12; The Ordinary Boy, 12 min., Ages 8-12; Art Chins, 2 min., Ages 12-18; BallyVaughan Story, 6 min., Ages 12-18; Cultivate, 3 min., Ages 12-18, Face, 2 min., Ages 12-18; A Girl Like Me, 7 min., Ages 12-18; Help me Please, 5 min., Ages 12-18; Inner City Blues, 5.5 min., Ages 12-18; No Education No Life, 2 min., Ages 12-18; Pencilmation, 3 min., Ages 12-18; Skin, 2 min., Ages 12-18; What if, 4.5 min., Ages 12-18 Saturday, 10:20am-12:00pm

(Narrative and Documentary) Adventures in GeoCaching

This documentary explores the emerging world of hightech hide-and-seek called geocaching. Meet TRUROKR, family man; his rivals, the Ventura Kids, and lovable geek Aerospacecase. A humorous and poignant portrayal of four fascinating people and their feelings about competition, community, and the quest for the elusive Tupperware container. Directed by Nora Donaghy. 27 minutes. www.geocachingthemovie.com/ Friday, 12:55-1:25pm

Binta y la gran idea q Binta is a 7 year old girl who lives in a small charming village on the Casamance river in southern Senegal. She goes to school. Her cousin Soda does not have the same good fortune. She is not allowed to learn about the things of the world. Binta admires her father, a humble fisherman who, concerned about the developement of mankind, is determined to carry out an idea that has ocurred to him. (In Dioula and French with English subtitles.) Directed by Javier Fesser. 30 minutes Friday, 1:30-2:00pm

Bodies and Souls

Brewing Company Mississippi’s Brewing Company www.lazymagnolia.com

Illumines the quiet efforts of Sister Manette Durand, a white Catholic nun running the only health clinic in rural Jonestown, Mississippi. The residents of Jonestown, a largely African-American town in the heart of the Delta, embody a common condition faced by low-income rural Americans: struggling to obtain the basic medical care they need. Nearly every family here is touched by both diabetes and heart disease. Yet many lack the resources to see a doctor more than once or twice in their entire lives. Directed by Christie Herring. 17 minutes Friday, 4:45-5:05pm

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

Building Bridges

Meet Amira, Snjezana, Ifeta; the women of the Mostar Women’s Citizen Initiative in Bosnia. They are an exceptional group of community leaders, political activists and ordinary citizens who launch a joint effort to transcend ethnic and religious strife in a country fractured by war. With narration provided by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Building Bridges recounts the inspirational story of this remarkable group of women who set aside sharp differences to produce a new law protecting women and families. Directed by Jeanine Isabel Butler. 14 minutes Friday, 12:00-12:15pm

A Cheaper Way to Go

Nashville’s Casket Store is surrounded by ordinary shops selling everything from haircuts and manicures to life insurance and cold beer. This store instead offers its customers caskets, urns, and other funeral merchandise at rock-bottom prices. Go into the next world in style AND on a budget. Directed by Stephen and Suzie Lackey. 9 minutes Friday, 5:05-5:15pm

Dummy

Ryan is called into work at an Historic Theatre on his only day off and stumbles upon an old ventriloquist dummy. Through a series of strange coincedences, he finds himself trapped in the building with the dummy he now thinks is coming to life. Directed by Matthew Graves. 45 minutes. www.therealdummy.com/ Saturday, 3:00-3:45pm

Ed I Hide

Eddie has had a fight with his girlfriend. He heads to the woods to escape the conflict. But can he get away when the conflict is within? Directed by Len Peltier and Suzanna Laine. 29 minutes. www.edihide.com/ Friday, 1:30-2:00pm

The Cole Nobody Knows 7

The Farm, Mississippi

A documentary on Chicago-native Freddy Cole, the virtually unknown, yet equally talented younger brother of Nat “King” Cole. At age 74, Freddy Cole is, at last, finally being recognized for his amazing musical talent. Directed by Clay Walker. 20 minutes. www.planbproductions.com/Freddy_Cole.html Friday, 12:15-12:35pm

With family history spread from one side of Lafayette county to the other, memory and place come together on ‘the farm.’ The director’s father, Glenn Taylor, recalls his father’s desire for ‘a place to go to.’ Herman Eugene Taylor was born and raised in Oxford, Mississippi, and returned when he sought out a place that he could connect to. ‘The Farm, Mississippi’ chronicles the development of a cross-generational retreat, and how meant so much more than just ‘a place to go to.’ Directed by Jarratt Taylor. 8 minutes Saturday, 11:40-11:50am

Crunch!

Life is full of challenges, but when 75-year-old Beverly Burns stumbles upon something she initially finds horrific she determines she has a choice: she can dwell on the tragedy or she can find the comedy. Directed by Sheila Schroeder. 13 minutes Friday, 6:30-6:45pm

A Death in the Woods

Set in the rural South, the story concerns Bobby Pettijohn, awoken one night to find a crime scene in the woods behind his home. Hunters have discovered the decomposed body of a local man. The Sheriff quickly rules it a suicide, and the case is seemingly dropped. But something doesn’t feel right to Bobby, who can’t comprehend why this man chose his property to kill himself on. This sends Bobby on his own journey of discovery, as he tries to unearth the truth about this man’s mysterious death – a journey that will lead Bobby to the deepest and darkest places of his own broken life. Based on the short story by acclaimed Tennessee novelist William Gay. Directed by Scott Teems. 20 minutes Friday, 2:15-2:35pm

Freedom and Beyond

Rambho was enslaved weaving carpets when he was just 10 years old. When he made a mistake he was beaten. When his fingers bled from

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a overwork the slaveowners would dip them in fuel and light a match to his fingertips. This documentary explores what it takes to rescue child slaves, help them take back their lives, and how slavery can be stopped at its very source. Viewers get a behind the scenes look as activists from Bal Vikras Ashram risk everything to free children and help create a sustainable future for them in their home villages. Produced by Free the Slaves, a non-profit organization. 24 minutes. www.freetheslaves.net/store/freedom-and-beyond/ Friday, 1:25-1:50pm

Me Room Matey A person “comes out” to his roommate. Directed by Katelin Saufley. 6 minutes Friday, 7:10-7:20pm, before “Chalk”

Morbid Curiosity

What would happen if your deepest, darkest thoughts came true, just by thinking them? Based on a short story by Matthew Irving. Directed by Cindy Baer. 8 minutes Saturday, 6:05-6:15pm

The Girls of Elizabeth St. q A ten-year-old boy begins to notice the women in his life in a way he never had before. Directed by Tad Davis. 13 minutes Friday, 4:45-5:00pm

Mother

Hot Chicken

50% pleasure, 50% pain, 100% devilhorn hot, the fried chicken that comes out of the kitchen at Prince’s Hot Chicken in north Nashville is more than a meal, it’s an all expenses paid trip to hell and back. Meet the people who can’t get enough of this brimstone bird and some who can. Directed by Joe York. 10 minutes Friday, 5:55-6:05pm

In Order of Appearance

After 40 years, a mother meets a daughter for the first time, a daughter finds a sibling rival, and a husband wonders what he missed. Directed by Michael Ruscio. 10 minutes Saturday, 6:15-6:25pm

Kubuku Rides (This is It)

An unblinking view of a household steeped in secrets and desperation, experiencing Angel’s intense addiction from a harrowing insider’s view — through the eyes of her 8-year old son. Angel’s husband Alan tries to hold his family together, but one terrible day will test their love and change everything between them. Based on the short story by Larry Brown. Directed by Terry Kinney. 18 minutes Friday, 2:35-2:55pm

Desperate to be rid of her toddler in order to have an affair, a dissatisfied Beverly Hills housewife hires a stranger to babysit, and ends up getting much more than she bargained for. Directed by Siân Heder. 17 minutes Thursday, 9:20-9:40pm, before “Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose”

On the Water with Joe Mac Hudspeth, Jr.

For 20 years, Joe Mac Hudspeth, Jr. has stalked the wildlife of Mississippi with a 35mm camera. Spend a day with this prolific photographer as he stalks the next unique vista on the wild South. Directed by Luke Duncan. 13 minutes Friday, 4:30-4:45pm

Our Time is Up

When therapist Dr. Leonard Stern (Kevin Pollak) finds out he has six weeks to live, he adopts a fresh method of treatment: brutal honesty. Directed by Rob Pearlstein. 12 minutes Academy Award Nominee: Best Live Action Short www.ourtimeisup.com/ Thursday, 7:00-7:15pm, before “10 Items or Less”

Pitch

Two NYU film grads, hot off the success of their smash hit student film, prepare to pitch their big action movie to a film studio, in hopes of making the leap to “the next level”. Directed by Ian Gelfand. 20 minutes www.pitch-themovie.com/ Friday, 12:35-12:55pm

Press On

Surface of Things

Hurricane Katrina: the most devastating natural disaster in the history of the United States will remain THE biggest news story in Mississippi for the next 25 years. Telling this story better than anyone are the five coastal Mississippi newspapers. This is a story of survival, hope, inspiration, and the power of media. Directed by Ralph Braseth. 30 minutes Saturday, 11:50am-12:20pm

In Brooklyn, a young couple grapples with a question that will steer the course of their future. But the more HE fights to hide the more SHE draws him out. But at what cost and will it be too late? What they discover underneath is stunning, haunting and changes them forever. Directed by Keith Davis. 10 minutes Saturday, 11:20-11:30am

Sticks and Stones q

Los Tabaqueros 7

Directly addresses the psychological repercussions of racial and class disparity in the American public educational system. Based on the filmmaker’s own experiences, this short film exposes the influence a teacher can bear on her student’s abilities and the role parents can play in their child’s education. Directed by Rehema Trimiew. 10 minutes www.sticksandstonesthemovie.com/ Saturday, 11:30-11:40am

The Super

These Cuban-American cigar makers (tabaqueros) remind us all that any job can be a pursuit of art. Directed by Russell Griffin and Francisco Gonzalez. 7 minutes. www.lostabaqueros.com/home.html Friday, 1:50-2:00

Watermarks

A collection of three short films that create an emotional journey into the hardships and hopes of post-Katrina New Orleans. In Floating, Sheila and

Documents the life of Miguel, an illegal immigrant struggling to make a life for himself in New York City. In doing so, it mirrors the lives of countless others who stream into the US with big dreams of a better life, only to be faced with the harsh reality of trying to survive in poverty while retaining pride and self-respect. Directed by Shannon McCoy Cohn. 6 minutes Saturday, 11:15-11:20am

Super Anon

There’s a group of people overlooked by the media, who have an amazing story to tell. Downtrodden and ignored, they wrestle with living in the shadow of a greater sibling, fear of losing a loved one, keeping a deep secret, and general angst. These are the members of Super-Anon, the support group for family relatives of superheroes. And this is their story. Beginning with intimate interviews and actual footage of a Super-Anon session, we follow the group as it goes through several kinds of therapy, and finally finds hope in community. Directed by Stephen Plitt. 10 minutes www.superanon.com Friday, 7:20-7:30pm, before “Chalk”

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c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

a a

What is Experimental Film? Continually misunderstood by people other than extreme film fans, experimental films, also categorized as avantgarde, represent an ever changing world of non-linear sublimity. With humble beginnings in Europe during the early 20th century that challenged traditional storytelling, this category of film became more like abstract art: to most, pointless, but to others, works of art. Though the definition of experimental film is frequently debated, most films of this genre share a number of characteristics. Usually, the film is created by one person, or a small group, with little to no budget. These films mostly grow out of a filmmaker’ s own passion and desire for expression. They aren’t usually looking for commercial success. Also, the filmmaker will serve as the director, producer, editor, camera operator and so on, or at least maintain most of these positions. Most importantly, the use of the medium is key in creating these films. Rapid cutting, unpredictable editing sequences, blurring images, altering images by manipulating the lens, collaging, scratching or painting directly onto the film strip and superimposing images and objects can all be used to produce effects that distort reality. Not to mention the use of sound and how it is manipulated. Usually the message related is not clear. Experimental film does not work with a linear storyline. We’re not talking mainstream narrative, or really narrative at all. It is presented in a way where the audience has to interpret what the filmmaker means, which is open to all kinds of interpretation. Mostly ambiguous and sometimes confusing, this genre requires the active participation of the viewer. Still, why watch experimental film? All this seems to provide too much brain work, you might say. The reason is clear. To truly understand the limitless possibilities of film and how images and sound can make your mind wrap around an idea you may have never thought before, put yourself eyes wide open in front of these films. Experimental film breaks through the barriers of hard-line Hollywood formulas. See examples of experimental film and hear the filmmakers talk about their work on Saturday from 2:454:15pm. — Twinkle Van Winkle

Melvin are trapped together on a New Orleans rooftop immediately after Hurricane Katrina. The hot August sun bears down as they are forced to negotiate their mutual isolation. Crescent City Connection follows Houston-evacuee Sam home to New Orleans, his brother and his destroyed house. Will he choose life in a new city or stay in his beloved hometown? In NOLA, Kate pitches a tent in front of her empty neighborhood. In spite of intense loneliness and frustration with the lack of help, she finds community in a unique and powerful way. Directed by Joshua Johnston, K.Allen Myers, Adam Schwartz. 25 minutes Friday, 6:30-7:15pm

Experimental Block/Panel Saturday, 2:45-4:15pm Panel moderated by Brooke White

Directed by Julia Featheringill. 3 minutes

Barbie and Fireman Directed by Jill Wissmiller. 10 minutes

Brother/Sister

The Touch

A woman moving in the water and the gaze of a man, both seen from beneath the water, elaborated by the vectorizing force of sound, lead the viewer toward an effervescence of feeling – a desire for merge among the knowledge of separateness. Directed by Leighton Pierce. 6 minutes www.leightonpierce.com/

The Touch is a meditation on Anne Sexton’s poem of the same name. The film examines melodies within spoken, written and visual language and how they can interact. Because the subject of the poem deals specifically with the idea of touch, the film sustains a highly tactile, textural quality. Directed by Vanessa Woods. 3 minutes www.vanessawoods.com/

“Pump” is a experimental film that originated on Super 8 and through the use of an optical printer was blown up to 16mm. The film is a study of a merged entity, a bicycle and the cyclist, and its movement through a synthetic environment, an urban landscape. Directed by Sinisa Kukic. 5 minutes www.resinifilms.com/

Reconnect

Absorption/Diffusion

The lines between a brother and sister blur, raising questions about how similar and how different we are. Directed by April Grayson. 4 minutes

Chronicles of Impeccable Sportsmanship The endless contentions between her competitive parents, seen through the curious eyes of a perceptive and enterprising little girl. Chronicles of Impeccable Sportsmanship was commissioned by the SLAMDANCE Film festival as part of a selective program for alumni filmmakers (WINTER SEA had screened at Slamdance 2005). The short needed to be completed under the difficult constraints of an extremely limited budget ($99) and a limited amount of time. Directed by Erika Tasini. 12 minutes

My Person in the Water

Pump

“Reconnect” is a personal examination of conflicting human needs and feelings. From an early age we are faced with conflicting needs for individuality and belonging. I see the disparity growing everyday. People cry out louder every season of reality television, “Look at me!” At the same time we label ourselves as democrats, punk rockers, suicide girls, apathetic, straightedge, or any other exclusive, marginalized group. To find individuality people often flee from a group into a group whose identity, though minority is nonetheless rooted in community. Anytime a label is imposed it will impose company. Perhaps we only desire the illusion of individuality posed as an angry middle finger to the “mainstream.” Directed by Bryant Dameron. 5 minutes www.projectoctober.com/

What the Water Saw What the Water Saw explores a mystery at the depths of the sea. The film is structured to mimic the ocean’s moods, creating a varied psychological space for the viewer. Equally important, the visual construction moves between form (appearance) and formlessness (withdrawal) echoing both the ocean’s tides, and the idea of creation and destruction (death). Directed by Vanessa Woods. 3 minutes www.vanessawoods.com/

A Winter Story (Una historia de inverno) A poetic vision about disappearance and death. An old man wanders through an abandoned village leaving in the landscape symbols of his past as offerings to those things that are dying along him. Directed by Ivan Cortazar. 17 minutes

Speak, Sing, Desert Shot in the desert, this video is a single 360 degree pan. Words populate the otherwise desolate landscape with ideas that affect our interpretation of the scenery. Directed by Greg Pond. 5 minutes.

The Space Within Memory

An abstract journey through the filmmaker’s memory and emotion about her hometown in the Mississippi Delta. Directed by April Grayson. 5 minutes

Eaten A game of dress-up: windows and wallpaper, hawks and moths, olive loaf and tinfoil. The sounds and gestures of the everyday gather to become the pre-articulated vocabulary of desire, anxiety, and the most basic human needs. Directed by Ann Haydock. 7 minutes

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

Time Has Told Me Directed by Terry Glispin. 8 minutes

152 Courthouse Square Oxford, Mississippi 38655 662.232.8080

Oxford Film Festival 2007 – Alphabetical List/Category List Absorption/Diffusion = EXPERIMENTAL

Me Room Matey = SHORT

Adventures in GeoCaching = SHORT

Mirage = ANIMATION

The Animation Show = ANIMATION

Morbid Curiosity = SHORT

Bag-a-Bunch: Couple Skate = YOUTH

Mother = SHORT

Barbie and Fireman = EXPERIMENTAL

My Person in the Water = EXPERIMENTAL

The Big Bad Swim = FEATURE

On the Water with Joe Mac Hudspeth, Jr. = SHORT

Binta y la gran idea = SHORT

Our Time is Up = SHORT

Bodies and Souls = SHORT

PEZHeads = DOCUMENTARY

BRATS: Our Journey Home = DOCUMENTARY

Pitch = SHORT

Brother/Sister = EXPERIMENTAL

Press On = SHORT

Building Bridges = SHORT

Pump = EXPERIMENTAL

Chalk

Puppet = ANIMATION

= FEATURE

A Cheaper Way to Go = SHORT

Quagmire: The Making of the Milk Can = DOCUMENTARY

Chronicles of Impeccable Sportsmanship = EXPERIMENTAL

Reconnect = EXPERIMENTAL

The Clinton 12 = DOCUMENTARY

The Rhythm of Youth = YOUTH

The Cole Nobody Knows = SHORT

Richard Johnston: Hill Country Troubador = DOCUMENTARY

Coyote Funeral = FEATURE

Room = FEATURE

Crunch! = SHORT

Runaway Rightie = ANIMATION

Dancin Like Robots / lo:museo = MUSIC VIDEO

The Sandman’s Garden = DOCUMENTARY

Darius Goes West = DOCUMENTARY

Scotch & Milk: Saving Willie Mae’s Restaurant = DOCUMENTARY

A Death in the Woods = SHORT

Seabeast / Mastodon = MUSIC VIDEO

Dummy = SHORT

Sketch! = ANIMATION

Eaten = EXPERIMENTAL

The Space Between Memory = EXPERIMENTAL

Ed I Hide = SHORT

Speak, Sing, Desert = EXPERIMENTAL

The Farm, Mississippi = SHORT

Star Wars Movie, 7th edition = ANIMATION

Foolish Love / Jeff Johnson = MUSIC VIDEO

Sticks and Stones = SHORT

Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island = FEATURE

The Super = SHORT

Freedom and Beyond = SHORT

Super Anon = SHORT

The Girls of Elizabeth St. = SHORT

Surface of Things = SHORT

Gone / Bill Madden = MUSIC VIDEO

Los Tabaqueros = SHORT

Hard Times = DOCUMENTARY

10 Items or Less = FEATURE

Hexing a Hurricane = DOCUMENTARY

10 MPH = DOCUMENTARY

Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose = DOCUMENTARY

Team Queen / Triple Crème = MUSIC VIDEO

Hot Chicken = SHORT

Time Has Told Me = EXPERIMENTAL

In Order of Appearance = SHORT

The Touch = EXPERIMENTAL

Johnny Was = FEATURE

The Town in the Late Afternoon = DOCUMENTARY

Just the Two of Us = FEATURE

TV Junkie = DOCUMENTARY

Katrina Diary = DOCUMENTARY

Watermarks = SHORT

KidsFirst.org compilation = YOUTH

Whole Hog = DOCUMENTARY

Kubuku Rides (This is It) = SHORT

What the Water Saw = EXPERIMENTAL

Linear Progression = YOUTH

Willie Francis Must Die Again = DOCUMENTARY

Little Birds / We are Wolves = MUSIC VIDEO

A Winter Story (Una historia de inverno) = EXPERIMENTAL

The Little Death = FEATURE

Wristcutters: A Love Story = FEATURE

McLaren’s Negatives = ANIMATION

c child-appropriate film • BMississippi Filmmaker • q Narrative • 7 Documentary Short

Let’s All Get Paneled

200 7 Ox for d Fil m Fes tiv al Pan els The film festival is not only the celebration of films made, but also of films to come. To that end, the 4th Oxford Film Festival is proud to outline our panel discussions geared at giving anybody and everybody a chance to get a “leg up” with an insider’s 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 have 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.

who is also one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. Scheftel (TVJunkie, Welcome to Death Row) also has a mixed bag of experience in the world of entertainment. He’s been a producer, director, writer…he was even a Pod-person in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), for crying out loud. Also on the panel will be Joey Lauren Adams, who has worked with indie directors Richard Linklater and Kevin Smith, and appeared in larger studio films alongside actors such as Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Now she is writing and directing her own films, such as Thursday night's Come Early Morning. I’m telling you, these three have seen the business from about every angle. Combined they have logged over 50 years working in film and television. Come grab a seat and take part in what promises to be as entertaining as it is enlightening.

Attending filmmakers have also been invited to take part in this panel.

TALENT/CASTING PANEL FILMMAKERS PANEL

Discussion with casting agent Mary Gail Artz

Discussion with Producer/Filmmakers

Saturday, 4:30-6:00pm

Tom Huckabee, Jeff Scheftel, and Joey Lauren Adams

A life in front of the camera and 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 fav’s 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.

Saturday, 1:00-2:30pm This panel is all about you. Whatever questions you might have regarding movies getting made, these guys are a great resource for you. Whether you’re planning a career as a filmmaker, or just want to know what a “Key-Grip” is, come take part in this open discussion. Tom Huckabee (Frailty, Traveller) made the move to Los Angeles over 25 years ago. His experiences in the film industry run the gamut of diversity and have given him a very unique and thorough view of a career in filmmaking. He’s a native Texan, a great storyteller, and one of the nicest guys you’ll find in Hollywood. Sitting alongside Tom on the panel will be Jeff Scheftel,

YOUR FILM COULD BE HERE! The Oxford Film Festival will be accepting submissions for its Fifth Annual Festival (February 2008) from April 15 to September 15, 2007. For submission information, please refer to our website:

The Spirit of Hoka Award

Festival Award Sculpted by Taylor Artist Bill Beckwith The Oxford Film Festival is committed to not only showing quality films, but also to rewarding the filmmakers who’ve worked so hard to make them. We reward each winner with a statuette. The Academy Awards might have their coveted “Oscar,” but only winners of the Oxford Film Festival competition will be able to get their hands on a “Hoka.” This means that in addition to receiving the respect of their peers, this year’s winners will be individually awarded statues to commemorate their achievements. The model for these unique award statues is the legendary Chickasaw Indian princess, Hoka. Famous locally as the namesake of the Hoka Theater and the subject of a celebrated series of paintings by Oxford artist Bill Lester, 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, owner of the now-defunct Hoka Theater. “I believe she represents Native Americans, women and independence in a very positive way.” The task of sculpting the award statues fell into the capable hands of renowned sculptor and now retired Ole Miss art professor Bill Beckwith. Oxonians might recognize Beckwith’s work from the life-size William Faulkner statue that occupies a bench in front of Oxford’s city hall; or they might have peeked into Beckwith’s spacious sculpture studio adjoining the popular Taylor Restaurant and Grocery. Since no pictures of Hoka have survived, Beckwith relied on his own imagination and the inspiration of Native American folk music to create a likeness that was, to him, “…powerful, feminine and self-contained.”

“I depicted her as a young Chickasaw Indian girl wrapped in a deerskin,” said Beckwith, “Which is probably not accurate to the time period she lived in. The Chickasaw had lived with the white man for 300 years by then (the early-to mid-1800s) and had taken on their style of clothing.” The statues themselves are 12-inch polymer sculptures painted to imitate bronze, using a method known as patina. The faux bronzing was even convincing enough to fool visitors to Beckwith’s studio. “I had a mailman come into the studio and he couldn’t believe the statues weren’t bronze until he picked one up and felt how light it was,” said Beckwith. Pieces such as the Hoka statues are personally significant to Beckwith, who has a fascination with, and a deep respect for, Native American culture. “I think they had a better way of life than we do now,” said Beckwith, “…We get so egotistical about the progress we’ve made, but I don’t think it has all been for the best.” The award statues aren’t Beckwith’s first foray into American Indian subject matter; he has also been commissioned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma to create a likeness of the revered Chief Piomingo. Whether a person is carving the features of a famous historical figure from a slab of clay or shooting a high concept, low-budget art film, Beckwith encourages people to tap into their creative sides. “I think God smiles when you’re creative,” said Beckwith. “You’re happier, everything is better. It’s like the Christian idea of being reborn.” — Sam McClatchy

Ron Tibbett In addition to the Hoka statuette, this year’s festival winners will also receive professional feedback from Sam Haskell, formerly of the William Morris Agency. Before his retirement from the agency business in December, 2004, Sam’s clients included Bill Cosby, Kathie Lee Gifford, Ray Romano, Mary Donnelly Haskell, Whoopi Goldberg, Debbie Allen, Delta Burke, Marilu Henner, Martin Short, Kirstie Alley, Tony Danza, Sean Hayes, Michael Feinstein, Emily Procter, Lily Tomlin, Brenda Hampton, Darren Star, David Trainer, Marilyn McCoo, Joan Van Ark, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Swoosie Kurtz, and His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

Audience Award Your vote counts! Be sure to turn in your ballot (available from our friendly ushers) to vote for your favorite film of the festival. The award is named in memory of Ron Tibbett, founder of the Magnolia Film Festival, whose contributions to film in Mississippi will be forever remembered and appreciated.

www.oxfordfilmfest.com