Category Archives: Film

Little Rock Film Fest Special Offer

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Little Rock Film FestivalThrough today (December 20), the Little Rock Film Festival is offering a special on passes for the 2013 festival.  The dates for the 7th LRFF are May 14-19, 2013.

The All Access or Gold Pass, normally $250, is available for $200.  It grants priority admission to all 2013 LRFF films and parties including the Opening Night Film Screening and after party, the Oxford American Party and the Arkansas Times Closing Night Gala Awards Ceremony. Your Gold Pass includes access to the Filmmakers Lounge where special panels are held, and free refreshments are available. There are also exclusive Gold Pass only after‐parties. Your Gold Pass gives you access to all of the festival’s year round events such as the monthly Argenta Film Series, the Little Rock Horror Picture Show and the Reel Civil Rights Film Festival. All of these events continue the expansion of the Little Rock Film Festival into one of the premiere year-round film advocacy organizations in the American South.

The Silver Party Pass is available for $90, normally $100.  It provides admission to 2013 LRFF Film Screenings, Panels, and legendary After-Parties. Silver Pass Holders receives second priority entrance to screenings, workshops, panels, and festival parties! The Party pass will grant the pass holder entry to most parties, many with complimentary food and drink.The Pass will allow entrance to the opening night film after Gold Pass holders are seated.

To purchase tickets, visit here.  The discount code for the Gold Pass is: MerryChristmas.  The discount code for the Silver Pass: is Happy Holidays.  (Please note there are no spaces between the words in either discount code.)

Clinton School Speakers Series Continues in December

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Though things may be winding down for the year in most arenas, the Clinton School speaker series continues to be strong throughout December (thanks to the efforts of Dean Skip Rutherford and Director of Public Programs Nikolai DiPippa).  Here is the roster for the remainder of the month.

“Cameras in the Courtroom: The West Memphis Three Case,” a panel discussion
Thursday, December 13 at 6:00 p.m. (Clinton Center Great Hall) *In partnership with the Arkansas Times
– Join us for a panel discussion on “Cameras in the Courtroom” with Jason Baldwin of the West Memphis Three; Joe Berlinger, director of the documentary film series “Paradise Lost” about the West Memphis Three case and Mara Leveritt, author of “Devil’s Knot,” which also chronicles the case.

“The Little Rock Accord,” Aled Jones, director of the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University
Friday, December 14 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– As part of the meeting of General Assembly of the Club de Madrid, a non-profit organization composed of more than 90 democratic former heads of state from over 60 countries, Jones will give a presentation about the “Little Rock Accord,” an action plan to mobilize political will to increase the role of private sector finance, particularly that of pension and sovereign wealth funds in driving low carbon, climate resilient, sustainable growth, especially in developing countries.

“Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World,” Alyse Nelson, president and CEO of Vital Voices
Monday, December 17 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– Nelson will discuss the work of Vital Voices, a nonprofit that has worked for more than a decade to bring together women who want to enable others to become change agents in their governments, advocates for social justice and supporters of democracy.

Muna AbuSulayman, director of Directions Consultancy
Wednesday, December 19 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– AbuSulayman is director of Directions Consultancy, a boutique firm for innovative impactful philanthropy. She has successfully launched, managed and scaled multiple businesses and foundations throughout her career and is continuously placed in lists naming her one of the most influential Arabs in the world.


Renowned Saudi Arabian artist Manal Al Dowayan

Wednesday, December 19 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– Manal is one of Saudi Arabia’s foremost artists – her photography has been exhibited across the world and her artworks are part of the permanent collections of the British Museum and the Jordan National Museum of Fine Art. Her series, “I Am” (2007-09) is a series of black and white photographic portraits of women and addresses issues which pertain to the position of the Arab woman in Islamic Society.
*Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu, or calling 501-683-5239.

Tales from the South tomorrow night: Tin Roof Project featuring Ann Talman

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The first week of each month, Tales from the South features one person sharing their life story. They call it Tin Roof Project.  November features actress Ann Talman.  Born in West Virginia, she has had a film and stage career since the 1980s.

Talman has costarred with Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Stiller, Ben Stiller, Maureen Stapleton, Nathan Lane, Kate Burton, Elisabeth Shue, Frances Conroy, John Mahoney, Stockard Channing, Swoosie Kurtz, Henderson Forsythe, Rue McClanahan, Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Tilley, Jennifer Coolidge, Kristen Johnston and Amy Ryan — just to name a few.

Music is by the Salty Dogs and blues guitarist Mark Simpson

Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live on Tuesday. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.

The program takes place at Starving Artist Café.  Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $5, not including dinner.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.

Fright Night Movies in the Park tonight

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In the spirit of Halloween, Movies in the Park will host a special “Fright Night,” screening two spook-tacular films for a howling good time on Halloween night. It will take place in Riverfront Park by the Riverfest Amphitheatre.

The evening will kick off at 6:30pm with Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic The Birds. This classic about an unexplained visit from thousands of avians stars Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette and Jessica Tandy.  It is based on a short-story by Daphne DuMaurier.

Following an intermission, the 2002 film The Ring will be shown.  It stars Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Brian Cox, Jane Alexander and Amber Tamblyn.

Families, picnics and pets are invited to the park to enjoy movies under the harvest moon. The amphitheater will open an hour before film showings and movies will start at sundown. Alcohol is allowed, but no glass is allowed for any beverages or foods.

Movies in the Park is sponsored by the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Harry Belafonte and the Little Rock Nine

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For the past several years, the Civil Rights Film Festival has presented a film series in conjunction with the commemoration of the September 25, 1957, integration of Little Rock Central High School by the Little Rock Nine.  One of the highlights of this year’s festival will be an appearance by Tony Award winning actor and humanitarian Harry Belafonte tonight.

Though the event is sold out, it is an important event and deserves mention.

Those with tickets will be able to see a screening of Harry Belafonte’s documentary, Sing Your Song: The Music, Hope and Vision of a Man and an Era, guest remarks by Mr. Belafonte; and an awards ceremony to honor both the Little Rock Nine and Belafonte.

Mr. Belafonte was a trailblazer as a theatre and film actor and recording artist.  He broke the color barrier in almost everything he did.  He became the first African American male actor to win a Tony Award for his performance in John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.

Here is more about the movie, which is being presented in conjunction with the Little Rock Film Festival.

Sing Your Song (2011) (105 min). Directed by Susanne Rostock. An up close look at a great American, Harry Belafonte. A patriot to the last and a champion for worldwide human rights, Belafonte is one of the truly heroic cultural and political figures of the past 60 years. Told from Harry’s point of view, the film charts his life from a boy born in New York and raised in Jamaica, who returns to Harlem in his early teens where he discovers the American Negro Theater and the magic of performing. From there the film follows Belafonte’s rise from the jazz and folk clubs of Greenwich Village and Harlem to his emergence as a star. However, even as a superstar, the life of a black man in 1960s America was far from easy and Belafonte was confronted with the same Jim Crow laws and prejudices that every other black man, woman and child in America was facing.

REEL CLASSICS WITH THE REP: HENRY V

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On the heels of the opening of Henry V, the Reel Classics with the Rep series returns tonight.

The monthly series showcases films which share connections with productions currently on stage at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Tonight’s film is the 1989 version of Henry V.  Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, the movie also boasts an acclaimed cast of British stage actors including Sir Derek Jacobi, Alec McCowen, Ian Holm, Richard Briers, Robert Stephens, Robbie Coltrane, Christian Bale, Geraldine McEwan, Judi Dench, Paul Scofield, Michael Maloney, Richard Easton and Emma Thompson.

The program begins tonight at 6pm with a discussion of the Rep’s production led by members of the Rep’s staff.  Following that, at 6:30, the film will be screened.  It takes place at Laman Library.

The Rep’s production, directed by Robert Hupp and starring Avery Clark in the title role, continues through Sunday, September 23.

Culture Vulture tending the nest

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The Little Rock Culture Vulture is on vacation until Labor Day.