Tag Archives: Little Rock Film Festival

BLACKBIRDS film is one of the highlights of 2014 LR Film Festival on Friday

Posted on by

LRFF2014 OpenFriday during the Little Rock Film Festival is a full day for film lovers.

The spotlight film today is the documentary The Night the Blackbirds Fell. Brian Campbell and Will Scott’s film looks at the strange occurrence that took place on New Year’s Eve, 2010. At midnight, thousands of blackbirds fall from the sky. Not far away, 100,000 drum fish wash up dead on the banks of the Arkansas River. Hazmat crews comb the region collecting the birds, while community members worry and wonder what happened. Mainstream media the world over generate curiosity and hysteria around the mysterious wildlife deaths, as internet “experts” declare it a sign of the apocalypse.

A talented but struggling college student, in search of a thesis project, stumbles into the falling blackbirds and inadvertently his thesis topic. He decides to find out just what the hell is going on. Is it the end times, a military experiment, natural gas fracking, or fireworks? Join him in a mysterious whodunnit “divine comedy” that integrates live interview footage into graphic novel style animation to learn what really happened; and beware of falling blackbirds. Produced with support from the Arkansas Humanities Council, Department of Arkansas Heritage, Inspired Media, and the UCA Foundation.

Among the other films screening today are:

Golden Rock Narrative contenders:

  • Big Significant Things (Bryan Reisberg)
  • Five Star (Keith Miller)
  • Fort Tilden (Sarah Violet Bliss & Charles Rodgers)
  • Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter (David & Nathan Zellner)
  • Little Accidents (Sarah Colangelo)

Golden Rock Documentary contenders:

  • Manny (Leon Gast and Ryan Moore)
  • The Notorious Mr. Bout (Tony Gerber & Maxim Pozdorovkin),

Other featured films:

  • Actress (Robert Greene)
  • Man Shot Dead (Taylor Feltner)
  • Manakaman (Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez)
  • Ne Me Quitte Pas (Sabine Lubbe Bakker, Niels van Koevorden)
  • Rich Hill (Tracy Droz Tragos & Andrew Droz Palermo)

World Shorts

  • “Multifariousness” – “Sketch” by Stephen T. Barton, “X-RAY MAN” by Kerri Yost, “Breaking Night” by Yolonda Ross, “Yearbook” by Bernardo Britto, “MASTER MUSCLES” by Efrén Hernández, “Pity,” by John Pata and “One Armed Man” by Tim Guinee.
  • “Our Times” – “The Usual” by Dawn Higginbotham, “Families Are Forever” by Vivian Kleiman, “Confusion Through Sand” by Danny Madden, “Distance” by Aimee Long, “Little Black Fishes” by Azra Deniz Okyay, and “Broke” by Benham Jones
  • “Mental and Physical” – “By the Sea” by Robert Machoian, “LE PLONGEON” by Delphine Le Courtois, “Strike: The Greatest Bowling Story Ever Told” by Joey Daoud, “Insomniacs” by Charles Chintzer Lai, “Dog Food” by Brian Crano, “The Lipstick Stain” by Dagny Looper and “Into The Silent Sea” by Andrej Landin

There will also be a welcome reception for the filmmakers, as well other parties throughout the evening.

For more information, visit www.littlerockfilmfestival.org.  When attending events use the hashtag #LRFF2014 on social media posts.

Day 4 of Little Rock Film Festival features #Metropolis, more documentaries, features, and World Shorts.

Posted on by

little-rock-film-festivalThursday’s line up for the Little Rock Festival features repeat showings from earlier in the week (Happy Valley, Valley Inn, To Kill a Man, The Heart Machine, E-Team, and A Night in Old Mexico as well as a host of first time screenings at the LRFF.

At 9:15 tonight Fritz Lang’s 1920s classic Metropolis will be screened at the Ron Robinson Theater with a live score from Sound of the Mountain.

Films during the day include Jaap van Howewijk’s Killing Time, Sabine Lubbe Bakker & Niels van Koevorden’s Ne Me Quitte Pas, Andrew Renzi’s Fishtail, and Mario Cohn and Gaston Duprat’s Living Stars.

This evening’s films include Five Star (by Keith Miller), Little Accidents (by Sarah Colangelo), The Notorious Mr. Bout by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin, Two Step (by Alex R. Johnson), Stop the Pounding Heart (by Roberto Minervini) and Sympathy Pains (by Joe Dull).

There are three sets of World Shorts being shown today.

  • “Pieces of Life” which includes – “The Bravest, The Boldest” by Moon Molson, “Looms” by Trevor Funk, Nathan Funk, Morgan Funk, “Lambing Season” by Jeannie Donohoe, “The King of Size” by Peter Dowd, “Ghosts on the Mountain” by Jared Jakins, and “June July August” by Jason Affolder
  • “Cinematic Stories” including – “Cinephilia” by Leah Chen Baker, “The Spymaster” by Patrick Tapu, “Last Shot” by Greg Popp, “Phil Collins and the Wild Frontier” by Ben Powell, “Lomax” by Jesse Kreitzer and “A Stitch in Time (for $9.99) by Mu Sun
  • “Askew” which features “Where the Red Fox Lies” by Jeff Ray, “Songs from the Outside” by Michael Van Ostade, “The Cyclist” by Christopher Bryan, “Minimus” by Jonathan Hopkins, “Cherry Pop: The Story of the World’s Fanciest Cat” by Kareem Tabsch and “Tin & Tina” by Rubin Stein.

The evening will conclude at 9:30 with the LRFF Hootenanny at W. T. Bubba’s.

During the morning the LRFFYOUTH! Film workshop will take place at the Ron Robinson Theater.

For more information, visit www.littlerockfilmfestival.org.  When attending events use the hashtag #LRFF2014 on social media posts.

Day 3 of 2014 LR Film Festival features ACTRESS, E-TEAM and more Golden Rock Narrative Films and Arkansas Shorts

Posted on by

LRFFselectionWith the third day of the Little Rock Film Festival, screenings start earlier in the afternoon. They include Alejandro Fernandez Almendras’ To Kill a Man, Emillio Aragon’s A Night in Old Mexico, and Zachary Wigon’s The Heart Machine which are all in competition for the Golden Rock Narrative Award.

There are three sets of Arkansas Shorts being shown today.

  • “Arkansas Up Close” which includes – “The 21 Mile Marathon” by Tyler Tarver, “An Uncertain Bill of Health” by Eric White, “Flokati Films Presents ‘Red Octopus’” by Johnnie Brannon and “Glass Eyes of Locust Bayou” by Simon Mercer.
  • “Face to Face” including – “Watch the Rhine” by Taylor Dan Lucas, “Homefront” by Eric White, “Man of God” by Matthew Aughtry, and “Sacred Hearts, Holy Souls” by Mark Thiedeman.
  • “Altered States” which features “Origin” by Caleb Fanning, “Strangers” by Justin Nickels, “Mal” by Joshua Harrison and Michael Armstrong, “An Ode to Angeline” by Sarah Jones and “Collection Day” by Scott Eggleston.

At 6pm the documentary E-Team by Katy Chevigny and Ross Kauffman will screen at the Clinton School of Public Service. It is a contender for the Golden Rock Documentary.

At 8:15 at the Ron Robinson Theater, Robert Greene’s Actress will be shown. “When Brandy decides to reclaim her life as an actor, the domestic world sheʼs carefully created crumbles around her. Actress is both a present tense portrait of a dying relationship and an exploration of a complicated woman, performing the role of herself, as she faces the desires that exist outside of her home.”

The evening will conclude with the “Made in Arkansas Party” at The Fold at 10pm.

During the day today the LRFFYOUTH! Film workshop will take place at the Museum of Discovery.

For more information, visit www.littlerockfilmfestival.org.  When attending events use the hashtag #LRFF2014 on social media posts.

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Harry Belafonte

Posted on by

Rock the Tonysharry-belafonteHARRY BELAFONTE

Little Rock connection: Was honored guest at Little Rock Film Festival’s Reel Civil Rights Film Festival in September 2012.

Tony Awards connection: Won the Featured Actor in a Musical Tony Award in 1954 for John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.  He became first African American male to win a Tony Award. He has subsequently appeared as a presenter at Tony Awards ceremonies.

Day 2 of LR Film Festival features Made in Arkansas Shorts, BEFORE I DISAPPEAR and VALLEY INN

Posted on by

8th-annual-little-rock-film-festival-78Following last night’s opening festivities, the 2014 Little Rock Film Festival gets down to business today with screenings from 5pm to 10:30pm.

First up is a grouping of the Arkansas Shorts. “Unbroken Spirits” features “A Broken Road to Hope” by Nathan Willis, “After the Tsunami,” “True Athlete” by Tyler West, and “Blowing Smoke” by Mike Holifield. These will screen at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre at 5pm.

At 6pm, Before I Disappear, an entry in the Golden Rock Narrative competition, will show at the Ron Robinson Theater. In Shawn Christensen’s film, Richie gets a call from his estranged sister, asking him to look after his eleven-year old niece, Sophia, for a few hours.

Another round of Arkansas Shorts (“Adventure Time”) will screen at Arkansas Rep at 7:15. “In Borrowed Time” by Dustin Barnes, “Stuck” by John Hockaday, “Spontaneous History Lesson by Evan” by Douglas Bankston, “Citizen Noir,” by Michael Ferrera, and “Undercover” by Marcel Guadron.

ValleyInn filmAt 8:30, Kim Swink and Chris Spencer’s film Valley Inn will be featured at the Ron Robinson Theater. The film stars Jordan Scott, Arkansas’ own Joey Lauren Adams, and David Lansbury. In it, Emily Mason, a New Jersey college student, finds herself in a dusty dying small southern town, a thousand miles from home, selling Christian books door-to-door for the summer. Through a series of misadventures in “the Bookfield,” and her growing friendships with the endearing and often comical local residents, Emily begins to discover what is most valuable in life, at the Valley Inn.

The final round of Arkansas Shorts (“Lessons in Loss”) of the evening starts at 9:15pm at Arkansas Rep. This includes “The Shoes of Havim” by Kenn Woodard, “A Matter of Honor” by David Bogard, “Sidearoadia” by Bruce Hutchinson and “13 Pieces of the Universe” by Tara Sheffer.”

The evening concludes with the “Stickyz Valley Inn Post Party” at Stickys Rock ‘N ‘Roll Chicken Shack at 10:30pm.

For more information, visit www.littlerockfilmfestival.org. When attending events, be sure and use the hashtag #LRFF2014 on social media posts.

HAPPY VALLEY documentary opens 2014 Little Rock Film Festival

Posted on by

lrff_logo-backgroundHappy Valley by Amir Bar-Lev (My Kid Could Paint That, The Fighter, The Tillman Story) will be the opening film for the 2014 Little Rock Film Festival.

The screening takes place tonight at 7:30 pm at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater.  Filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev will be in attendance.

The town of State College, home to Penn State University, lies at the heart of an area known as Happy Valley. Its iconic figure for more than 40 years Joe Paterno, the head coach of the school’s football team, took on mythic national stature as ‘Saint Joe.’ But in November 2011, everything came crashing down when former Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with child sex abuse. Filmed over the course of the year after Sandusky’s arrest, Amir Bar-Lev creates a parable of guilt, responsibility, and identity for a small town caught in the glare of the national spotlight.
Free to Gold Pass Holders. All other pass holders (Silver and Bronze) need a seperate ticket to this event. A limited number of individual tickets available.

Following the film, in and around the CALS Ron Robinson Theater, the Little Rock Film Festival 2014 Kickoff Party will take place. Gold, Sponsor and Filmmaker Passes will be admitted. Food by The Fold and music by Trey Johnson.

The Little Rock Film Festival runs through Sunday, May 18 in downtown Little Rock. For more information and tickets, visit their website.

MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM at Ron Robinson Theater this weekend

Posted on by

lrff_mp_hdr_logoContinuing to bring you exciting and blockbuster Hollywood movies, the Little Rock Film Festival and CALS are proud to present:

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

When: Saturday, April 5, 7pm and April 6, 5pm

Where: CALS Ron Robinson Theater

Admission is $5 and concessions will be available for $1.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is based on South African President Nelson Mandela‘s autobiography, which chronicles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild the country’s once segregated society.

It features the Oscar-nominated song “Ordinary Love” written and performed by U2.