Tag Archives: Robert Greene

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

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

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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.

2013 LR Film Fest Panels Announced

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lrff_mp_hdr_logoThe Little Rock Film Festival brings together award winning filmmakers, writers, film critics, producers and distributors for the 2013 LRFFTalks program. LRFFTalks aim to nurture conversations and create a platform for discussions, providing audiences the opportunity to gain an insight into both the creative and the business world of filmmaking.

AMPI Producers Forum

Friday, May 17 at 1pm at 610 Main Street

Arkansas Motion Picture Institute Director and film producer Courtney Pledger hosts a panel discussion with noted producers Brad Simpson (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Boys Don’t Cry, upcoming World War Z and Electric Slide) and Jocelyn Hayes (Lola Versus, The East) reveal lessons learned from nearly two decades of developing and producing films. From their start at New York-based Killer Films with indie producing legend Christine Vachon to working in the Hollywood Studio System, Simpson and Hayes, who also happen to be husband and wife, bring insider insights to the producing process that range from dealing with the change from movie business to media business, working as an independent vs.harnessing the power of a major studio, adapting best-selling books to the screen, staying in love with movies….to figuring out how to stay married when making a movie together.

 

Cinematic NonFiction: The New Documentary 

Saturday, May 18 at 12:45pm at Filmmaker Lounge inside the Arkansas Repertory Theatre

Moderated by award winning filmmaker and writer Robert Greene; panelists include Rick Rowley (Dirty Wars) Bill Ross (Tchoupitoulas) Lauren Wissot (Filmmaker Magazine) Philip Martin (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

In the past decade we have experienced a renaissance in nonfiction filmmaking. With access to cheap cameras and a collective education in cinematic storytelling, documentary filmmakers are pushing the boundaries and creating some of the most exciting films out there. Meanwhile, most established film critics seem to have completely missed the boat, writing about documentaries in terms of “subject” or “issue,” instead of basing their criticism around an advanced discussion of documentary form, including the collapsing walls between fiction and nonfiction. Jumping off from his essay in Hammer to Nail, filmmaker/writer Robert Greene will lead a discussion with a a panel of filmmakers and critics about the state of documentary storytelling today and the role critics are playing for better or worse.

 

Distributor Spotlight: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Saturday, May 18 at 1:45pm at Filmmaker Lounge inside the Arkansas Repertory Theatre

Panelists include: Joshua Fu, Director of Marketing, Oscilloscope Laboratories; Lofty Nathan – dir 120’Clock Boys, These Birds Walk – Omar Mullick; After Tiller – Martha Shane and Lana Wilson

Founded by former Beastie Boy, the late Adam Yauch, Oscilloscope Laboratories is one of the most exciting and innovative players in independent film distributor. Joshua Fu, head of Marketing at Oscilloscope will discuss his company’s mission and direction and sit down with directors of some of Ocilloscope’s newest acquisitions including LRFF2013 Official Selections 12’0 Clock Boys, These Birds Walk, and After Tiller.

 

The Making of Beasts of the Southern Wild 

Saturday, May 18 at 4:15pm at Cornerstone Pub

Bill Ross a New Orleans filmmaker behind LRFF2012 Official Selection Tchoupitoulas –will present two behind-the-scenes films he made on the making of the Oscar nominated film and LRFF2012 Golden Rock Winner Beasts of the Southern Wild. The first short covers pre-production for the film shot entirely in the Louisiana Bayou with many first time actors. The second short focuses on the first day of production. This special screening and talk will be moderated by award winning filmmaker/writer Robert Greene.