WAYLAND HOLYFIELD
Little Rock connection: This Arkansas native wrote the song “Arkansas, You Run Deep in Me” for the 1986 Arkansas Sesquicentennial. He has performed it many times in Little Rock over the years. He was present at the opening of the CALS Ron Robinson Theater where a new video of it debuted.
Tony Awards connection: His song “May I Have This Dance” was part of the Tony nominated score of Urban Cowboy in 2003.
The 2014 Little Rock Film Festival comes to a close today with films and an awards gala.
The week is capped off with the Awards Gala, which will see the awarding of the Golden Rock Documentary and Golden Rock Narrative Awards. This year the gala takes place at the Old State House Museum. At 8:15, the final film of the festival will be shown. Devil’s Knot plays at the Ron Robinson Theater.
Among the films being shown today are Rich Hill (Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo), Man Shot Dead (Taylor Feltner), Before I Disappear (Shawn Christensen), Point and Shoot (Marshall Curry), I Believe in Unicorns (Leah Meyerhoff), Buzzard (Joel Potrykus), Life After Death (Joe Callander), Virunga (Orlando von Einsiedel) and Fort Tilden (Sarah Violet Bliss & Charles Rodgers).
There are two sets of World Shorts being shown today.
The Arkansas Shorts for the final day are:
For more information, visit www.littlerockfilmfestival.org. When attending events use the hashtag #LRFF2014 on social media posts.
In keeping with its goal of promoting the local arts and culture, Little Rock Film Festival is hosting its first ever Artisan Street Fair – today from 10:30 to 5:30.. The event will be part of the 2014 Film Festival, which that takes place May 12th -18th this year, and take place by our main festival venue: CALS Ron Robinson Theater in downtown Little Rock.
LRFF’s Artisan Street Fair will pay homage to our Southern roots by bringing together a collection of Little Rock’s best vendors in a bustling downtown outdoor marketplace. We will curate the finest artisanal food, vintage clothing, jewelry, crafts, home goods, drinks and much more, giving film festival goers, filmmakers and shoppers the joy of discovering the next ‘big thing’ here in Little Rock and also giving them a taste of some of the best things rocking Little Rock.
With visiting filmmakers from around the United States and the world and with more than thousands of festival goers attending the event during the Little Rock Film Festival, what better day and audience to showcase Little Rock and to offer a taste of our Southern Hospitality and Culture?
A full slate of films and activities is served up on Saturday at the Little Rock Film Festival.
The Case Against 8, Bryan Cotner and Ryan White’s look at the fight to overturn California’s Proposition 8 will be featured tonight at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Three films with avian inspired titles are also on tap: Brian Campbell and Will Scott’s The Night the Blackbirds Fell (at The Joint), Joel Potrykus’ Buzzard (at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater) and Mockingbird Don’t Screen: The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (at The Joint). Two other headline films this evening are David & Nathan Zellner’s Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter (at Historic Arkansas Museum) and Mariano Cohn & Gaston Duprat’s Living Stars (at Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack).
The day starts with Killing Time (Jaap van Hoewijk) and Fishtail (Andrew Renzi) followed by Manakamana (Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez), Point and Shoot (Marshall Curry), Big Significant Things (Bryan Reisberg), Sympathy Pains (Joe Dull) and Manny (Leon Gast & Ryan Moore).
Afternoon films include Life After Death (Joe Callander), Korengal (Sebastian Junger), Two Step (Alex R. Johnson), Stop the Pounding Heart (Roberto Minervini), Viruna (Orlando von Einsedel), The Overnighters (Jesse Moss) and I Believe in Unicorns (Leah Meyerhoff).
The Arkansas Shorts to be shown on Saturday are:
The World Shorts shown on Saturday are:
Levi Agee will lead a discussion on “The Future of Film Tech” this afternoon as well.
For more information, visit www.littlerockfilmfestival.org. When attending events use the hashtag #LRFF2014 on social media posts.
Thursday’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.
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.
Following 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.
At 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 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.
Little Rock Culture Vulture 