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April 12-16, 2018

ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 1 CONTENTS Box Office & Membership 3 PO Box 218, Ashland, OR 97520 541.488.3823 Venues, Concessions & Merchandise 5 [email protected] Sponsors & Grantors 7 Parties 10 Connect with #AIFF2018 Indie Innovators 12 Follow us on Facebook, Indie Institutions 17 , Instagram @ashlandfilm Cinema with Live Music 19 We’ve updated our website for Media Art Exhibition 21 AIFF2018. Now you can see in-depth AIFF Medford 23 info on films, events, and ticket AIFF Learn 24 availability—plus purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at Filmmaker TalkBack Panels 25 ashlandfilm.org. Family Programs 26 Programs 29 SAVE THE DATES! Awards & Jurors 38 AIFF Features 41 Varsity World Film Week: Documentary Features 42 October 5-12, 2018 Narrative Features 73 18th Annual AIFF: The AIFF Team 84 April 11-15, 2019 Volunteers 86 Donors & Members 88 Schedule 91 Stacey Steers 2018 Festival art by Film Index 96 Graphic design by CarterWorks

PAGE 2 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 3 Box Office & Membership

Membership enhances the creative experience: AIFF Members receive advance ticket ordering, first entry into films, discounts on special screenings, and more. Memberships are available WORTH EVERY MINUTE at ashlandfilm.org/membership.

brought BOX OFFICE to you by Connecting our Communities. 26-31 Tickets go on sale to Members TICKET PRICES Films APRIL 1 Tickets go on sale to the Connecting our Worlds. General Public $14 ($1 discount for additional Member tickets) Seniors (62+): $13 Connecting our Spirits. Purchase tickets online or on your mobile Students (w/valid ID): $6 device at ashlandfilm.org Oregon Trail Card Holders: $5 (Box Office only) Since 1969 Jefferson Public Radio has provided a No service fee thanks to Project A Parties connection to the people, events and ideas that shape Opening Night Bash: $30 TICKET PRE-SALE & WILL CALL Awards Celebration: $75 Ashland, our region and our world. We’ve covered the Located at the Information Kiosk on the Plaza in downtown Ashland FREE Events news with a belief that informed people make better Members Pre-sale Dates: Ticket required: Locals Only, TalkBack Panels No ticket required: Community Conversations, citizens. We’ve approached music as a vital connection Online ordering begins at 10am PST; Box Office open 4-6pm. Box Office & Will Call will be open every day & Family Day (show member pass). to the human spirit. Like the Ashland Independent from 4-6 pm, March 26-April 11. Producer & above Monday, March 26 Accessibility Services: Please contact Film Festival, JPR is proud to be one of the things that Director Tuesday, March 27 us at [email protected] to request Fan Wednesday, March 28 assistance and accommodations or call contribute to the quality of life in Ashland and the Cine Thursday, March 29 our office at (541) 488-3823. For more details: ashlandfilm.org/access. Rogue Valley. It’s worth every minute you listen … Indie Friday, March 30 Friend Saturday, March 31 and every dollar you give. Learn more at www.ijpr.org. General Public Sunday, April 1 Online ordering begins at 10am PST, Box Office open 4-6pm. Box Office & Will Call will be open every day No ticket? from 4-6 pm at the Kiosk April 1-April 11. Join the Rush Line! Advance tickets are available online or at the Rush tickets will be sold Kiosk. A full schedule of festival films and box at the door shortly before office hours is available at ashlandfilm.org. , as soon as all ticket holders are seated. TICKETS DURING FESTIVAL/WILL CALL Rush tickets are available Located at the Varsity Theatre, 166 E. Main St., Ashland on a first come, first served April 12-16, 9am-10pm basis for cash or paper A full schedule of films, events, and box office hours film voucher only (no credit is available at ashlandfilm.org. Advance tickets are cards accepted). available online, on your mobile device, or at the Kiosk.

THE FINE PRINT: TICKET POLICY & FESTIVAL RULES Classics & News 88.3 FM u Rhythm & News 89.1 FM No refunds or exchanges. Membership passes are non-transferable. All pass holders must select tickets in advance to guarantee In Ashland News & Information 1230 AM & 102.3 FM seating and all ticket holders must be at the theater 15 min. before the show to guarantee seating. Members are granted entrance to theaters about 30-40 min. before showtime. General public ticket holders are granted entrance about 20-25 min. before showtime.

PAGE 4 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 5 VENUES CONCESSIONS & MERCHANDISE

Information Kiosk ScienceWorks Downtown Ashland Plaza Hands-On Museum Concessions Pre-Sale Box Office 1500 E. Main St. Varsity Theatre & Family Day Varsity Theatre Ashland Street Cinema 166 E. Main St. Ostras! • Movie Theater Favorites Films & Festival Box Office 47 N. Main St. Historic Ashland Armory AfterLounge Historic Ashland Armory • Water Street Café: 208 Oak St. Liquid Assets Wine Bar wraps & more Films & Awards Celebration 96 N. Main St. • Rogue Valley Roasting AfterLounge Company: sweet treats Ashland Street Cinema • Noble Coffee 1644 Ashland St. Brickroom Roasting: coffee Films 35 N. Main St. • Rogue Creamery AfterLounge popcorn Ashland Springs Hotel 212 E. Main St. SOU Music Recital Hall Water will be available at Opening Night Bash & TalkBack Panels 45 S. Mountain Ave. the Armory courtesy of Cinema with Live Music Mt. Shasta Spring Water. Elks Lodge 255 E. Main St. (2nd St. & Lithia Way) Collaborative Theatre Project Please help us decrease our Community Conversations 555 Medford Center environmental impact: bring your AIFF Medford water bottle to fill at our venues, and Schneider Museum of Art recycle whenever possible. 1250 Siskiyou Blvd. Media Art Exhibition OP-U P P F S F H I O A

2018 AIFF P

A

Merchandise T Sold at Travel Essentials, 252 E. Main St. On sale now until April 20 Hours: Mon-Sat, 10am-5:30pm & Sunday, 11am-5pm Short Sleeve T-shirt (men’s and women’s): $20 Long Sleeve T-shirt (men’s and women’s): $25 Messenger Bag: $25 Baseball Cap: $20 Poster: $5 100% of sales benefit AIFF

PAGE 6 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 7 SPONSORS & GRANTORS We own it. Presenting Sponsors We run it. We love it!

Sustaining Sponsors

Ashland’s only resident-owned 55+ community supports AIFF!

(800) 337-1301 www.mtmeadows.com

PAGE 8 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 9 Supporting Sponsors Community Sponsors Grantors

Est. 1994 Buttercloud Bakery and Cafe Penny and Lulu Studio Florist Cafe 116 Plancha Cliff Creek Cellars Redfin Dagoba Organic Chocolate Rock Island Design Davis, Hearn, Anderson & Rogue Ales Turner, P.C. Rogue Credit Union Emz Blendz Soap Company Rogue Valley Roasting Company Fences Winery APPLEGATE, OREGON RoxyAnn Winery Green Springs Inn & Cabins Shop 'n Kart Grizzly Peak Winery Table Rock Distillery HomeAdvisor TonTon's Artisan Affections Liquid Assets Wine Bar Troon Vineyard LWEEZ Visuals Upper Five Vineyard Mt. Shasta Spring Water Water Street Cafe Omar's Fresh Seafood Wooldridge Creek Vineyard and Steaks & Winery

Housing Sponsors

Carrico Family Foundation Sid & Karen DeBoer Foundation Gardner Grout Contributing Sponsors Foundation LGBTQ Juvenile Justice Fund of the Equity Foundation Raymond Family Foundation

CarlisleGardenSuites.com CarterWorks Rotary Club of Ashland graphic design Serving Ashland since 1974 Abbott’s Cottages Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites Lithia Springs ashlandforge.com Ashland Commons Second Spring Properties Ashland Cottages The Peerless Hotel & Restaurant Thank you to all our Sponsors whose support was confirmed A special thank you to the Rogue Valley residents who provided housing after our publication deadline. for filmmakers and festival guests.

PAGE 10 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 11 FESTIVAL EVENTS Awards Celebration PARTIES Sunday, April 15, 7:30–11pm Historic Ashland Armory Tickets: $75 (includes small plates, dessert & drinks) Put on your party clothes and toast the Juried and Audience Award winners while dining on delicious food and drink from the Rogue Valley’s finest restaurants, breweries, and wineries.

AIFF welcomes back Courtney back Sheehan as our host for the Awards Celebration for the second year in a row. Courtney is Executive Director of the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle and was a juror in 2016. Opening Night Bash

Savor the RogueTM presented by founding sponsor Rogue Creamery Thursday, April 12, 7-10pm | Ashland Springs Hotel | Tickets: $30 Meet and mingle with the filmmakers and festival guests of AIFF2018 and enjoy a selection of award-winning cheeses paired with appetizers, artisan chocolate, beer, and wine from around the Rogue Valley.

Tasting Tables – Beverage Tasting Tables – Food No Host Bar Apple Outlaw Cider/Thompson Rogue Creamery Caldera Brewing Company Creek Organic LLC Branson’s Chocolates Ledger Cellars Cliff Creek Cellars Buttercloud Bakery & Café Quady North Winery Gary West Artisan Appetizers Dessert & Coffee Quady North Winery RoxyAnn Winery Eliana Wines Smoked Meats Rogue Creamery Noble Coffee Roasting RoxyAnn Winery Ledger David Cellars Larks Home Kitchen Cuisine Shop ‘n Kart Loft American Bistro Lillie Belle Farms Artisan Shop ‘n Kart Lillie Belle Farms Artisan Rogue Ale & Spirits South Stage Cellars Chocolates South Stage Cellars Chocolates Upper Five Vineyard Green Springs Inn RoxyAnn Winery Small Plates Upper Five Vineyard NW Raw Walkabout Brewery Mix Bakeshop South Stage Cellars Omar’s Fresh Seafoods Granite Taphouse Wooldridge Creek Wooldridge Creek Vineyard Table Rock Distillery & Steaks Bella Union Walkabout Brewery Troon Vineyard Peruvian Point & Winery No Host Bar* Taj Indian Restaurant Weisinger Family Winery Weisinger Family Winery Plancha Apple Outlaw Cider Vintner’s Kitchen Denny DeBey, Ashland’s blacksmith for Standing Stone 40 years, designed and handcrafted Brewing Company Caldera Brewing Company the forged steel film reel given to our Ostras! Eliana Wines *Your first drink is on award-winning filmmakers. Taqueria Picaro Ledger David Cellars the house! AfterLounge Nightly 5pm-1am Keep the conversation going at the no-host, no-cover AfterLounge. Enjoy some food and a fine selection of beverages and join the festival community each night AIFF Wine Tasting for the best after party in town! Saturday, April 14, 2-5pm Thursday, April 12 Ashland Wine Cellar, 38 Lithia Way, Ashland, Oregon Ostras! Swing through the Ashland Wine Cellar between films on Saturday Friday, April 13 afternoon to taste the new AIFF Festival Wine—a 2015 Tempranillo Liquid Assets Wine Bar featuring grapes grown by South Stage Cellar and wine made by Saturday, April 14 Weisinger Family Winery. 100% of wine sales support AIFF. Show Brickroom Karaoke starts at 9pm! your AIFF Badge or Ticket Stub for a free tasting and pick up your bottle (or case) to take home! Sunday, April 15 Brickroom PAGE 12 12 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 13 INDIE INNOVATORS INDIE INNOVATORS

ROGUE AWARD ROGUE AWARD Chris Cooper orn in Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Cooper studied agriculture and ynn Shelton, proudly based in the Seattle film and music scenes, Bdrama at the University of Missouri, subsequently moving to New L got her start as an experimental and documentary filmmaker York City to pursue a career in acting. He gave several notable perfor- before writing and directing her first feature-length film, We Go Way mances in feature films, including as a union organizer inMatewan , the Back, which won the Grand Jury Award at the 2006 Slamdance Film first of five films he appeared in directed by John Sayles. His portrayal Festival. Her second , My Effortless Brilliance (AIFF2008), of a homophobic Marine Corps colonel in American Beauty was a was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Atlanta Film Festival. major breakthrough with critics. His performance as the eccentric , her third feature, premiered to critical acclaim at the 2009 plant collector John Laroche earned him an Academy Award® for Best Supporting in Adaptation (2002). Cooper’s many film roles and was distributed internationally by Magnolia since include The Bourne Supremacy, , The Company Men, The Pictures. In 2010, she was honored with the John Cassavetes Award at Town, and August: Osage County. Cooper’s stage work includes stints the Film Independent Spirit Awards and Your Sister’s Sister (AIFF2012) off-Broadway and in , with the Theater of Louisville and won Best Ensemble Performance at the 2012 Gotham the Seattle Repertory, and on Broadway as Torvald in last year’s A Doll’s Awards. , starring , was released by in 2014. House, Part 2, for which he received a Tony Award® nomination. Her latest film,Outside In (AIFF2018), with Edie Falco and , Cooper met his future wife, Marianne Leone, in 1979 at an acting will be released later this year by The Orchard. Beginning withMad Men class in ; they married in July 1983. Their son, Jesse Lanier in 2010, Lynn has directed over 25 Cooper, was born three months prematurely in October 1987 and episodes of television series including developed cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Chris and Marianne became New Girl, Fresh Off the Boat, Master “For me, it’s all about how advocates for inclusive education and champions of kids with special of None, Maron, and GLOW. to tell the story in the most needs. Jesse was a mainstreamed student at Silver Lake Regional High School where he was an honor student. In 2005, Jesse died suddenly honest way possible. In from a seizure at age 17. Chris and Marianne are executive producers the way that feels like real of AIFF2018’s opening night film,Intelligent Lives, which explores how human beings saying real our society’s narrow views of intelligence have led to the segregation of Outside In people with intellectual disabilities. Saturday, April 14, 6:00pm | words to each other. Historic Ashland Armory Hopefully, there are surprises along the way, but it’s always believable. Intelligent Lives (narrated by Chris Cooper) Opening Night Film It’s always grounded.” Thursday, April 12, 6:00pm | Historic Ashland Armory

TalkBack: Talking Acting with Chris Cooper Friday, April 13, 10:00-11:30am | Ashland Springs Hotel Community Conversation: Intelligent Lives with Special Guest Marianne Leone Cooper Friday, April 13, 5:15-6:45m | Elk’s Club

PAGE 14 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 15 INDIE INNOVATORS

PRIDE AWARD

Zackary Drucker ackary Drucker is an independent artist, cultural producer, and trans Z woman who breaks down the way we think about gender, sexuality, and seeing. Her participatory art works complicate established binaries of viewer and subject, insider and outsider, and male and female in order to create a complex image of the self. The disciple of a silenced, ghettoized community, her work is rooted in cultivating and investigating under-recognized aspects of transgender history. She has performed and exhibited her work inter- nationally in museums, galleries, and film festivals including the Whitney Biennial 2014, MoMA PS1, Hammer Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, MCA San Diego, and SF MoMA, among others. Zackary is an Emmy®-nominated producer for the docuseries This Is Me, as well as a producer on the Golden Globe® and Emmy-winning Amazon series Transparent.

Zackary Drucker is the recipient of the 2018 AIFF Pride Award, supported “Art is a survival strategy for by the LGBTQ Juvenile Justice Fund of the Equity Foundation any ostracized people. I think that it’s always created an outlet of expression when a culture outside of a person is 2018 BOLT EV 2018 VOLT not supporting their voice, or not creating representations ELECTRIFY YOUR RIDE of people like them. It was really a kind of survival strategy WITH THE ALL-ELECTRIC Zackary Drucker: Trans Film Television (featuring original short filmsAt Least You Know You Exist, at a young age for me to see CHEVROLET BOLT EV AND VOLT HYBRID She Gone Rogue, and an episode of Transparent) myself differently, and to see Saturday, April 14, 3:40pm | Varsity myself outside the constraints The Queen (1968) of my physical reality.” Sunday, April 15, 3:40pm | Varsity

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PAGE 16 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 17 INDIE INSTITUTIONS

FESTIVAL GUESTS

International Documentary Association

ounded in 1982, the International Documentary Association The Blessing F(IDA) is dedicated to building and serving the needs of a (IDA Pare Lorentz Fund grantee) thriving documentary culture. Through its educational, advocacy, Sunday, April 15, 12:00pm | Historic Ashland Armory production support, and exhibition programs, IDA provides resources, creates community and defends rights and freedom Crime + Punishment for documentary artists, activists, and journalists. IDA programs (Enterprise Documentary Fund grantee) Friday, April 13, 12:40pm, Saturday, include the Pare Lorentz and Enterprise Documentary April 15, 6:40pm, Monday, April 16, Funds, Documentary Magazine, the IDA Documentary 10:10am | Varsity Awards, DocuDay, and Doc U. The IDA has approximately 2,000 members in 53 countries, providing a forum for TalkBack: Seeking Justice supporters and suppliers of documentary filmmaking. in Documentary Moderated by Claire Aguilar, IDA Director Claire Aguilar is of Programming and Policy Director of Programming Saturday, April 14, 10-11:30am | Ashland and Policy at Inter- Springs Hotel national Documentary Association (IDA), where she oversees professional development, education, mentorship, and training initiatives. She serves as the primary programmer for IDA’s biennial “Getting Real” conference recently held in September 2017. She sets strategy around IDA’s policy and advocacy work supporting filmmakers around a range of issues.

Indie Institution Tributes sponsored by

PAGE 18 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 19 INDIE INSTITUTIONS Cinema with Live Music

The Dying Swan 49 min. | Director: Evgeni Bauer Stacey Steers’ Trilogy With a live score by Joby Talbot Milestone Films With a live score by Terry Longshore accompanied by violinist Jessica Lambert, Artistic Director of Chamber Music Amici in Eugene and and Tessa Brinckman OSU’s Chamber Music Workshop and cellist Michal ilestone was started in 1990 by Amy Heller and Dennis Doros Palzewicz, founding member of the Eisner String Mout of their one-room apartment in New York City. It has Edge of Alchemy | 2017 | 19 min Quartet and currently a performer with the Oregon since gained an international reputation for releasing classic cinema In this handmade film, composed of over 6,000 collages, the silent-era Festival The AIFF tribute to Milestone will feature masterpieces, groundbreaking documentaries, and American actors Mary Pickford and Janet Gaynor are seamlessly appropriated from special live performances (see facing page) independent features. Since 2007, Milestone has concentrated on their early films of the 1920s and cast into a surreal epic with an upending In The Dying Swan (1916), an artist obsessed accompanying two of its archival rereleases, the restoration and worldwide distribution of films outside the of the Frankenstein story and an undercurrent of hive collapse. with the idea of capturing death on canvas be- The Dying Swan and No Maps on My Taps. comes fixated on a mute ballerina. Hollywood mainstream featuring “lost” films by and about African Night Hunter | 2011 | 16 min Americans, Native Americans, LGBTQ, and women. Milestone’s Silent Scores: The Dying Swan & Meticulously crafted from approximately 4,000 handmade collages and From Milestone Films: Russian film poet Evgeni motto (in polite company) is “We like to mess with the canon.” Stacey Steers’ Trilogy incorporating images of Lillian Gish taken from silent-era live-action Bauer is perhaps the greatest you have Saturday, April 14, 8:15pm | Thanks to the company’s work in rediscovering and releasing cinema, Night Hunter summons a disquieting dreamscape drawn from never heard of. During his brief four-year career, SOU Music Recital Hall important films such as George Nierenberg’sNo Maps on My Taps allegory, myth, and archetype to create an evocation of the uncanny and he created macabre masterpieces. They are dramas With live scores composed and performed (AIFF2018), Alfred Hitchcock’s Bon Voyage and Aventure Malgache, an exploration of the creative process. darkly obsessed with doomed love and death, by Terry Longshore, Tessa Brinckman, and Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep, Lionel Rogosin’s On the Bowery, Phantom Canyon | 2010 | 10 min astonishing for their graceful camera movements, Joby Talbot. Marcel Ophuls’s The Sorrow and the Pity, Billy Woodberry’s Bless risqué themes, opulent sets, and chiaroscuro light- Phantom Canyon is composed of over 4,000 6" x 8" collages. These were Their Little Hearts, Lois Weber’s Shoes, and ’s Portrait ing. Tragically, Bauer died in 1917 and for many constructed from Xeroxed elements of 18th and 19th century engravings No Maps on My Taps decades, his films were buried in the Soviet of Jason, Milestone has long occupied a position as one of the (primarily Dover clip art) combined with the figures from Eadweard Sunday, April 15, 9:30am | Historic archives—declared too “cosmopolitan” and bizarre country’s most influential independent distributors. Muybridge’s Human and Animal Locomotion, first published in 1887. Ashland Armory for the puritanical Soviet regime. With director George Nierenberg and a live tap performance by Suzanne Seiber. Bring Co-composer Tessa Brinckman has Joby Talbot’s diverse your tap shoes and you will be invited to been described by critics as a “flutist of cha- catalogue includes the join the “tap-in” finale! meleon-like gifts” and “virtuoso elegance” ballets Alice’s Adventures TalkBack: Composing Scores for (Gramophone). In demand as a collaborator, in Wonderland and The performing on flute, piccolo, alto, bass, con- Winter’s Tale, both collab- Classic & Contemporary Films trabass and baroque flutes, Tessa co-directs orations with choreogra- Sunday, April 15, 10-11:30am | Ashland the contemporary flute/percussion duo pher Christopher Wheeldon Springs Hotel Caballito Negro with Terry Longshore. and the choral Path of With Terry Longshore, Tessa Brinckmann, and Miracles, a 60-minute a Joby Talbot. Moderated by Richard Herskowitz. Co-composer Terry Longshore is a cappella journey along the percussionist based in Ashland, Oregon whose Camino de Santiago. Joby Indie Institution -crossing work exhibits the artistry of has scored the feature films The Hitchhiker’s Guide Tributes the concert stage, the spontaneity of jazz, to the Galaxy and the animated Sing. He was com- sponsored by and the energy of a rock club. He is Professor of Music and Coordinator of missioned by the British Film Institute to rescore the Music Graduate Program at Southern Oregon University. the silent filmThe Dying Swan.

PAGE 20 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 21 FESTIVAL GUESTS Rolling up our sleeves & getting down to business … Media Art Exhibition

Accountants and Business Advisors Since 1987. The Animated Image April 12—May 12 | Schneider Museum of Art We Help Our Clients Succeed. Co-curated by Richard Herskowitz and Scott Malbaurn, The Animated Image includes work by four artists who explore both digital and stop-motion .

Stacey Steers, designer of the 2018 AIFF film festival poster and creator of the animated program Trilogy (p. 19), which screens with live musical accompaniment on April 14 at SOU Music Recital Hall, occupies the central gallery with her collages, sculptural media installations, and projections. Chris Doyle explores aspiration and progress, questioning the foundation of a culture consumed by striving. His narratives feature a world of increasing speed and complexity in which environmental disaster and social inequities continue to generate anxiety of a loom- ing apocalypse. Doyle’s Swell is the final animation in a series inspired by Hudson River painter Thomas Cole’s Course of Empire cycle. Matt Bollinger tells stories based on observation and memory. Bollinger’s handmade are created through traditional draw- ing and painting methods that are shown alongside his video work. Rick Silva explores landscape and wilderness in the 21st century. WIRED Magazine called Silva’s videos “glitchy, curious things; some mesmerizing, some arresting.”

T: 541.488.1551 F: 541.488.1552 290 N. Main, Suite 8, Ashland, OR 97520 [email protected]

PAGE 22 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 23 AIFF MEDFORD (1/2 page)Medford AIFF is branching out to Medford with a spring season of screenings. Tickets available online at ashlandfilm.org and at the theaters before the shows.

Screenings @ Collaborative Theatre Project Screening @ Kids Unlimited 555 Medford Center (across from Tinseltown) 821 North Riverside Avenue Saturday, April 14, 10am | Kid Flix Each year, The New York Children’s International Film Festival scours the globe for the best new short films for kids from around the world. Recommended for ages 3 and older.

Saturday, April 14, 1pm | Liyana with Director Aaron Kopp This animated tale is born in the imagi- nations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their dark- Thursday, May 3, 8pm | Dolores est memories and brightest dreams. Recommended for all ages. with special guests Dolores Huerta & Peter Bratt The smash opening night film of AIFF2017 Monday, April 16, 7pm | A River Below with Jacksonville-based returns with the film’s subject, legendary activist executive producer Mike Erwin Dolores Huerta and Director Peter Bratt. A River Below captures the Amazon in all its complexity as it examines the actions of environmental activists using the media in an age where truth Sponsored by is a relative term.

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PAGE 24 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 25 FESTIVAL EVENTS

AIFFLearn AIFF is committed to broadening the media literacy of audiences young and old with AIFF Learn’s dynamic educational programs. In addition to TalkBack panels COMMUNITY (facing page), Community Conversations (sidebar, this page), and AIFF Family Day at ScienceWorks (p. 27), we offer the following: CONVERSATIONS Teen Press trains teams of middle and high school students in video journal- Filmmaker TalkBack Panels ism and brings them to the Festival to interview guest artists. Festival in the Schools is a program that brings guest filmmakers and speakers Ashland Springs Hotel Talking Acting with Chris Cooper into local schools in the area to speak with students about their careers. FREE (ticket required) Friday, April 13, 10:00-11:30am School Group Screenings provide deeply discounted screenings of inde- AIFF2018 Rogue Award honoree and Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper will pendent films to groups of students from regional schools. There are six School join Warren Etheredge for a conversation about Cooper’s film-acting career, beginning with Marla Estes & Kay Sandberg Group Screenings at AIFF2018. with his film debut in John Sayles’Matewan (the first of five Sayles films in which Cooper 5:15-6:45pm |Ashland Elks Club, LAUNCH Student Film Competition invites students from kindergarten to starred) and continuing with Adaptation, American Beauty, Seabiscuit, August: Osage 255 E. Main St. (2nd St. & Lithia Way) | County, and many more. college to create inventive short films and win prizes in their grade category. (p. 28) FREE (no ticket required) Moderator: Warren Etheredge is one of the founding faculty of TheFilmSchool, helping filmmakers OLLI Goes to AIFF is an educational program that invites older audiences to Friday, April 13: Intelligent Lives translate their stories for screens big and small, and The Red Badge Project, helping combat veterans explore the issues underlying AIFF films. with special guest Marianne Leone work through PTSD and other issues by teaching them the art of storytelling. He has conducted over Cooper, author of Jesse: A Mother’s 3,000 interviews; on the page, on stage, and on screen. Story of Grief, Grace, and Everyday Bliss Saturday, April 14: First Reformed Seeking Justice in Documentary Sunday, April 15: Sky and Ground Saturday, April 14, 10:00-11:30 a.m. Join expert discussion facilitators Marla Social issue documentaries call attention to inequity in our society—and reveal, investigate, Estes and Kay Sandberg and special and shed light on some of the most pressing problems of our time. Filmmakers invited to guests for in-depth conversations about participate in this panel have tackled diverse issues such as police whistleblowers, ISIS’ geno- how three provocative films affected cide plan, corrupt campaign finance, and the toxicity of masculinity. you and other attendees. Your personal Moderator: Claire Aguilar is Director of Programming & Policy at International Documentary responses to the films’ revelations and Association (IDA), one of the Indie Institutions honored by AIFF this year (p.17). Claire is the former possible social action points will be the Director of Programming and Industry Engagement at Sheffield Doc/Fest. At the Independent Tele- springboard for discussion. See screen- vision Service (ITVS), she served as Executive Content Advisor and Vice President of Programming. ings of the powerful filmsIntelligent Lives, ’s First Reformed, and Sky and Ground at AIFF2018, then come to Composing Scores for Classic & Contemporary Films the Elks Club and dive in deeper. Sunday, April 15, 10:00-11:30am Marla Estes, M.A. is the founder of the Musician/composers Terry Longshore, Tessa Brinckmann, and Joby Talbot will talk in depth School of the Examined Life. She gives about their experiences scoring the Russian silent classic The Dying Swan and Stacey Steers’ workshops using film watching as a lens for Trilogy, which they will perform live on Saturday night, April 14 at SOU Music Recital Hall personal growth, and understanding oneself (p. 19). Also sharing their perspectives on the process of commissioning and working with and others. composers will be animator and visual artist Stacey Steers and Dennis Doros, co-founder of Kay Sandberg, M.A., is passionate about Milestone Films and distributor of the restored The Dying Swan. film as a way to elevate our experience of AIFFLearn is made possible by the support of these generous funders: being human. She has spent her career Moderator: Richard Herskowitz is the Artistic and Executive Director of AIFF and the Artistic Director of the Houston Cinema Arts Festival. He has also been Director of the Virginia Film Festival Rotary Club of Lithia Springs • The Carpenter Foundation facilitating conversations that matter including the popular, “OLLI Goes to the AIFF.” and Curator of Media Arts at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene. And Richard has just Carrico Family Foundation become an official Ashland resident!

PAGE 26 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 27 Family AIFF2018 FAMILY FRIENDLY FEATURE Liyana (p. 56) Programs Family Day Friday 6:40pm • Saturday 1:00pm & 6:40pm Sunday 12:40pm • Monday 3:40pm An uplifting and inspiring blend of documentary and animation, Liyana is a film born in the imaginations of at five orphaned children in Swaziland. The children are introduced to acclaimed South African storyteller Gcina Mhlophe and with her create the fairytale, Liyana, about a Swazi girl who embarks on a dangerous quest to save her young twin brothers. Saturday, April 14, 10:00am–5:00pm Free admission for AIFF members with badges Join us for a day of hands-on filmmaking activities and presentations geared towards families and kids six and older. The presenters are all accompanying films in this year’s Ashland Independent Film Festival.

10:15-11:00am Space Exploration and Imaging at NASA with NASA’s Dan Jacobs Kid Flix Dan Jacobs, who coordinates CineSpace and other public pro- 56 min | Saturday, 12:40pm & Sunday, 10:10am, Ashland grams for NASA, will talk about the CineSpace film competi- Street Cinema | Saturday, 10:00am, Collaborative Theatre tion and how it fits into NASA’s space imaging programs and Project (AIFF Medford) larger mission. See the 2017 CineSpace winners Saturday 4/14 at 3:40pm at Ashland Street Cinema (p. 26). A diverse community must put aside their differences to enjoy a tasty meal in Stone Soup, a hungry creature devises a way to get 11:00am-12:30pm & 3:30-5:00pm his fill in Tiger, and a young croc enjoys a tasty treat in Crocodile. Activities: Flipbooks and Zoetropes Visually innovative animation and Audience Award winners Make a short animation the old-fashioned way. Use stamps from the New York International Children’s Film Festival are truly or draw your own frames and watch them come to life before delicious for ages 3 and up. CineSpace 17 your eyes. Outdoor Cinema | Director: Tatiana Poliektova | Australia, Introduced by Dan Jacobs, who coordinates CineSpace and 1:00-1:45pm other public programs for NASA. Russia | 3 min Stop-Motion Animation at Studio 74 min | Saturday, 3:40pm | Ashland Street Cinema The Birdie | Director: Yekaterina Filippova | Russia | 3 min with Mark Shapiro | Director: Maribel Suarez | Mexico | 5 min CineSpace 17 is the third annual short film competition co-produced A Hole Mark Shapiro, Brand Manager for LAIKA, will introduce by NASA and Houston Cinema Arts Society. Containing footage Tiger | Director: Kariem Saleh | Germany | 4 min younger audiences to the operations of the Portland-based from NASA’s vast moving image archive, this year’s eclectic and Crocodile | Director: Julia Ocker | Germany | 4 min animation studio, where Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and international films span all and exemplify the power of the Two Strings originated. Konigiri Kun: Shopping | Director: Mari Miyazawa | Japan | space exploration to inspire the imagination. 5 min 2:00-4:00pm Transmitter Receiver | Director: Vincent Wilson | Canada | 9 min Spring Jam | Director: Ned Wenlock | New Zealand | 6 min Activities: Stop-Motion Animation I’m Here Now Somehow | David Regos | Germany | 10 min Water Path for a Fish | Director: Mercedes Marro | Colombia, Use clay to make your own sets, props, and characters, then Miss Baker’s Ride | Patrick Morgan | France, United Kingdom | France, Spain | 8 min learn how filmmakers create the illusion of movement and life by putting it all together into your own stop-motion animated film. 6 min Spider Web | Director: Natalia Chernysheva | Russia | 4 min Nadir | Pedro de Filipis | Hungary | 9 min You Look Scary | Director: Xiya Lan | USA | 4 min 4:00-4:45 pm Azipaco | Alex Moreno | Mexico | 8 min Magic Lantern Demonstration Stone Soup | Director: Clementine Robach | Belgium, France | To the Sky | Daniela Clementi | Chile | 10 min 7 min with Michael Zahs Eight-Ball | Jonathan Grace | Australia | 3 min Michael Zahs is the charismatic film archivist and retired Mr. Night Has a Day Off | Director: Ignas Meilunas | Lithuania | 2 schoolteacher who is the subject of Saving Brinton, screening Lunar | Christian Stangl | Austria | 7 min min Saturday 4/14 at 9:30am at the Historic Ashland Armory. Zahs The Space Between Us | Jesse Vogelaar | Australia | 8 min The Pocket Man | Director: Ana Chubinidze | France, Georgia, will demonstrate the Magic Lantern, an early precursor to The Great Portals of Cyberspace: | Switzerland | 7 min the film projector, and show some of the original slides he Jacob Carlsson | France, Sweden | 4 min The Pits | Director: Mike Hayhurst | USA | 3 min uncovered in a farmhouse basement in rural Iowa.

PAGE 28 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 29 At Ashland Street Cinema. Admission FREE Family Shorts is FREE, but a ticket is required. Short Film Programs Zackary Drucker: Trans Film Television 68 min | Saturday, April 14, 3:40pm AIFF2018 Pride Award honoree Zackary Drucker presents a selection of her media art and television productions. Drucker’s work crosses over genders as well as divisions between the art world and mainstream television. Drucker’s photographic and video artworks, as well as her productions for television Animated Worlds: Stop-Motion (most notably, the TV series Transparent) are often inspired by Locals Only 1: LAUNCH Student Films (8 & older) Classics with Mark Shapiro pioneering drag queens such as Holly Woodlawn and Flawless 48 minutes | Friday, April 13, 3:40pm & Saturday, April 14, 10:10am | Films listed in order of play 76 min. | Friday, April 13, 3:40pm & Saturday, April 14, 9:40pm Sabrina. Drucker is dedicating today's program to her inspira- tion, Flawless Sabrina, narrator and star of The Queen (p. 65), Short films everyone can enjoy by student filmmakers from around the Siskiyou region. Featuring the finalists and winning films from From LAIKA’s Mark Shapiro: When Animating Life, The Art, who recently passed away. the LAUNCH Regional Student Competition including AIFF’s PridePrize. Science, and Wonder of LAIKA opened at the Portland Art Museum, I dreamed of putting together a canon of great stop-motion At Least You Know You Exist | 2011 | 16 min The Assignment Uninvited Guest shorts that would exemplify the format’s unbelievable talent, Anna Mendes | Short | 3 min | Ashland The LAUNCH Regional Known as Jack to those close to him, Flawless Sabrina has lived in (ft. A Procrastination Attack) storytelling, and art. Of course, editing it down to one block Hannah Scott | Short | 2 min | Central Point Finalist Student Film Competition the same apartment at 5 East 73rd Street for more than 45 years—a of films was the greatest challenge. What unifies these films? Finalist She always has to tag along and ruin your week. invites students from kindergarten to college crowded, unwieldy place that fiercely pronounces his rejection of Sia is assigned a writing prompt about what she Who even invited her? to create inventive short films and win prizes Tactile puppets and props and, in every case, a human hand guiding loves and procrastinates ‘til the last minute of them frame-by-frame. conformity. In this 16mm film, totemic mystical objects act as a Find the Tribe, Lift the Vibe in their grade category. Students may also spring break to get it done. submit films for the PridePrize, a special cash collection of mysterious sculptures in different states of mutation Helen-Thea Marcus, Samarth Trivedi | Two Balloons | Director: Mark C. Smith | 9 min and rich layers of feverish history interface with a new vision of The Adventure Short | 3 min | Ashland prize for outstanding student-made films that speak to the LGBTQ+ experience. The story of two adventurous lemurs who navigate their handmade transgender performativity. Hayden Bowman and Sophia Moe | Short | Finalist dirigibles halfway around the world. 2 min | Ashland If you chose to follow your wildest dream, where Launch Grades K-5 Winner would it take you? Eric Leighton: One Frame of Animation | Director: LAIKA | 5 min She Gone Rogue | 2012 | 22 min A humorous stop-motion short about some ad- Animator Eric Leighton takes a bouncy journey around a unique set on Darling attempts to visit her Auntie Holly but instead falls down venturous kids who get lost in the woods over- aNG(k)SHes LAIKA’s Coraline production. a rabbit hole, encountering transfeminine archetypes (legend- night and their hungry moms and messy dads. Jayden Becker | Short | 2 min | Talent ary performers Holly Woodlawn, Vaginal Davis, and Flawless | Directors: Bob Gardiner, | 8 min Sassy Cat Launch College Honorable Mention Sabrina) who are in turn confounding, nebulous, complicated Anxiety—a feeling of being one step in front of A man sees the art come to life while he is at a museum. Flannery Lundgren, Aliya Lackey, Aurora a towering storm ready to suck you up into its and contradictory. Written & Produced by Zackary Drucker and Graham | Short | 5 min | Ashland mouth, crashing down on all sides around you Fresh Guacamole | Director: PES | 2 min Rhys Ernst; Directed by Rhys Ernst. Finalist ‘til you can’t breathe. An unseen cook uses unusual ingredients in his guacamole. A sassy girl becomes annoyed when she has to Transparent “Best New Girl“ (Season 1, Episode 8) spend time with her grandma one afternoon. Foul Weather Friends Neighbours | Director: Norman McLaren | 8 min 2014 | 30 min A Voyage to Mars Anna Hodges | Short | 4 min | Ashland Neighbors feud over a simple flower. Launch College Winner In a flashback, Mort (Jeffrey Tambor) escapes with friend Mark Atticus Ryan | Short | 4 min | Phoenix Shape shifter Danny rescues a cat during a storm, THE JURORS Creature Comforts | Director: Nick Park | 5 min (Bradley Whitford) to a cross-dressing retreat in the woods Launch Grades 6-8 Honorable Mention befriending her as they shelter together. Carol Christlieb Jensen was born and raised A humorous and thought-provoking view of what animals in zoos might and becomes captivated with a very accepting woman named A story of a trip to Mars. in Ashland and earned a BS from the Uni- be thinking about their captivity and surroundings. Connie (Michaela Watkins). Figuring Things Out versity of Oregon in Community Education, Annabelle’s LEGO Dream Recreation & Park Management. She is re- Head Over Heels | Director: Timothy Reckart | 10 min Annabelle Elliott | Short | 4 min | Eagle Point Berkeley Skuratowicz | Short | 2 min | Ashland cently retired from 22 years as the Director Launch Grades 6-8 Winner Finalist A man lives on the floor while his estranged wife lives on the ceiling. A teenage girl contemplates the challenges of of Pre-College Youth Programs at SOU. When Annabelle falls asleep with a song stuck in Vincent | Director: Tim Burton | 6 min her head, her dreams can get pretty interesting. revealing she is queer. Zoey Belyea is the Education Director at ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum. She is Vincent dreams of being like actor Vincent Price and loses himself in My Oregon The Oft Forgotten A also the managing director of Stories Alive macabre daydreams. Carson Bennett | Short | 3 min | Medford Idalia Valles & Sarah Hughes | Short | in Ashland and the Youth Power Program Spaghetti | Director: PES | 2 min 3 min | Medford Finalist Coordinator for Citizen University in Seattle. We all want that special someone...Right?! Everyday objects become delicious ingredients as we learn how to cook Finalist Susan Bacon has been the Executive Direc- spaghetti through stop-motion photography. This is My Oregon. It’s Not That Hard...I Think tor of the Ashland Schools Foundation for Noah’s Ark | Director: Bill Justice for the Walt Disney Company | 19 min Battle of the Brains Grayson Munoz | Short | 1 min | Medford 15 years. She and her husband, Curt, raised Finalist two great kids in Ashland and go to the Noah gets the word: build an ark in seven days. Caleb Knight | Short | 4 min | Medford movies every chance they get! Finalist It’s not that hard to create a gender neutral bath- Bottle | Director: Kirsten Lepore | 5 min room, but I’m not an architect. Brains vs. brawn—they have always been the A transoceanic conversation between two characters via objects in a bottle. fiercest of enemies. Two of them will now duke The Saturday, April 14, 10:10am screening it out in a fierce battle to resolve their conflict. The Last Letter Moriah Doepken & Joevahnta Usugan- is followed by an Awards Ceremony. Prizes Late Edition—Conversation Pieces Hounded Weddington | Short | 3 min | Ashland made possible by the Rotary Club of Ashland Directors: Peter Lord, David Sproxton | 5 min Brandon Fortino | Short | 3 min | Medford Pride Prize Winner Lithia Springs. The PridePrize is made possible An exclusive look behind the scenes of a magazine production. It’s not a love letter if he’s moving on. Launch Grades 9-12 Winner by a generous gift from the LGBTQ Juvenile Nailed It | Director: LAIKA | 1 min A dog’s little odyssey goes a long way... Justice Fund of the Equity Foundation. A Zombie, a pommel horse, and Olympic dreams.

PAGE 30 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 31 Short Docs 1: About Work TIMES Short Docs 2: About Community TIMES 92 minutes | Varsity Thursday 12:20pm • Saturday 9:50am 93 minutes | Varsity Friday 3:20pm • Saturday 6:20pm Sunday 9:20pm Sunday 12:20pm Films listed in order of play Films listed in order of play Ferryman at the Wall Commodity City Do Not Pass Go Let My People Vote 16 minutes | 2017 | Canada, Mexico, USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 10 minutes | 2017 | China, USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 23 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 17 minutes | USA | In Competition riginally proposed as an interna- rom the director of What Lies Upstream iwu International Trade Market— ilmed in Tampa during the 2016 tional peace park with Mexico, Big (AIFF2017), Do Not Pass Go focus- O aka Commodity City—is the largest presidential election, this vérité doc- Bend, Texas has a unique relationship Fes on a small community in rural North F Ywholesale consumer market in the world. umentary short covers an emotional with its southern neighbor. For the past Carolina that faces the potential shut- Christmas decorations, fake flowers, and day-in-the-life of civil rights activist and 40 years, Mike Davidson has been ferry- down of their new gigabit broadband other cheap merchandise leaves China to former felon Desmond Meade. What ing tourists across the Rio Grande for a network. What ensues is an investigation end up in dollar stores everywhere. This begins as an upbeat day of faith in our little taste of Mexican life — but now a great big divide threatens the park. into how this town managed to get fiber, why it’s likely to be taken away, documentary observes the daily lives of vendors who work in the Yiwu Mar- democratic process, ends in a heartbreaking realization for Desmond. A visitor’s guide to America’s great big border wall. and what to expect for the future of municipal broadband in America. kets, exploring moments of tension between commerce and individuality, Director’s Statement: Gilda Ann Brasch Director’s Statement: David Freid between the goods for sale and the humans who sell them. Subtitles Director’s Statement: Cullen Hoback Voter disenfranchisement is real in America. It’s one A lot of people have an opinion of the wall, but few Director’s Statement: Jessica Kingdon There’s a reason I no longer play Monopoly—it’s an anger- of the painful legacies of hundreds of years of systemic have experienced life along the border. When you’re inducing lesson in capitalism gone wrong. I feel the same When I read about Yiwu Market, I was attracted to the racism. Unless the story is told, it’s not going away. In- down there, you quickly realize that drawing a neat way about internet service providers (ISPs) across America; scale, aesthetic, and contextual layers operating there: spired by Dr. Martin Luther King, we set out to docu- line between our two countries isn’t easy. Personally, though it’s an imperfect metaphor, because unlike in Monopoly, all of these things were both distant yet relevant to my ment the first presidential election since a 2013 Supreme I don’t believe that building a wall is an answer. But ISPs don’t roll dice. I hope the ISP disinformation campaigns, political tricks, life. As an American consumer I give little thought to my Court ruling gutted the Voting Rights Act. This is what we found. I didn’t want to make a partisan film that doesn’t and abuses of power revealed in Do Not Pass Go will serve as ammo for relationship to the people producing the goods I buy from abroad, and attempt to explore something outside of my own preconceptions. We commuities looking to take back their small slice of the game board. knew if we wanted to learn more, others would too. being of mixed Chinese ethnicity, my relationship to China poses an open question. Ode to Joy Community Patrol Oregon Premiere | 12 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition The Last Honey Hunter Washed Away Oregon Premiere | 13 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition inety-three-year-old Naomi Friedman 35 minutes | 2017 | Nepal, USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 18 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition and her friends have found an un- hot in vivid , this ob- Nusual way to fill the long days of their servational, nonfiction film follows n the mist-shrouded mountains of here are many days when Brandon retirement. Banding together to form Sa Detroit minister as he tries to rally his Nepal’s Hongu River valley, the Kulung Anderton cannot get out of bed. But the Kazoo Ensemble, they delight chil- I community to shut down a drug house. people carve their lives out of the land Ton the days he can, he creates mosaic dren in their community with their The minister and his neighbors act as a and practice an ancient form of animism masterpieces in the sand, only to see seriously-performed, silly-sounding music. Some go beyond the ten- kind of moral chorus that symbolizes the structured around the god Rongkemi. them washed away by coastal tides cent kazoo and attempt elegance in humming, but most members join to activist spirit of Detroit—vociferous and passionate. A glimpse at neigh- Here you will find a wiry, unassuming hours later. Brandon’s art is transforma- give their fleeting days purpose. borhood self-policing with a central message of love. man named Mauli Dhan Rai, who is believed to be chosen by the gods tive—saving him from a dark place of unending chronic pain and lifting for the perilous rite of honey harvesting. Subtitles him out into a place of hope and inspiration. From the director of Batkid Director’s Statement: Andrew James Director’s Statement: Michael Koshkin Director’s Statement: Ben Knight Begins (AIFF2015). This film began when my grandma heard I was shooting a I always felt that there was something special about This project was a dream come true for me, honestly. In TV show in Texas and called to ask if I would film her kazoo Director’s Statement: Dana Nachman Minister Malik Shabazz and that he deserved his own film. band so they could try to get on The Ellen Degeneres Show. this age of freakishly short attention spans and reality TV- I was lucky enough to tag along with him and his group of style editing, it was really important to me to tell this story I saw an article on Brandon when I was on Twitter one My first response was, “Grandma, you’re in a kazoo band?!” night. The image of one of his sand mandalas immediately friends and activists for a long weekend of patrolling and And my second, “Of course!” The film grew from there. in a way that was (hopefully) immersive for a willing audi- marching one October. Community Patrol is the result of that time with ence and respectful to the Kulung culture. I felt a sense of caught my eye and I was completely taken with his story. I found it very inspiring and visually compelling and felt like it would make a them. His story and perspective speak to so many questions that I have responsibility to the people who gave us their trust to tell about America, capitalism, and neoliberalism, that I couldn’t resist. their story in a way that didn’t feel exploitive or overly dramatized. great film! I think anyone who comes in contact with Brandon can’t help but be inspired by him, no matter what their struggles are, big or small. Water Town Arrested (Again) 23 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition tomnoddy Oregon Premiere | 5 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition or 100 years, the City of Weed, Oregon Premiere | 13 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition , has piped pristine water ctivist Karen Topakian has been arrested Ffrom a spring on Mount Shasta directly om Noddy couldn’t find his calling, A dozens of times for using nonviolent to its homes. Unfortunately, the spring so he created it. From Woodstock civil disobedience to protest nuclear pro- is located on land owned by a timber Tto The Tonight Show, he’s found happi- liferation, human rights abuses, environ- company that sells water to Crystal ness in the briefest of entities—the soap mental issues, and war. What drives her to Geyser for export to Japan, but says it will no longer provide water to the bubble. A charming, whimsical, witty repeatedly put her body on the line? Told town. This battle between the town and water company challenges us to film about an unconventional raconteur; with humor and warmth, Karen’s story speaks to the need for Americans, now consider whether water is a right or a commodity. the pride of the artist and the longing for recognition. With beautiful more than ever, to exercise this important First Amendment right. bubbles. From the director of Christmas, Again (AIFF2015). Director’s Statement: Maya Craig Director’s Statement: Dan Goldes Water politics in the West is high drama and the story Director’s Statement: Charles Poekel American politics are overwhelmingly glum right now. of the City of Weed encapsulates all the central themes: What attracted me to Tom’s story was how he dis- Arrested (Again) shines a light on someone who fights through wealth and power, corruption and privatization. The ab- covered his unique talent, how he remained true to that darkness, and has for 35 years, to make a difference in the surdity of the situation coupled with quirky, unexpected himself in doing so, and how he continues to inspire world. This film amplifies the theme that one person can make activists allowed me to use humor to tell a very serious childlike wonder night after night, year after year, a difference, and that dissent—even against one’s government— tale—and it’s hard to deny the charm of a David and Goliath story, decade after decade. is not only patriotic, it’s protected by one of the country’s founding documents. especially when it turns out there’s hope for the little guy.

PAGE 32 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 33 Short Docs & Stories: About Family TIMES Short Stories 1: In the TIMES 79 minutes | Varsity Friday 10:10am 93 minutes | Varsity Thursday 6:30pm • Friday 6:30pm Sunday 12:40pm Saturday 3:30pm • Sunday 12:30pm Films listed in order of play Films listed in order of play A Family Rides Game So Much Yellow First Date Oregon Premiere | 9 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition 15 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 10 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 10 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition

rowing up in Brooklyn, Kenji learned J Green makes an instant impression et in California in the late wo very different people meet from his father how liberating and A at varsity basketball tryouts. Coach S1960’s, So Much Yellow depicts the Ton a dating app, but can’t figure Gpowerful the act of riding a bicycle can (former NBA player Rick Fox) takes notice, car ride that changes a family forever. out how to have a civil conversation, be. The family tradition continues today, and so do the other players—especially the This heartbreaking story follows a young much less get dinner! An awkward as Kenji accompanies his young children point guard, whose starting slot is threat- girl’s perspective on the day her little adventure through the (eight-year-old Enzo and five-year-old ened. The high school team is second best in brother, who has Down syndrome, is night with an unexpected outcome... Akira) on their daily ride to school. City streets can be a challenge, but in the state, but this year Coach plans to win it all. AJ has talent, heart, and drive… taken away from her to live in an institution. Featuring real-life brother the possibility of true love? Maybe. if they can just let go and give it a shot. as well as a big secret. Will AJ make the team once the truth is discovered? and sister Kayline and Otto Gavenda. an age of environmental decay, this family is trying to do things differently. Director’s Statement: Alex Beh Director’s Statement: Benjamin Rosen Director’s Statement: Jeannie Donohoe Director’s Statement: Erica Milsom First Date is a little glimpse into how the way you meet Growing up a dedicated bicyclist in NYC, I’ve always wanted I wanted to tell a story about pursuing dreams and play- The story evolved many times over 10 years until I thought someone can influence how you get to know them; to capture the empowering nature of an activity that is so ing at the top of your game. Sometimes this requires what that day would be like from the point of view of a young how being uncertain about who they are because of the much more than a mode of transportation. When I came pushing past limitations and expectations. AJ challenges sibling. As I wrote down one of that girl’s thoughts, “I didn’t method in which you meet can greatly affect how much across an old friend’s Instagram account documenting the the rules and takes risks and Coach ultimately acknowl- want you to think that nobody fought for you,” I realized why you trust each other. For me starting with nothing—a urban bike riding adventures he takes with his family, I knew a poetic, lyrical edges the talent and drive unconditionally. The relationship I hadn’t been able to let this story go. This was the core of our film. If a story swipe, a picture, and a blind meeting where two people are basically film could be made. between Coach and AJ speaks to a willingness to reward ambition, hard is hard to find, then it’s probably the most important one you can tell. under the microscope immediately—was a fun way to enter a film. work, and equal talent with equal opportunities. Two Balloons Mother’s Day Aria The Day That 9 minutes | 2017 | USA Oregon Premiere | 14 minutes | 2017 | Cyprus, France World Premiere | 26 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 9 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition ade in Portland, Oregon, this thens, Greece. Seventeen-year-old n the day of a father’s unexpected other’s Day is supposed to be a stop-motion animated film tells Aria works at Jimmy’s local kebab death, six family members each celebration of motherhood and A O Mthe story of two adventurous lemurs place. She’s impatiently waiting for a seek ways to manage their grief. In the Mthe influence of mothers on society. But who navigate their handmade dirigibles driving lesson with her father during her face of his sudden absence, the ordinary for too many American children, the around the world. Eventually they return break. When he finally arrives, instead of takes on heightened meaning. A poetic holiday serves as a bitter reminder that to each other—to a place crossed by stars going driving, he drops off a mysterious exploration of the beauty of life and their mothers are locked behind bars. and clouds where love is at the center of everything—to a place where Chinese immigrant, who speaks neither Greek nor English, into Aria’s death and the incomprehensible mystery of it all that’s both profoundly This poignant film follows a program that buses low-income children to happenstance and fate threaten to disrupt their reunion. care. What will either of these young women do? Subtitles personal and unquestionably universal. We all vanish. visit their mothers in remote, rural California prisons and spend a few Director’s Statement: Mark C. Smith precious hours with them on Mother’s Day. Director’s Statement: Myrsini Aristidou Director’s Statement: Dorian Tocker My wife and I spent a winter refitting a sailboat and then Directors’ Statement: Elizabeth Lo, R.J. Lozada Sounds, looks, movements, the colors of Athens tell the I woke up one summer morning to find that my father sailed to Grenada. On one of the passages I saw a funnel story of Aria, Lu, and Petros on this cold February after- had vanished from the face of the earth. He’d had a We shot this project over many overnight bus cloud for the first time and that’s when the idea for Two noon. And when all the elements and subtleties finally heart attack in his sleep. And yet the world outside— rides to the Folsom Women’s Facility and the Balloons happened. We made clouds from dry ice and wool, unify and collide, the city becomes the soundtrack of sun trickling down onto the streets of Brooklyn—was California Institution for Women in Corona. captured lightning from a Tesla Coil, and constructed a 350 square-foot Aria’s life. Image by image, sound by sound, and piece by completely alive in all of its beauty and glorious mun- We made Mother’s Day to remind us of the steep ocean that undulated via push-rods and a step motor. It took four winters to piece, I anticipate the moments that I merge with these characters through danity. I’ve been thinking about the paradox of that day for 15 years. price an entire generation of youth—and by extension, our nation—has reach Grenada and four years to reach the last frame of Two Balloons. their journey, just as they merge into mine. to pay because of systems that remain broken across America. Who Decides Unstuck: an OCD kids movie Little Potato Unnatural Oregon Premiere | 7 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 24 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition 13 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition U.S. Premiere | 26 minutes | 2017 | Australia, USA | In Competition hile visiting a relative in the hos- bsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) n autobiographical film about a gay esperate to escape his past, James, a re- Wpital, a young girl wanders into Ois often viewed as a minor annoy- boy growing up in the Soviet Union, Dclusive teenager, moves to a new town the room of an elderly woman who ance, but it is a serious disorder that traps Ahis mail-order-bride mom, and their with his over-protective, watchful parents. has a bible in her hands and a cruci- those who have it in a vicious cycle of adventurous escape to America. Strug- He is eager to fit into a new school and be- fix above her bed. The two engage in a worries and rituals. To uncover what OCD gling to survive in the USSR during the friends Izzy, a rebellious girl from his class. discussion about who decides when it’s is—and isn’t—the film focuses on an un- turbulent years of perestroika, Elena and Izzy is a breath of fresh air and offers James your time to die. the freedom and friendship he’s longed for his entire life. But James has a secret. likely group of experts: kids. As six resilient kids and teens map their road her son escape into the world of pirated American movies. But soon the Director’s Statement: Mylissa Fitzsimmons to recovery, we are inspired to believe it is possible to fight our worst fears. movies are not enough and Elena decides to discover America for herself. A secret so destructive, it could endanger him and maybe those around him. Who Decides was inspired by my love of horror films Director’s Statement: Kelly Anderson Directors’ Statement: Wes Hurley, Nathan Miller Director’s Statement: Amy Wang and my own child sneaking into my room late one Producer Chris Baier and I met at a support group for Life in Russia, especially for gay people, is still very Being a Chinese-Australian filmmaker has been dif- night after a nightmare and waking me up to ask, parents of children with OCD. I had wanted to make a much a mystery to the rest of the world. Now more ficult for me. Growing up in a culture that was so “Who decides when it’s your time to die”? Winner film about how devastating it is for families, but worried than ever the story is relevant with its themes of inherently different from my ethnicity made me hate of the 2017 Sun Valley Film Festival Short Film Lab. about sensationalizing it and showing kids as “victims.” immigrant quests for the American Dream, government corruption, social who I was. I made this film because I want people to Then I overheard our 10-year-old daughters sharing how oppression, Russia-U.S. politics, violence against women, and gay/trans see others as human, not a caricature or negative ste- OCD impacts their lives, and thought, “Why not make a film featuring rights. But despite the heavy subject matter, the story of my mom and I coming reotype of their sexuality or their ethnicity. Through understanding and these kids as the OCD experts they are?” to America is as hopeful and positive as any Hollywood happy ending. compassion, we grow as a culture and become better people.

PAGE 34 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 35 Short Stories 2: After Hours TIMES 88 minutes | Varsity Thursday 9:30pm • Saturday 9:30pm Sunday 9:30pm • Monday 9:30pm Films listed in order of play Falling Debris Oregon Premiere | 19 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 14 minutes | 2017 | Peru, USA | In Competition

potentially psychosomatic white et against the grim world of human man, a woman stuck in a vortex of Slabor trafficking, an undocumented con- A“man-splaining,” and a young black man struction crew encounters a nightmare. The caught in a racially charged standoff foreman of the construction site, Armando, are set on a collision course as society is a hard worker and expects the same from falls apart around them in this absurdist his crew. When an accident injures some of dark comedy. Each character struggles to navigate the escalating mad- the workers, Armando is forced to use unconventional methods to help them. ness around them. As reality and the surreal blend, their stories start to But the contractor in charge has a more brutal solution in mind. Subtitles align, both symbolically and actually. Director’s Statement: Julio O. Ramos Director’s Statement: Ewen Wright Who are the people building the homes of America? Where When I first wrote Falling, it was a writing exercise, did they come from? Who hired them? The International not something I actually intended to make. It started Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 21 million people as a way of exploring and processing things going on in our culture that around the world are trapped in jobs into which they were coerced or deceived, are both horrible and completely normal. The result is simultaneously and which they cannot leave. Contractors and employers become traffickers of rooted in our modern reality, but shifts abruptly into the surreal—which labor, making false promises of high-paying jobs and luring desperate people felt like the only fitting way to capture this moment. into atrocious working conditions. Debris seeks to break the stereotypical no- tion that labor trafficking only happens somewhere else. Beast U.S. Premiere | 18 minutes | 2017 | United Kingdom Tortoise World Premiere | 12 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition ather than tell her that her father has run off with another woman, ennis, a young man with turbulent RAlice’s mother, Grace (), tells emotions, befriends a talking tortoise her that her father has become a “beast.” Din the desert. As it ministers to his feel- But instead of frightening seven-year- ings, the two experience the blissful joy of old Alice, her mother’s tale sets Alice’s being known and loved by another. But imagination ablaze as she questions who—or what—she really is. If her then Dennis’ ugliest impulses are awakened father’s a monster, what does that make her? Magical realism blends with by his new friend and the limits of his self-control and sanity start to wear domestic drama in this gothic fairytale. Subtitles thin, sending their warped symbiosis down a path of destruction. Director’s Statement: Leonora Lonsdale Director’s Statement: Stephen A good friend once told me how much it had horrified her Using my interest in the desert, reptiles, and bowling, I tried when, as a child, a family friend had described her mother to concoct a vision of what it’s like to reconcile the opposing as a “witch.” It was the first time anyone had spoken badly of voices that are at war in my head. Voices that, sometimes, try her mother in front of her. It’s so easy to capture a child’s imagination or use to convince me that I can and ought to seize control by using force. Tortoise is them as a pawn in a battle between parents. We wanted to explore a mother’s about becoming enslaved to and subsequently being crushed by such a voice. psychology and the effect her storytelling has on her child. The Burden Great Light Oregon Premiere | 14 minutes | 2017 | Sweden World Premiere | 11 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition n animated dark musical that takes t a family gathering to watch the solar place in a modern market place, eclipse, the matriarch of a rural Asituated next to a large freeway. The Afamily takes issue with the disturbing animal employees of the various com- behavior of her grown daughter’s boy- mercial venues deal with boredom friend, bringing up long-buried issues and existential anxiety by performing with her own father, who now sits cheerful musical turns. The apocalypse is a tempting liberator. Subtitles motionless inside the house. As the dark shadow crosses the sun, she focuses on her beautiful young grandaughter and finally expresses her Director’s Statement: Niki Lindroth von Bahr feelings. Winner of the Hammer to Nail 2017 Summer Contest. The Burden is inspired by the classical Hollywood musicals that I loved to watch when I was growing up. The theme Director’s Statement: Tony Oswald is darker, however, dealing with boredom, loneliness, and Great Light is a about secret existential anxiety. I mainly wanted to shed light upon the cycles of abuse and the rare moments of courage and con- kind of pointless, underpaid labour that exists everywhere but is seldom flict that bring that abuse to light. It was shot in Kentucky paid attention to. If these employees were to suddenly find themselves in a during the 2017 total solar eclipse. My mother, Kimberley musical, what would they sing about? It has taken me over two years to finish Glass, plays the lead role loosely based on her and I hope her strength the film with all of the animation, models, and puppets made by hand. commands the attention it deserves when people watch it.

PAGE 36 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 37 FREE Short Film Programs At Ashland Street Cinema. Admission is FREE, but a ticket is required. Unless specifically noted as family fare, the short films in these programs may have strong language and/or adult themes. Viewer discretion advised. Locals Only 2: Ashland Roots 80 min | Narrative Shorts | Friday, April 13, 9:40pm & Sunday, April 15, 9:40pm Filmmakers from the Rogue Valley, now and forever, bring you stories that are touching and funny. The Strangeness You Feel Free for All Jackie Katzman | 16 min | USA Laney D’Aquino | 10 min | USA Ella, desperate to have a child and her clock Nine people agreed to do one impossible thing. ticking away, takes matters into her own hands. Together, they dared to dream and make a film. You Were so Good The Liberty Mig Windows | 5 min | USA Jill Sachs | 22 min | USA An actor, unsure of his performance in a play, When his classic movie palace is threatened receives bizarre compliments from a mysterious with closure, a man throws a grand show to save stranger that make him question the relation- it—while his daughter struggles to save him. ship between a performer and the audience. The Better Half The Lightkeeper Imogen Straub | 11 min | USA Zach Bandler | 16 min | USA Love is for the birds... Featuring Academy Award-nominee and Gold- en Globe winner Bruce Davison alongside SAG Award®-nominee Meg Steedle (HBO’s Boardwalk Empire), a hardened young woman agrees to din- ner at the remote home of an aging recluse. + AIFF Festival= Indie Film ❤ Locals Only 3: On the River, On the Land 66 min. | Narrative & Documentary Shorts | Thursday, April 12, 3:40pm & Saturday, April 14, 9:40pm Celebrating the joy and beauty of our Southern Oregon waterways and landscapes. Training Day Bigfoot’s Lament Chris , Marcus Mattioli, Shane Stiles | Aubry Hollingshead | 6 min | USA 15 min | USA A lonely Sasquatch struggles with anxiety It’s one thing to catch a Steelhead on a fly rod; about the size of his feet and his failure to even more of a challenge is to catch that moment make friends with other animals. on camera. Building a Cedar Strip Canoe Bee Girl Adam Koekkoek | 11 min | USA Natalie Faye | 4 min | USA A guy builds a wooden boat in his garage. Meet Sarah, a young woman who discovered her passion for beekeeping and founded the Ashes of Time nonprofit Bee Girl Organization in Ashland, Ryan Niemi | 4 min | USA dedicated to conservation and education. Life in Southern Oregon captured through time-lapse photography. The Road Between Us Joanne Feinberg, Kathy Roselli | 14 min | Protected–A Wild & Scenic USA River Portrait Famed local photographer Christopher Briscoe Jeremy Monroe, David Herasimtschuk | and his son bicycle 58 days and 2,701 miles up 12 min | USA Bill Nye is a man on a mission: Route 66, discovering that the road between Follow river paddler, author, and conserva- Bill Nye: Science Guy them is the life path that connects them. tionist Tim Palmer through the enchanting to stop the spread of anti-scientific of Oregon’s Wild Rivers Coast, which COMING APRIL 18 TO P.O.V. ON SOPTV | thinking across the world. has the highest concentration of National Wild & Scenic Rivers in the U.S.

PAGE 38 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 39 Best Documentary Short Best Narrative Short Film Jonathan Marlow is a curator, Clemence Taillandier began her composer, cinematographer, film career as a theatrical and festival booker producer, and filmmaker with a handful of at Zeitgeist Films, the NY-based distri- Awards & Jurors award-winning shorts and feature-length butor renowned for ground-breaking works. He is currently affiliated with the documentaries and award-winning California Film Institute and Arbelos; the foreign films including The Corporation Telluride and Crossroads film festivals; film institutions the and Bill New York. She now operates her own JURIED AWARDS AUDIENCE AWARDS Northwest Film Forum and Cinematheque; distribution services company and provides theatrical, • The Les Blank Award: • Rogue Creamery Audience Award: and technology-centric film distribution companies festival booking and consultation services to boutique Best Documentary Feature Best Documentary Feature Amazon and Fandor. distributors including Film Movement and Distrib Films. • Best Editing: Documentary Feature • Audience Award: Best Documentary Short Laura Thielen served as Aspen Film’s George Eldred has over 30 years of • Best Documentary Short • Varsity Audience Award: Best Narrative Feature Executive/Artistic Director and San experience in the arts and media includ- Francisco International Film Festival’s ing as a programmer and organizer for • Best Narrative Feature • Jim Teece Audience Award: Best Narrative Short Program Director. She has participated Aspen Filmfest, Aspen Shortsfest, and • Gerald Hirschfeld Cinematography Award: AIFF Audience Awards are decided by festival-goers who submit on juries and panels for Sundance Film San Francisco International Film Festival; Narrative Feature their ballots after the film screenings. These awards are highly Festival, PSIFF, SFIFF, the NEA and as a shorts programmer for the Sundance Rockefeller Foundation, and more. Living in the Rocky Film Festival; and as a juror, panelist, guest curator, and • Best Narrative Short valued by our filmmakers. Don’t forget to vote! Mountains, Laura now writes and consults about film when program consultant at other international festivals. not training her new rescue pup. Carl Spence held leadership positions Bojana Sandic is the Programming with the Seattle International Film Director for New Filmmakers Los Festival for the past two decades. THE JURORS Angeles, the Shorts Programmer for As SIFF’s Festival Director and Chief South East European Film Festival in Los Curator, he transformed the festival into Angeles, and a Senior Programmer at the a year-round theatrical exhibitor. He The Les Blank Award: Best Best Narrative Feature & Gerald Newport Beach Film Festival, where she previously held Director of Programming positions with Documentary & Best Editing: Hirschfeld Cinematography Award: was formerly Director of Short Film Programming. Born the Palm Springs and San Francisco International Film Documentary Feature in Belgrade and raised in Southern California, she has Festivals. He co-founded Orcas Island Film Festival and Narrative Feature also worked with Lexus Short Films and LAIKA. is a senior programmer for the Miami Film Festival. Betsy McLane is a film writer, scholar, Cameron Swanagon has been an and professor with a special passion for Oscilloscope Laboratories loyalist since documentary. Her book, A New History his days slinging DVDs at a video rental of is a standard text shop and as an employee for the last around the world. She writes regularly four years, most recently coordinating J.B. STEEL, INC. for American Cinematographer and festivals. He is sustained mainly by Top COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL Cinemontage and is a researcher and interviewer for Ramen and drinks his coffee black. est. 1970 the Oral History Program of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She currently teaches at Steven Doughton is a writer and Southern Oregon University. director whose films have played at 541-773-8325 MoMA, Archives and Don Lewis www.jbsteelinc.com is a filmmaker and writer Marianne Boesky Gallery. His films from Northern California. He was are part of the permanent collection at a film critic for Film Threat before MoMA. His feature filmBuoy played becoming Editor-in-Chief of Hammer at AIFF in 2012. Doughton is working on a new feature to Nail in 2014. He holds a BA in called Earthlings. screenwriting from California State Northridge and is an MA candidate in Cinema Studies Katherine Dieckmann is a writer- at San Francisco State. director whose most recent feature is Strange Weather (AIFF2017). Other Helen De Michiel is a filmmaker, films include Motherhood, Diggers, writer, and community designer based in and A Good Baby. Dieckmann began Berkeley, CA. Her documentary projects her career as a journalist and directed include the work-in-progress, Knocking music videos for bands including on Doors, Lunch Love Community, The R.E.M. She is an Associate Professor at Columbia Gender Chip Project, Turn Here Sweet University’s School of the Arts Film Program where Corn, and the dramatic feature Tarantella, as well as many she teaches screenwriting. CarlisleGardenSuites.com shorts and media installations.

PAGE 40 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 41 2018 FILMS AIFF is INDEPENDENT. Need help navigating through the thicket of films in our jam-packed festival? AIFF’s programming team is here to help. Within our larger mission of supporting independent, non-mainstream filmmaking, each year we identify important, unifying themes that emerge from our pool of submissions. Focus on the ones that appeal to your taste, or sample them all. – Richard Herskowitz, Artistic & Executive Director

AIFF is CLASSIC. Exposure to classic films inspires directors to question and reinvent filmmaking conventions. Yet the dominant streaming service, , offers less than 20 films produced before 1950. Luckily, there are alternative platforms and this year’s AIFF, which is highlighting restored and rarely screened classic films. We are paying tribute to the best distributor of classic film restorations, Milestone Films, and presenting with live musical accompaniment the Russian classic, The Dying Swan, accompanied by AIFF2018 poster artist Stacey Steers’ collage animations of stars.

Titles to explore: . Saving Brinton. The Queen. No Maps on My Taps. Citizen Blue. Love, Cecil. Silent Scores: The Dying Swan and Stacey Steers’ Trilogy. AIFF is ART. Music, theater, filmmaking, photography, dance, cartooning, garden design, and drag performance are among the art forms that inspired Come meet some of our local stars... at the Shelter! independent filmmakers to produce exceptional work this year. Music: Hearts Beat Loud. The Last Hot Lick. A Tuba to Cuba. Symphony for Nature: The Britt Orchestra at Crater Lake. Itzhak. The King. Two Trains Runnin’. Theater and Performance: Shakespeare Wallah. The Gospel of Eureka. The Queen. Filmmaking: Citizen Blue. Literature and Storytelling: Liyana. The Foreigner’s Home. Dance: No Maps on My Taps. More—Garden Design, Photography and Set Design, and Cartooning: Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf. Love Cecil. Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End.

Facebook.com/FOTAS ph: 541.774.6651 web: FOTAS.org Adopt AIFF is ACTIVIST. Bring love home!As certain government leaders condemn investigations into Adopt Volunteer Foster Donate Volunteerelectoral and official corruption as “fake news,” and express Bring love home! Give loving care! Provide a loving home! Make love possible! disdain for American values of diversity and inclusion, independent Give loving care!filmmakers are embracing the role of journalist, activist, and champion of disempowered, unheard voices. Jackson County Animal Shelter Titles to Explore: The Reluctant Radical. A River Below. 5595 S Pacific Hwy, Phoenix Monday-Friday, 11AM-4PM Crime + Punishment. Intelligent Lives. Modified. Mr. Fish: Cartooning Saturday & Sunday, Noon-4PM from the Deep End. On Her Shoulders. One October. Skid Row Marathon. The Foreigner’s Home. Two Trains Runnin’. Sky and Ground.

PAGE 42 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 43 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES The Blessing Oregon Premiere | 76 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition he Blessing is an intimate vérité look into the lives and conflicts of a Navajo América Oregon Premiere | 76 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition T coal miner and single father, raising a teenage daughter. A rare, beautifully- captured personal story also reveals crucial spiritual and political conflicts as iego, a stilt walker in a Mexican tourist town, returns home after his Lawrence struggles with his part in the irreversible destruction of a sacred D93-year-old grandmother, América, falls out of bed. Reunited with his mountain by America’s largest coal mining company—and his employer. circus performer brothers, Rodrigo and Bruno, the three young men try to reha- While his daughter Caitlin grapples with her identity and the expectations bilitate their grandmother and free their father after he was unfairly jailed for of her traditionally-minded father, Lawrence endures a life-threatening inju- elder neglect. Diego is a dreamer who sees poetry and purpose in this crisis. ry and confronts the deep spiritual sacrifice he must make to provide for his He believes América, despite her immobility and advanced dementia, fell will- family. Filmed over five years, the film offers unprecedented access to the tra- fully, to reunite the separated family. But Diego’s dream of family cohesion ditional practices and contemporary threats to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. is challenged when the brothers clash over money, communication, and the weight of caring for América full-time. Part documentary, part narrative, this Directors: Hunter Robert Baker, remarkably intimate film brings us all a little closer to what it takes to care for TIMES Directors’ Statement: Hunter Robert Jordan Fein our loved ones. Subtitles Baker, Jordan Fein Directors: Erick Stoll, Sunday 12:00pm Producers: Jordan Fein, TIMES Hunter Robert Baker In late 2013, we traveled down dirt roads using Chase Whiteside Directors’ Statement: Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside Thursday 3:30pm Producers: Chase Whiteside, Recipient of a Executive Producer: Raoul a hand-drawn map to reach a small reser- Before we met América, we were looking for stories Max Truijillo vation town that is lovingly dubbed “where Friday 3:30pm Erick Stoll grant from the Cinematographer: Erick Stoll in Mexico that illuminated the rich and contradictory IDA Pare Lorentz Screenwriter: Ricardo Acosta the highway ends and the Wild West begins.” Saturday 12:30pm Cinematographer: Hunter Baker Editors: Chase Whiteside, relationship it shares with the . We imagined Fund (p.19) Crafting The Blessing was motivated by the Saturday 9:10pm Editors: Ricardo Acosta, Brett Erick Stoll a film about borders, tourism, and inequality—concepts P L A Y S W I characters’ active interest in sharing their Sunday 10:00am in keeping with the issue-focused shorts we’d made prior. Banks, Lance Edmands, T H : heart-wrenching experience and taking part Sunday 9:10pm The idea that we would end up spending years following a Jordan Fein You Have the in insuring the preservation of Navajo culture. Lawrence has used the film to Monday 3:10pm family of three brothers taking care of their grandmother Right to an explore the traumas of his complicated past for the first time and to solidify in a small city in southwestern Mexico was inconceivable. But upon witnessing the promise of his daughter’s future. He took an active role in showing us his the special relationship between Diego and his grandmother, we were moved world through his eyes, filming sections on his own using a helmet-mounted to commit ourselves to telling this story of family and conflict, life and death— camera. The film was only made possible by a deeply felt connection in front of in some ways a smaller film than we had planned, in others much bigger. and behind the lens. He trusted us to tell this story and we did it together. Selected Filmography: Feature Directorial Debut Selected Filmography: Directorial Debut

América plays with the Documentary Short The Blessing plays with the Documentary Short While I yet Live Dislocation Blues Oregon Premiere | 15 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 17 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition

rom the director of Five Nights in he personal is the political in FMaine (AIFF2016) and The Man Tthis reflective portrait from is the Music (AIFF2017), comes a last year’s protests in Standing new film that follows five acclaimed Rock, South Dakota by indig- quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama. enous experimental filmmaker Accompanying shots of their exquisite work, we listen to these re- Sky Hopinka. Everyone is there nowned African-American women sing spirituals and talk about for one important purpose, but even when united in a cause, we love, religion, and the fight for civil rights as they continue the have individual experiences and perspectives that are incomplete tradition of quilting that brought them all together. and imperfect. Cleo Keahna and Terry Running Wild describe what the camp looks like from the outside and what it feels like Director’s Statement: Maris Curran from the inside. In creating a documentary about five quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, I set out to show Director’s Statement: Sky Hopinka how individual and collective history is passed Energy for life. The film began as a reaction to the number of down through the art and tradition of quilting. cameras and documentary crews that were at The women in the film articulate the joys of their camp and how documentaries are often struc- lives as well as the struggles—both systemic and individual. And We work hard to ensure the safe and reliable tured to be authoritative of an event or experience, they emphasize an overarching theme of love—familial love, love delivery of natural gas. Because it helps keep interviewing numerous people to gain a wider of community, self-love—and love articulated through the process modern life possible. perspective. I wanted to be accountable for my own perspective of quilting. and to give Cleo and Terry a place to do the same without the avistautilities.com burden of representation falling on us, as is often the case for anyone who has historically been Othered.

PAGE 44 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 45 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Citizen Blue: The Life and Work 7World Premiere | 78 minutes | 2018 | France, United Kingdom, USA Crime + Punishment | Oregon Premiere | 111 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition

of a Great Filmmaker his observational documentary illuminates the stories of The NYPD 12, a Tgroup of black and brown active-duty officers and their efforts to expose orn in 1930 and raised in Portland, Oregon, James Blue was a visionary illegal quotas and other harmful police practices that target young minorities Bfilmmaker, scholar, and global citizen in an era of cinema revolutions. in low-income New York City neighborhoods. Unprecedented access over This documentary by University of Oregon professor Dan Miller, introduces us four years connects their stories to an innocent young man who is being held in to one of the most important voices in social activist filmmaking, an early Rikers Island prison without trial and refuses to cop a plea and an unforgettable driving force in media arts education, and a catalyst in the formation of private investigator who works tirelessly to free him. They all bravely risk their regional film arts organizations. His films are beautiful and moving classics, safety, careers, and freedom to bring change to the systemic injustice in policing portraying a common humanity. As a young man, he traveled from Oregon to that has plagued New York City—and much of America—for decades. Paris to study cinema. There he directed the Cannes Prize-winning film, Olive Trees of Justice. Returning to the U.S., he directed the civil rights masterpiece, Director’s Statement: Stephen Maing The March (screening in this program), and the Academy Award-nominated History may be written by "the victors,” but documentary, A Few Notes on Our Food Problem. Featuring interviews with documentaries are our opportunity to correct , Jr., Joan Churchill, and AIFF Artistic and Executive Director, Director: Stephen Maing Director: Daniel L. Miller TIMES incomplete narratives and challenge us to ex- TIMES Richard Herskowitz. Producers: Stephen Maing, Producer: Suzanne Clark Friday 12:40pm Eric Daniel Metzgar, Ross Tuttle perience the struggles of others. For the cops Friday 6:40pm Screenwriter: Daniel L. Miller Saturday 6:40pm Cinematographer: and community members I documented, the Monday 10:00am Cinematographer: Director’s Statement: Daniel L. Miller film became an important chance to share a counter-narrative about policing Monday 10:10am Stephen Maing Daniel L. Miller When I first saw James Blue’s 1963 filmThe March,I was Editors: Stephen Maing, most wouldn’t know. As a filmmaker, I’ve learned that journalistic practice Editor: Kevin May overwhelmed by emotion and admiration. The film truly Eric Daniel Metzgar may help us to be rigorous with investigative information, but following all deserved its place on the United States National Film Music: Brendon Anderegg, the rules can sometimes keep us away from a deeper story. To demonstrate Registry of “culturally, historically, or aesthetically sig- Andrew Lafkas systemic criminal justice problems there were many times the subjects, and nificant films.” To me it was all of these as well as an Ameri- eventually I, felt the need to "steal" certain scenes in order to unearth more can masterpiece. Imagine then how I felt when I not only troubling human conditions and experiences invisible to the world. I was often discovered the depth and breadth of this extraordinary reminded how the filming process may not be tidy and sometimes beckons to cinema scholar, teacher, film director, and world citizen, what is needed, but only if we stay open and listen. but was also privileged to direct the film and tell the story of citizen James Blue. Selected Filmography: High Tech, Low Life; The Surrender Selected Filmography: Dream to Fly, Fire in the Heartland, What We Could Carry

Citizen Blue plays with the Documentary Short The March 33 minutes | 1963 | USA

n 1963, under the auspices of the Enthusiastic sponsor of the IUnited States Information Agency ashland independent film festival (USIA), James Blue directed The March, sparking controversy in Congress for airing America’s social problems to international audiences. The film takes you behind the planning and mounting of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom with scenes that reflect the idealistic passion of both black and white organizers and marchers. The footage culminates with scenes at the Lincoln Studio A.B Memorial and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s powerful and lasting “I Have a Dream” speech. Ann DiSalvo The March was not seen by the Bruce Bayard American public at the time. To ensure that the U.S. government would not 621 A Street Ashland 541-482-2253 use propaganda on its own people, the anndisalvo.com brucebayard.com 1948 Smith-Mundt Act mandated that no USIA film could be shown within the U.S. without a special act from James Blue ART MADE HERE Congress. It wasn’t until 1990 that such films were authorized to be screened domestically.

PAGE 46 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 47 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Dark Money Oregon Premiere | 98 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf Oregon Premiere | 75 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition

ver a century ago, Montanans voted to prohibit corporate campaign con- enowned landscape designer Piet Oudolf is known for unique works such Otributions, but today, they are once again fighting to preserve open and Ras New York City’s High Line and ’s Millennium Park that have honest elections. Why? Because the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United de- revolutionized our conception of public gardens. This gorgeous documentary cision has allowed unlimited, anonymous money to pour into elections big takes us inside Oudolf’s creative process as he revisits gardens he’s designed and small. Dark Money follows intrepid investigative reporter John Adams as around the world, sharing with us how they’ve metamorphosed from abstract he uncovers a trail of corporate money that attacks candidates from all sides plans to living, breathing works of art. The film poetically reveals how Oudolf of the political spectrum. Chasing a maddeningly elusive corruption case, his upends conventional notions of ecology, public space, and beauty itself. work and the work of a few dedicated legislators helps bring about a momen- Featuring stunning, immersive photography, this is the perfect film for spring tarily optimistic verdict. Montana continues to fight Citizen’s United, but the in Ashland as our landscapes and gardens bloom. Subtitles threat to American democracy is still very dark indeed. Director’s Statement: Thomas Piper Director’s Statement: Kimberly Reed When discussing this project or intro- Director: Thomas Piper The only way to really understand how the dark TIMES ducing a screening, I feel compelled to money shell game works is to follow the groups over Producer: Thomas Piper confess that I am not a gardener. In mak- TIMES Director: Kimberly Reed Thursday 3:40pm Cinematographer: Thomas Piper Producers: Katy Chevigny, multiple election cycles as they pop up, disintegrate, ing the film, I was humbled to appreciate Friday 9:40pm Editors: Sara Pellegrini, Thomas Thursday 3:20pm Kimberly Reed reconstitute with another patriotic-sounding name, the profound depth of knowledge that and wreak mysterious havoc once again. It usually Sunday 6:40pm Piper, Rachel Shuman, Corinne successful gardening demands and I am Friday 9:50am Cinematographers: van der Borch takes journalists years to uncover the damage that always sensitive to appearing dismissive, or worse, presumptuous. But at the Saturday 9:20pm Eric Phillips-Horst, Kimberly Music: Charles Gansa, Davíð Þór dark money causes, and by that time it is too late. I sponsored by same time, that remove, together with the years of chasing after creativity, Monday 12:20pm Reed, Jay Sterrenberg Jónsson Editor: Jay Sterrenberg played this game of Whack-a-Mole over three elec- True South hopefully leads to a more universal revelation. One that extends beyond new Solar Music: Miriam Cutler tion cycles in what became the perfect environment ideas for a home garden and has a transformative and lasting effect on how we to tell the campaign finance story. Montana was not only the first and hardest all—gardeners and laypeople alike—see and experience the world around us. hit with dark money, but also the state that fought back the hardest with grass- Selected Filmography: Art, Architecture, and Innovation: Celebrating the Guggenheim roots citizen outrage. Our story puts a human face to that outrage. Museum, Ellsworth Kelly: Fragments Selected Filmography: Prodigal Sons (AIFF2009)

Five Seasons plays with the Documentary Short Nobody Dies in Longyearbyen 9 minutes | 2017 | Norway, USA | In Competition

hey say that when “Tyou’re hit by the polar bug, you never leave.” Don’t say we didn’t warn you, be- cause nobody dies in Long- yearbyen—or so goes the rumor. Traveling to the northernmost city in the world, the in- trepid filmmaker ofHigh Chaparral (AIFF2017) and Ferryman Serving Ashland since 1974 • ashlandforge.com at the Wall (AIFF2018) went to find out why and stumbled onto a science fiction tale about something deadly, long buried in the permafrost. RollStudy with a cast of faculty whoCamera know your name and have the Director’s Statement: David Freid highest degrees in their fields. Earn your degree on location in a spectacular natural setting for a superb educational experience. We originally went to Norway to make a very different film about a guy trying to give Finland a moun- tain for its birthday. While we were Where you can be you there, we heard this strange rumor SOU.EDU | 855-470-3377 about the very remote town of Longyearbyen. This film is our exploration of those rumors and the discovery of a larger issue that I hope attracts people to a story about climate change who as you like it wouldn’t normally watch a story about climate change.

PAGE 48 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 49 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES The Foreigner’s Home Oregon Premiere | 56 minutes | 2017 | France, USA | In Competition ot meant to be a traditional biography, this metaphorical documentary Nwas inspired by Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison’s multidisciplinary pro- gram at the Louvre, “The Foreigner’s Home,” in 2006. Morrison invited art- ists whose work addresses the experience of migration and displacement to join her in conversation about issues she has examined in her own writing and teaching for nearly fifty years. She poses crucial human questions such as “Who is the foreigner?” “Where is home?” “Who decides?” Using extensive archival footage, music and animation, and featuring excerpts of the author in conversation with other artists—both in Paris in 2006 and in 2015 at her home in New York—the film is a provocative and timely meditation on race, identity, foreignness, and the redemptive power of art. Subtitles

Directors’ Statement: Rian Brown, Geoff Pingree TIMES Directors: Rian Brown, Geoff Pingree Rian Brown: As a woman and an artist, my films often Thursday 9:00pm Producers: Rian Brown, look at female identity and explore ways of thinking Saturday 9:30am Ford Morrison, Geoff Pingree about “otherness.” I was drawn to this film because it Sunday 3:00pm Executive Producer: looks at how power structures—often governments— Jonathan Demme construct the idea of “the foreigner.” Ultimately the core Screenwriter: Geoff Pingree message of the film is about how artists and their ex- Cinematographers: Drew Dickler, ploration of these issues is “vital to what it means to be Jake Hochendoner, human.” What an honor it has been. Kervin Marseille, Ford Morrison Geoff Pingree: What attracted me was Toni Morrison’s Editors: Rian Brown, vision of the “foreigner” today and of art’s power to unify a Geoff Pingree, Yari Wolinsky divided world. The challenge was to render her ideas visu- Music: Jay Ashby, ally and aurally rather than simply repeat them; to illumi- Peter V. Swendsen nate them through a work of commensurate power—a film with its own vision. Selected Filmography: All It Takes, Death of the Moth, Into the Scrum

The Foreigner’s Home plays with the Documentary Short Tacos. Proud Supporters of AIFF Tamales. The World Is Round so That Nobody Can Tequila. Hide in the Corners – Part 1: Refuge Oregon Premiere | 10 minutes | 2017 | Germany

Proud Designers of the 7 days he journey of a gay African 11a-10p + Trefugee seeking asylum AIFF18 Publications in Germany, who seeks un- derstanding of the new world 541.708. he’s entered and of the world 76 N. Pioneer 6565 he left behind. Integrate v. 1. combine (one thing) with an- This good news other to form a whole; 2. bring into equal participation in a social group or institution. Refuge n. [ˈrɛfjuːdʒ] (a place that gives) pro- travels fast. tection or shelter from danger, trouble, unhappiness. Director’s Statement: Leandro Goddinho Fastest Internet service, customized to you. CarterWorks Currently, thousands of LGBTQ refugees flee to Europe seeking freedom. Most of graphic design Get Started Now! them are from African countries that penal- ize homosexuality with life imprisonment Call 541-552-2222 or even death. The World Is Round so That 541.646.0995 [email protected] Or visit ashlandfiber.net Nobody Can Hide in the Corners is a project to bring awareness www.facebook.com/carterworks How Ashland to people about LGBTQ+ civil rights throughout history, our A Service of the City of Ashland Connects. achievements and need, showing the past as a tool to understand our present and to build a better future.

PAGE 50 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 51 #3697 AFN News Travels Fast Ad 3.5X4.875.indd 1 1/26/18 11:49 AM DOCUMENTARY FEATURES The Gospel of Eureka Oregon Premiere | 75 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition Call for Entries begin July 1, 2018 ove, faith, and civil rights collide in a small town in Arkansas “40 min L away from Branson.” Evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to dismantle stereotypes in a distinctly American way. The film takes a personal, often comical look at negotiating differences between religion and belief through performance, political action, and partnership. Gospel drag shows and a year-round passion play set for one hell of a show. In the end, most of the townspeople who seem to be complete opposites turn out to be much the same, showing tolerance and acceptance unusual in today’s political climate. By continually emphasizing the overlap of faith and love in this little tourist town, the film gives a tiny ray of hope about the nature of humanity. Narrated by Mx Justin Vivian Bond. Directors’ Statement TIMES Directors: Michael Palmieri, : Donal Mosher Michael Palmieri, Thursday 3:10pm Producer: Charlotte Cook Donal Mosher Executive Producers: Rob Epstein, Friday 9:40am Cinema, like theater, can heighten our Jeff Hepper, Kellie Hepper & 6:10pm belief or make us believe the unbeliev- Cinematographer: Michael Palmieri Saturday 3:10pm able. It can also disrupt and deconstruct Editor: Michael Palmieri Sunday 3:10pm our belief. Without condescension, we Music: Ben Braden, Danny Grody, Monday 12:10pm hope to show that what is crass, campy, or even profane in the eyes of one Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher group is sacred and full of communal significance in the eyes of another. In an era where fundamentalism in both faith and politics rules the national stage, we hope to present a drama that explores the complex nature of belief and the fluid nature of faith. Selected Filmography: October Country, Off Label, Rougarouing (AIFF2014)

Proud supporter of:

PAGE 52 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 53 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES I Am Maris U.S. Premiere | 54 minutes | 2018 | USA aris Degener is an old soul born from the strength of a young, fight- Ming spirit. She’s a yogi; she’s a teacher; she’s an inspiration to her stu- dents, to the young people she mentors, and to the thousands who follow her online. And she’s only 17. Suffering from anxiety and depression for most of her young life, Maris is hospitalized for life-threatening anorexia nervo- sa. Her recovery is illustrated through vivid animated sequences, her own haunting artwork, and candid interviews with friends, parents, and her ther- apist. Fearlessly confronting buried emotions, Maris travels from despair to self-acceptance. A meaningful film for families confronting difficult issues with their teenage kids—and for all of us to gain insight into a life-affirming transformation. Director’s Statement: Laura VanZee Taylor TIMES Director: Laura VanZee Taylor Producers: Ariana Garfinkel, Maris was known in my small community for be- Sunday 3:40pm Laura VanZee Taylor ing a “perfect” kid. When I first came across her Cinematographer: artwork, I saw her emotional pain. Having suffered Laura VanZee Taylor from anxiety and depression as a young woman Editor: Laura VanZee Taylor myself, I was compelled to reach out to Maris and her mom. They revealed to me a breathtaking story of triumph. Too often, stories about eating disorders focus on scandal, emaci- ated bodies, “crazy” behaviors, and damaging repercussions. I wanted to tell a story of hope and healing. Maris demonstrates that mental illness is not a weakness, but a catalyst for building strength, spirit, and empathy. Selected Filmography: Feature Directorial Debut

I Am Maris plays with the Documentary Short Standing Still | Still Standing Oregon Premiere | 39 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition

xperience the real-time Etransformations of three people for whom Matthew Sanford, a charismatic para- plegic yoga instructor with an unconventional practice, is a last hope. Yoga has been studied and embraced as transformative for millenia. But yoga practiced this way—by the injured, infirm, emotionally lost—and Authentic NNth Indian Cuisine taught by someone who can only move half of his body, is radical. GMO FREE A moving, joyful journey of recovery. Director’s Statement: Andrew Walton LOCALLY SOURCED I love telling transformation stories. Standing ORGANIC AND NATURAL Still | Still Standing encourages us to think beyond typical categories of ability vs. SELECTIONS disability or good fortune vs. bad luck, opening us all up to greater possibilities than we have ever considered before. 31 WATER STREET ASHLAND Watching Matthew and his students will encourage all of us to 541 488 5900 find the determination, confidence, and strength to take on what might seem impossible. www.taj-indiancuisine.com

PAGE 54 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 55 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES DOCUMENTARY FEATURES Intelligent Lives World Premiere | 75 minutes | 2018 | USA The King Oregon Premiere | 107 minutes | 2018 | USA ntelligent Lives serves as a catalyst to transform the label of “intellectual irector Eugene Jarecki takes Elvis Presley’s 1963 Rolls Royce on a sprawl- Idisability” from a life sentence of isolation to a life of possibility for a sys- Ding musical road trip that explores the failed promise of the American tematically segregated American population. Meet three pioneering young dream. Ordinary citizens and celebrities ride along, singing or talking about American adults with intellectual disabilities, Micah, Naieer, and Naomie, what Elvis meant to them, framed by eloquent commentary from Van Jones, who challenge perceptions as they navigate high school, college, and the work- Chuck D, and Canadian Mike Myers, who witnessed the phenomenon but force. Academy Award-winning actor and narrator Chris Cooper contextual- weren’t truly a part of it. Scenes of 20th century America’s political landscape izes the lives of these students and shares a personal perspective through the are interspersed with archival footage showing Elvis’ rise from humble begin- emotional story of his son Jesse. The film confronts the shameful, ongoing nings to his increasing isolation, depression, and mortifying death. The King track record of intelligence testing in the U.S. that commits students to a nar- shows us a country boy who lost his authenticity and became a king and a row and prejudiced interpretation of talent, ability, and intelligence. This film country that lost her democracy and became an empire. Also featuring Alec will be shown with captions turned on. Baldwin, Emmylou Harris, Greil Marcus, and .

TIMES Director: Dan Habib Director’s Statement: Dan Habib Director’s Statement: Eugene Jarecki Producer: Dan Habib TIMES Director: Eugene Jarecki When my son Samuel was in elementary school, his Executive Producer: Elvis like America was young once and beautifully Thursday 6:00pm Executive Producers: teacher suggested that we add “intellectual disability” flawed. Elvis had his majesty when he landed on the Amy Brenneman, Chris Cooper, Friday 9:00pm Steven Soderbergh to his label of “health impaired” in order to access world stage, just as America had hers. This is a movie Opening Marianne Leone Cooper Screenwriter: Eugene Jarecki more services. My wife Betsy and I felt queasy. The very much about America—about the role that Elvis Night Film Cinematographer: Dan Habib Cinematographers: label seemed to suggest that Samuel’s intellect was so Tom Bergmann, Christopher played in changes to the American story over the last Rogue Award Editor: James Rutenbeck disabled that he couldn’t possibly be in class alongside Frierston, Étienne Sauret hundred years. His life in many ways is a cautionary Music: Paul Brill and Matisyahu honoree his peers. Only 17% of students with intellectual dis- tale for America. The country faces similar challenges Chris Cooper, Editors: Simon Barker, Élia Gasull abilities are included in regular education. Just 40% in the way our grandeur, our authenticity, our democ- Marianne Leone Balada, Alex Bingham, Laura Israel will graduate. Barely 15% are employed. “Intellectual Cooper, and racy has been undermined and threatened by capitalism, by money, by power. Director Dan disability” still carries the same negative implications we experienced. Segre- Money and power unraveled Elvis and I think it runs the risk of totally unrav- Habib will be gation. Isolation. Incompetence. Intelligent Lives challenges what it means to eling us unless we live up to something better. in attendance be intelligent. Selected Filmography: The House I Live In, Reagan, Why We Fight Selected Filmography: Including Samuel, Mr. Connolly Has ALS, Who Cares About Kelsey?

Itzhak | Orego80 minutes | 2017 | Israel, USA rom Shubert to Strauss, to…Billy Joel, Itzhak Perlman’s violin playing Ftranscends mere performance to evoke the celebrations and struggles of life, as if he were praying with the violin. This enchanting documentary looks Where to next? beyond the sublime musician to see the polio survivor whose parents emigrat- ed from Poland to Israel and the young man who struggled to be taken seri- ously as a music student when schools saw only his disability. Itzhak himself is funny, irreverent, and self-deprecating. His life story unspools in conver- sations with masterful musicians, family and friends, and most endearingly, his devoted wife of 50 years, Toby. As charming and entrancing as the famous violinist himself, Itzhak is a portrait of musical virtuosity seamlessly enclosed in warmth, humor, and above all, love. Subtitles

Director’s Statement: Alison Chernick Itzhak Perlman personifies the resilience, TIMES Director: Alison Chernick Producer: Alison Chernick vision, and contribution of the Jewish people. Friday 9:30am Cinematographers: Through Perlman, we hear stories of obsta- cles and survival while witnessing humor, Chris Dapkins, Christopher Gallo, travelessentials.com sponsored by Daniel Kedem, Mikko Timonen talent, discipline, and drive. The film follows 252 East Main AIFF Board Editor: Helen Yum the evolution of a musician while explor- Emeritus Music: Itzhak Perlman ing Jewish history and culture. Itzhak talks Ashland, Oregon Members about how, from a very early age, he had this sound in his head that he was 800-258-0758 able to develop. He is able to create that sound because of how much humanity, passion, and love he has in his heart, which he infuses into his music. All of that beauty comes from within. Selected Filmography: The Artist Is Absent, The Jeff Koons Show, Matthew : No Restraint

PAGE 56 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 57 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Liyana 77 minutes | 2017 | Qatar, Swaziland, USA | In Competition Love, Cecil Oregon Premiere | 99 minutes | 2017 | USA n uplifting and inspiring blend of documentary and animation,Liyana is hotographer and designer Cecil Beaton embodied the 20th century Aa film born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland. Pas few artists could. A stylish dandy and member of the 1920s “Bright Almost the entire adult population there has been wiped out by HIV/AIDS Young Things” in England, he also was a visionary portrait and fashion pho- and those remaining have had to find unique ways to raise a generation of tographer who documented World War II soldiers and legendary celebrities, parentless children. The children are introduced to acclaimed South African including Queen Elizabeth II after her coronation and Greta Garbo after storyteller Gcina Mhlophe and with her create the fairytale, Liyana, about a her retirement. He designed for Broadway and Hollywood, winning Academy Swazi girl who embarks on a dangerous quest to save her twin brothers. The Awards for his revolutionary sets and costumes for the iconic (and Oscar- fairytale—and the film—is brought to life through vivid animation, charming winning) musicals, My Fair Lady and Gigi. Archival film footage and a trove narration and interviews with the children, and moving scenes of their daily of Beaton’s magnificent photographs are enhanced by excerpts from his volu- life that reverberate throughout Liyana’s fictional adventure. ubtitlesS minous published diaries as narrated by Rupert Everett. Among those inter- viewed are artist David Hockney, actress Leslie Caron, designer Isaac Mizrahi, Directors’ Statement: Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp and photographer David Bailey. Directors: Aaron Kopp, TIMES Amanda Kopp Aaron Kopp: Liyana is a film that gives our young storytellers the stage. We hope the audience will Director’s Statement: Friday 6:40pm Producers: Amanda Kopp, Aaron TIMES Director: Lisa Immordino Vreeland Saturday 1:00pm Kopp, Davis Coombe, Sakheni be enchanted by the children’s imaginations in the Producer: Lisa Immordino Vreeland Lisa Immordino Vreeland & 6:40pm Dlamini, Daniel Junge same way that we are. We believe this film will play Saturday 12:00pm Screenwriters: Bernadine Colish, Cecil Beaton has been in my visual orbit for many Sunday 12:40pm Executive Producers: a role in deconstructing stereotypes and challeng- Lisa Immordino Vreeland, years. As a child, I loved My Fair Lady and have Monday 3:40pm Lisa Schejola Akin, Albie Hecht, ing the prevalent, simplistic narrative of African John Northrup been passionate about photography for many years. Susan MacLaury, Thandie Newton orphans. Liyana pays tribute to my childhood in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Cinematographer: Shane Sigler My experience as a filmmaker has allowed me to Cinematographer: Aaron Kopp Amanda Kopp: It was important to me that we approach the story as artists not Editor: Bernadine Colish delve in depth into the lives of visionaries who I have admired for many years. Animator: Shofela Coker limited by a genre. The documentary scenes are often lyrical and at times even dip Beaton was someone who intrigued me, his driving ambition was paramount in Editor: Davis Coombe, into fantasy. And although the fictional and real-life stories are set against a backdrop his life. His creative drive dominated him and ultimately he sacrificed everything Aaron Kopp of devastation caused by HIV/AIDS, this was not the children’s primary focus, nor just for that. I have often said that my work is dictated by the archives I have access Music: Philip Miller ours. At its heart the film is a celebration of the transformative power of storytelling. to. In the case of this film, this played an even more fundamental role. Selected Filmography: Feature Directorial Debut Selected Filmography: Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict Art of Style

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PAGE 58 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 59 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES Minding the Gap Oregon Premiere | 98 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition

inding the Gap is a profound, original, intuitive nonfiction film that Mbreaks down the walls of documentary to tell a story about three kids, now men, who bond together over skateboards and volatile, distant families. DIY skateboarding videos shot by filmmaker Bing Liu as a teenager merge with new footage of his longtime friends. His friends are so completely used to the camera that they hold nothing back (except what they are holding back from themselves). Not so the parents Bing interviews, including his own mother, who have to face up to hard truths about how they raised their kids. But the film belongs to Bing, Zack, and Keire as they play and skate and poignantly grow up right before our eyes. Director’s Statement: Bing Liu Director: Bing Liu I was eight years old when my single mother TIMES took a job in Rockford, Illinois, a crumbling Producers: Bing Liu, Diane Quon factory city two hours west of Chicago. She re- Thursday 6:00pm Executive Producers: Sally Jo Fifer, Steve James, Justine Nagan, married and had a child with a physically and Friday 12:00pm mentally abusive man, remaining with him Saturday 9:00pm Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Chris White for 17 years. Because of his explosive, often Cinematographer: Bing Liu unpredictable violence, I perceived the world Editors: Joshua Altman, Bing Liu as lacking causality; you could do the right thing or the wrong thing, but either Music: Nathan Halpern, way things might not go well for you. After I started skateboarding at age 13, Chris Ruggiero I slowly discovered, after many bruises, broken bones and hard-earned tricks, that I’d regained a sense of control over my pain. Most importantly, I found myself in a group of outcasts much happier in the streets than at home. We spent countless hours together, making our own version of family. Selected Filmography: Feature DIrectorial Debut

Modified Oregon Premiere | 87 minutes | 2017 | Canada | In Competition eyond an investigative documentary about GMO labeling, Modified is a Bmemoir of a daughter and mother whose farming and cooking traditions make the case for a transparent and sustainable food system that doesn’t rely on GMOs or the biotech industry that promotes them. Discourses on GMOs mix with heatwarming home videos of the filmmaker’s mother, a prolific gar- dener, seed saver, and food activist, and show her tending her garden, pass- ing down her wisdom and skill to her family, even while battling cancer. The director stopped filming for several years after her mother’s death, but was compelled to finish the film in her honor. Filled with fun, delicious vignettes adapted from the filmmaker’s award-winning PBS cooking showModified is a celebration of love and homegrown food. Subtitles Director’s Statement: Aube Giroux TIMES Director: Aube Giroux Producers: Camelia Frieberg, When my mom and I began to question why the Friday 9:30am Aube Giroux Canadian and U.S. governments were refusing to label Saturday 12:00pm Screenwriter: Aube Giroux GMOs, it became obvious that our elected represen- Sunday 6:00pm Cinematographer: Aube Giroux tatives were not representing what their constituents Editor: Aube Giroux, wanted since over 80% of Canadians and Americans sponsored by Avril Jacobson, Mike Munn want GMO labeling. The more we looked into it, the Ashland Food Music: Jacques Mindreau more it seemed that industry was calling the shots when Co-op it came to policies around GMOs. I had always imag- ined the film would be rooted in me and my mom’s shared love of food, that it would be anchored in a somewhat personal story around her garden, but after my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer two years into the film’s production, the film became much more personal than what I had originally envisioned. Selected Filmography: A Demain Chères Prunelles, Dis-Moi Ce Que Tu Manges

PAGE 60 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 61 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES Proud Supporters of AIFF Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End Oregon Premiere| 70 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition

r. Fish and his cartoons and animations are brilliant, timely, and im- Mportant. Once upon a time, such compelling work was a vital part of American journalism. But what’s happened to editorial cartoons and car- toonists over the last few years is chilling, as the daily newspapers that used to publish them are rapidly disappearing. This incisive documentary intro- duces us to an artist who should be far better known than he is. He opens our In Print and Online eyes to the hypocrisy of all political sides with his outrageous, taboo-break- ing art. Mr. Fish struggles to stay true to his creativity in a world where bit- 541-482-2542 ing satiric humor has an ever-diminishing commercial value. Ultimately, he must come to terms with the kinds of compromises a radical artist makes (or ashlanddirectory.com refuses to make) while also trying to raise children and pay the mortgage. Director’s Statement: Pablo Bryant TIMES Director: Pablo Bryant Producers: Pablo Bryant, The project began with a book called Go Fish Thursday 6:40pm Ted Collins by the artist Mr. Fish and the work inside Saturday 12:40pm Cinematographer: Pablo Bryant was unlike anything I had seen before. It was Sunday 9:40pm Editor: Adam Lichtenstein Monty Python-esque in its humor: outra- Music: Steven Bernstein geous, playful, freethinking, and a little dirty. But it was also heartbreaking in how honestly it looked at our communal dysfunction. I had found an artist who was speak- ing to the world I struggle to make sense of. In a time of spin, false narratives, and information overload, cutting-edge voices like Mr. Fish provoke a deeper conversation than the mainstream media can offer. Selected Filmography: Stand Up For Kids, The Tool

No Maps on My Taps 59 minutes | 1979 | USA

eorge Nierenberg’s landmark 1979 film features music by Lionel Hampton Gand the tap-dancing artistry of “hoofers” Bunny Briggs, Chuck Green, and Harold “Sandman” Sims. Rare photographs and film clips from 1930s Hollywood films provide the backdrop to the story of tap as an expression of African-American heritage and culture. The talent and charisma of the three dancers—and Nierenberg’s genuine love for them and their art—shines through in every frame of this joyous documentary. Part of the tribute to Indie NOBLE Institution Milestone Films. COFFEE ROASTING Director’s Statement: George T. Nierenberg You can see the dancers’ personality in their art. TIMES Director: George T. Nierenberg Producer: George T. Nierenberg You can’t separate one from the other. You can’t Sunday 9:30am Screenwriters: George T. have Chuck Green doing Bunny Briggs. You can’t FRESH, ORGANIC, HANDCRAFTED Nierenberg, Lynn Rogoff have Bunny Briggs doing Chuck Green—it doesn’t With director Editor: Paul Barnes jive. What “Sandman” talks about in the film is very 281 FOURTH STREET George Nierenberg Musical Director: Lionel Hampton philosophical in the sense that he uses himself as and a live tap Cast: Bunny Briggs, Chuck Green, an example of how he came to understand that you performance by Lionel Hampton, Howard can’t duplicate anybody and still be your own artist. You have to find it yourself, OPEN DAILY 7 AM - 4 PM Talent, OR’s own “Sandman” Sims in yourself, and that’s what makes somebody unique and special. There are Suzanne Seiber. 541.488.3288 plenty of imitators out there, but there are only a few who are real individuals. sponsored by In art. In anything. In life. EST’D 2007 Ashland Home Selected Filmography: About Tap, Gotta Dance!, Say Amen Somebody Net/Project A ASHLAND, OR www.noblecoffeeroasting.com (Jim Teece & Dena Matthews)

PAGE 62 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 63 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES One October Oregon Premiere | 56 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition ilmed in October 2008 on the eve of President Obama’s historic election Fand an unprecedented economic crisis, this vivid portrait of New York City follows intrepid radio reporter Clay Pigeon as he takes to the streets to talk to New Yorkers about their lives, their dreams, and their relationship with a city that is transforming before their eyes. A seemingly simple man/ woman-on-the-street story about the election, the film reveals a city—and a nation—at a crossroads of culture and politics. The problems we’re experi- encing today were already well-established in 2008, despite all the hope and change we wished for from the election of President Obama. And nobody 370 E. Main, Ashland articulates America’s problems like New Yorkers! Two blocks south of the VARSITY Theater 541-708-6363 NWRaw.com Director’s Statement: Rachel Shuman I moved to NYC in 1997 and fell in love TIMES Director: Rachel Shuman Producer: Garret with its vibrant street culture. Only ten Thursday 12:40pm Executive Producer: years later, I was shocked at how quickly Saturday 10:10am Edward Norton mega chains were replacing mom-and-pop INT. NW RAW — DAY Monday, 6:40pm Cinematographer: shops and luxury condos were pricing out SHEILA David Sampliner longtime residents. By October 2008, the You showed your ticket stub, and got a dollar off? Editor: Rachel Shuman housing market collapse was becoming a Darling, you are so clever! Music: Paul Brill worldwide economic crisis while Obama’s presidential campaign for “Hope and Change” was sweeping the country. While DENNY I desperately wanted the course of the nation to change, I wanted the core of my Do I have chia seeds in my teeth? Should I order city to stay the same. One October is an exploration of this tumultuous moment the organic waffle? and a quest to find out how my fellow citizens were weathering . Selected Filmography: Negotiations

One October plays with the Documentary Short One October also plays with the Narrative Short ~ Oregon Wines ~ Great Old World Roadside Attraction Little Donnie (The Ten Inch Terror) Wine Selection Oregon Premiere | 10 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition Oregon Premiere | 4 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition ~ Champagne, Ports, Oregon’s Oldest Wine Shop Dessert Wines fter a very famous air- n animated Donald Trump plane arrives at Palm doll goes on a rampage in Expanded Humidor with Fine Cigars A A Wine and Cigar Accessories WINE TASTINGS Beach International Airport, this dark parody of the 1975 Imported Beer and Micro Brews an otherwise ordinary stretch made-for-TV ,Trilogy ™ Every Thursday, 4:30-6:30 Reidel Stemware of Florida highway attracts of Terror starring Karen Black. In Wine Shipping and Special Orders First Fridays, 5-7 an avid cluster of excited the original movie, Black plays onlookers and selfie-takers. the victim of a knife-wielding THE PREMIER In the ensuing spectacle, Zuni fetish doll that comes to these bystanders reveal their curiosity about the area’s newest life and terrorizes her. In Little Donnie, the doll is replaced with Oregon Wine Club snowbird and one of the fastest growing roadside attractions in a stop-motion animated, rhetoric-spouting Donald Trump doll. the United States. From the director of Bucksville (AIFF 2012) and A Painful Glimpse EXPLORE THE DIVERSE TASTES OF OREGON WINES Into My Writing Process…(AIFF 2005). Experience new and hard-to-find wines from boutique wineries Directors’ Statement: and limited releases from across the state with a special focus on Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas Director’s Statement: Chel White Southern Oregon. As a Wine Club member, you choose As an artist, I feel it’s my duty to respond to the 6 or 12 bottles to be delivered in May and November. On Super Bowl Sunday 2017, we set out to record the spectacle of people pulling off current state of American politics. Trilogy of LIVE LOCALLY? JOIN OUR “TASTE OF OREGON” CLUB Southern Blvd. onto a strip of grass over- Terror came out during the second wave of the Pick-up 2 bottles a month at Ashland Wine Cellar with a release looking the Palm Beach Airport as B-roll women’s movement. The tie-in to that era is event the 2nd Saturday of each month and get a free tasting that day for a feature film that we were making in the an important reason I used the film. Although for club members only. town of Pahokee, Florida, 40 miles away. I’m a man, I’m the father of two daughters, a SIGN UP ONLINE AT ASHLANDWINECELLAR.COM After arriving and recording people interacting with the phenom- husband, and a women’s rights advocate. If my mother were alive enon, we realized that this was much more than a casual second- today she would give me her loving smile of approval. 38 Lithia Way Ashland, Oregon 541-488-2111 ary footage shoot.

PAGE 64 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 65 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES On Her Shoulders Oregon Premiere | 94 minutes | 2018 | Canada, Germany, Greece, USA | In Competition fter surviving the 2014 genocide of the Yazidis in Northern Iraq and Aescaping sexual slavery at the hands of ISIS, 23-year-old Nadia Murad testified before the U.N. Security Council and was thereupon thrust onto the international stage as the voice of her historically persecuted people. Though she longs for a normal life away from the spotlight, Nadia courageously repeats her harrowing story in the hopes of halting the ongoing genocide and bringing ISIS to justice. A moving study of the dizzying path Nadia’s life takes–from refugee camps in Greece to soul-bearing media interviews and an endless suc- cession of one-on-one meetings with government officials—On Her Shoulders pulls back the curtain from the chaos and public scrutiny and reveals Nadia’s resiliency and resolve no matter the personal cost. Subtitles

TIMES Director: Alexandria Bombach Producers: Hayley Pappas, Director’s Statement: Alexandria Bombach Friday 3:00pm Brock Williams I followed Nadia in the summer of 2016. Her life Cinematographer: Alexandria was in constant motion. What I saw was an ex- Bombach hausting process with no real roadmap for success. Editor: Alexandria Bombach I started to see her lose faith in outlets that she had Music: Patrick Jonsson entrusted with her story. It seemed the incessant barrage of questions from the media turned to “How did they rape you” more often than “What can be done for the Yazidis?” The platform of the victim, the survivor, is nothing to be taken lightly. Nadia herself knows that her words have moved people to take action. It is my hope that the intimate access into Nadia’s life off the podium will reveal the true struggles that a voiceless community faces in getting the world to act. Selected Filmography: Frame By Frame (AIFF2015), How We Choose (AIFF2016)

The Queen 68 minutes | 1968 | USA ack is 24. Sometimes he’s a named Flawless Sabrina. In 1967, as JSabrina, he’s the mistress of ceremonies at a national drag queen contest in New York City. The camera goes behind the scenes, recording the rehearsals leading up to the contest, the conversations in the dressing room (about draft boards, sexual identity, and sex-change operations), and the jealousies that emerge before and after the competition. Jack introduces us to Richard, a young man who becomes Jack’s protégé. As Miss Harlow, Richard enters the contest. One of his principal competitors is Miss Crystal Labeija, found- er of Manhattan’s House of Labeija. Who will win the crown?

Producer’s Statement: Si Litvinoff One day, I received a phone call from the artist Sven Lukin and the cinematographer Frank Simon, asking Director: Frank Simon TIMES to see me ASAP. We met and they described to me Producer: Si Litvinoff, what was to be the 1967 Drag Queen Miss America Sunday 3:40pm John Maxtone-Graham contest at Town Hall in New York City and asked if Screenwriter: Jack Dorowshow I would be interested in producing a film documentary With AIFF2018 Cinematographers: Robert of the event. They showed me the formal printed an- Pride Award Elfstrom, Frank Simon, Kenneth honoree Van Sickle, Joseph Zysman nouncement of the event. The event was sponsored by Zackary Drucker, Editor: Geraldine Fabrikant George Raft, Huntington Hartford (the Woolworth organizer of heir), and Edie Sedgwick. If that wasn’t enough, it stated the Flawless “For the benefit of The Muscular Dystrophy Association of America; Mrs. Lyndon Sabrina archive B. Johnson, Honorary Chairman.” It was described to me as “Ziegfeld’s psyche- delic rewrite of Helzapoppin…a satirical happening.” Obviously, I was hooked. Director’s Selected Filmography: The Chicken Chronicles, Weekend of a Champion

PAGE 66 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 67 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

The Reluctant Radical Oregon Premiere | 77 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition

f a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? IIs it, in fact, necessary? The Reluctant Radical follows environmental activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and takes direct action against the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change. Ken’s journey to radical activism is interspersed with news footage and courtroom scenes surrounding his many protests. The film reveals the fulfillment he finds in his moral calling, even though it means breaking the law. But it comes at a great personal cost—close relationships and even his mental health are at risk. We are left to wonder: is he the one out of touch with reality? Or is the rest of society delusional for not acting when faced with the unsettling evidence that we are collectively destroying the world? Director’s Statement: Lindsey Grayzel Director: Lindsey Grayzel I’ve long had nagging feelings of guilt and futility TIMES when it comes to climate change and my first con- Producers: Lindsey Grayzel, Deia Schlosberg versation with Ken quickly zeroed in on my dis- Thursday 6:40pm comfort. He had a powerful yet simple message: Sunday 6:40pm Cinematographers: Carl Davis, Ben Grayzel, Lindsey Grayzel, The world is ending, and we’re pretending that it’s Screener’s Deia Schlosberg not happening. Within 18 months of that conver- Choice: Editor: Lindsey Grayzel sation, I found myself staring down three felony Selected by AIFF’s Music: Mark Orton charges after filming Ken take direct action to stop the flow of tar sands oil. amazing volunteer The charges (now dropped) were designed to intimidate and disrupt my work, screeners but the effect was the opposite. There is no turning back. sponsored by Selected Filmography: Family Journeys, The Journey Rogue Creamery

The Reluctant Radical plays with the Documentary Short Symphony for Nature: The Britt Orchestra at Crater Lake 27 minutes | 2017 | USA

chronicle of the world premiere Aof Michael Gordon’s Natural History, an original score inspired by and performed at Crater Lake. Britt Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams leads a large ensemble of classical musicians and traditional Klamath drummers. A fascinating blend of Klamath Tribes’ history and customs, intercut with Peter Britt’s photography and its notable effect on Crater Lake preservation, accompany the majestic music and its breathtaking setting. Director’s Statement: Anne Flatté When I heard about the Britt Festival’s plan to commission an original orchestral score and per- form it at the edge of Crater Lake, I knew it would be an extraordinarily cinematic way to explore the relationships between music, nature, and human beings. I’m thrilled that the movie offers a unique perspective on the drum music of the Klamath tribes and their intense spiritual relationship to Crater Lake, known to them as “giiwas.”

PAGE 68 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 69 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES A River Below Oregon Premiere | 96 minutes | 2017 | Brazil, Colombia, Peru, USA documentary as dramatic and multilayered as the Amazon River itself, AA River Below depicts a Columbian marine biologist and a Brazilian TV star who are each trying to save the indigenous pink river dolphin from ex- tinction. When graphic footage of the brutal killing of a dolphin is shown on the TV host’s popular prime-time show, the country shuts down the abusive fishing industry that threatens the dolphins. A victory for environmental activism, it would seem. But the story takes a bizarre turn when the ethics of its celebrity protagonist are called into question and both men end up at the center of a spiraling media scandal. Subtitles

Director’s Statement: Mark Grieco In the first weeks of production, we interviewed TIMES Director: Mark Grieco Producer: Torus Tammer the fishermen all around the Amazon rather Thursday, 12:30pm Executive Producers: Mike Erwin, than just the conservationists to find out what Friday 10:00am Jeff Hewitt, Jerre Hewitt was going on. Off camera, they whispered their Sunday 3:30pm Cinematographer: suspicions about a video with brutal dolphin Monday, 12:30pm Helkin Rene Diaz killing images that led to a rapid and unprece- dented protection for the animal. As we dug deeper, we found an amazing web & 7:00pm Editor: Dan Swietlik Music: Tyler Strickland of characters, deceit, and thorny ethical dilemmas. Just by chance, I stumbled sponsored by upon a story that dovetailed perfectly with my own concerns about truth in Rogue images, media influence and distortion, performance for the camera, and my Creamery role in all of this as a documentary filmmaker. Of course the people—their sto- ries and lives—are real, but the edited collection of these images with music, designed sound, and craft that purport to show their “realness” is far from it. Selected Filmography: Marmato (AIFF2014)

Saving Brinton Oregon PreOregon Premiere | 87 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition n a farmhouse basement in the Iowa countryside, Michael Zahs makes a Iremarkable discovery: the show reels of the man who introduced moving pictures to the American Midwest. Among the treasures: rare footage of Pres- ident Teddy Roosevelt, the first moving images from Burma, and a lost relic from special effects inventor Georges Méliés. These films didn’t end up in the heartland by accident. The old nitrate reels are just some of the artifacts that belonged to William Franklin Brinton, America’s greatest barnstorming mov- ie-man. As Michael uncovers this hidden trove, he undertakes a journey to restore Brinton’s legacy and save his irreplaceable cinematic treasures from turning to dust.

Directors’ Statement: TIMES Directors: Tommy Haines & Tommy Haines, Andrew Sherburne Andrew Sherburne This is a film about film, yes. But it’s also a Saturday 9:30am Producer: Andrew Sherburne story about people. So what is true about Screenwriters: Tommy Haines, the citizens of the rural Midwest? They are Following the film, John Richard, Andrew Sherburne humble, earnest, steeped in community. Michael Zahs will Cinematographer: John Richard conduct a live Mike Zahs is their model citizen. With wit, demonstration Editor: Tommy Haines charm, and unassuming generosity he commands the screen, but not with the of an early Music: Michael Kramer bluster and braggadocio we’ve come to expect from YouTube celebrities and Magic Lantern Donald Trump. So too is Saving Brinton proudly different—a patient portrait (a precursor to of a man, a community, and a history seldom celebrated on the big screen. the film projector), Without the Mikes of the world it might all be lost. As Midwestern filmmakers, featuring rare we’re excited to show what’s buried beneath that blanket of corn seen from a slides from the passing plane. Brinton Collection Selected Filmography: Gold Fever, Pond Hockey

PAGE 70 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 71 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Skid Row Marathon Oregon Premiere | 85 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition Sky and Ground Oregon Premiere | 87 minutes | 2017 | Germany, Greece, USA | In Competition hen Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell starts a long-dis- ife in Syria was always brutal under the Assad regime, but once the siege Wtance running club out of the Mission on Skid Row, lives Lof Aleppo began in earnest in 2016, Abdallhah “Guevara” Nabi, a 29-year- change. He trains a motley group of addicts and criminals including a for- old Syrian-Kurdish activist, had no choice but to flee to safety with his large, mer rock musician, a single mom, an aspiring artist, and a murderer on pa- extended family. Setting out from a refugee camp in Greece, they undertook an role. From running through the streets of LA at night to marathons in Africa, arduous and dangerous three-month journey on foot through Serbia, Hungary, Rome, and around the world, these remarkable people fight the pull of home- and Austria to seek asylum in Germany. Spellbinding cinematography captures lessness and addiction at every turn. Realistic and inspirational, you can’t help the breadth of their journey while offering intimate access to the countless set- but root for these runners to cross the finish line—physically and metaphori- backs and heartaches—the fear and uncertainty—of these indomitable people cally. Their story is one of hope, friendship, and most of all, dignity. in search of a better life. A deeply emotional, real-time portrait of an unprec- edented refugee crisis and a family’s struggle to stay together, no matter what. Director’s Statement: Mark Hayes Directors’ Statements: Joshua Bennett, Talya Tibbon By making this film, we hope to show that even when a social problem seems insurmountable, there is al- Talya Tibbon: I first met Guevara and his family not long Directors: Joshua Bennett, after I arrived in Idomeni, a makeshift refugee camp on Director: Mark Hayes ways something we can do to become part of the TIMES TIMES solution. Judge Mitchell certainly demonstrated this Talya Tibbon the Greek-Macedonian border. By then, some members of Producers: Doug Blush, with his running club. When Gabi [Producer Gabriele Thursday 3:00pm Producers: Joshua Bennett, the family had been on the road for more than four years, Thursday 9:10pm Gabriele Hayes Hayes] and I lived in downtown LA, we would see Saturday 3:00pm Talya Tibbon fleeing the war in Syria. I was touched by how, even though Friday 12:10pm Screenwriter: Mark Hayes people living on the streets and think to ourselves that Sunday 12:00pm Cinematographer: Axel Baumann everything had been taken away from them, they were Friday 9:10pm Cinematographers: Mark Hayes, Editors: Emma Morris, Oren determined to remain themselves, never accepting that James Stolz this is an impossible situation and there is no way to Saturday 9:40am help. The Judge saw the same people, started a run- Sarch, Howard Sharp being “refugees” was their destiny. Editors: Ben Dohrmann, Music: Gary Lionelli Sunday 12:10pm Tchavdar Georgiev ning club and has made a difference in so many lives. Joshua Bennett: Sky and Ground may be the most challenging project I have ever done, but it is nothing in comparison to what Monday 6:10pm Music: Kim Planert He truly believes that people on Skid Row have the potential to achieve great things. It inspired us to make this film. We hope that after seeing the film you those escaping Syria have endured. This film is a testament to will be inspired to get involved in your own way. the unwavering endurance and unbreakable spirit of Guevara Nabi and his family, as Selected Filmography: One Germany, The Other Side of the Wall well as every other human being that has uprooted everything they have ever known in order to attempt to make a better life for themselves and their children. Selected Filmography: Amanpour — On Sex and Love in Berlin, Los Comandos

A Tuba To Cuba 83 minutes | 2017 | Cuba, USA | In Competition ake a journey to Cuba with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and their Ttuba-playing leader, the son of the band’s founder Allan Jaffe. Traversing post-embargo Cuba in search of the indigenous music that gave birth to New Orleans jazz, the band encounters some of Cuba’s most iconic musicians, leading to spontaneous and soulful collaborations. As the journey draws to an end, everyone takes to the streets of Havana in a raucous musical romp. A Tuba to Cuba uncovers the shared histories of Cuba and New Orleans and celebrates the fulfillment by his son of a father’s dream: to share music’s ability to connect us as one people, born to combat despair, oppression, and poverty with ingenuity, humor, and sound. Directors’ Statement: T.G. Herrington, Danny Clinch Directors: T.G. Herrington, A Tuba to Cuba began as a musical journey in search of TIMES Danny Clinch the roots of jazz, but soon its narrative began to reveal a deeper truth to us. A connection transcending barriers of Thursday 12:00pm Producers: Nicelle Herrington, T.G Herrington, Han Soto language, politics, color, and creed. As filmmakers, this was an Friday 6:00pm uplifting and joyful journey. We felt the need to leave politics, Sunday 9:00pm Screenwriter: T.G Herrington Cinematographer: Josh Goleman controversies, and differences at the door. Instead, we chose Editors: Luis Carballar, Kyle Curry, to embrace all that was beautiful and whole about humanity. Dayn Williams We feel this film captures the triumph of the human spirit, Music: Ben Jaffe expressed through the universal language of music. The film is not only a love letter to Cuba and New Orleans, but more importantly, to that "spirit"—that music—that lies deep inside all of us. Selected Filmography: Danny Clinch—Directorial Debut, T.G. Herrington—Feature Directorial Debut

PAGE 72 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 73 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES Two Trains Runnin’ Oregon Premiere | 80 minutes | 2017 | USA NARRATIVE FEATURES merica was deeply divided by race and politics in June, 1964. During Back at the Staircase Oregon PremiereFEATURES | 77 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition AFreedom Summer, activists traveled to Mississippi to join the civil rights movement against KKK violence and racist police forces in Southern hat if you had a holiday get together with your extended family? Only towns. At the same time, a group of college students and record collectors Wit wasn’t a holiday. It was a spontaneous vigil for Barbara, your mother/ also traveled to Mississippi, but with a different mission: to find forgotten aunt, who has been hospitalized after a nasty fall down the stairs. Her two African-American blues legends Son House and Skip James. Soon, these two daughters—Margaret and Trish, and two nephews—Philip and Ian, and Ian’s efforts would collide in spectacular and tragic fashion. Narrated by Common, girlfriend, Jody, spend an awkward day at the family cabin in the woods, not and featuring the music of Gary Clark, Jr., the film pays tribute to a pioneer- coming to terms with their personal and family issues. An excellent cast pro- ing generation of musicians and cuts to the heart of our present moment, pels the stress and drama to a heightened level that seems all too believable. offering a crucial vantage from which to view the evolving dynamics of race Barbara may survive, but the siblings and cousins are unraveling. in America. Director’s Statement: Drew Britton Director: Sam Pollard TIMES Director’s Statement: Sam Pollard TIMES Director: Drew Britton Back at the Staircase was created with the utmost Producer: Benjamin Hedin For more than thirty years, I have had the good fortune Producers: Robin Anschutz, importance placed on performance and story. To Friday 9:00pm Executive Producers: Common, Drew Britton, Jessica Farrell, to work on films about the blues and films about the Thursday 9:20pm successfully execute such matters required an in- Derek Dudley Heather LaVine Saturday 6:00pm civil rights movement. Two Trains Runnin’ is the first Friday 6:20pm tense and deep examination of the characters and Screenwriter: Benjamin Hedin Screenwriters: Drew Britton, Sunday 9:30am time I was given the task of combining both. This film Sunday 3:20pm their behavior. The quarrels we have regarding love, Cinematographer: Natalie Kingston Logan Lark is about the journey of a group of white youth who Monday 3:20pm sentiment, relationships, and destructive behavior Editor: Dava Whisenant Cinematographer: Quinn Hester searched to find the origins of American culture at a are concepts dealt with by every individual. We Music: Gary Clark, Jr, Valerie Editor: Drew Britton time of violence when America was struggling to come are consistently faced with opposing viewpoints of one another and people’s June, Christopher North, Music: Brian Packham to grips with its racial divide. But we are also telling a inability to communicate. The film is a direct representation of this experience North Mississippi Allstars, Cast: Jennifer Lafleur, Logan Lark, and an examination into the various ways people deal with it. My aspiration as Lucinda Williams parallel story of another group of white youth who had, on the surface, a differ- Mickey O’Hagan, Leonora Pitts, a director is to create work that allows for reflection on decisions and relation- ent mission. The journey of both groups was really a journey to understand who Stephen Plunkett we are as Americans, what brought us together, and what still divides us. ships within a viewer’s own life. The presence of this communication in my work is what evokes empathy and supports its relevance. Selected Filmography: August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand; Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me; Slavery by Another Name Selected Filmography: Marshland, Richard’s 32nd, When the King Tilts

Borg vs. McEnroe Oregon Premiere | 100 minutes | 2017 | Denmark, Finland, Sweden

ot your ordinary biopic, Borg vs. McEnroe is an intimate, stirring portrait Nof two tennis icons and an account of their legendary Wimbledon final in 1980 when tennis players like John and Björn were “rock stars.” Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) epitomized Swedish cool and grace on the court, but inside was a different story. His dominance at the famed British Grand Slam tourna- ment was unprecedented. He was challenged by John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf), a brash, immature kid from Long Island who fought with officials, the London press, and most of all himself. But his raw talent was never in doubt. Director Janus Metz blends flashbacks and tennis action to reveal the passionate rivalry and private demons of these two great tennis players. Subtitles

Director’s Statement: Janus Metz Director: Janus Metz TIMES Borg vs. McEnroe is about two young men, each out to Producers: Fredrik Wikström prove he’s number one—to feel important, to be some- Thursday 9:00pm Nicastro, Jon Nohrstedt, Screenwriter: Ronnie Sandahl body. To explore Björn and John’s inner turmoil, the film relies on hand-held cameras and Steadicams to convey a Cinematographer: Niels Thastum sense of immediacy and realism. A counterpoint to this Editors: Per K. Kirkegaard, Per Sandholdt are the sequences designed to create a rich atmosphere with almost symbolic images meant to suggest the his- Music: Vladislav Delay, Jon Ekstrand, Carl-Johan Sevedag, torical significance of the events. The film looks at a clash Jonas Struck of titans and this requires putting things in proportion. We put the audience in Cast: Sverrir Gudnason, Björn and John’s shoes, but then we back out of this saturated and often claustro- Shia LaBeouf, Tuva Novotny, phobic environment to reclaim a broader perspective that underlines the impor- Stellan Skarsgård tance of the match and the existential dimension of the whole story. Selected Filmography: Armadillo, Love on Delivery, Ticket to Paradise

PAGE 74 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 75 NARRATIVE FEATURES First Reformed Oregon Premiere | 113 minutes | 2017 | USA than Hawke stars as Ernst Toller, a former military chaplain who E can’t get over the death of his son. In this taut, existential from renowned screenwriter and director Paul Schrader, Hawke plays the pastor of a small New England church who spirals out of control after failing to help Michael, an unstable environmental activist, and his pregnant wife, Mary. Michael’s tragic suicide creates a connection between Toller and Mary, played by . And as he learns more about Michael’s radical environ- mentalism and the devasting consequences of climate change, Toller doubts both his faith and his purpose in life. Informed by Schrader’s own com- plicated religious roots, First Reformed culminates in a clash of religion, politcs, and mourning. Director’s Statement: Paul Schrader Theologians and philosophers have been having discussions about climate change TIMES Director: Paul Schrader Producers: Jack Binder, Greg for four or five thousand years and all of Saturday 3:00pm Clark, Greg Hamilton, Victoria Hill, those discussions are now in boldface be- David Hinojosa, Frank Murray, cause we are actually at the point in human Deepak Sikka, history where there may be an end to them. You start talking about what is Screenwriter: Paul Schrader the purpose of life, what is the purpose of humanity, what does it mean to be Cinematographer: Alexander Dynan human, what does it mean to have consciousness? If you stand on your tiptoes Editor: Ben Rodriguez, Jr. and look, you can start to see the end of that conversation. Therefore, it’s a Music: Lustmord very exciting time to be alive and a frightening one as well. So the environ- Cast: Philip Ettinger, Ethan Hawke, ment takes these classic religious and philosophical debates and puts them in Victoria Hill, Cedric Kyles, neon and starts flashing them at you. Amanda Seyfried Selected Filmography: Affliction, , Cat People

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PAGE 76 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 77 FEATURESNARRATIVE FEATURES For Izzy World PremiereFEATURES | 84 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition ometimes what others think of as our weaknesses are actually our strengths. SIn For Izzy, characters are self-destructive, stubborn, and sheltered— hidden from their true, creative, and loving selves. When lesbian photo- journalist Dede and her mother move next door to Laura and her father, the lines of friendship and family dissolve as each must overcome past regrets, over-protectiveness, and the stigma of labels such as “autistic” and “addict.” proud sponsor of the The clever mixed media approach using in-character interviews, animated Ashland Independent Film Festival sequences, and found footage tells a sweet, empowering story through a refreshingly unique Asian-American lens. For Izzy is about sobriety, forgive- Delivering expertly handcrafted delight ness, and courage. Subtitles from the Rogue Valley since 1934. Visit us online at HarryandDavid.com TIMES Director: Alex Chu Director’s Statement: Alex Chu Producers: Michelle Ang, Asian-Americans. Addicts on the recovery path. Harry & David is a DBA of Harry and David, LLC. Thursday 12:10pm Michael G Gray, Jennifer Soo LGBTQ members and allies. Families caring for Friday 3:10pm Screenwriter: Alex Chu those with autism. To fall in love again at an age Saturday 12:10pm Cinematographer: Irvin Liu Editor: Peter Roberts when popular culture has inferred it’s too late. Sunday 6:10pm With For Izzy, I set out to tell a story about my own Monday 9:40am Cast: Michelle Ang, Liz Femi, Jim Lau, Jennifer Soo, community, featuring fully realized, multi-dimen- & 9:10pm Elizabeth Sung sional characters who are not just mouthpieces for an agenda or a soapbox for social issues. To bring the audience into the world of these characters in a fresh way that isn’t normally seen in traditional narratives, I used documentary-style elements to craft the story. Selected Filmography: The Equity Partners, Fortune Cookie Magic Tricks, Yes, And...

Fort Maria World Premiere | 88 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition aria is a Bulgarian immigrant living in Kentucky with her adopted Mdaughter Meredith. While Meredith is out of town connecting with her biological, African-American aunt, Violet, Maria’s extreme insecurities are triggered by the death of Meredith’s old dog in the garage. Suddenly, she can barely step outside, even to bury the dog. She’s forced to accept the help of her neighbor, Clara, who has issues of her own. The stories of these four wom- Hand Made Chocolates en are interwoven in powerful and surprising ways, full of essential human moments and authentic considerations of race, culture, love, and what truly makes up a family. Katerina Stoykova (Proud Citizen–AIFF2015) gives a lumi- nous performance in this black and white, documentary-style narrative film. Subtitles We Love Directors: Thom Southerland, Independent Film TIMES S. Cagney Gentry Directors’ Statement Producers: S. Cagney Gentry, : Thom Southerland, Thursday 6:10pm S. Cagney Gentry Friday 12:30pm Paul Harrill, Thom Southerland Saturday 10:00am Screenwriter: Thom Southerland Fort Maria is an unscripted filmic experiment Cinematographers: Thom that takes on a spontaneous, organic life of & 6:10pm Southerland, S. Cagney Gentry its own, true to the messiness and tangential Award Winning Hand Made Chocolates Sunday 9:40am Editor: Thom Southerland humor of real life. As co-directors, we com- Monday 6:30pm Cast: Joan Brannon, Jamie bined our skills to tell a simple yet fascinat- Hickman, Meredith Krutcher, ing story about the interconnectedness of Open 7 days a week Katerina Stoykova four very different women in the American South—a milieu rarely depicted with nuance on screen—with characters who defy the typical Southern movie 211 N. Front St. stereotypes. The genesis of the film came from Thom’s own experience with agoraphobia as well as a desire to make another film with Katerina, who is Central Point, Or. able to infuse a vulnerable humanity into moments both simple and complex. www.lilliebellefarms.com Selected Filmography: Harvest, Lamp (AIFF2016), Proud Citizen (AIFF2015) PAGE 78 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 79 NARRATIVE FEATURES Get Drawn In... Hearts Beat Loud Oregon Premiere | 96 minutes | 2017 | USA rank (Nick Offerman) runs a record store in Red Hook, Brooklyn, but as Fhe prepares to send his over-achieving daughter, Sam (Kiersey Clemons), Ashland’s Visual Arts to UCLA pre-med, he understands that he needs to get a “real” job. Frank is a widower whose wife was killed in a bicycle accident. Frank and Sam regularly Events visit the site of her death—a telephone pole still strewn with memorial flowers. Frank and Sam froze in place after that, but Sam is now ready to move on to the rest of her life and she wants Frank to do the same. Complicating things during their last summer together, Sam falls in love with Rose (Sasha Lane), • First Friday Artwalks Frank flirts with his landlady Leslie (), and Frank and Sam write and record a lovely song that becomes an unexpected hit on Spotify. • A Taste of Ashland Director’s Statement: Brett Haley Director: Brett Haley TIMES Hearts Beat Loud isn’t exactly a musical. But • Producers: Sam Bisbee, The Open Studio Tour Houston King, Sam Slater it’s the kind of musical I’ve always wanted Saturday 9:00pm to make—one in which the songs are Screenwriters: Marc Basch, Brett Haley grounded in real-life situations. There’s no Cinematographer: Eric Lin breaking out into random song and dance, but the story is still told through songs and Visit us online ashlandgalleries.com Editor: Patrick Colman through the musical beats of the characters writing, rehearsing, recording, Music: Keegan DeWitt facebook.com/ashlandgalleries and performing those songs. Music is the mode of communication for these Cast: Kiersey Clemons, characters, the language they know and speak best. Given the level of anxiety Toni Collette, Ted Danson, instagram.com/ashlandgalleries Blythe Danner, Sasha Lane, in the world right now, it was very important to me to make a film that makes Nick Offerman people feel good and that reminds them of the simple goodness in the world and in ordinary life. Complimentary Gallery Guide at Participating Establishments Sponsored by Ashland Gallery Association Selected Filmography: The Hero (AIFF2017), I’ll See You In My Dreams

The Last Hot Lick 88 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition aime Leopold, erstwhile bassist of the band Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, Jgives a captivating performance as Jack Willits, an aging, washed-up musician on a never-ending tour of tiny clubs across the Pacific Northwest. Playing solo guitar or with pick-up bands, he sings his beautiful, honest songs to audiences who barely listen. Offstage, he stays in shabby motel rooms, his only family connected via Facetime with his daughter and grandchild. When he picks up a hitch-hiking singer named Bobby with a cast on her arm and too many secrets, he thinks he’s found his muse. Beautiful, naturalistic direction, cinema- tography, and editing enhance every moment of this film about adults who may be past their prime, but still have real lives and dreams to fulfill. Director’s Statement: Mahalia Cohen Director: Mahalia Cohen TIMES Producers: Deborah Cohen, The Last Hot Lick was shot entirely in Oregon and Southern Washington. Though I have lived out of state for many Thursday 6:20pm Mahalia Cohen, Erin Galey years, Oregon is still the landscape of my childhood— Friday 12:20pm Cinematographer: Mahalia Cohen Editor: Mahalia Cohen and imagination. This film was an effort of pure love, Saturday 12:20pm family, and community. My mother produced the film, Sunday 9:50am Music: Branic Howard, Life is full of transitions. Jaime Leopold even though she is a physician by profession, the crew We’re here to help. Cast: Jaime Leopold, Oriana members consisted of family and friends, including my Lewton-Leopold, Jennifer Smieja uncle, aunts, cousins, as well as three friends who trav- eled from Argentina to Oregon to be involved. Jaime Leopold and many of the cast members are people whom I have known my entire life. This made the process an interesting and emotional experience, which I think bleeds onto the screen and creates a unique and surprising experience for the audience. Selected Filmography: Ama at Sea, Balance mistletoestorage.com

PAGE 80 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 81 NARRATIVE FEATURES NARRATIVE FEATURES

Lean On Pete 121 minutes | 2017 | USA Outside In 109 minutes | 2017| USA

rom acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh comes a story about love, loneli- fter serving 20 years for the crime of essentially being in the wrong place Fness, family, and friendship. Fifteen-year-old Charley and his single father Aat the wrong time, 38-year-old Chris (Jay Duplass) is granted early parole, Ray arrive in Portland, Oregon, looking for a fresh start. As Ray descends into thanks largely to the tireless advocacy of Carol (Edie Falco), his former high- personal turmoil, Charley finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local race- school teacher. As he struggles with the challenges of navigating the modern track where he cares for an aging racehorse named Lean On Pete. The horse’s world as an ex-con, and with a fraught relationship with his brother Ted (Ben gruff owner Del (Steve Buscemi) and seasoned jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny) Schwartz), Chris ends up confessing his romantic love for Carol—a love that, help Charley fill the void of his father’s absence. In a desperate act to save the given her marital status, Carol cannot reciprocate. Or can she? Carol longs horse from slaughter, Charley and Pete embark on an odyssey across the new for something her husband no longer provides. Meanwhile, Carol’s daughter American frontier, never losing their irrepressible hope and resiliency as they Hildy () befriends Chris, finding a kindred spirit in this awkward, pursue their dream of finding a place to call home. tormented older guy. Director’s Statement: Lynn Shelton TIMES Director: Andrew Haigh Director’s Statement: Andrew Haigh Director: Lynn Shelton Producer: Tristan Goligher TIMES The beloved novel Lean On Pete by Willy Vlautin Executive Producers: Everyone in this movie is going through some kind Screenwriter: Andrew Haigh Friday 12:00pm is a story of a kid that refuses to lose hope or Saturday 6:00pm Jay Duplass, of release. Whether it’s Chris getting paroled from Cinematographer: heart, despite the harsh realities of his world. Screenwriters: Jay Duplass, prison, or Carol coming to terms with what she wants Magnus Joenck I found it immensely moving, tender and yet With Rogue Lynn Shelton out of life, or Hildy finding solace through making Editor: Jonathan Alberts never sentimental. I wanted the film to have the Award honoree Cinematographer: rebellious and secretive art. Outside In is an inversion Cast: Steve Buscemi, Travis Nathan M. Miller same sense of purity. I wanted the film to look Lynn Shelton in of the familiar term “inside out,” and once Chris gets Fimmel, Charlie Plummer, Chloë Editor: Celia Beasley at life on the margins of society with honesty and respect. There was a quote attendance out of jail—back into the outside world—he finds Sevigny, Steve Zahn Music: Andrew Bird by John Steinbeck that Willy used at the start of his novel: “It is true that we himself getting “in” deeper than he ever imagined. Jay and Edie had to create Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Jay Duplass, their chemistry on the spot. They had to not only be at ease with one another, are weak and sick and ugly and quarrelsome, but if that is all we ever were, we Edie Falco, Ben Schwartz would millenniums ago have disappeared from the face of the earth.” I tried but we had to believe they were in love. They’re both such exquisite actors, to keep that sentiment close to my heart throughout the making of this film. unafraid to show vulnerability and emotional availability. They came at each other with wide open hearts, which was stunning to behold. Selected Filmography: 45 Years, Weekend Selected Filmography: Laggies, My Effortless Brilliance (AIFF2008), Your Sister’s Sister (AIFF2012)

Oregon Premiere | 110 minutes | 2016 | United Kingdom On Chesil Beach People People World Premiere | 75 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition dapted by Ian McEwan from his bestselling novel, On Chesil Beach centers at is a smart, funny, sweet YouTube star with thousands of followers and A on a young British couple of drastically different backgrounds on their K a penthouse apartment with high ceilings and a great view of Chicago. honeymoon in the summer of 1962. Following the pair through their idyllic She can cook and accessorize and introduce trends with the best. She just can’t courtship, the film explores the pressure sex and societal mores can put on in- leave her apartment—and hasn’t in over two years. Streaming sitcoms help her timacy, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night that reverberates for sleep and old movies keep her company while fans send her gifts and online decades afterwards. Starring Saoirse Ronan Brooklyn,( Lady Bird), Billy Howle shopping fills her closets. When she falls for the diner delivery guy and orders (Dunkirk), and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves). bad food just so she can see him, her carefully sheltered existence is put to the test in this hilariously poignant, and only slightly absurd, millennial romcom. Director’s Statement: Dominic Cooke We talked very much as we were shooting about Director’s Statement: Lizzie Logan what should be revealed and what should be I wrote this screenplay in reaction to our increasingly Director: Dominic Cooke concealed. It’s a time when one hid emotions, TIMES delivery-based society where there’s more money to Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, especially in the UK. The thing was to shoot re- Director: Lizzie Logan be made from broadcasting your personality online lationships and try to get the camera at the right TIMES Friday 6:00pm Stephen Woolley Producer: Liz Watson than having one in person. Friendship, romance, Screenwriter: Ian McEwan distance. Sometimes, you want to see the context of the couple. Sometimes, Thursday 9:40pm Executive Producer: fandom, politics, and culture are all being filtered Cinematographer: Sean Bobbitt you want to be up close and just see their physical relationships—the detail Sunday 10:10am Victoria Podesta through screens, and while I don’t think that’s a Black Editor: Nick Fenton of a hand or a foot, because the body reveals so much that the mind is trying Monday 12:40pm Screenwriter: Lizzie Logan Mirror-level bad thing, I’m not convinced that on- to control. The real challenge is to find two actors who had really vivid inner Music: Dan Jones Cinematographer: Joshua Ruffner line interaction can hold an LED candle to the real lives that would transmit. Both Billy and Saoirse have that: their inner worlds Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Editor: Marissa Rutka thing of being with other people. I had never made a feature before, but I are very clear. We were very lucky to find brilliant people who could do that. Anne-Marie Duff, Billy Howle, Music: Chris Ryan was just confident and dumb enough to convince myself I could do it. With a Adrian Scarborough, Emily Watson, Selected Filmography: Feature Directorial Debut Cast: Charlotte Maltby, Rachel small group of devoted friends, we shot on a shoestring budget in my mother’s Samuel West Pegram, David Rosenberg, apartment in Chicago, which doubled as our sleeping/living quarters. I made Natalie Walker almost all of the food. Selected Filmography: Directorial Debut

PAGE 82 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 83 NARRATIVE FEATURES NARRATIVE FEATURES

The Rainbow Experiment Oregon Premiere | 129 minutes | 2017 | USA | In Competition Shakespeare Wallah FEATURES122 minutes | 1965 | India hings spiral out of control in a high school in Manhattan when a terrible he elegiac and atmospheric Shakespeare Wallah was the feature film that Taccident involving a science experiment injures a student. This winding, Tput Merchant Ivory Productions on the international movie map. Now extravagant, propulsive film takes you on a wild ride through every worry you recognized as a classic, the film’s inspiration lies in the real-life adventures could ever have about what your kids are up to at school. Told from the shift- of a traveling theater group in India during the final days of English colo- ing yet intertwined perspectives of parents, teachers, students, school officials, nial rule. The Buckingham Players try to uphold British tradition by staging and some not-so-random bystanders, The Rainbow Experiment challenges you Shakespeare plays for the general public, boarding schools, and local royalty, to see beyond what may happen, what you may want to happen, and what you but are unable to compete with the wildly popular film industry. may have missed while it was happening to what may not have happened at all. The film traces the developing relationship between the acting troupe’s young A fever dream of high school as life experience. ingénue, Lizzie, and Sanju, a wealthy Indian playboy. Their romance is beset by hindrances, not the least being the machinations of Manjula, a fiery Indian Director’s Statement: Christina Kallas film star who is also in love with Sanju. America is a pressure cooker of its own making and Director: Director: Christina Kallas TIMES Director’s Statement: James Ivory TIMES this film feels very much like a testimony that the Producer: Ismail Merchant Producer: Allison Vanore signs of what was about to come were there all along, Friday 3:00pm Screenwriter: Ruth Prawer We were making movies in India in English for Friday 9:30pm Screenwriter: Christina Kallas boiling under the surface. To me, The Rainbow Jhabvala a western audience. Nobody had ever done that. Saturday 6:30pm Cinematographer: Dave Sharples Experiment is nothing less than an imprint of Amer- With James Ivory Cinematographer: Subrata Mitra They weren’t all that successful commercially, al- Editor: Natalie Reneau Sunday 6:30pm ican society, seen from the inside out and through and Bill Rauch Editor: Amit Bose though there was one big star of those movies and Cast: Chris Beetem, Kevin Kane, Monday 3:30pm the unencumbered eyes of an alien—in my case, a in attendance Music: that was Shakespeare Wallah, which kind of made Laura Pruden, Connor Siemer, European and a world citizen, coming both from a country with an almost our name. We had to be independent. There was Lauren Sowa Cast: Madhur Jaffrey, Shashi overblown national pride due to its history (Greece) and another country with Kapoor, nobody else who wanted to do what we wanted to do. And then we began to no national pride, also due to its history (Germany). In many ways, the United make films in the United States and those too were independent because nobody States today feels like an experiment gone wrong. I hope that my film will else was interested in doing what we were doing. Even when we were working make it easier to understand why and how. with the studios, it was independent. Selected Filmography: 42 Seconds of Happiness Selected Filmography: Howards End (AIFF2017), Maurice (AIFF2017), A Room with a View

Southern Oregon’s Wild Honey Oregon Premiere | 88 minutes | 2018 | USA | In Competition abby is nearly 50, broke, lonely, and not living up to her potential. entertainment GShe works as a phone sex operator and is forced to move in with her hyper-critical mother after her useless boyfriend cheats on her. One day she spotlight gets a call from a Los Angeles screenwriter named Martin who wants to… talk. After several calls, Gabby impulsively flies from Chicago to LA on the Revels appearing pretense of visiting her estranged sister. When she and Martin meet, she’s in- every Thursday in stantly by him and his wonderful Hollywood lifestyle. But all is not what it seems and ultimately Gabby needs to face some truths about herself the Ashland Tidings and the people around her. Rusty Schwimmer and Timothy Omundson give Celebrates heartfelt performances as two people who just might help each other grow up To subscribe, please call and fall in love for real. (541) 776-4455 TIMES Director: Francis Stokes Director’s Statement: Francis Stokes Producer: Rebekah Sturm Tempo appearing Friday 9:20pm Screenwriter: Francis Stokes Wild Honey is a movie about finding a connection. I had Saturday 3:20pm Cinematographer: Thomas Hargis this idea about a lovelorn phone sex operator, because I every Friday in feel a lot of those callers are actually looking for a connec- Sunday 6:20pm Editor: Jason Barnoski Enjoy the Show! tion which is something we’re all looking for in different the Mail Tribune Music: Phil Maniaci Monday 9:20pm ways. Romantic comedies are normally the territory of Cast: Stephanie Jane Markham, perfect young couples. But the rest of us have romantic Timothy Omundson, Rusty MULTIMEDIA Schwimmer, Todd Stashwick, lives too. I’ve worked with Rusty Schwimmer a few times, Stephnie Weir and I’m a big fan of hers. Rusty really embodies Gabby and brings out the is a proud sponsor of the aspiration and sort of kid-like optimism she has in spite of the fact that her 2018 Ashland Independent life is a mess. I want to see more romantic comedies with heroines like Gabby. ON NEWSSTANDS NOW! Selected Filmography: Daredevil Stuntman, Harold Buttleman www.southernoregonmagazine.com Film Festival

PAGE 84 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 85 the AIFF team AIFF Team Mission The Southern Oregon Film Society celebrates the diversity of human experience through the art of independent film—enriching, educating, and inspiring audiences of all ages.

The Ashland Independent Film Festival gratefully acknowledges the tireless dedication of the community leaders, past and present, whose vision, passion, and dedication make our support of independent film possible.

Board of Directors Pam Leandro Notch, President Anne Ashbey, Vice President Wolfgang Platzer, Treasurer Julie Weisinger, Secretary Carol Jensen Tim Johns Stephen Sloan Dick Sweet AIFF Staff: (from left to right) Breena Siegel, Erica Thompson, Judy Plapinger, Sean Sullivan, Samantha Sager, Emily McPeck, Jana Carole, Bruce Hostetler, Mary Beth Johnson, and Richard Herskowitz. Honorary Founders Board D.W. Wood & Barbara Allen Steve Wood Jim Batzer Staff Erica Thompson Programming Team Peter Bratt Founding Assistant to the Director/ Artistic & Executive Director Susan Cain Board Richard Herskowitz Film Screeners Filmmaker Liaison Richard Herskowitz Claire Baker Brooke DeBoer Member Artistic & Executive Frank Betlejewski Derek DeBoer Pokii Roberts Jedediah Davis Lee Fuchsmann Director Programming Coordinator Kim Deck David Gremmels Armory Manager Judy Plapinger Gary Dickson James Ivory Sean Sullivan Robin Williams Senior Programmer, Evalyn Hansen Dena Matthews Associate Director of Box Office Manager Short Films Joanie Keller-Hand Matt Ross Business & Systems Leslie Kurlan Photo: Back L-R Dick Sweet, Tim Johns, Anne Ashbey, Julie Weisinger; Front L-R Carol John Schweiger John Stadelman Jana Carole Howard Lavick Jensen, Wolf Platzer, Pam Leandro Notch; Not pictured: Stephen Sloan Tika Squires Mary Beth Johnson Programmers Robert Levin Jim Teece Associate Director of Education Coordinator Andrew Gay Louise Paré Development Breena Siegel Aura Johnson Dana Reames Events Coordinator Bruce Hostetler Amara Waterman Brady Rubin Elizabeth Schrey Festival Producer Peter Linington Jayson Wynkoop Mark Stein Bookkeeper (Volunteer) Emily McPeck Special thanks to: Scott Toll Communications Greg Babush Helen de Michiel & Lorraine Vail Nina Winans Manager Technical Director Emmy Scharlatt

Judy Plapinger Projectionists Programming & Sergio Andres Lobo-Navia Publications Coordinator Brian Morataya 453 Allison Street • Ashland Aaron Ridenour Interns (541) 488-2302 Samantha Sager Chris Simpson ​Sarah Domine ​Nicole Gullixson​ Tyler Myers Volunteer Coordinator Brandon Theige Allison Eatmon Megan Malone

PAGE 86 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 87 Volunteers AIFF2018 has been brought to you by each and every one of these big-hearted, accommodating, welcoming, sensational, generous, dazzling, wondrous, and gracious do-gooders. When you see a volunteer, thank them! Want to join them next year? Tell us at [email protected].

Theresa Ackerson Kathy Carter ✴ Brianna Forsyth Michael Hersh ✴ Sarah Larsen Paul Adalian ✴ Joy Caruthers Suzanne Foster Wendy Hicks Arline Rose Larson ✴ Rosemary Adalian Tatiana Cegin-Wagner Kathy Friedman Georgeanne Hislop Howard Lavick Steven Addington ✴ Curtis Charles Patricia Fuhrman ✴ Alyssa Hogan Jimmy Leavens Zach Adler Dustin Charley Alexis Gallardo Jeremy Holmes Deborah-Miriam Leff Ella Amarotico Elizabeth Churchill Brenda Garr Judy Holy John Leonard Sharon Anderson ✴ Catherine Cogdill ✴ Olivia Garrison Howard Hunter ✴ Robert Levin ✴ Peter Arango Jessica Cohen Andrew Gay Amy Hutcheson Annette Lewis ✴ Gigi Ashley Mark Collier Paris Geiken ✴ Carol Ingelson ✴ Jean Linington ✴ Vickie Augustine Shannon Cornish ✴ Jeff Golden ✴ Nicolette Irvine Peter Linington ✴ Julie O’Dwyer Gabrielle Pedersen Lara Barb Settles Stacey Twiss Bessie Azari Colleen Curran Nikole Gomez Mark Irving Brighton Litjens Mary Ollila ✴ Tom Peil Denise Ross ✴ Sarah Shaw Lorraine Vail Ellen Babin ✴ Peter Currer Connor Greager Richard Jacquot ✴ Christopher Lucas Pat Orrell Alexander Perez Brady Rubin ✴ Steve Sincerny ✴ Lily Valenta Jennifer Bacon Malinda Curry ✴ Candace Gregos Sudee Jacquot ✴ Carl Lukens ✴ Marisa Pala Rubi Perkinson ✴ Leah Russell Kadie Skou ✴ Venita Varga ✴ Bob Baker ✴ Susan John Grimshaw Aura Johnson ✴ Kelley Lusk Juliet Palmer Jennifer Pickerill Rachel Russell Audrey Sliger Sabena Vaughan Claire Baker ✴ Wendy Daniel ✴ Cynthia Gross ✴ Jennifer Joss Catherine Lutes Louise Paré ✴ Judy Plapinger ✴ Gabriela Safay Peter Sloan Park Walker ✴ Claudia Ballard Kim Deck Al Grosz ✴ Rebecca Jurta Mark Machala Leslie Parsons Sugeet Posey ✴ Sarah Sameh Karen Smith Gregory Wallin Paula Bandy ✴ Ariane Delamater Elise Gruber Chris Karas Katherine Mahoney ✴ Susan Parsons Roy Rains Luis Sanchez Tim Smith Amara Waterman Tracy Bass Diane DeMerritt ✴ Nicole Gullixson Richard Katz Megan Malone Carolyn Patten Dana Reames Emmy Scharlatt John Stadelman ✴ Carolyn Wetzel ✴ Ronald Bass Helen de Michiel Leah Halpert Ron Kaufman Trish Malone Mark Patterson Kianna Reid Jannet Schraer Mark Stein ✴ Sandra Wetzel ✴ Robin Benatti Gary Dickson ✴ Evalyn Hansen Lesley Kaufman Lori McCarron Tracy Patterson Bill Rhatican Patrick Schranck Simone Stewart ✴ Mary WilkinsKelly Bridget Bennett Sarah Domine Jack Harbaugh Joanie Keller-Hand ✴ Charlie McChesney Clayton Pauer Jan Ritter Elizabeth Schrey Rich Stickle ✴ Debra Wilson Michael Berkeley ✴ Bethann Duval Sharon Harris Elizabeth Kelly Yvette McCulley Michele Pavilionis ✴ Lisa Ritter Maya Seligman ✴ David Stone Janelle Wilson ✴ Starlie Bertrand Allison Eatmon Amber Harris ✴ Timothy Kelly ✴ Wade McQueen ✴ Gloria Stone ✴ Nina Winans ✴ Frank Betlejewski Peggy Elterman ✴ Kay Harrison Alaya Ketani Sophia Miller Marisa Stone Nate Witemberg Susan Bettinger Dave Etchie ✴ Marina Hartnell Brandon Kime Hannah Mock Eric Strahl ✴ Scott Wood ✴ Michael Bianca Paige Farrell Hartnell Diane Kish ✴ Jessica Mongolo ✴ Jack Stromer Kristianna Woods ✴ Molly Bloom John Ferris Cate Hartzell ✴ Stephen Kish ✴ Marilyn Moore ✴ Zachary Sutton Jayson Wynkoop Cat Bonney Mindy Ferris Steve Haskell Michael Kloor Peggy Moore ✴ Stephanie Swimmer Jay Zheng Kevin Boog ✴ Kathryn Finwall ✴ Kathy Healy John Koch Nicole Mullen Charisse Sydoriak Buchanan Artem Fischer Joan Heiken Leslie Kurlan Trisha Mullinnix ✴ Walter Sydoriak Sandy Burd Anya Fischer Bill Heimann ✴ Laurie Kurutz ✴ Tyler Myers Marcella Theeman Bill Heinrich Susan Cain ✴ Bradley Flint ✴ Janet LaFountain Lawrence Nagel Joan Thorndike ✴ ✴ Indicates five years or Rena Carr ✴ Tamara Foley Suzanne Heinrich Joan Lamont Daniel Noonan Monica Tiffany ✴ more of devoted volunteer Peggy Carson ✴ Porter Ford Ariel Hernandez John Lane Maylee Oddo Scott Toll service. Kathy Tompkins ✴ Names in bold indicate Jim Tompkins ✴ members of the dedicated Brooke Turner ✴ volunteer management team.

PAGE 88 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 89 Brad Wartman Tess Camagna Don Prosnitz John Fisher-Smith Joy Palmer Ron Weinhold Larry Chapman Fern Prosnitz Jim Flint Mel Palmer Greeley Wells Wanda Chin Sandi Risser Carole Florian Louise Paré DONORS & MEMBERS Paul Winans Linda Chitwood Jim Risser David Florian Joe Peterson The AIFF is grateful to these individuals for supporting the work of our nonprofit organization. Thank you! Paul Collins Mujahid Rizvi Laura Frantz Stephanie Peterson Cine Michelle Corradetti Sheri Roberts Jan Gimian Carole Petracek Swirl Alexander Barbara Costa Donna Rose Isleen Glatt Wolfgang Platzer Debra Koutnik & Pepper Trail Andrea & Alex Georgevitch Joyce Ward & Marty Thommes DONORS Brandon Givens James Auchincloss Richard Dalmaso John Rose Anne Golden Irene Plunkett Chowenhill February 24, 2017-February 23, 2018 John & Marilyn Love* Daniel Wells Doris Bass Alice Davidson Samantha Sager Jeff Golden John Pratt Donna Macdonald Steve & Fran Goldstein Robin Williams & Janelle Wilson Cat Gould Sid Bass Don Davidson Sarah Schendel Barbara Goldfarb-Seles Leon Pyle $5,000+ Donna & Greer Markle Marc Williams Archie Blake Frank DeMarco Susan Seereiter Adrienne Graham Dana Reames Nancy Martin Donna Gould Ross Williams Jay Ach & Karen Grove Dorothea Hatch Georgi Blake Bruce Donelson Carolyn Shaffer Alice Greenwald Janet Reavis Chuck & Tika Squires Jamie & Katherine McCleary Nancy Rae Willson Betsy Bradshaw Gina Dorre Louise Shawkat Laurie Gregory Stanley Redkey Ed & Louann McNulty* Susan Hearn Nate Witemberg Candace Doyle Janet Smith Christine Reed Coming Attractions Theatres Kristina Hess Chad Burger Steve Gregory Elizabeth Metcalf & Bruce Donelson Patricia Wolfe Terry Burgess Beecher Ellison Linda Smith Anne Grey Edward Reed Laurie Montero Heather Hicks & Chad Burger Michael & Karen Wraight Eileen Chieco Patricia Ellison Stephanie Stewart Alexandra Reid $2,500+ Karen Hiller & Mike Bielec Noel Grey Bill & Julia Ashbey Mr. Kristos* Elaine Yates & Michael Costello Victor Chieco John Engelhardt Lark Stratton Jack Harbaugh Javan Reid Linda Niehaus & Brad Hagen David Hogan Pamela Yates Frank Dill Elizabeth Fairchild Kate Thill Dorothea Hatch Deborah Rennie Jill Hartz & Richard Herskowtiz Andra Hollenbeck Maylee Oddo* Amy Richard* Jonnie Zheutlin Paula Dill Kathy Friedman Richard Urbanski Kimberly Hauschild Zachary Rich Gregg Olson & Leslie Richards Leigh & Frederic Hood Carol Doty Beatrice Gamboa Lynda Weinhold Pam Haunschild Barbara Richard Wolfgang Platzer & Patricia Orsini Karen Horn *Emeritus Board Film Sponsor Donor Dick & Elaine Sweet Sandi & Jim Risser* Lori East Mary Frances Gerbi Robert Wetmore Brad Hildreth Ann Rizzolo Kathy & Rand Roselli Annie Hoy & Bobby Plapinger Libby Edson Marta Gomez Jesse Widener Judith Hill Ed Rizzuti $1,000+ Jeff Carol Ingelson MEMBERS Steve Edson Adam Goodpaster Kenneth R. Windsor Polly Hodges Joan Roberts Sandy Burd Beth Stark Helen Jones Anuncia Escala Bill Greenwell Lawrence Witt Jan Holland Eveline Robinson Susan & Rob Cain Barbara & Carlyle Stout Laurel Kiichli as of February 23, 2018 Bill Fischer Bonnie Greenwell Linda Young Jasmin Holley Michael Ross Craig Gordon Donna Stuart Kathleen Kosche Your membership provides vital Lee Fuchsmann Hollis Greenwood Mark Young Karen Horn Wendy Ross Carol & Stephen Jensen Joel & Donna Taylor Patti Kramer & Alan Burjoski support that allows us to continue Lana Gates Barry Harris Alex Zaremska Larry Hunter Brady Rubin David Traul & Lena Varner Susan & Randy Krant our year-round cultural and Lynn Gates Jim Hatfield Elisabeth Zinser Carol Ingelson Ira Rubin Tim Johns & Athena Goldberg educational programs. Thank you! Doug Nash & Ulla Jane Van Dyke Molly & Joe Kreuzman Lezlie Green Susan Henderson Patti Jacobson Susan Rust Horstmann-Nash* Leslie Van Gelder Sue & Richard Kurth Executive Producer Brad Hagen Katherine Hill Friend Richard Jacquot David Sacks Anthony Kyle Pam Leandro Notch & Carolyn Wetzel Richard Blue Richard Hales Susan Hirata John Adams Carol Jensen Susan Saladoff Gerald Notch Catherine Wood Sarah Larsen Brooke DeBoer Heather Hicks Leigh Hood Linda Adams Stephen Jensen Melissa Sandow Jimmy Leavens Nancy Honig Amanda Iles Terry Ansnes Tim Johns Daryl Schilling Barbara & Harry Oliver up to $99 Derek DeBoer Rogue Creamery Todd Looby Will Sears Lillian Koppelman Sudee Jacquot Mary Alice Arre Carol Klouda Stefani Seffinger Shelby & Ken Sanford Regina Ayars Ann Marie Magill Wendy Seldon Gary Kout Nancy James Anne Ashbey Gary Klouda Karen Serrett Sean Sullivan & Jessica Piekielek Elly Baker Jackie Markin Tika Squires Stacy Rebecca Jurta Regina Ayars Kathleen Kosche Robert Serrett Khaliqa Baqi Barbara & Tom Mathieson Elizabeth York Wade Lange Lesley Kaufman Georgia Bailey Kimberly Kruger James Sibbring $500+ Chris Beekman Judith Anne McBride Lynda Lanker Case Kerns Katie Becker Joan Kunselman Steve Sincerny Tamera Abbett Judy Bell Ms. Charlie McChesney Producer John Love Becky Kilburn Carol Bee Laurie Kurutz Stephen Sloan Elaine Albrich* Mitch Berman Melissa McNeil Richard Hay Irving Lubliner Bobbie Kinsinger Richard Bee John Lane Karen Spence Anne Ashbey Kevin Boog Emily McPeck & Russell Zook Carl Marsak Rich Kinsinger Judy Bell Leslie Lanes Mark Stein Cindy Barnard Scott Brandstetter & Stuart Meyer Director Molly Mckissick Joanne Kliejunas Anne Bellegia Marga Laube Paul Steinle Annette & Andy Batzer Karen Oppenheim Mark & Karen Mihaljevich Jay Ach Penny Mikesell Patti Kramer Sara Brown Michaela Lavick Dorthy Stewart Kathy & Robert Block-Brown Patti Bruck Edith Montgomery Bill Ashbey Chris Mock Molly Kreuzman Martha Bueche Gaia Layser Gloria Stone Cathy Dombi & Philip Trautman Patrick Brussat & Jeanine Sturm Larry & Nancy Morgan Julia Ashbey Susan Mock Leanne Krieger Leslie Burkhart Tim Learmont Dick Sweet Brock Dumont Leslie Burkhart Bob Morse Andy Batzer Peggy Moore Richard Krieger Bobby Burton Gretchen Lee Arlene Tayloe Craig Dumont Terry Cain Thomas & Janet Murphy Annette Batzer Linda Niehaus Sue Kurth Lenna Burton Karen Leng Beverly Thorman Anuncia Escala & Paul Semonin Jana Carole & Keith Swink Elizabeth Murphy Karen Grove Gregg Olson Jack Kyman Terry Cain Amy Lepon Dan Thorndike Katherine Gosnell & Rick Anderson Cathy Carrier & Paul Collins Elizabeth Oehler Tammy Hald David Price Mary Kyman Brandy Carson Zoe Livingston Joan Thorndike Sarah & Shady Challman Joan Olbrantz Annie Hoy Yvette Provosty Joan Lamont Bob Carter Christopher Lucas Penny Traugott Tammy Hald Leslie Richards Marjorie Langton Lynn Twiest Ron & Mrs. Noreen Hulteen* Edith Chezik Rainy Olsen Ron Hulteen Laurie Carter Cathleen Lupisella Victor & Eileen Chieco Lee Olson & Beth Ann Dolos Noreen Hulteen D A Searcy John Lawrence Liz Chapman Karen MacInnes Richard Twiest Jerry Kenefick Paul Semonin Shari Lawrence Alice Mallory Steve Utt Lynda Lanker Linda Chitwood Louise Paré Randy Lovre Dennis Chowenhill Ted Clay Heidi Parker, Jim Shames & Max Barb Lovre Paul Siegel Phyllis Leilani-Halstead Sara Clements Darryl Mallory Marc Valens Jean & Peter Linington Teryl Siegel David Lennett Bruce Comstock Greer Markle Estelle Voeller Dana Reames Wendy, Harper & Rich Conner and Phoebe Parker-Shames Donna Ritchie Kathy & Dennis Cooper Melissa Pedersen Peter Salant Earle Sloan Sharon Levin Jim Cope Kathryn Marsak Melinda Wagner Karen Smith* Vanya Sloan Marilyn Love Georgene Crowe Betsy McLane David Warren Martha Stadelman Susan Dallas Gabrielle Pedersen Karen Smith Darcy Danielson Judy Plapinger Beth Stark Harry Struthers Donna Macdonald Marian Crumme Ed McNulty Nancy Warren $100+ linda struthers Mark Macdonald Janet Hegna Davis Louann McNulty Karen Weiseth Christine & James Dart Shannon Rinefort Evye Szanto Donna Markle Julie Weisinger Kristine Davis Sherrill Rinehart Fan Martha Davis Deborah Melahn Paul & Rosemary Adalian* Victor Szanto Craig Mather Lynette de Moulin Nancy Mendenhall George Westermark Peter Adesman Lynette de Moulin Mary & Mike Rogan Karen Barrow Richard Barth Barry Thalden June Mather Cathy DeForest Christine Menefee Nina Winans Jacquelyn Agee Paco de Onis Steve Russo & Sally Kirkpatrick Kathryn Thalden Barbara Mathieson Gary Dickson Lynn Mergell Regina Windham Claudia Ballard* Dennis DeBey Susan Rust Debra Barth John Barton Karena Toal Elizabeth Metcalf Jeanne Dickson Susan Milburn Debra Wolfson Cindy Bernard Kim Deck Samantha Sager & Mark Fischer Aleece Townsend Kitty Meyer Katherine Dobson Lindy Miller David Wolske Greg Conaway & Cory Ross Cathy DeForest & Leon Susan Saladoff Janet Boggia Susan Cain Lainie Turner Ron Mogel Lucy Dobson Albert Minnick Kae Yates Drea Cooper & Derek Pyle Kay Sandberg Paul Turner Kathy Mooney Don Dolan Kari Minnick Arleen Zack Barbara Costa Diane DeMerritt & Christine Schumacher Mardy Carson Dot Fisher-Smith Catherine Wood Mike Mooney Janet Dolan Michael Nasiatka …and all our newest Marian Crumme Daniel Hamnett Louise Shawkat Pamela Morris Virginia Dugan Nancy Nasiatka supporters and anyone we Laura Derocher Dennis & Sandra Slattery Ed Keller Jack Davis Keeley Kirkendall Indie Bob Morse Bethann Duval Antoinetta Neville inadvertently left out. Lucy Dobson Alec Dickinson & Tiffany Rachel Sol Debra Koutnik Joe Acosta Craig Muedeking Gretchen Elliott Kevin Neville Allen & Karen Drescher* Sean & Julie Downey Elisa Spahn Susan Krant Beth Alderman Janet Murphy John Emery Mark Newberger Thomas Dumont Lori East Stacey Steers Randy Krant Ann Anderson Thomas Murphy Sandy Emery Cathy Nicholson Your membership pro- Lee Fuchsmann Joanne Feinberg* Sharon Swingle Larry Anderson Lewis Nash Rae Ann Engdahl Paul Nicholson vides vital support that Eleanor Lippman allows us to continue our Brian Gruber Dr. Joel Feiner & Gail Alexander Erica Thompson Mitzi Loftus Bea Bacher-Wetmore Barbara Oliver Joyce Epstein Gerald Notch Leeda Hauser Martha FitzGerald Beverly Thorman year-round cultural and Duane Nelson Manju Bazzell Harry Oliver Pamela Erwin Pam Leandro Notch educational programs. Elizabeth Hoffmann Paula Fong Joan & Dan Thorndike Barbara Ricketts Gail Beason Heidi Parker Marla Estes Julie O’Dwyer Mary Beth Johnson Carlos & Patricia Fontanot Debra Thornton Susie Sherry Joan Becich Bill Parr Joel Feiner Carole O’Hare Thank you! Brian & Carien Jordaan Sidney Frederick Monica Tiffany Joel Taylor Erin Brender Francie Parr Carol Fellows Vincent O’Hare Calvin Kennedy* Kim Gamble Luigi Tinonga & Donna Taylor Carol Bue Colleen Patrick-Riley John Ferris Diane Olsen Joanne Kliejunas & Lynn Gates Calleen Cochran-Tinonga Jeanne Taylor Sandy Burd Kent Patrick-Riley Mindy Ferris Patricia Orsini Irving Lubliner* Andrew & Angelyn Gay Laura Wagner Dennis Tetz Alan Burjoski Mary Pat Power Paul Finwall Erik Palmer

PAGE 90 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 91 SCHEDULE MedfordChamber.com THURSDAY 4/12/18 MORNING NOON AFTERNOON EVENING NIGHT 10:10am • Shorts 12:00pm • Documentary 3:00pm • Documentary 6:00pm • Documentary 9:00pm • Narrative

Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Armory Armory Kid Flix A Tuba to Cuba Sky and Ground Intelligent Lives Borg vs. McEnroe

56 min. 83 min. 87 min. Opening Night Film 100 min. (School Groups Only) 75 min. Play 12:10pm • Narrative 3:10pm • Documentary 6:00pm • Documentary 9:00pm • Documentaries Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 WORK For Izzy The Gospel of Eureka Minding the Gap The Foreigner’s Home/ 84 min. 75 min. 98 min. The World is Round... 66 min. 12:20pm • Documentaries 3:20pm • Documentary 6:10pm • Narrative 9:10pm • Documentary Varsity 2 Varsity 2 Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Short Docs 1: About Work Dark Money Fort Maria Skid Row Marathon 92 min. 98 min. 88 min. 85 min. 12:30pm • Documentary 3:30pm • Documentaries 6:20pm • Narrative 9:20pm • Narrative Varsity 5 Varsity 5 Varsity 2 Varsity 2 A River Below América/While I yet Live The Last Hot Lick Back at the Staircase 96 min. 91 min. 88 min. 77 min. 12:40pm • Shorts 3:40pm • Shorts & Docs 6:30pm • Shorts 9:30pm • Shorts Travel Medford.org Ashland Street Cinema Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 5 Varsity 5 Kid Flix Locals Only 3: On the Short Stories 1: Short Stories 2: 56 min. River, On the Land In the Light of Day After Hours (School Groups Only) 66 min. 93 min. 88 min. 12:40pm • Docs & Short 3:40pm • Documentaries 6:40pm • Documentaries 9:40pm • Narrative Varsity 3 Varsity 3 Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 3 One October/Roadside Five Seasons/Nobody Dies The Reluctant Radical/ People People Attraction/Little Donnie 84 min. Symphony for Nature 75 min. 70 min. 104 min. 6:40pm • Documentary Varsity 3 Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End 70 min.

7:30-10:30pm Ashland Springs Hotel Opening Night Bash

Theater 2 is not wheelchair accessible PAGE 92 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 93 SCHEDULE SCHEDULE FRIDAY 4/13/18 SATURDAY 4/14/18 MORNING NOON AFTERNOON EVENING NIGHT MORNING NOON AFTERNOON EVENING NIGHT 9:30am • Documentary 12:00pm • Narrative 3:00pm • Documentary 5:15pm • Ashland Elks 9:00pm • Documentary 9:30am • Documentary 12:00pm • Documentary 3:00pm • Narrative 5:15pm • Ashland Elks Lodge 9:00pm • Narrative Armory Armory Armory Lodge Armory Armory Armory Armory Community Conversations: Armory Itzhak Lean on Pete On Her Shoulders Community Conversations: The King Saving Brinton Love, Cecil First Reformed First Reformed Hearts Beat Loud 80 min. 121 min. 94 min. Intelligent Lives 107 min. 87 min. 99 min. 113 min. 90 min. 96 min. 90 min. 9:30am • Documentaries 12:00pm • Documentary 3:00pm • Documentary 6:00pm • Narrative 9:00pm • Documentary 9:30am • Documentary 12:00pm • Documentary 3:00pm • Narrative 6:00pm • Narrative 9:00pm • Documentary Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Armory Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Armory Varsity 1 The Foreigner’s Home/ Modified Sky and Ground Outside In Minding the Gap Modified Minding the Gap Shakespeare Wallah On Chesil Beach Two Trains Runnin’ The World is Round... 87 min. 87 min. 109 min. 98 min. 87 min. 98 min. with James Ivory & 110 min. 80 min. 66 min. Bill Rauch 9:40am • Documentary 12:10pm • Narrative 3:10pm • Documentary 6:00pm • Documentary 9:10pm • Documentaries 122 min. Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 1 Varsity 4 9:40am • Documentary 12:10pm • Documentary 3:10pm • Narrative 6:00pm • Documentary 9:10pm • Documentary Skid Row Marathon For Izzy The Gospel of Eureka Two Trains Runnin’ América/While I yet Live Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 1 Varsity 4 85 min. 84 min. 75 min. 80 min. 91 min. The Gospel of Eureka Skid Row Marathon For Izzy A Tuba to Cuba Skid Row Marathon 9:50am • Documentaries 12:20pm • Narrative 3:20pm • Narrative 6:10pm • Narrative 9:20pm • Documentary 75 min. 85 min. 84 min. 83 min. 85 min. Varsity 2 Varsity 2 Varsity 2 Varsity 4 Varsity 2 9:50am • Documentary 12:20pm • Narrative 3:20pm • Documentaries 6:10pm • Documentary 9:20pm • Narrative Short Docs 1: About Work The Last Hot Lick Wild Honey Fort Maria Dark Money Varsity 2 Varsity 2 Varsity 2 Varsity 4 Varsity 2 92 min. 88 min. 88 min. 88 min. 98 min. Dark Money The Last Hot Lick Short Docs 2: The Gospel of Eureka Wild Honey 10:00am • Panel 12:30pm • Documentaries 3:30pm • Shorts 6:20pm • Documentaries 9:30pm • Shorts 98 min. 88 min. About Community 75 min. 88 min. Ashland Springs Hotel Varsity 5 Varsity 5 Varsity 2 Varsity 5 93 min. Talkback: Seeking América/While I yet Live Short Stories 1: Short Docs 2: Short Stories 2: 10:00am • Panel 12:30pm • Narrative 3:30pm • Documentaries 6:20pm • Narrative 9:30pm • Narrative Justice in Documentary 91 min. In the Light of Day About Community After Hours Ashland Springs Hotel Varsity 5 Varsity 5 Varsity 2 Varsity 5 93 min. 93 min. 88 min. TalkBack: Talking Acting Fort Maria América/While I yet Live Back at the Staircase The Rainbow 10:00am • Shorts 12:40pm • Shorts 3:40pm • Shorts 6:30pm • Narrative 9:40pm • Shorts & Docs with Chris Cooper 88 min. 91 min. 77 min. Experiment Collaborative Theatre Ashland Street Cinema Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 5 Ashland Street Cinema 90 min. 129 min. Project Kid Flix CineSpace17 The Rainbow Experiment Locals Only 3: On the 10:00am • Documentary 12:40pm • Documentary 3:40pm • Shorts 6:30pm • Shorts 9:40pm • Shorts Kid Flix 56 min. 74 min. 129 min. River, On the Land Varsity 5 Ashland Street Cinema Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 5 Ashland Street Cinema 56 min. 66 min. A River Below No Maps on My Taps Locals Only 1: LAUNCH Short Stories 1: Locals Only 2: 10:00am • ScienceWorks 12:40pm • Documentary 3:40pm • Shorts 6:40pm • Documentary 9:40pm • Shorts 96 min. 59 min. Student Films In the Light of Day Ashland Roots Space Exploration Varsity 3 Varsity 3 Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 3 (School Groups Only) 48 min. 93 min. 80 min. at NASA Mr. Fish: Cartooning Zackary Drucker: Liyana Animated Worlds: with NASA’s Dan Jacobs from the Deep End Trans Film Television 77 min. Stop-Motion Classics 10:10am • Shorts 12:40pm • Documentary 3:40pm • Shorts 6:40pm • Documentaries 9:40pm • Documentaries (Part of AIFF Family Day 70 min. 68 min. with Mark Shapiro Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 3 Varsity 3 Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 3 at ScienceWorks) 85 min. Kid Flix Crime + Punishment Animated Worlds: Citizen Blue/The March Five Seasons/ 56 min. 111 min. Stop-Motion Classics 111 min. Nobody Dies 10:00am • Narrative 1:00pm • Documentary 4:00pm • ScienceWorks 6:40pm • Documentary (School Groups Only) 84 min. Varsity 5 Collaborative Theatre Magic Lantern Demon- Varsity 3 with Mark Shapiro Project 85 min. Fort Maria stration with Michael Zahs Crime + Punishment 88 min. Liyana (Part of AIFF Family Day 111 min. 10:10am • Shorts & Docs 6:40pm • Documentary 77 min. at ScienceWorks) Varsity 3 Varsity 3 10:10am • Shorts 1:00pm • ScienceWorks 8:15pm • SOU Recital Hall Shorts Docs and Stories: Liyana Ashland Street Cinema Narrative & Short About Family 77 min. Stop-Motion Animation 79 min. Locals Only 1: LAUNCH at LAIKA Studio with Silent Scores: The Student Film Awards Mark Shapiro (Part of AIFF Dying Swan and 48 min Family Day at ScienceWorks) Stacey Steers’ Trilogy 10:10am • Docs & Short 94 min. Varsity 3 One October/Roadside Attraction/Little Donnie 70 min. Theater 2 is not wheelchair accessible Theater 2 is not wheelchair accessible PAGE 94 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 95 SCHEDULE SCHEDULE SUNDAY 4/15/18 MONDAY 4/16/18 MORNING NOON AFTERNOON EVENING NIGHT MORNING NOON AFTERNOON EVENING NIGHT 9:30am • Documentary 12:00pm • Documentaries 3:00pm • Documentaries 5:15pm • Ashland Elks 9:00pm • Documentary 9:30am • Narrative 12:00pm • Documentary 3:00pm • Shorts & Docs 6:00pm • Narrative 9:00pm • Documentary Armory Armory Varsity 1 Lodge Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 No Maps on My Taps The Blessing/ The Foreigner’s Home/ Community A Tuba to Cuba Audience Award: Juried Award: Jury and Audience: Juried Award: Audience Award: with Live Tap Dancing Dislocation Blues The World is Round... Conversations: The 83 min. Narrative Feature Documentary Feature Narrative and Narrative Feature Documentary Feature 59 min. 93 min. 66 min. Foreigner’s Home Documentary Shorts 90 min. 9:40am • Narrative 12:10pm • Documentary 3:10pm • Documentaries 6:10pm • Documentary 9:10pm • Narrative 9:30am • Documentary 12:00pm • Documentary 3:10pm • Documentary 6:00pm • Documentary 9:10pm • Documentaries Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 1 Varsity 1 Varsity 4 Varsity 1 Varsity 4 For Izzy The Gospel of Eureka América/While I yet Live Skid Row Marathon For Izzy Two Trains Runnin’ Sky and Ground The Gospel of Eureka Modified América/While I yet Live 84 min. 75 min. 90 min. 85 min. 84 min. 80 min. 87 min. 75 min. 87 min. 91 min. 9:50am • Varsity 2 12:20pm • Documentary 3:20pm • Narrative 6:20pm • Varsity 2 9:20pm • Narrative 9:40am • Narrative 12:10pm • Documentary 3:20pm • Narrative 6:10pm • Narrative 9:20pm • Documentaries Varsity 2 Varsity 2 Varsity 2 Varsity 4 Varsity 4 Varsity 2 Varsity 4 Varsity 2 TBA 1 TBA 2 Dark Money Back at the Staircase Wild Honey Fort Maria Skid Row Marathon Back at the Staircase For Izzy Short Docs 1: About Work 98 min. 77 min. 88 min. 88 min. 85 min. 77 min. 84 min. 92 min. 9:50am • Narrative 12:20pm • Documentaries 3:30pm • Documentary 6:20pm • Narrative 9:30pm • Shorts 10:00am • Documentaries 12:30pm • Documentary 3:30pm • Narrative 6:30pm • Narrative 9:30pm • Shorts Varsity 2 Varsity 2 Varsity 5 Varsity 2 Varsity 5 Varsity 5 Varsity 5 Varsity 5 Varsity 5 Varsity 5 The Last Hot Lick Short Docs 2: A River Below Wild Honey Short Stories 2: Citizen Blue/The March A River Below The Rainbow Experiment Fort Maria Short Stories 2: 111 min. 88 min. About Community 96 min. 88 min. After Hours 96 min. 129 min. 88 min. After Hours 93 min. 88 min. 88 min. 10:00am • Panel 12:30pm • Shorts 3:40pm • Documentaries 6:30pm • Narrative 9:40pm • Shorts 10:10am • Documentary 12:40pm • Shorts 3:40pm • Documentary 6:40pm • Docs & Short 9:40pm • Varsity 3 Ashland Springs Hotel Varsity 5 Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 5 Ashland Street Cinema Ashland Street Cinema Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 3 Varsity 3 TBA 3 TalkBack: Composing Short Stories 1: In the I Am Maris/Standing The Rainbow Locals Only 2: Liyana Kid Flix Liyana One October/Roadside Scores for Classic and Light of Day Still | Still Standing Experiment Ashland Roots 77 min. 56 min. 77 min. Attraction/Little Donnie Contemporary Films 93 min. 93 min. 129 min. 80 min. (School Groups Only) (School Groups Only) 70 min. 90 min. 10:10am • Documentary 12:40pm • Narrative 7:00pm • Documentary 10:00am • Documentaries 12:40pm • Documentary 3:40pm • Documentary 6:40pm • Documentaries 9:40pm • Documentary Varsity 3 Varsity 3 Collaborative Theatre Varsity 5 Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 3 Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 3 Crime + Punishment People People Project América/While I yet Live Liyana The Queen The Reluctant Radical/ Mr. Fish: Cartooning 111 min. 75 min. A River Below 91 min. 77 min. with Zackary Drucker Symphony for Nature from the Deep End 96 min. 68 min. 104 min. 70 min. 10:10am • Shorts 12:40pm • Shorts & Docs 6:40pm • Documentaries Ashland Street Cinema Varsity 3 Varsity 3 Theater 2 is not wheelchair accessible Kid Flix Short Docs and Stories: Five Seasons/ 56 min. About Family Nobody Dies 79 min. 84 min. 10:10am •Narrative 7:30-11:00pm support Join Noble Coffee in supporting Varsity 3 Armory the Ashland Independent Film Festival. People People Awards Celebration GREAT COFFEE 75 min. During the dates that the box office is open (3/26-4/16), $1 from every package of Noble Coffee sold will be donated to AIFF.

281 4th Street, Ashland Theater 2 is not wheelchair accessible GREAT FILMS

PAGE 96 Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org Purchase tickets online or on your mobile device at ashlandfilm.org PAGE 97 Film Index América...... 42 Little Potato...... 32 Animated Worlds: Stop-Motion Classics...... 29 Liyana...... 56 Aria...... 33 Love, Cecil...... 57 Arrested (Again)...... 31 The March...... 44 Back at the Staircase...... 73 Minding the Gap...... 59 Beast...... 35 Modified...... 59 The Blessing...... 43 Mother’s Day...... 32 Borg vs. McEnroe...... 73 Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End...... 61 The Burden...... 35 No Maps on My Taps...... 66 CineSpace 17...... 26 Nobody Dies in Longyearbyen...... 47 Citizen Blue: The Life and Work of a Great Filmmaker...... 44 Ode to Joy...... 31 Commodity City...... 30 On Chesil Beach...... 80 Community Patrol...... 31 On Her Shoulders...... 65 Crime + Punishment...... 45 One October...... 63 Dark Money...... 46 Outside In...... 81 The Day That...... 33 People People...... 81 Debris...... 35 The Queen...... 65 Dislocation Blues...... 43 The Rainbow Experiment...... 82 Do Not Pass Go...... 31 The Reluctant Radical...... 67 The Dying Swan/Stacey Steers’ Trilogy...... 19 A River Below...... 69 Falling...... 35 Roadside Attraction...... 63 A Family Rides...... 32 Saving Brinton...... 69 Ferryman at the Wall...... 30 Shakespeare Wallah...... 83 First Date...... 33 Skid Row Marathon...... 70 First Reformed...... 75 Sky and Ground...... 71 Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf...... 47 So Much Yellow...... 33 The Foreigner’s Home...... 49 Standing Still | Still Standing...... 53 For Izzy...... 77 Symphony for Nature: The Britt Orchestra at Crater Lake.....67 Fort Maria...... 77 tomnoddy...... 30 Game...... 32 Tortoise...... 35 The Gospel of Eureka...... 51 A Tuba to Cuba...... 71 Great Light...... 35 Two Balloons...... 32 Hearts Beat Loud...... 79 Two Trains Runnin’...... 72 I Am Maris...... 53 Unnatural...... 33 Intelligent Lives...... 54 Unstuck: an OCD kids movie...... 32 Itzhak...... 54 Washed Away...... 30 Kid Flix...... 26 Water Town...... 31 The King...... 55 While I yet Live...... 42 The Last Honey Hunter...... 30 Who Decides...... 33 The Last Hot Lick...... 79 Wild Honey...... 83 Lean on Pete...... 80 The World is Round so That Nobody Can Hide in the Corners Let My People Vote...... 31 Part 1: Refuge...... 49 Little Donnie (The Ten Inch Terror)...... 63 Zackary Drucker: Trans Film Television...... 29 Make a Donation to Support AIFF Double your gift today! Any gift made during the festival will be matched 100% by an anonymous local foundation. Support your favorite nonprofit independent film festival today!

• Text AIFF to 56512 and follow the prompts • Call 541-488-3823 to make a gift • Visit ashlandfilm.org/donate • Mail a check to PO Box 218, Ashland, OR 97520 • Stop by the box office and pick up a donation envelope • Email [email protected]

AIFF is a nonprofit organization. We depend on the generosity of countless A gift of: community members for all we do. In addition to offering a vibrant, electric festival • $250 will help bring an independent filmmaker each year, AIFF gives back by providing free access for children and people in to AIFF2018 need, bringing the diverse voices of independent filmmakers to Southern Oregon, supporting regional filmmakers with free submissions, and so much more. • $150 can support AIFF LEARN, which And while these five days in April are the culmination of year-round efforts includes our in-school education programs, by our staff, board, and volunteers, AIFF also works to offer in-school education Teen Press, and Community Conversations programs, Varsity World Film Week in October, the Oscars Night Fundraising • $60 allows 10 students to attend a film Gala, and special screenings throughout the year. We love this community and seek screening during AIFF for free through our to enhance the production and appreciation of cinematic art here all year long. GiveFilm program Ticket sales and membership alone cannot support AIFF. In fact, they only cover 36% of AIFF’s overall budget. We depend on donations from individuals like • A gift of $5 will cover the cost of this free you to keep this Festival a vital contributor to our region’s artistic fabric. Will you Festival Catalogue that you’re holding make a 100% tax-deductible gift today to support AIFF? right now.

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