WELCOME The Chattanooga Film Festival has my money they’re as good as it gets), been the strangest and most rewarding drunken live script reads, boat parties, journey of my life. I think back to just whiskey-swillin’, beer-drinking, Moon six years ago, when we received our Pie-slamming magic from wall to first little bit of funding and a certain WALL. We have FLASH GORDON and naysayer in town tried to talk us out of a secret screening that will melt your doing it. eyelids, we have art and film and chaos and all the things that make life worth “It’s never going to work,” he said. living and the arts worth fighting for. “This town won’t support it, and there aren’t enough people who care about This year CFF has evolved into the film to volunteer.” Then,I KID YOU weird and wooly beast we always NOT, this person tried to convince imagined it could, and from the us to use the money on creating moment your boots hit the ground at Chattanooga’s first “TIKI” fest. I have our new home (Chattanooga Theatre no idea what the hell that meant, but Centre for LYFE) we think you’ll feel I’m sure glad I never had to find out. that. It’s our hope that you’ll take that feeling with you when you leave and Cut to five years later, my talented bring it back when you come back in team and I have a few more gray hairs Year Six. It’s the deepest honor of my (a lot more in my case), and we’ve life that I’ve gotten to bring CFF to the taken a few knocks (I’ve lost count of town where I grew up, the place where how many times I’ve started and then my lifelong love of film began. That restarted indie theaters in this town). makes it all the sweeter. I’m pretty tired But what has never changed is our y’all, but I just can’t QUIT YOU. love and dedication to film, the careful curation of programming, and the warm So enough outta me, but as always, and inclusive (troll free since 2013!) from our team to your heart (and culture that has sprung up around CFF. eyeballs for that matter) THANK YOU This year’s schedule is loaded to the for being a part of CFF, whether you’re gills with Willy Wonka-style insanity: an attendee, a volunteer or even one We’ll be asking you to join a cult and of the talented filmmakers that have watch The Endless, we’ll be celebrating trusted us with your baby. This year, punk rock with Jenn Wexler’s badass (YEAR FIVE!!!) is dedicated to you. The Ranger and its associated Punk on Enjoy yourselves, and maybe high- the Rocks party, and my hero/CFF five a volunteer if you’re so inclined. Patron Saint Joe Bob Briggs is back for ALSO, join me in May for yet another the fourth straight year to tell the sordid arthouse project opening. I think this — and too strange to be real — tale of one is gonna work! Rest assured we’re exploitation cinema. Mohawk co-writer all too dumb to quit if it doesn’t. Grady Hendrix is also presenting his insane, breathtakingly bananas world of Yours in film and friendship, WELCOME Paperbacks from Hell. Don’t miss it. #RespectCinema Again, we have podcasts (the SHOCK Chris Dortch II WAVES folks are joining us, and for 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
7 STAFF & BOARD 9-13 PARTIES & EVENTS 15-17 WORKSHOPS 19-22 SCHEDULE 24-33 CFFEATURES 35-37 CFF CINEMASSENTIALS 41-47 TRUTH BOMBS 49-54 MES AFTER HOURS 57 SHORT FILM SCHEDULE 58-70 SHORT FILMS 71-73 SPONSORS
3 SHORT FILMS SHORT 44 STAFF & BOARD STAFF Chris Dortch II, Executive Director/Lead Programmer Chris Dortch, Sr., Assistant Director/Program Editor/Programmer Tia Baker, Festival Manager Katey Alegre, Festival Manager Mark Watlington, Box Office Manager Meagan Frey, Volunteer and Vendor Manager Jason Mink, Volunteer and Vendor Manager Brittany Jones, Food and Beverage Manager Rebecca Feldbin, PR Coordinator and Guest Liaison Jaya Todai, Media and Photography Manager Aaron Cowan, Webmaster/Artist Residency Coordinator Travis Knight, Art and Design Maria Zare, Box Office Coordinator Sylvia Zdunek, Volunteer Coordinator Mendy Black, Guest Services Coordinator Dre Boulet, Programmer Drake Toran, Production Manager Stephanie Fast, Program Design MYSTERIOUS CONSULTANTS Kristen Bell, Ted Geoghegan, Peter Kuplowsky, David Lawson, Clementine Leger, Dylan Marchetti, Luke Mullen, Jason Shawhan, Nick Stabile, Joe Yanick CFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS Scott Maucere, Chairman Chris Dortch, Sr. Rebecca Feldbin Mark Covino Billy Ray Brewton STAFF &BOARD Katey Alegre, Treasurer
5 SHORT FILMS SHORT 66 PARTIES & EVENTS I’M OK, YOU’RE KARAOKE: SUMMER OF 84 EDITION Presented by Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant Thursday • April 5 • 10:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. • Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant So, you’ve just experienced our opening-night double feature of Summer of 84 and Rock Steady Row, your blood is pumping, your palms are a little sweaty (gross dude!), and you are feeling an almost Twisted Sister level urge to ROCK. We thought you might feel that way, and you know what? WE’RE READY. That’s why we’ve teamed up once again with our pals at Puckett’s to pummel your brain pan with pure uncut ’80s karaoke mayhem in honor of the badassery of Summer of 84. Here’s your chance to show us your Phil Collins air drum solo, butcher some Belinda Carlisle, or better yet—let metal health drive you mad as we all bang our heads in absolute adoration of your perfectly polished pipes. Get to know your new friends and deeply embarrass yourself in front of strangers … there is no better way to kick off the South’s wackiest weekend of cinematic celebration. Don’t bring any parents, though. They just wouldn’t understand.
SPECIAL SCREENING—TURBO KID SATURDAY • APRIL 7 • 2:30p.m.-4:18 p.m. • BRUCE SPRINGSCREEN As you already, know the RKSS folks will be joining us for their newest Summer of 84, but what you might not know is that talented team were also responsible from one of the most bona fide classics (it’s not fair to even call this one a cult classic, it’s a LEGIT classic) Turbo Kid. We love this movie, and that’s why we’re proud to have the filmmakers join us for a special FREE screening. FREE with a small catch. We’re gonna need you to put on your best post-apocalyptic outfits and costumes and join us for a magical evening of fun, friendship, and yes of course, deeply satisfying and splattery violence. When we screened this film for PARTIES &EVENTS Chattanooga a while back, people came out in FORCE, and we know you love it as much as we do. Help us celebrate the visionary badasses of RKSS with this special screening of their debut feature!
7 PARTIES & EVENTS JOE BOB DOES EXPLOITATION FILM Presented by Shudder Friday • April 6 • 7:15p.m.-9:15p.m. • BRUCE SPRINGSCREEN Joe Bob Briggs, America’s drive-in movie critic and trash film connoisseur, makes his fourth appearance at the Chattanooga Film Festival with his most ambitious clip show to date. Everything Is Exploitation tells the 100-year history of B movies, decade by decade, in a fast-moving 90 minutes that includes scenes that are SHOCKING! DISTURBING! and BANNED IN 38 STATES! Nurses will be stationed throughout the theater for the faint of heart who need immediate medical attention.
PAPERBACKS FROM HELL LIVE SATURDAY • APRIL 7 • 12:30-2:00p.m. • ClASstErpiEcE ThEAtrE In the early 1970s, three books changed horror forever: Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Other. The first horror novels to hit bestseller lists since 1940, they opened the floodgates for an avalanche of horror paperbacks to pour onto supermarket shelves throughout the ’70s and ’80s until Silence Of The Lambs slit the genre’s throat in the early ’90s. Writer Grady Hendrix delivers a mind-melting oral history of this now-forgotten world of Nazi leprechauns, skeleton doctors, killer crabs, killer jellyfish, killer babies, pretty much killer everything. Prepare yourself for a tour of this long-lost universe of terror that lurked behind the lurid, foil-embossed, die-cut covers of ... The Paperbacks from Hell!!!!
PUNK ON THE ROCKS Friday • April 6 • 10:00 p.m-1:00 a.m. • CHATTANOOGA WHISKEY ON RIVERFRONT PARKWAY It’s no secret that our official beverage atCFF is Chattanooga Whiskey. We LOVE them, and that’s why we are beyond stoked to offer this sexy little shindig we’re calling Punk on the Rocks, a punk rock- themed ass-kicker of a party we just HAD to throw in honor of one of our favorite CFF 2018 selections, Jenn Wexler’s The Ranger. Hear the film’s official soundtrack ahead of its release. Enjoy sets by some of our coolest local punk bands, Yeah Right, Ghetto Blasters and Onetimers. Sip whiskey and do it all while wearing your punk rock best, and remember these aren’t costumes. THIS IS A WAY OF LIFE. Join us as we
PARTIES & EVENTS & PARTIES celebrate one of CFF 2018’s coolest films. 8 PARTIES & EVENTS CFF INCONSEQUENTIAL CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST Saturday • April 7 • 10:00-12:00 p.m. • CHATTANOOGA THEATRE CENTRE So, you’ve been enjoying a weekend packed to the rafters with movies and mischief, and we like that about you. But there is still the final and equally important part of the CFF equation, FRIENDSHIP (ok also breakfast; that whole most important meal of the day thing is SCIENCE y’all). We’re hoping that if you’re a badge or wristband holder, you’ll take a few minutes and start your Saturday with CFF right by bonding with your fellow cinephiles and enjoying a badass breakfast spread courtesy of your breakfast-loving brethren and sisteren at CFF.
SPECIAL SCREENING—THE ENDLESS SATURDAY • APRIL 7 • 4:30-6:21 p.m. • SCREENA TURNER It’s no secret we think The Endless is one of the most incredible and mind-boggling films you’ll see this year, as the audience that watched it with us at Frightening Ass Film Fest can attest. That’s why we’re proud to present a special pre-national release Chattanooga encore screening FOR FREE, but again there’s a catch. We’re going to need you to join a cult to attend. SOUND GOOD? OK COOL. Oh, you think we’re joking? Ha ha NO. We’ve got big plans for this one folks. Stay tuned for more details, and be sure to catch Endless producer Dave Lawson’s incredible class on turning your short film into a feature at this year’s fest as well. Start doing your homework for this screening now at ourmultiversesavior.org. CFF BOAT FLOAT Saturday • April 8 • 10:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. • SOUTHERN BELLE RIVERBOAt Our massive triple decker ass kicker of a Saturday night party has become one of the true traditions at CFF over the last five years, and we couldn’t be happier to announce that one of our favorite bands on earth, the reliably rad Jeff the Brotherhood, will be joining us as we pound what remain of our livers (and yes, our dignity) into quiet submission. Also, joining us this year are Teddy and the Roughriders (who you’re gonna love as much as we do) and one of the most consistently killer acts our PARTIES &EVENTS fair multi-bridged city has to offer, Dead Testaments. Come float. We all float here.
9 PARTIES & EVENTS SQUADCAST PODCAST SATURDAY • APRIL 7 • 6:00-7:30 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE For the second year in a row, Andre Gower and Ryan Lambert, stars of The Monster Squad, are taping their popular TV and film podcast atCFF . Gower describes the podcast as “An irreverent, insider look at film and TV (and its industry) from a couple of former child stars (and their guests). Unedited, uncensored and unapologetic.”
SECRET SCREENING THURSDAY • APRIL 5 • 12:00a.m.-1:35 a.m. • BRUCE SPRINGSCREEN We won’t tell you the name of this film, but holy crap, are we excited. We know we’re excitable folks, but this is excitinggggggg! Join us in this top secret CFF tradition.
LADIE’S NIGHT SATURDAY • APRIL 7 • 8:30-9:30 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE It wouldn’t be CFF without a comedy component, and that’s why this year, just like every year, we’re proud to welcome CFF BFF for life Joel Ruiz and his hilarious blend of live stand-up and filmed sketch comedy. Do yourself a favor and make this show a part of your CFF hit list.
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHATTANOOGA Thursday April 5-Sunday April 8 • CHATTANOOGA THEATRE CENTRE ARC connects artists abroad with Chattanooga to develop their professional practice while educating and diversifying the arts culture, providing dedicated time and space in the Scenic City for artists to work, research, and develop ideas. Their partnership with CFF 2018 supports local artists (Claire Bloomfield, Travis Knight, Matthew Dutton, Aaron Cowan) with exhibition opportunities during the festival, as well as bringing multimedia artist Tra Bouscaren from California, for a special residency exhibition with projection-mapped video, live streams, and large-scale sculpture, engaging American spectacle at the crossroads of waste culture and the surveillance state. Find out more about ARC and its presence at CFF by visiting www.arcresidency.org. PARTIES & EVENTS & PARTIES 10 PARTIES & EVENTS SHOCK WAVES PODCAST SATURDAY • APRIL 7 • 3:00-5:30 p.m. • ClAsstErpiEcE ThEAtrE We’re mighty proud that three of the four members of the Blumhouse Productions SHOCK WAVES podcast, Rob Galluzzo (Director of Distribution for Epic Pictures Dread Central Presents, former senior editor of Blumhouse.com, FEARnet, Icons Of Fright), Elric Kane (This Week In Horror, Inside Horror) and Rebekah McKendry (former editor in chief of Blumhouse.com, Fangoria) have journeyed to CFF to tape the show! SHOCK WAVES puts the focus on the latest horror films, retrospectives on classic titles and welcomes special guests for all aspects of the industry to tackle a variety of topics and give listeners candid insight into how some of the best genre films are made.
SCRIPTS GONE WILD: FLASH GORDON Presented by UNFoundation SUNDAY • APRIL 8 • 7:30-10:00 p.m. • ClAsstErpiEcE ThEAtrE In this time of the terrible sequel, SCRIPTS GONE WILD is delighted to bring audiences, for the second year in a row, a drunken piece of literary debauchery that wobbly stands the tests of time. We take an unsuspecting (or entirely suspecting) group of filmmakers, put a script and bottle of booze in their hands, and see where the evening takes us (usually Erlanger for a liver biopsy). It’s a game where no one wins except the audience. This year we’re tackling the science-fiction classic, Flash Gordon, with the man himself—SAM J. JONES—reading some lines, but not for the character you think. Wanna play along with us? Don’t make plans for the next morning.
CFF AWARDSPOCALYPSE NOW SUNDAY • APRIL 8 • 4:30-6:00 p.m. • SCREENA TURNER Those of us on the CFF team don’t know what we’re going to do with ourselves when we all have to head back to our normal post-fest lives. That’s why the only way to put CFF Year 5 to bed is a straight up VIKING FUNERAL (minus all the burning arrows and horned PARTIES &EVENTS helmets). Join us as we honor the incredibly talented filmmakers of our 2018 lineup and drink the last of our Chattanooga Whiskey. We owe Year 5 to each and every one of you that’s reading these words or that have seen a single film with us this year. From us to you, thank you for #respectingcinema and for God sakes, let’s all take a nap. 11 SHORT FILMS SHORT 1212 WORKSHOPS THE TOOLBAGS—AN ACTING WORKSHOP SUNDAY • APRIL 8 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE Join actors Graham Skipper (Beyond the Gates, The Mind’s Eye, Dementia Part II) and Matt Mercer (Contracted I & II, Beyond the Gates, Dementia Part II), as they break down the tools of the acting trade and how they’ve used (and misused) them over the years. From the works of Shakespeare to Spielberg, they’ll talk about their favorite film performances, and how to dig into ways of creating and finding a character from the text, and how these rules apply to just about any performance. They’ll also delve into their own bag of technical “tricks of the trade” that help them bring a role to life, whether on the stage or on the screen, and their methods of approaching a role. Then, members of the audience will come up to workshop a scene and test out some of these tools. They will also drink whiskey and somehow make this workshop a whiskey-drinking game! Be ready to act. Be ready to drink. Be ready to get schooled by the Tools. (Just kidding, nobody’s getting schooled. This will be fun.)
SOCIO-POLITICAL THEMES IN HORROR FILM SUNDAY • APRIL 8 • 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE Get Out. Night of the Living Dead. They Live. Death Dream. The Stepford Wives. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The People Under the Stairs. What do these films have in common? Find out as filmmaker and journalistIzzy Lee takes you through a brief history of horror films which have used the medium to explore subversive elements of society. Izzy is an alumna of CFF 2017 (For A Good Time, Call...) and FAFF 2017 (the Rondo- nominated Rites of Vengeance), and her short film My Monster will play CFF 2018. She’s a writer, filmmaker, and journalist for Birth.Movies. Death., Rue Morgue, and Diabolique, as well as an editor for ScreenAnarchy. WORKSHOPS
13 WORKSHOPS HOW TO FIND FINANCING FOR YOUR FILM SUNDAY • APRIL 8 • 12:30-1:30 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE Finding money for your independent film project is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. Where do you look? How do you ask? And how do you make sure you’re doing it legally? Join attorney Scott Maucere as he hosts a fun and informal roundtable of funded filmmakers and industry professionals to discuss the ins and outs of film financing. Bring your questions and come away with strategies to get your film funded. Maucere is a corporate and securities attorney who has closed millions of dollars in film and startup financing. He is the managing member of Maucere Law Group LLC and the founder of PUSHTOSTART, a simple way for filmmakers and entrepreneurs to set up their companies. Scott is also the chairman of the Chattanooga Film Festival board of directors. He is currently finishing development on his own feature film.
BUILDING CHARACTER: CRAFTING 3D CHARACTERS IN A 2D MEDIUM SUNDAY • APRIL 8 • 2:00-3:00 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE Television and film writers often say, “Character is king” or “Character drives story,” but rarely does anyone talk about the simple mechanics that make up a well-designed, fully fleshed-out character. Just like any other structural element of crafting a story, there are a series of concepts and hacks that can turn a boring, flagging protagonist into one audiences can’t get enough of. C. Robert Cargill, former film critic turned screenwriter (Sinister, Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Locke and Key) and author (Sea of Rust: A Novel, Dreams and Shadows) will discuss building a character from the ground up—from initial story plotting to diagnosing weak characters in complete scripts.
HOW TO GET YOUR SHORT MADE INTO A FEATURE— A NEXT STEP WORKSHOP SUNDAY • APRIL 8 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE Join Rustic Films producer and CFF guardian David Lawson, Jr. (The Endless, 68 Kill, Trash Fire, Spring) as he discusses how to make your short film an attractive calling card for producers to want to develop in to a full feature. Using 2016 FAFF film The Stylist by Jill Gevargizian, David will take you through different things you can do to catch WORKSHOPS people’s eye. He will continue with the steps he and Jill have taken in 14 WORKSHOPS getting the short to a feature script and out to potential cast and investors. Another of Jill’s short films, 42 Counts, is playing at CFF 2018, and she’ll join Dave in this workshop.
FROM NOTHING TO SOMETHING ELSE SUNDAY • APRIL 8 • 5:00-6:00 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE Jeremy Gardner and Christian Stella, the filmmakers behind The Battery and Tex Montana will Survive! (CFF 2015 Best Feature Award winner), will discuss the path from making no-budget films for yourself to making low- budget films for an audience, and what comes next...
PRACTICAL MAGIC WITH JOSH ETHIER AND JOE BEGOS SATURDAY • APRIL 7 • 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. • CLASSTERPIECE THEATRE A conversation between Josh Ethier (Mayhem, Leatherface, Small Crimes) and Joe Begos (The Mind’s Eye, Almost Human)—the DIY splatter team behind Channel 83 Films—discussing the camera and editorial tricks they’ve learned through the years to stay away from CGI, how to move quickly on a low budget set, and more. WORKSHOPS
15 SCHEDULE
At 100+ miles to the gallon, you can go anywhere.
16 SouthernHonda.com THURSDAY, APRIL 5 BRUCE SPRINGSCREEN • Lowlife featuring Q&A with Ryan Prows (with short film Emergency) • 5:30-7:33 p.m. • Summer of 84 featuring Q&A with RKSS • 7:50-9:50 p.m. • Rock Steady Row featuring Q&A with Trevor Stevens • 10:00-11:31 p.m. • Secret Screening • 12:00-1:35 a.m. SCREENA TURNER • Madeline’s Madeline • 5:30-7:03 p.m. • Ramen Heads • 7:50-9:23 p.m. • Queen of Fear • 10:00-11:47 p.m. • Downrange • 12:00-1:30 a.m. WILHELM SCREEN • WTF (Watch These Films!) Shorts featuring Q&A with filmmakers • 5:30-6:57 p.m. • Schoolhouse Block Student Shorts featuring Q&A with filmmakers • 7:50-9:44 p.m. • CFF Salutes Your Shorts featuring Q&A with filmmakers • 10:00-11:47 p.m. • The Power of Glove featuring Q&A with Andrew Austin • 12:00-1:20a.m. FRIDAY, APRIL 6 BRUCE SPRINGSCREEN • RBG • 10:00-11:37 a.m. • Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat • SCHEDULE 12:00-1:18 p.m. • Madeline’s Madeline • 1:30-3:03 p.m.
17 FRIDAY, APRIL 6
BRUCE SPRINGSCREEN (CONT.) • Tigers are Not Afraid • 3:15-5:08 p.m. • All the Creatures Were Stirring featuring Q&A with Rebekah McKendry, David Ian McKendry, Morgan Peter Brown, Joe Wicker (with short film My Monster) • 5:15-6:47 p.m. • Joe Bob Does Exploitation Film • 7:15-9:15 p.m. • Revenge • 9:45-11:33 p.m. • The Laplace’s Demon • 11:45 p.m.-1:30 a.m. SCREENA TURNER • Brimstone and Glory • 10:00-11:07 a.m. • Gemini • 11:45 a.m.-1:18 p.m. • The Last Movie Star • 1:30-2:45 p.m. • The Power of Glove featuring Q&Awith Andrew Austin • 3:15-4:35 p.m. • The Ranger featuring Q&A with Jenn Wexler and producer Heather Buckley • 5:15-6:50 p.m. • Hot Summer Nights • 7:15-9:15 p.m. • Dementia Part 2 featuring Q&A with Matt Mercer, Mike Testin and Graham Skipper (with short film Heartless) • 9:45-11:18 p.m. • Bleeding Skull Presents: Ninja Zombie • 11:45 p.m.-1:24 a.m. WILHELM SCREEN • The Devil and Father Amorth • 10:00-11:08 a.m. • Borley Rectory • 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. • The Road Movie • 1:30-2:37 p.m. • CFF Salutes Your Shorts featuring Q&A with filmmakers • 3:15-5:02 p.m. • Short Ends Presented by Nerdist, featuring Andre Gower and Ryan Lambert and Q&A with filmmakers • 5:15-6:49 p.m. • A Prayer Before Dawn • 7:15-9:11 p.m. • Lesser Beasts featuring Q&A with Casey T. Malone • 9:45-11:28 p.m. • WTF (Watch These Films!) Shorts featuring Q&A with filmmakers • 11:45 p.m.-1:22 a.m. SCHEDULE
18 SATURDAY, APRIL 7
BRUCE SPRINGSCREEN • Lesser Beasts featuring Q&A with Casey T. Malone • 10:00-11:43 a.m. • Ghost Stories • 12:00-1:38 p.m. • Turbo Kid featuring Q&A with RKSS • 2:30-4:18 p.m. • Tigers are Not Afraid • 4:30-5:53 p.m. • Rock Steady Row featuring Q&A with Trevor Stevens • 7:00-8:31 p.m. • Summer of 84 featuring Q&A with RKSS • 9:00-11:00 p.m. • Borley Rectory • 11:30 p.m. -12:45 a.m. SCREENA TURNER • The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales • 10:00-11:23 a.m. • Lu Over the Wall • 12:00-1:52 p.m. • Mohawk featuring Q&A with Ted Geoghegan and Grady Hendrix • 2:30-4:16 p.m. • The Endless featuring Cult Initiation and Q&A with producer David Lawson, Jr. • 4:30-6:21 p.m. • All the Creatures Were Stirring featuring Q&A with Rebekah McKendry, David Ian McKendry, Morgan Peter Brown, Joe Wicker (with short film My Monster) • 7:00-8:32 p.m. • The Laplace’s Demon • 9:00-10:45 p.m. • King Boxer • 11:30 p.m.-1:14 a.m. WILHELM SCREEN • One Sings the Other Doesn’t • 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. • Icepick to the Moon featuring Q&A with Skizz Cyzyk • 12:30-2:30 p.m. • Wolfman’s Got Nards featuring Q&A with Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert and Henry McComas • 3:00-4:37 p.m. • Revenge • 5:00-6:48 p.m. • The Devil and Father Amorth • 7:15-8:23 p.m. • Schoolhouse Block Student Shorts featuring Q&A with filmmakers • 9:00-10:54 p.m. • Let the Corpses Tan • 11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m. SCHEDULE
19 SUNDAY, APRIL 8
BRUCE SPRINGSCREEN • Tennessee Filmmaker featuring Q&A with filmmakers • 10:00-11:55 a.m. • Life After Flash featuring Q&A with director Lisa Downs, producer Ashley Pugh and actor Sam J. Jones • 12:00-1:49 p.m. • Mohawk featuring Q&A with Ted Geoghegan and Grady Hendrix • 2:30-4:16 p.m. • RBG • 4:30-6:07 p.m. • I Kill Giants • 6:45-8:31 p.m. • Wolfman’s Got Nards featuring Q&A with Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert and Henry McComas • 9:00-10:37 p.m. • Super Inframan • 11:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
SCREENA TURNER • The Road Movie • 10:00-11:07 a.m. • November • 12:00-1:55 p.m. • Ghost Stories • 2:30-4:08 p.m. • CFF Awardspocalypse Now • 4:30-6:00 p.m. • Lowlife featuring Q&A with Ryan Prows (with short film Emergency) • 6:45-8:48 p.m. • The Ranger featuring Q&A with Jenn Wexler and producer Heather Buckley • 9:00-10:35 p.m. • Dementia Part II featuring Q&A with Matt Mercer, Mike Testin and Graham Skipper (with short film Heartless) • 11:00 p.m.-12:33 a.m. WILHELM SCREEN • Big Bad Fox and Other Tales • 10:00-11:23 a.m. • To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story • 12:00-1:48 p.m. • The Last Movie Star • 2:30-4:04 p.m. • A Prayer Before Dawn • 4:30-6:24 p.m. • Short Ends Presented by Nerdist, featuring Andre Gower and Ryan Lambert and Q&A with filmmakers • 6:45-8:14 p.m. • Let the Corpses Tan • 9:00-10:30 p.m. • Encorus Secretus • 11:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m. SCHEDULE
20 SHORT FILMS
2121 CFFEATURES
COME SEE THE BEST IN MODERN ART HOUSE AND INDIE CINEMA, CAREFULLY CURATED FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE. CFFEATURES A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN A24 continues to KILL IT with its expertly curated releases each year, and this film is another we think folks will love. Based on the international best-seller, A Prayer Before Dawn is the true story of Billy Moore, a troubled young British boxer sent to one of Thailand’s most notorious jails. Refusing to die inside prison, Billy becomes a student of the lethal art of Muay Thai Boxing, and in the process, finds a brotherhood that will guide him on an incredible journey to redemption.
Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, 116 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 7:15-9:11 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Sunday • April 8 • 4:30-6:24 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen GEMINI We both want to tell you everything about this movie because we love it, and simultaneously hope you’ll go in cold and let the film and its beguiling lead actors cast the same spell on you that it did on us when we first saw it. But here goes … A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant (Lola Kirke, Mistress America, Gone Girl) and her Hollywood starlet boss (Zoë Kravitz, Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: First Class). As the assistant unravels the mystery, she must confront her own understanding of friendship, truth and celebrity. FEATURE FILMS
Aaron Katz, 93 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 11:45 a.m.-1:18 p.m. • Screena Turner
23 CFFEATURES GHOST STORIES At CFF we love a good spooky tale. Ghost Stories delivers times three. Professor Phillip Goodman (Andy Nyman) has devoted his life to exposing phony psychics and fraudulent supernatural shenanigans on his TV show. His skepticism is tested when he receives a file of three inexplicable cases: a night watchman (Paul Whitehouse) haunted by disturbing visions as he patrols an Freeman) visited by the poltergeist abandoned asylum; an edgy young spirit of his unborn child. Even scarier: man (Black Mirror’s Alex Lawther) each of these macabre stories seems to involved in a hellish car accident have a sinister connection to Professor deep in the woods; and a wealthy Goodman’s own life. former banker (Sherlock’s Martin
Jeremy Dyson, Andy Nyman, 98 Minutes Saturday • April 7 • 12:00-1:38 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen Sunday • April 8 • 2:30-4:08 p.m. • Screena Turner HOT SUMMER NIGHTS Timothée Chalamet, who has had recent star turns in Call Me By Your Name—for which, at 22, he was the youngest person nominated for a Best Actor Oscar since a 19-year- old Mickey Rooney (Babes in Arms) in 1940—and Lady Bird, stars in this sometimes charming, sometimes harrowing coming of age drama set during a summer at Cape Cod. Catch this winning flick atCFF before the good folks at A24 release it later this year.
Elijah Bynum, 120 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Friday • April 6 • 7:15-9:15 p.m. • Screena Turner 24 CFFEATURES I KILL GIANTS We couldn’t be happier to share this crowd-pleasing powerhouse of a fantasy film brought to life by the producers of the Harry Potter franchise. Based on the now classic graphic novel of the same name, I Kill Giants tells the story of Barbara Thorson as she struggles through life by escaping into a fantasy world of magic and monsters. It was important this year that we wow you up front on opening night, and then wow you again on closing night before we turn you back into the real world. This film will do the trick!
Anders Walter, 104 Minutes Sunday • April 8 • 6:45-8:31 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen
LESSER BEASTS (WORLD PREMIERE) In the pastoral feature film debut from award-winning filmmaker Casey T. Malone, a young woman stumbles out of the wilderness dirtied and silent, setting into motion a series of events millions of years in the making. Four strangers’ lives are entangled in a surreal and atmospheric journey to solve the puzzle they have all unwittingly become a part of. Photographed in stunning black and white and color, Lesser Beasts is both a unique allegory of modern times and a cinematic experience like no other. Post-film FEATURE FILMS Q&A with director Casey T. Malone.
Casey T. Malone, 95 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 9:45-11:28 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Saturday • April 7 • 10:00-11:30 a.m. • Bruce Springscreen 25 CFFEATURES LET THE CORPSES TAN To say the films of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani are in a class of their own is an insane understatement. Let the Corpses Tan does for the spaghetti western what they did for Giallo thrillers with their classic Amer; it’s a movie as psychedelic as it is unforgettable. This film kicked our asses, and we can’t wait to watch it kick yours too!
Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, 92 Minutes Saturday • April 7 • 11:30 p.m-1:00 a.m. • Wilhelm Screen Sunday • April 8 • 9:00-10:30 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen LU OVER THE WALL A hallucinogenic-but-family-friendly take on the classic fairy tale of the little mermaid who falls in love with mankind. This one comes ashore to join a dysfunctional middle school rock band and propel it to fame. New kid Kai is adrift but talented— he can play the synthesizer, so his classmates invite him to join their garage band. Their practice sessions bring an unexpected guest: Lu, a young mermaid whose fins turn to feet when she hears the beats, and whose singing causes humans to compulsively dance—whether they want to or not. Masaaki Yuasa, 107 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Saturday • April 7 • 12:00-1:52 p.m. • Screena Turner 26 CFFEATURES MADELINE’S MADELINE Madeline got the lead role in the play! Strangely, the character looks just like Madeline. And has a cat just like Madeline’s. And is holding a steaming hot iron next to her mother’s face...like Madeline is. The lines between art and life get blurrier and blurrier in this fascinating drama anchored by a trio of incredible performances by Miranda July, Molly Parker and newcomer Helena Howard as the titular Madeline.
Josephine Decker, 94 Minutes Thursday • April 5 • 5:30-7:03 p.m. • Screena Turner Friday • April 6 • 1:30-3:03 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen MOHAWK We Are Still Here director Ted Geoghegan is back, but this time with a different kind of story. After a member of her tribe sets fire to an American soldiers’ camp during the War of 1812, a young female Mohawk is pursued by a ruthless band of renegades bent on revenge. Fleeing into the woods, Mohawk youths Oak (Kaniehtiio Horn, Hemlock Grove) and Calvin (Justin as they’re hunted by the bloodthirsty Rain, Fear the Walking Dead), along Colonel Holt (Ezra Buzzington, The with their British companion Joshua Hills Have Eyes). Post-film Q&A with (Eamon Farren, Twin Peaks: The director Ted Geoghegan. Return), confront the horrors of war FEATURE FILMS and the terror of the darkest night
Ted Geoghegan, 91 Minutes Saturday • April 7 • 2:30-4:16 p.m. • Screena Turner Sunday • April 8 • 2:30-4:16 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen 27 CFFEATURES NOVEMBER In this tale of love and survival in 19th-century Estonia, peasant girl Liina longs for village boy Hans, but Hans is inexplicably infatuated by the visiting German baroness that possesses all that he longs for. For Liina, winning Han’s requited love proves incredibly complicated in this dark, harsh landscape where spirits, werewolves, plagues and the devil himself converge, where vividly captures these motley lives thievery is rampant, and where souls as they toil to exist. But is existence are highly regarded, but come quite worth anything if it lacks a soul? cheap. With alluring black and white cinematography, Rainer Sarnet
Rainer Sarnet, 115 Minutes Sunday • April 8 • 12:00-1:55 p.m. • Screena Turner
ROCK STEADY ROW Put Mad Max, John Wick, The Warriors and even a bit of Animal House into a blender and then add BMX bikes, and what you get probably still won’t be as much fun as Rock Steady Row. Rad, funny, and a kinetically paced blast, this film perfectly sets the tone for CFF 2018. When a lone freshman arrives at Rock Steady University, he discovers the campus is controlled by two warring factions: Kappa Brutus zone than a place of education, the Omega and The High Society. His freshman plays the rival fraternities bike is stolen and shuffled into the against one another to reclaim his fraternities’ most valuable source of stolen bicycle. Post-filmQ&A with income, the bicycle market. Turning director Trevor Stevens. the university into more of a war
Trevor Stevens, 77 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Thursday • April 5 • 10:00-11:31 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen Saturday • April 7 • 7:00-8:31 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen 28 CFFEATURES SUMMER OF 84 Summer, 1984: The perfect time to be 15 years old and carefree. But when neighborhood conspiracy theorist Davey Armstrong begins to suspect his police officer neighbor might be the serial killer who is all over the local news, he and his three best friends begin an investigation that soon turns dangerous. Post-film Q&A with directors Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, aka RKSS.
Rkss, 105 Minutes Thursday • April 5 • 7:50-9:50 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen Saturday • April 7 • 9:00-11:00 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen
THE BIG BAD FOX & OTHER TALES From the creators of the Academy Award-nominated Ernest & Celestine comes another hilarious, heartwarming tale of animal misfits destined to become a classic. The countryside isn’t always as calm and peaceful as it’s made out to be, and the animals on this farm are particularly agitated: a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays the stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus. If you think life in the country is a walk in the park, think again. FEATURE FILMS
Benjamin Renner, Patrick Imbert, 80 Minutes Saturday • April 7 • 10:00-11:23 a.m. • Screena Turner Sunday • April 8 • 10:00-11:23 a.m. • Wilhelm Screen 29 CFFEATURES THE ENDLESS One of the most rewarding aspects of putting CFF together over the years is watching talented independent filmmakers evolve into full-fledged auteurs. The cinematic universe created by filmmakers Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson that began with the glorious puzzle box of a film called Resolution continued with CFF 2015 official selection Spring. That path has now led them to the one of the most hypnotic, unique and mind-boggling and truly ambitious The unforgettable films of the year. Post- Endless. This go-round, Benson and filmQ&A with producer David Lawson Morehead actually appear in the film as of Rustic Films. their own lead actors, and the result is
Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, 111 Minutes Saturday • April 7 • 4:30-6:21 p.m. • Screena Turner
THE LAST MOVIE STAR Vic Edwards (Burt Reynolds) was the biggest star in Hollywood, a college football legend-turned stunt double-turned leading man. Now, in his 80s, he’s convinced by an old friend (Chevy Chase) to accept an invitation to receive a Lifetime Achievement award at a two-bit film festival in Nashville. The trip launches him on both a hilarious fish-out-of-water adventure and an unexpectedly poignant journey into his past.
Adam Rifkin, 96 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Friday • April 6 • 1:30-2:45 p.m. • Screena Turner Sunday • April 7 • 2:30-4:04 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen 30 CFFEATURES THE QUEEN OF FEAR In a constant state of anxiety, a celebrated actress obsessively distracts herself from preparing for her career-defining one-woman show. Written, co-directed and starred in by Valeria Bertuccelli.
Valeria Bertuccelli, Fabiana Tiscornia, 105 Minutes Thursday • April 5 • 10:00-11:47 p.m. • Screena Turner
TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID The unique and profound appeal of Isaa Lopez’ Tigers Are Not Afraid was summed up in a recent tweet by none other than Stephen King. “This is one terrific film, King wrote immediately after he saw it, “both tough and touching. Two minutes in, I was under its spell.” When her mother suddenly disappears, leaving no one to care for her, young Estrella ends up on the street and joins a gang dark fantasy auteur Guillermo del Toro of children, triggering a dangerous will surely love as much as we do. If and tragic chain of events. This film you can only see a handful of films at seamlessly blends fantasy and hard- CFF this year, make sure Tigers is one nosed reality in a way that fans of of them. FEATURE FILMS
Issa Lopez, 83 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 3:15-5:08 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen Saturday • April 7 • 4:30-5:53 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen 31 FEATURE FILMS FEATURE 32 CFF CINEMASSENTIALS
GROUNDBREAKING. CLASSIC. UNFORGETTABLE. NO TRUE CINEPHILE WORTH THEIR POPCORN SALT WILL WANT TO MISS THESE MOVIE MASTERWORKS. CFF CINEMASSENTIALS KING BOXER As part of CFF’s continuing efforts to showcase classic films, let us direct your attention to the Shaw Brothers’ King Boxer, which, under its original title of Five Fingers of Death, became the first hit Kung Fu movie in the West. Released in the spring of 1973, King Boxer touched off a cultural phenomenon that lasted through the 1970s. Who among us of a certain age didn’t see this film, and many others to extract revenge. Filled with insane in its wake, at a midnight showing in American music ques—like Quincy our local movie house? Indonesian Jones’ theme to Raymond Burr’s hit actor Lo Lieh plays Chao Chih-Hao, TV show Ironside—King Boxer is not to a young protégé caught between a be missed. struggle between rival martial arts schools. After several of his classmates ©2000 CELESTIAL PICTURES LTD. ALL are brutally murdered, he learns the RIGHTS RESERVED “Iron Palm” technique, and sets out
Chang Ho Cheng, 97 Minutes Saturday • April 7 • 11:30 p.m.-1:14 a.m. • Screena Turner ONE SINGS, THE OTHER DOESN’T A feminist musical about the bond of sisterhood between Pomme and Suzanne throughout years of changes and fraught relationships with men. At the time of this film’s release in 1977, director Agnès Varda said, “If I put myself on the screen—very natural and feminist—maybe I’d get ten people in the audience. Instead, I put two nice young females on the screen, and not too much of my own leftist conscience. By not being too radical but truly feminist, my film has been seen by 350,000 people in France.”
Agnès Varda, 120 Minutes FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Saturday • April 7 • 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen 34 CFF CINEMASSENTIALS THE SUPER INFRAMAN A double dose of the Shaw Brothers at CFF! The 10,000,000-year-old Princess Dragon Mom sets forth to enslave the entire human race with her army of day-glo dancing rubber monster buddies. Fortunately, modern science has just completed construction of the ultimate cyborg defender: INFRAMAN. All other ultra-powered crime bashers can hereby go home, because this When the plotless no-rules cartoon nuclear atrocity is the most wacked- mayhem of Godfrey Ho collides with out, non-stop hyperspazzblastular the martial arts mastery of Bruce Lee live action superhero monster … Ho/Lee shit!!!” movie the Earth has ever survived. See our favorite creature-crushing ©2000 CELESTIAL PICTURES LTD. ALL robostar use roundhouse kicks, RIGHTS RESERVED sonic lightning beams and random explosions to defeat ultimate evil!
Hua Shan, 84 Minutes Sunday • April 8 • 11:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m. • Bruce Springscreen FEATURE FILMS
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FEATURE FILMS FEATURE 38 TRUTH BOMBS
THERE’S NO QUESTION TRUTH IS ALWAYS STRANGER THAN FICTION, AS THIS FASCINATING COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTARIES WILL ATTEST. TRUTH BOMBS BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT An exploration of the pre-fame years of the celebrated American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and how New York City, its people, and the tectonically shifting arts culture of the late 1970s and ’80s shapes his vision. Conveying Basquiat’s personal magnetism, eccentricity and non-stop creativity without romanticizing him, the film serves as another chapter in and other artists who emerged from the ongoing effort to rescue Basquiat that scene: Nan Goldin, Jim Jarmusch, from his own hype. To tell his story, James Nares, Fab Five Freddy, Lee director Sara Driver worked closely Quinones, Luc Sante, and many others. and collaboratively with her friends
Sara Driver, 78 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 12:00-1:18 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen
BRIMSTONE & GLORY The National Pyrotechnic Festival in Tultepec, Mexico is a site of festivity unlike any in the world. In celebration of San Juan de Dios, patron saint of firework makers, conflagrant revelry engulfs the town for 10 days. Artisans show off their technical virtuosity, up-and- comers create their own rowdy, lo-fi combustibles, and dozens of teams build larger-than-life papier-mâché festival a celebration that anchors a bulls to parade into the town square, way of life built around a generations- adorned with fireworks that blow old, homegrown business of making up in all directions. More than three fireworks by hand. quarters of Tultepec’s residents work in pyrotechnics, making the
Viktor Jakovleski, 67 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Friday • April 6 • 10:00-11:07 a.m. • Screena Turner 40 TRUTH BOMBS ICEPICK TO THE MOON (WORLD PREMIERE) The obscure, strip-mine crooner Rev. Fred Lane is described by his obsessed fans as “subversive,” “completely satirical,” “the Dada Duke Ellington,” and “Demon Frank Sinatra.” His fans have spent years examining every detail of Lane’s albums, and yet whatever they learned about their hero has led them deeper into blissful in the Raudelunas arts collective of confusion. Icepick to the Moon Alabama in the 1970s to his current examines the cult of Fred Lane fans occupation making whirligigs to sell on and pulls the curtain back on the the craft show circuit. Post-filmQ&A artist, from his early involvement with director Skizz Cyzyk.
Skizz Cyzyk, 104 Minutes Saturday • April 7 • 12:30-2:30 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen
LIFE AFTER FLASH (WORLD PREMIERE) Life After Flash explores the life of Sam J. Jones since his iconic performance as Flash Gordon in the 1980 classic of the same name, and the aftermath of the young star’s clash with one of Hollywood’s biggest legends, producer Dino De Laurentiis. Life After Flash is an inspiring and moving feature documentary that celebrates what battles, and his ultimate struggle for makes Mike Hodges’ enduring classic redemption. Post-filmQ&A with director film so iconic with audiences to this Lisa Downs, producer Ashley Pugh, and the Flash himself, Sam J. Jones. day, and looks at the real man behind FEATURE FILMS the heroic mask: his successes, his
Lisa Downs, 134 Minutes Sunday • April 8 • 12:00-1:49 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen 41 TRUTH BOMBS RAMEN HEADS At CFF, we love a good food documentary, and Ramen Heads straight up classifies asFOOD PORN. In Ramen Heads, Osamu Tomita, Japan’s king of ramen, takes us deep into his world, revealing every step of his approach to creating the perfect soup and noodles, and his search for the highest-quality ingredients. In addition to Tomita’s story, the film profiles five other notable ramen gives viewers an in-depth look at the shops, each with its own philosophy culture surrounding this unique and and flavor that exemplify various beguiling dish. aspects of the ramen world. Mixing in ramen’s historical roots, the film
Koki Shigeno, 93 Minutes Thursday • April 5 • 7:50-9:23 p.m. • Screena Turner
RBG At 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But without a definitive Ginsburg biography, the unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior’s rise to the nation’s highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans— until now. RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring Ginsburg’s exceptional life and career.
Betsy West, Julie Cohen, 97 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Friday • April 6 • 10:00-11:37 a.m. • Bruce Springscreen Sunday • April 8 • 4:30-6:07 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen 42 TRUTH BOMBS THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH For fans of The Exorcist, director William Friedkin delivers a chilling documentary with The Devil and Father Amorth. Having never seen an exorcism, Friedkin wondered how close he came to truly portraying one on screen. So, he decided to follow Father Gabriele Amorth, an Italian Roman Catholic priest and an exorcist of the Diocese of Rome, as he performs his ninth exorcism on an Italian woman.
William Friedkin, 68 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 10:00-11:08 a.m. • Wilhelm Screen Saturday • April 7 • 7:15-8:23 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen THE POWER OF GLOVE Rounding out our cinematic sojourn into the dark heart of the 1980s (along with amazing films in this year’s lineup Summer Of 84, Life After Flash and Wolfman’s Got Nards) this doc tells the strange but true tale of the rise and fall of the Power Glove, a 1989 Nintendo controller that promised to forever change the way humankind interacted with technology. The Power Glove was the first mass-marketed, gesture-based gimmick. Yet unlike many gimmicks video game controller, and its hype and critical failures of the past, the was immense. But immediately after Power Glove has not been simply its release, gamers were disappointed, swept under the rug. Post-filmQ&A FEATURE FILMS and critics panned it as a worthless with co-director Andrew Austin.
Andrew Austin, Adam Ward, 65 Minutes Thursday • April 5 • 12:00-1:20 a.m. • Wilhelm Screen Friday • April 6 • 3:15-4:35 p.m. • Screena Turner 43 TRUTH BOMBS THE ROAD MOVIE A mosaic of asphalt adventures, landscape photography and some of the craziest shit you’ve ever seen, The Road Movie is a stunning compilation of video footage shot exclusively via the deluge of dashboard cameras that populate Russian roads. The epitome of a you-have-to-see-it-to-believe- it documentary, The Road Movie captures a wide range of spectacles through the windshield, including levels—all accompanied by bemused a comet crashing down to Earth, commentary from unseen and often an epic forest fire, and no shortage stoic drivers and passengers. of angry motorists taking road rage to wholly new and unexpected
Dmitrii Kalashnikov, 67 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 1:30-2:37 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Sunday • April 8 • 10:00-11:07 a.m. • Screena Turner TO HELL AND BACK: THE KANE HODDER STORY This film peels off the mask of Kane Hodder, cinema’s most prolific killer, in a gut-wrenching but inspiring story. Featuring interviews with cinema legends, including Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), To Hell and Back is the story of a stuntman overcoming a ultimate role as Jason Voorhees in dehumanizing childhood filled with the Friday the 13th series and making torment and bullying in Sparks, countless moviegoers forever terrified Nevada. After surviving a near-death of hockey masks and summer camp. burn accident, he worked his way up through Hollywood, leading to his
Derek Dennis Herbert, 106 Minutes FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Sunday • April 8 • 12:00-1:48 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen 44 TRUTH BOMBS WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS (WORLD PREMIERE) This heartfelt documentary from all-time CFF fav Andre Gower explores the power of cult film told through the lens of the 1987 classic The Monster Squad and the impact it’s had on fans (including celebrities and filmmakers), cast and crew and the industry. Wolfman’s Got Nards takes an in-depth look at the film’s conception, reception, misfits who kept The Monster Squad cult status, and resurgence with cast, alive for 30 years. Post-film Q&A crew, academics, never-before-seen with Gower, also one of the stars footage, and original reviewers, while of The Monster Squad, and producer turning the lens on that audience of Henry McComas.
Andre Gower, 95 Minutes Saturday • April 7 • 3:00-4:37 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Sunday • April 8 • 9:00-10:37 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen FEATURE FILMS
45 FEATURE FILMS FEATURE 46 AFTER HOURSMES TRADITION OF LONG-TIME CHATTANOOGA WOOLY WORLD OF GENRE CINEMA IN THE CELEBRATE THE WEIRD, WILD AND FILM CLUB MISE EN SCENESTERS.
FEATURE FILMS MES AFTER HOURS ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING (WORLD PREMIERE) When an awkward date on Christmas Eve leads a couple into a strange theater, they’re treated to a bizarre and frightening collection of Christmas stories, featuring a wide ensemble of characters doing their best to avoid the horrors of the holidays. From boring office parties and last-minute shopping, to vengeful and David Ian McKendry will be stalkers and immortal demons, there’s preceded by the short film My Monster plenty out there to fear this holiday by director Izzy Lee. Post-film Q&A with season. This terrifying feature film the McKendrys and producers Morgan debut of writer/directors Rebekah Peter Brown and Joe Wicker.
Rebekah Mckendry, David Ian Mckendry 82 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 5:15-6:47 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen Saturday • April 7 • 7:00-8:32 p.m. • Screena Turner BORLEY RECTORY When a journalist asks famed paranormal investigator Harry Price to investigate supernatural goings on at a Victorian mansion in England, he sets into motion a story that will fascinate and confound the world. Borley Rectory is the true story of Price’s investigation and the legends that came to haunt all those involved. The film is an animated documentary chronicling what came to be known as “the most haunted house in England.” The story would later influence Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House and Richard Matheson’s Hell House.
Ashley Thorpe, 71 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Friday • April 6 • 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Saturday • April 7 • 11:30 p.m.-12:45 a.m. • Bruce Springscreen 48 MES AFTER HOURS DEMENTIA PART II (WORLD PREMIERE) Suzanne wasn’t always this confused. She wasn’t always dead, either. When an ex-con takes a job as a handyman for an unstable elderly woman to avoid a parole violation, it becomes a choice he may regret. From the makers of Dementia and Contracted comes the unnecessary midnight- movie sequel you never knew you wanted. Originally the result of the footage and original score. Preceded by Cinepocalyse filmmaker challenge, short film Heartless by director Kevin Dementia Part II was made script to Sluder. Post-filmQ&A with directors screen in literally one month! CFF is Mike Testin and Matt Mercer and premiering the final version with new actor Graham Skipper.
Mike Testin, Matt Mercer, 66 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 9:45-11:03 p.m. • Screena Turner Sunday • April 8 • 11:00 p.m.-12:33 a.m. • Screena Turner DOWNRANGE Director Ryuhei Kitamura’s (Versus) latest about a group of friends who, after a roadside blowout, become the targets of a mysterious sniper is as fun as it is riveting. Throw in an appearance by longtime CFF fave Graham Skipper (also teaching our acting class this year, along with Matt Mercer), and you’ve got a lightning- paced blast of a thriller we think you’ll dig as much as we do. We couldn’t be prouder to work with the rad folks at Shudder to bring this film toCFF ! FEATURE FILMS
Ryûhei Kitamura, 90 Minutes Thursday • April 5 • 12:00-1:30 a.m. • Screena Turner 49 MES AFTER HOURS LOWLIFE Every once in a while, you see a film you just know is a classic in the making. Lowlife is such a film. Director Ryan Prows has crafted a darkly comic sublimely cinematic and strangely heartwarming crime tale that explodes off the screen like a Molotov cocktail. When a simple organ harvesting caper goes awry, a twist of fate unites three of society’s forgotten and ignored. As the sordid death. CFF is honored to share this one lives of these small-time criminals and have Prows attending for a Q&A collide, they must fight tooth and afterward. Preceded by director Carey nail to save a pregnant woman from Williams’ short film Emergency. a certain, and surely gruesome,
Ryan Prows, 96 Minutes Thursday • April 5 • 5:30-7:33 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen Sunday • April 8 • 6:45-8:48 p.m. • Screena Turner
BLEEDING SKULL PRESENTS: NINJA ZOMBIE We already know that every sane moviegoer on earth loves occult mayhem, undead martial arts warriors and wizards with spiders tattooed on their faces. But little did we know that all of those things and more comprised a completely unseen feature-length Super-8 masterpiece from Illinois! A murdered karate expert rises from the grave to exact revenge and rescue his girlfriend from black magic maniacs. Despite its food stamp budget, Ninja Zombie is an unrelenting ruckus of supernatural threats and high-kicking vengeance. Mark Bessenger, 80 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Friday • April 6 • 11:45 p.m.-1:24 a.m. • Screena Turner 50 MES AFTER HOURS REVENGE A young woman (Matilda Lutz, Rings) and her millionaire boyfriend (Kevin Janssens) travel to a remote desert villa, but their romantic getaway turns bad when his hunting buddies show up. This is the debut of French writer- director Coralie Fargeat, whose tale of ultimate payback signals the arrival of a relentlessly bold new voice. From its eye-popping tracking sequences to a score that would make John Carpenter proud, Fargeat fills every inch of every frame with style, and anger.
Coralie Fargeat, 108 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 9:45-11:33 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen Saturday • April 7 • 5:00-6:48 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen
THE LAPLACE’S DEMON A team of seven researchers has developed software capable of predicting the evolution of common physical events. The final test, the prediction of the exact number of fragments caused by the fall of a glass, was a success. Interested by these results, the mysterious Professor Cornelius invites the working team to his isolated mansion on a deserted island, hiding his true intentions. As time passes, the team members will lead to paradoxical situations in a growing tension that will not only test their nerves but also one of their FEATURE FILMS certainties: free will.
Giordano Giulivi, 105 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 11:45 p.m.-1:30 a.m. • Bruce Springscreen Saturday • April 7 • 9:00-10:45 p.m. • Screena Turner 51 MES AFTER HOURS THE RANGER Punk rock horror? YES PLEASE. TAKE OUR MONEY. Mark our words, writer/director/producer Jenn Wexler is one to watch! Her feature debut concerns a group of punk rockers who piss off a truly psychotic forest ranger, and BOY is it a BLAST. The Ranger features a soundtrack loaded with deep punk rock cuts, some honest to goodness thrills and chills AND it was produced by CFF our Friday night party in honor of this BFF 4 EVER Heather Buckley. Give bloody blast of a film. Trust us on this this one a shot, and you’ll get right one folks. Jenn and Heather will be on away why it’s on our short list of hand for a post-filmQ&A. the best horror we think we’ll see all year. There is a reason we’re theming Jenn Wexler, 77 Minutes Friday • April 6 • 5:15-6:50 p.m. • Screena Turner Sunday • April 8 • 9:00-10:35 p.m. • Screena Turner TURBO KID In a post-apocalyptic future, a young, solitary scavenger obsessed with comic books must face his fears and become a reluctant hero when he meets a mysterious girl. Since its release just two years ago, RKSS Films’ Turbo Kid is already enjoying richly deserved cult classic status, inspiring everything from fan cosplay to comic book adventures to see more of their work we knew of its own. With the RKSS folks you were going to feel after you in attendance at CFF 2018, we check out Summer of 84 (screening jumped at the chance to screen this right here at CFF). Post-film Q&A incredible film for a Chattanooga with directors Francois Simard, audience again, to celebrate these Anouk Whissell & Yoann-Karl talented folks and satiate the hunger Whissell, aka RKSS.
Rkss, 93 Minutes
FEATURE FILMS FEATURE Saturday • April 7 • 2:30-4:18 p.m. • Bruce Springscreen 52 FEATURE FILMS
53 SHORT FILMS CFF SALUTES YOUR SHORTS SHORTS SAMPLER
Thursday • April 5 • 10:00 p.m.-11:47 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Friday • April 6 • 3:15 p.m.-5:02 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen
SHORTS ENDS PRESENTED BY NERDIST
Friday • April 6 • 5:15 p.m.-6:49 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Sunday • April 8 • 9:00 p.m.-10:29 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen
SCHOOLHOUSE BLOCK STUDENT SHORTS PRESENTED BY SOUTHERN HONDA POWERSPORTS
Thursday • April 5 • 7:50 p.m.-9:44 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Saturday • April 7 • 9:00 p.m.-10:54 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen
TENNESSEE FILMMAKER PRESENTED BY TENNESSEE ENTERTAINMENT COMMISSION
Sunday • April 8 • 10:00 a.m.-11:55 a.m. • Bruce Springscreen WTF (WATCH THESE FILMS!) GENRE SHORTS
Thursday • April 5 • 5:30 p.m.-6:57 p.m. • Wilhelm Screen Friday • April 6 •11:45 p.m.-1:22 a.m. • Wilhelm Screen SHORTS PAIRED WITH FEATURES SHORT FILMS
Times listed in feature film sections.
55 CFF SALUTES YOUR SHORTS SHORTS SAMPLER
CFF A FISTFUL OF PISTOLS SHORTS SAMPLER Two men meet in the wild west for a SALUTES YOUR SHORTS good old fashioned quick draw shoot ‘em up situation. Joseph Heath, 4 minutes
BEANS DAHLIA An idiosyncratic story of an elderly Through a metaphorical narrative artist who lives and paints alone on about love, Dahlia explores a a property in the woods. Steve, the relationship between two people painter, decides one day to make which is burdened by mental illness. a sign that reads “Free Beans,” Journey through a colorful and offering a bowl of steaming hot ever-changing world; a hand-painted beans to any drifter who might realm that shifts and morphs to stumble by. Our narrator takes the portray a darkened state of mind. audience through a rhapsodic telling 4 minutes of the day he met the painter who Ana Mouyis, cooked him a life-changing bowl of beans. 7 minutes SHORT FILMS SHORT Maxwell Nalevansky, 56 CFF SALUTES YOUR SHORTS SHORTS SAMPLER
HAJJI MY DEAD DAD’S PORNO TAPES A fateful encounter between two U.S. In this touching documentary, Marines and an Afghan teenager fuels filmmaker Charlie Tyrell attempts a wartime cycle of violence in this to gain a better understanding of inspired-by-true-events short starring his deceased father through his Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead) personal effects—including a stash and Dayo Okeniyi (Hunger Games). of VHS pornography tapes—and an exploration of his family history. R.H. Norman, 11 minutes Charlie Tyrell, 14 minutes
POISON MY LETHAL WEAPON A Tinder date goes from awkward A young blonde must navigate to frightening when the conversation treacherous power dynamics after turns to poison. she’s pulled over by an increasingly “friendly” cop. Brandt Shandera, 8 minutes Hope Leigh, 9 minutes SHORT FILMS
57 CFF SALUTES YOUR SHORTS SHORTS SAMPLER
RALPH AND OLLIE THE SILVER SCREEN Do you ever have trouble relating to Film buffs Marty and Anna come other people? No? Yeah, me neither. into conflict when dreamer Marty’s desire to reopen the local movie 4 minutes Thomas Bell, theater clashes with the reality of the impending birth of their child. Paul Williams, 15 minutes
RETURN FROM DESOLATION Up Next: Garrett Eaton, an Afghan war vet, oilman, and river guide, has fought PRESENTED BY NERDIST his way back from addiction and SHORT ENDS certain death with the help of the wild, serpentine rivers of the American Southwest. This is a story of renewal, forgiveness and healing, but it’s also a bridge between what we think we know and the nuance of what it means to be human in a complex society. Through Garrett’s experience, we see the importance of wild, public landscapes to help us all find our way home. SHORT FILMS SHORT Justin Clifton, 11 minutes 58 SHORT ENDS - PRESENTED BY NERDIST
42 COUNTS AMY Inspired by a true story, two Set against the backdrop of the deadliest unsuspecting victims spend their heatwave in recorded history and night off watching scary movies inspired by America’s most prolific in an apartment rented from their female serial killer, L. Gustavo Cooper’s boss—until they uncover something Amy provides a surreal and distorted much more sinister than what they’re glimpse into a killing spree that watching on screen. captivated a nation in the early 1900s. Jill Gevargizian, 8 minutes L. Gustavo Cooper, 7 minutes
BABS BESTIA An estranged son discovers an alarming Bestia follows the lone survivor purchase made by his late father. (Mathias Retamal) of a disaster as he awakens on a deserted beach. It 13 minutes Celine Held, becomes clear that there are more dangers lurking in the woods than a hungry beast. Gigi Guerrero, 8 minutes SHORT FILMS
59 SHORT ENDS - PRESENTED BY NERDIST
GREAT CHOICE TRANSMISSION A woman gets stuck in a Welcome to Britannia. Red Lobster commercial. Together we stand alone. Robin ComisaR, 7 minutes Varun Raman, 17 minutes
THE AFTER PARTY WE SUMMONED A DEMON Meet Skye Monroe. Reality Show They just wanted to be cool. Star. Social Media Queen. And Instead they got a demon. blissfully unaware of how self- 6 minutes centered she is. Skye drinks what Chris McInroy, she wants, snorts what she wants and takes who she wants. Skye doesn’t really have friends, but followers, tagging along for every moment of her life thanks to her endless streams of posts. But tonight, Skye will be put on trial for her deeds. Colin Costello, 18 minutes SHORT FILMS SHORT 60 SCHOOLHOUSE BLOCK STUDENT SHORTS
HEAD ABOVE WATER A devoted husband is forced to SCHOOLHOUSESTUDENT BLOCKSHORTS confront his doubts about remaining the caretaker of his wife suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Eric Shahinian, 10 minutes
POSERS REDSHIFT A coming-of-age creature feature After a bio-chemical attack renders earth that’s also a story of teenage friendship, infertile, mankind is forced to colonize budding love, and figuring out how Mars and mine the earth of its remaining to fit in. resources. Among the miners is David Cain, who has grown tired of earth and 28 minutes Sean Thiessen, longs for a new life. After the company decides to relocate to the red planet, David is given the option to transfer or remain on earth with his family. As tension rises
between him and sister as they care for SHORT FILMS their dying father, David must weigh his commitment to family and his desire for a better life. Benjamin Crane, 11 minutes 61 SCHOOLHOUSE BLOCK STUDENT SHORTS
THE MEMORY BANK TWINKLE TWINKLE Karen awakens to discover that A young woman named Amy her payment has been declined discovers a mysterious record in her at The Memory Bank, a cloud- home. The record plays the tune based organization that retains and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” but organizes customers’ memories. She’s Amy begins to fear for her life when it then forced to delete memories in won’t stop, no matter what she does. order to create new ones. Mack Winzenburg, 5 minutes Austin Faust, 28 minutes
THE SECRET LIFE OF ART 10 MINUTES TO SHOW What if art came to life at night? Punk-rock drummer Charlotte Do works of art have personalities? “Charlie” Howe desperately wants Do they wish to escape their assigned to win an Austin battle of the bands interpretations and roles? How do competition, but 10 minutes before these works hold up in a modern her band is set to perform, everything context? This digitally-animated piece seemingly goes to hell backstage. brings to life well-known works 13 minutes by masters such as Michelangelo, Joshua DeFour, Raphael, Degas and Gauguin and explores what would happen if they could interact with each other during a chaotic night at the museum. 4 minutes SHORT FILMS SHORT Catherine Mosier-Mills, 62 TENNESSEE FILMMAKER
BIG AND TALL A young girl and her best friend set TENNESSEEFILMMAKER off into the woods to find proof of a mythological creature. Clint Till, 15 minutes
AIM CENTER SHORTS BLACKOUT DAY A compilation of 12 stop-motion A mini documentary about people’s animations created by members of the experiences on the day of the total AIM Center under the direction of artist solar eclipse—August 21, 2017. Judith Mogul and videographer Trey A filmmaker collaboration of an Forbes. AIM is a center for psychiatric incredible celestial event. rehabilitation located in Chattanooga, 7 minutes Tenn. Using cutout paper in the style Graham Uhelski, of filmmaker Lotte Reiniger, members manipulated their created forms to tell intimate, humorous and often poignant SHORT FILMS stories. These shorts provide moving insight into the minds, hearts and souls of people living with mental illness. Judith Mogul,13 minutes 63 TENNESSEE FILMMAKER
LEGS THE LOTTERY Cara Smart dreams of one day What kind of life can you have becoming a professional swimmer, but when it’s assigned for you by your her mother and doctor have plans to government? One young woman remove her body parts instead. This is tries to exercise what little freedom a tale as old as time. she has in order to change her life. Madeleine Hicks, 15 minutes Karen Louisa Linton, 14 minutes
THE ELEPHANT TREE THE ORDER Combining live action with stop- Three young scouts have been selected motion animation, The Elephant for a prestigious opportunity, but as Tree reveals the intimate relationship they struggle to prove themselves, they between an artist and the landscape realize nothing is what it seems. around her. Through sketches, 24 minutes sculptures, and puppets, a world Chad Cunningham, evolves in the artist’s studio that reflect her reverie and sadness for the environment, which eventually is threatened when a developer begins to clear the land. Judith Mogul, 12 minutes SHORT FILMS SHORT 64 WTF (WATCH THESE FILMS!)
wATCH ALLEN ANDERS — LIVE AT THE THESE FILMS! COMEDY CASTLE (CIRCA 1987) WTF Found footage of Allen Anders’ famed 1987 performance at New York City’s Comedy Castle offers a revealing window into the troubled comedian’s psyche. Laura Moss, 7 minutes
COME ON MANDY BFF GIRLS A doc/fiction hybrid about a dog Three dorky American girls who refuses to listen. magically transform into beautiful 3 minutes Japanese superheroes and fight a Josh Wilmott, tampon monster as they begin their journey into womanhood. Brian Lonano, 13 minutes SHORT FILMS
65 WTF (WATCH THESE FILMS!)
HECTOR FELIX HOMER_A A thriller/comedy with a retro Found VHS footage tells a disturbing vibe, Hector Felix is about a drunk day-in-the-life story of a broken family. who stumbles upon a group of 10 minutes thugs playing cards in the back of Milos Mitrovic, a gas station. Shot on 16mm, and accompanied by a killer soundtrack. William Bagley, 5 minutes
SOCKS ON FIRE SETACEOUS A failed poet takes up cinematic A group of neighbors, after being arms when he returns home to awakened in the dead of night by its Hokes Bluff, Ala. to find his aunt alarm, investigate a seemingly abandoned has locked his drag queen uncle out car in the middle of their cul-de-sac in of the family home. the inner suburbs. Slowly they begin to realize the car may not be as abandoned 15 minutes Bo McGuire, as first perceived and holds something far darker in store for them. Tel Benjamin, 11 minutes SHORT FILMS SHORT 66 WTF (WATCH THESE FILMS!)
STAY THE ACCOMPLICE A cult of women summon a demon, A man discovers his unwitting but one rogue member, Carol, gets in participation in a bank robbery across a the way of their plans. series of increasingly incriminating (and hilarious) answering machine messages. David Mikalson, 9 minutes John F. Beach, Jonathan Hoeg, 7 minutes
WEIRD In this animated film, a young girl explains how personal preference and individuality are the ties that bind us all together. Fausto Montanari, 2 minutes SHORT FILMS
67 SHORTS PAIRED WITH FEATURE FILMS
EMERGENCY Paired with Lowlife (See p. 50) SHORTSWITH FEATUREPAIRED FILMS Faced with an emergency situation, a group of young Black and Latino friends carefully weigh the pros and cons of calling the police. Carey Williams, 12 minutes
HEARTLESS MY MONSTER Paired with Dementia Part II (See p. 49) Paired with All the Creatures Were Stirring Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The (See p. 48) Tell-Tale Heart.” An overlooked Christmas is coming. If that’s not associate struggles to complete a stressful enough, Lily (Brea Grant) corporate presentation as a horrific has to contend with a clueless secret gnaws at her conscience. partner (Adam Egypt Mortimer) and an unexpected, inter-dimensional Kevin Sluder, 12 minutes holiday guest who just wants two things—blood and cuddles. Izzy Lee, 7 minutes SHORT FILMS SHORT 68 Sponsors SPONSORS
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