Idea Transcript
LOFT FILM FEST SCHEDULE
21
8:00PM
24
10:30PM
10:00PM
Backlot Shorts
23
10:00PM
MIDNIGHT
31 | OFFSITE | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 6:00PM
A Tribute To Jon Lovitz
2:15PM
4:15PM
2:30PM
39
5:00PM
Documentary Shorts
38 4:30PM
40 7:00PM
7:00PM
41
7:30PM
37
Lenny Cooke
36
Pervert’s Guide to Ideology
A Tribute To Bob Shelton
NOON
Go For Sisters
Walter
5:00PM
32 33
Zero Charisma
22
The Room
10:00PM
PAINing POORtraits
Il Futuro
12
2:00PM
1:30PM
35
The Broken Circle Breakdown
Ernest and Celestine The Waiting Room
7:00PM
5:30PM
11:00AM
7:30PM
Stranger by the Lake
7:45PM
2:45PM
9:45PM
10:00PM
11:00PM
10
20
THEATER 03
34 11:30AM
29
19
THEATER 01
11:30AM
27
30
08 6:00PM
THEATER 03
Music City, USA
9:00PM
11
5:30PM
7:15PM
4:00PM
Winter in the Blood
09
Willow Creek
7:00PM
Le Week-End
01
07
A Case of You
I Used to Be Darker
6:00PM
8:00PM
5:00PM
Red Obsession
06
5:00PM
17
3:15PM
18
NOON
28
The Congress
4:00PM
26
A Teacher
05
Carson Mell Short Films
3:00PM
Bastards
A Birder’s Guide to Everything
2:30PM
1:00PM
Mr. Nobody
2:00PM
04
16
1:00PM
Pechorin
03
15
THEATER 01
25
International Shorts
NOON
Bicycling with Moliere
1:00PM
Anita
02
NOON
11:00AM
BACKLOT
10:00AM
Off Label
14
11:00AM
7:00PM
THEATER 03
13
Tatanka
THEATER 01
Harvey Girls
BACKLOT
Faust
THEATER 03
10:00AM
MONDAY NOV 11
Beauty and the Beast
THEATER 01
SUNDAY NOV 10
The Nightmare Before Christmas
THEATER 01
SATURDAY NOV 9
Dear Mr. Watterson
FRIDAY NOV 8
Narco Cultura
THURSDAY NOV 7
LOFT FIM FEST 2013 A SPECIAL WELCOME FROM COUNCILMAN STEVE KOZACHIK HONORARY CHAIR, LOFT FILM FEST 2013
The Loft Film Fest is a great annual event, bringing great films and filmmakers to Tucson. This year’s 4th annual fest is especially great because my brother is being honored! Other than our mom, there’s not another person around who has had the unique opportunity to watch Pete begin, develop and grow his career in films. From back-yard sets created out of hand made foam rubber models and shot on Super 8 film, two frames at a time, to major motion pictures shot over years, and at the cost of millions of dollars, I’ve seen Pete become the Oscar nominee that he deserves to be. Toss into that several years of grooming on 16mm reels spinning ads and running the board for KZAZ television right here in Tucson. Pete is our own home grown cinematographer who has walked out his childhood dream. We’ll all have the chance to share together his wit, wisdom and talents both on the big screen, and during the presentation that’ll follow the show. I’m extremely proud of my brother, and I know you’ll come away from the screening with a new appreciation for the complexities of putting together a major motion picture. Steve Kozachik Honorary Chair, Loft Film Fest 2013
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL Celebrating its fourth year in 2013, The Loft Film Fest is dedicated to showcasing the best independent, foreign and classic films, as well as celebrating the work of established and emerging directors, writers, producers and actors. The Loft Film Fest, through its eclectic and diverse programming, aims not only to expand the audience for cinema that challenges, inspires and entertains, but also to honor those artists whose talent and passion bring that cinema to life.
FESTIVAL PASSES
GENERAL ADMISSION: $125 • LOFT MEMBERS: $100
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
GENERAL ADMISSION: $10 • LOFT MEMBERS: $8 Tickets available at our box office or online at:
loftfilmfest.org
THURSDAY & FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7 & 8 FESTIVAL STAFF Festival Executive Director PEGGY JOHNSON
Theatre Manager & Head Projectionist KYLE CANFIELD
Festival Directors JEFF YANC JJ GIDDINGS Managing Director ZACH BRENEMAN Festival Programming Consultant MIKE PLANTE Development Director DEBI MABIE Loft Business Manager JONATHAN KLEEFELD Graphics & Marketing Associate MATT MCCOY Development Associate AMY COLLINSWORTH Administrative Assistant
Assistant Managers DAVID PAIZ PEDRO ROBLES JASON DENHOLM BRENDA RODRIGUEZ Volunteer Coordinator TIM KEENE Projectionists MIKE WILKINS DALE MEYERS DAN STEEN DANIEL TERRY ANA HUMPHREY RAY BORBOA Theatre Floor Staff DAVID CORREA SARAH JOHNSON LINDSEY HOLANDES WILL ERICKSON BROOKE HARTNETT
01
LE WEEK-END
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7 AT 7:00PM
OPENING NIGHT OF THE LOFT FILM FEST, PRESENTED BY DESERT DIAMOND CASINOS & RESORT! Free glass of champagne (for those over 21), hors d’oeuvres and French music before the film! “Hugely entertaining, utterly charming and emotionally engaging British comedy-drama with a superb script by Hanif Kureshi and a pair of terrific performances from Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan.” - Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
02
BICYCLING WITH MOLIÈRE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT NOON
The new comedy from the director of The Women on the 6th Floor! Popular television celebrity Gauthier Valence (Lambert Wilson) embarks on a train journey to France’s L’Île de Ré with a clear mission in mind: convince his old friend Serge Tanneur (Fabrice Luchini) to return to the stage in the lead of Molière’s The Misanthrope. After The Women on the 6th Floor, director Philippe Le Guay brings us another delicious, smart and cruel comedy about the pleasures of playing with words, arguing, discussing and rehearsing a play. (Dir. by Philippe Le Guay, 2013, France, in French with English subtitles, 104 mins., Not Rated) Digital
MARTIN RIGGENBACH
The Loft Cinema would like to express a rousing cheer of appreciation to our incredible team of volunteers whose efforts & devotion make possible this Film Fest and everything we do! Thank You!
THE LOFT CINEMA 3233 E SPEEDWAY BLVD TUCSON, AZ 85716 520-795-7777 (SHOWTIMES) 520-795-0844 (BOX OFFICE)
03 From director Roger Michell (Enduring Love, Venus, Notting Hill) comes the acclaimed new romantic comedy Le Week-end, starring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan as Nick and Meg, a British couple celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway in Paris. As they travel around the city, they revisit the highs and lows of their relationship, fight about their faults, and continue to run out of restaurants without paying the bill. They meet up with an old colleague of Nick’s and attend a dinner party at his house, leading to some painful truths being spoken aloud. Jeff Goldblum co-stars in this romantic drama that screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. (Dir. by Roger Michell, 2013, UK, 93 mins., Not Rated)
PECHORIN
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 1:00PM
Winner! Best Feature Film / London Film Awards 2012 Based on Mikhail Lermontov’s classic Russian novel, A Hero of Our Time, this arresting film by Moscow-based auteur Khrushch Roman is a smoky, contemplative journey into the human soul. Our hero is dying on a rickety cart. The scene around him: nothing but desert. But the life he has led has been anything but barren. Hasn’t it? Roman’s thought-provoking, mysterious and visuallystunning adaptation is worthy of Lermontov’s original novel. (Dir. by Roman Khrushch, 2011, Russia, in Russian with English subtitles, 95 mins., Not Rated)
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8
04
A BIRDER’S GUIDE TO EVERYTHING FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 2:30PM
“A Birder’s Guide to Everything offers many poignant insights on the therapeutic value of community. The script is very funny and thankfully treats its somber moments with a light touch. Moreover, the nature photography is always stunning and lends a Thoreauvian spirituality to the proceedings.” - Sound on Sight
Sideways meets Stand by Me in this endearing story of friends, family and a place in birdwatching’s history books. On the eve of his widowed father’s second wedding, 15-year-old David Portnoy (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road) spots what may just be the extinct Labrador duck. Now he and the two other stalwart members of the local Young Birders Society, joined by their headstrong photographer classmate Ellen, take off on a rollicking, interstate road trip in search of a rare bird and elusive answers to teenage questions large and small. With marvelous supporting performances by Ben Kingsley and James LeGros, A Birder’s Guide to Everything is an alternately poignant and funny window into the thoughtful world of birding and the inner peace that can be discovered during a walk in the woods. Director Rob Meyer delivers a sparkling feature film debut, as his coming-of-age tale to warm the hearts of anyone who grew up with a nerdy passion becomes a tenderhearted look at the moments and relationships that change even the most intensely focused lives. —Arthur RyelLindsey (Dir. by Rob Meyer, 2013, USA, 88 mins., Not Rated)
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8
05
BASTARDS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 3:15PM
“Put simply, Bastards offers confirmation were it needed that Denis remains one of the most exciting and innovative directors working today.” - David Jenkins, Little White Lies
06
I USED TO BE DARKER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 5:00PM
WITH WRITER/DIRECTOR MATTHEW PORTERFIELD IN PERSON! Winner! Best Director, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema 2013 “By its end, the film had worked its way under our skin deeper than we expected, and through skilfully unobtrusive editing and camerawork, we felt we had a clear, honest picture of these lives.” – Jessica Kiang, Playlist
Acclaimed director Claire Denis’ jagged, daringly fragmented and darkest film is a genuinely contemporary film noir inspired by recent French sex ring scandals involving men of wealth and power. Vincent Lindon (Denis’s Friday Night) stars as Marco, a sea captain gone AWOL to avenge his brother-in-law’s suicide and to rescue his estranged sister and his teenaged niece (Lola Créton, Goodbye First Love); Chiara Mastroianni (A Christmas Tale) is Lindon’s married lover, who has sold her soul in exchange for the security of her young son; and the remarkable Michel Subor is her husband – a sleazy financier who is the very embodiment of an evil beyond comprehension. Denis takes the viewer into the very heart of darkness in her most unsettling film yet, an unforgettable and thrilling commentary on late capitalism. An official selection at the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals. (Dir. by Claire Denis, 2013, France, in French with English subtitles, 83 mins., Not Rated)
When Taryn (Deragh Campbell), a Northern Irish runaway, finds herself in trouble in Ocean City, Maryland, she seeks refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore. But Kim and Bill (Ned Oldham and Kim Taylor) have problems of their own: they’re trying to handle the end of their marriage gracefully for the sake of their daughter Abby (Hannah Gross), just home from her first year of college. A story of family revelations, people finding each other and letting go, looking for love where they’ve found it before; and, when that doesn’t work, figuring out where they might find it next. With his third feature, writer/director Matthew Porterfield focuses his delicate eye on this rip in a family’s fabric and the emotional fallout it causes, creating a quietly riveting story enlivened by live musical performance. (Dir. by Matthew Porterfield, 2013, USA, 90 mins., Not Rated) Digital
ABOUT MATTHEW PORTERFIELD
Matthew Porterfield wrote and directed Hamilton, for which he was named best new filmmaker at the Boulder International Film Festival in 2007, and Putty Hill. He studied at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, lives in Baltimore, and teaches screenwriting, theory, and production at Johns Hopkins University. In 2012, Porterfield was a featured artist in the Whitney Biennial, a Creative Capital grantee, and the recipient of a Wexner Center Artist Residency Award. He has two feature scripts in development - Sollers Point and the IFP No Borders project Metal Gods.
07
A CASE OF YOU
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 5:30PM
SPONSORED BY SPEEDWAY VETERINARY HOSPITAL Young writer Sam (Justin Long) has a crush on Birdie (Evan Rachel Wood), the cute and quirky barista at his local coffee shop. When his conventional attempts to woo her crash and burn, he takes his efforts online, creating an Internet profile embellished with all of the details that would make him Birdie’s dream guy: ballroom dancing, rock climbing, a seemingly endless, escalating series of wacky and unlikely hobbies. When the harebrained scheme is a surprise success and Birdie falls for his exaggerated alter ego, Sam must keep up the act or lose his dream girl forever. (Dir. by Kat Coiro, 2013, USA, 92 mins., Not Rated)
08
CARSON MELL SHORT FILMS - FREE ADMISSION! FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 6:00PM
Arizona native Carson Mell moved to Los Angeles, CA eleven years ago to work in film and television. But he’d only lived there for three years when nostalgia for his home state inspired him to create Bobby Bird, an aging classic rockstar with the same Arizona origins as himself. Since then, Carson has completed four short films and a novel starring the wilted Zonie rocker. While the novel, Saguaro, was self-published in 2006, this October it was re-released as an e-book by Electric Literature. This “Bobby Bird” program brings together all four of the Bobby Bird short films and features Carson reading in character from the novel Saguaro, accompanied by 8mm footage shot by his father while he was living in New York in the 1960’s.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8
09
WILLOW CREEK
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 7:15PM
WITH WRITER/DIRECTOR BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT IN PERSON! “A downright scary ride that’s also a ton of fun… careens from the funny to the painful and then back to funny before pouring on the scares and weirdness” – Don R. Lewis, Film Threat Handsome young city lad Jim is a true believer — he’s convinced of the existence of the sasquatch, the elusive shambling man-beast nicknamed Bigfoot, said to haunt the wilds of the American West Coast. Jim’s girlfriend Kelly isn’t so sure. But she loves Jim and hey, joining him on his silly quest to craft a homemade documentary while seeking out the notorious creature, well, there could be worst ways to spend her downtime between bit-part acting gigs. The couple drives out to Trinity County, CA, on a pilgrimage to the site where the famous Patterson-Gimlin film clip, which purported to capture the mysterious monster in motion, was shot in 1967. Rolling into Willow Creek, they find a wonderland of Bigfootthemed gimmickry and tourist traps, and chat with assorted locals. Some of the townsfolk are happy to share, while others are apprehensive. Their warnings become increasingly aggressive. The deep woods are no place for a couple of naïve city slickers — as Jim and Kelly are soon to find out! (Dir. by Bobcat Goldthwait, 2013, USA, 79 mins., Not Rated)
ABOUT BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT
Since his first claim to fame as the ridiculous Zed in the Police Academy movies of the ’80s, stand-up comic/actor/screenwriter/director Bobcat Goldthwait has proven his ability to entertain — and upend expectations — both before and behind the camera. Detouring from his dark, biting comedy films (Shakes The Clown, World’s Greatest Dad, God Bless America) and high-profile TV direction gigs, Goldthwait takes a shot at the Blair Witch School of found-footage horror flicks with Willow Creek. He not only makes the scary bits work — the second act’s centerpiece, a 20-minute static shot inside the couple’s tent, is an excruciatingly effective episode of fear and suspense — but amps up the empathy and laughs with his believable leads and very real chats with true-life sasquatch obsessives (making Willow Creek effectively a hybrid mock/ doc). A subtle examination of faith and belief, a charming expose of cryptozoological kitsch, and a surprisingly gripping creature-feature creep-out (Goldthwait makes brilliant use of the less-is-more principle too often overlooked in the horror genre), Willow Creek sets out to achieve some very clear goals and, well, let’s just say Goldthwait has more luck than his hapless protagonists! - Fantasia Festival.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8
10
RED OBSESSION
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 7:45PM
SPONSORED BY GOLDEN EAGLE FREE wine tasting before the film with a sampling of wines from Napa Valley’s Bennett Lane Winery! “This exceptional, visually and informationally rich doc reveals much beyond its ostensible theme.” Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International
Narrated by Russell Crowe, Red Obsession is a film about power, passion, and the fine wine game. For centuries Bordeaux has commanded a mythical status in the world of fine wines as a leitmotif of wealth, power and influence. Recently, prices for its prestigious ‘first growth’ red wines – including names like Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Latour – have been breaking all records. Something unprecedented is happening to the fine wine market and that something is China. While the dragon economy could bring untold wealth to the revered winemaking region, the terms of engagement are different from any other customer in the past. This market is young, voracious and unpredictable. Demand is massively outstripping supply. The product is finite and this new client wants it all. For better or worse, Bordeaux is hitching itself to this new, infinitely wealthy client. Red Obsession sets out to explore this phenomenon and the link between China and Bordeaux. (Dir. by David Roach & Warwick Ross, 2-13, Australia/China/France/UK/Hong Kong, Rated PG)
11
IL FUTURO (THE FUTURE)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 9:45PM
12
PAINing POORtraits
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 10:00PM
Winner! KNF Award (Best Feature Film), Rotterdam International Film Festival 2013
WITH DIRECTORS ADAM COOPER-TERÁN AND STEVEN JOHNSON LEYBA IN PERSON!
“Brilliantly realized and excitingly unclassifiable … what feels at first like a coming-of-age story takes on apocalyptic and noirish undertones, all the while maintaining its focus on wounded characters in crisis mode.” – John Ousler, Village Voice
Co-directors Adam Cooper-Terán and Steven Johnson Leyba will be joined by Jeanelle Mastema (featured in the film) for a post screening Q&A and an after party with Steven Johnson Leyba’s artwork on display.
When her parents die in a tragic car accident, adolescent Bianca’s universe is upended. Staying alone in the family’s Rome apartment and entrusted with the care of her younger brother, Tomas, she struggles to hold things together as her place in her surreal new world becomes blurry. Life is further complicated when Toma´s’s gym-rat friends invite themselves to stay indefinitely. Using Bianca as a lure for a heist they’ve concocted, they convince her to initiate a sexual relationship with an enigmatic blind hermit, Maciste (Rutger Hauer, Blade Runner). But as the two spend time together, Bianca unexpectedly finds normalcy and acceptance in the aging B-movie star and former Mr. Universe’s rococo mansion. Alicia Scherson’s striking third feature uses the streets of Rome to create a world both richly beautiful and unapologetically provocative - the very aesthetic reflecting Bianca’s disorientation as the future becomes her present. (Dir. by Alicia Scherson, 2013, Italy/Chile/Gemany/Spain, in Italian/Spanish/English with subtitles, 98 mins., Not Rated) Digital Preceded by the short film
AQUARIUM The end of a relationship reveals the emptiness left in a woman’s life by the one she loves. (Dir. by Philippe Grégoire, 2013, Canada, 14 mins.)
The Reverend Steven Johnson Leyba has been called the first artist of the 21st Century to offend and enlighten the masses through his ‘unspeakable art.’ A painter, trickster, social critic, and controversial public performance artist, Leyba is a folk hero, loved and hated by many. PAINing POORtraits follows Leyba as he reclaims and re-invents his work, giving friends and muses alike the opportunity to destroy his paintings. In his examination of Destruction, Transformation, Reclamation, and Rebirth, Leyba takes on various enemies, from ex-lovers to the Monsanto Corporation, even himself as the Hero and Fool. The film is an allegory for every TRUE Artist who creates as a renegade to the system, fighting globalization, celebrity, consumerism, governments, multinationals, and the growing ineffectiveness of today’s activists. (Dir. by Adam Cooper-Terán and Steven Johnson Leyba, 2013, USA, 65 mins., Not Rated)
ABOUT ADAM COOPER-TERÁN
Adam Cooper-Terán is an award-winning visualist and performer born and currently residing in Tucson, Arizona. An autodidact known for his collaborations with the underground and avant-garde, from musicians, painters, performers, poets, to sex-pressionists, and a fire circus troupe.
ABOUT STEVEN JOHNSON LEYBA
Rev. Steven Johnson Leyba is a ritualistic, shamanistic painter of Mescalero Apache ancestry. His art is equal parts satanic, holistic, radical, political, and extremely personal. Utilizing various media, Leyba creates a celebration of the sacred and profane. Paint mixes with collage, beadwork, and DNA making bold statements about the world we live in and constantly questioning the very nature of Art.
ABOUT JEANELLE MASTEMA
Jeanelle Mastema is a performer and multimedia artist born and raised in LA. She has participated in rituals from Poland to Tokyo with the performance project Aesthetic Meat Front, and is a member of the body suspension troupe CoRE (Constructs of Ritual Evolution). Her experimental art project, Virgo Rising, has led to collaborations with Ace Farren Ford, Orlando “Oddrocker” Greenhill, the Omega Collektiv, Sein Und Zeit, and the United Satanic Apache Front.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9
13
ERNEST AND CELESTINE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 10:00AM
SPONSORED BY GEICO
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9
14
ANITA: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 11:00AM
SPECIAL ADMISSION PRICE: $5!
SPONSORED BY SIROW: SOUTHWEST INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN
“A delightful melding of visual style and narrative pirouettes, Ernest And Celestine is a just-aboutperfect hand drawn animated feature!” - Screen Daily
“An enthralling and revealing portrait of Anita Hill, whose Senate Judiciary testimony led the country to recognize workplace sexual harassment.” - Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter
From the creators of A Town Called Panic comes a visually stunning, enormously entertaining new film with generationspanning appeal. Deep below snowy, cobblestone streets, tucked away in networks of winding subterranean tunnels, lives a civilization of hardworking mice, terrified of the bears who live above ground. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer – and when she nearly ends up as breakfast for ursine troubadour Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond. But it isn’t long before their friendship is put on trial by their respective bear-fearing and mice-eating communities. Fresh from standing ovations at Cannes and Toronto Ernest & Celestine joyfully leaps across genres and influences to capture the kinetic, limitless possibilities of animated storytelling. Like a gorgeous watercolor painting brought to life, a constantly shifting pastel color palette bursts and drips across the screen, while wonderful storytelling and brilliant comic timing draw up influences as varied as Buster Keaton, Bugs Bunny and the outlaw romanticism of Bonnie and Clyde. Bringing it all together is the on-screen chemistry between the two lead characters – a flowing, tender and playful rapport that will put a smile on your face and make your heart glow. Based on the classic Belgian book series by Gabrielle Vincent, Ernest & Celestine is winner of the Cesar Award for Best Animated Feature and numerous festival prizes. (Dir. by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar & Benjamin Renner, 2012, France, In French with English subtitles, 80 mins., Not Rated)
An entire country watched transfixed as a poised, beautiful AfricanAmerican woman in a blue dress sat before a Senate committee of 14 white men and with a clear, unwavering voice recounted the repeated acts of sexual harassment she had endured while working with US Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. That October day in 1991 Anita Hill, a bookish law professor from Oklahoma, was thrust onto the world stage and instantly became a celebrated, hated, venerated, and divisive figure.
Preceded by the short film
RIDE OVER Winnie just wants to ride her bike, while Maude, her mother, is just trying to hold it all together. Take a spin with Winnie and Maude as they playfully go headto-head in an alternate reality of control and rebellion in this beautifully scored, hand-painted animated short. (Dir. by Mik Garrison and Zoe Matthiessen, 2013, USA, 6 mins.)
Anita Hill’s graphic testimony was a turning point for gender equality in the US and ignited a political firestorm about sexual misconduct and power in the workplace that resonates still today. She has become an American icon, empowering millions of women and men around the world to stand up for equality and justice. Against a backdrop of sex, politics, and race, Anita reveals the intimate story of a woman who spoke truth to power. Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Mock, the film is both a celebration of Anita Hill’s legacy and a rare glimpse into her private life with friends and family, many of whom were by her side that fateful day 22 years ago. Anita Hill courageously speaks openly and intimately for the first time about her experiences that led her to testify before the Senate and the obstacles she faced in simply telling the truth. She also candidly discusses what happened to her life and work in the 22 years since. (Dir. by Freida Lee Mock, 2013, USA, 95 mins., Not Rated)
15
INTERNATIONAL SHORTS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT NOON
The short films in this program are as wide-ranging emotionally as they are globally. 10 shorts from around the world (and some from right down the street) make up the most diverse program we’ve put together yet.
KAYIP
After a painful breakup with the love of his life, a man waits at a cafe for a lifetime, hoping she will walk in again. (Dir. by Mete Sozer, 2013, Belgium / Turkey / USA, 14 mins.)
SWEETS
An unplanned pregnancy leaves Rosilind lost and kidnapping for answers. (Dir. by Ellie Jepperson, 2013, USA, 10 mins.)
ÁSTARSAGA
A story of love, madness, and 24-hour daylight. Solange’s boyfriend Baldur mysteriously takes off for Iceland. She follows, but an even deeper mystery awaits her. (Dir. by Asa Hjorleifsdottir, 2012, Iceland / USA, 17 mins.)
PILLOWCASE
Last night’s party, this morning’s problem. (Dir. by David Lombroso 2013, USA, 16 mins)
IL PASSO DELLA LUMACA
As a snail slithers down a storefront window, two kids start a game. (Dir. by Daniele Suraci, 2013, Italy, 7 mins.)
DAS FEST DER LIEBE
Louise prepares for Christmas in some unconventional ways. (Dir. by Anna Kirst, 2013, Austria, 6 mins.)
FACIAL
After discovering a pornographic video of his girlfriend on-line, Scott struggles with the past, present and future as all collide in a finale of bloody regret and lost happiness. (Dir. by Mark J. Blackman, 2012, UK, 17 mins.)
OF TEACHING KILLER WHALES COMPASSION
Joseph, a young homeless man, struggles through another day, when a chance encounter offers the promise of the change he so greatly desires. (Dir. by Raphe Wolfgang, 2012, USA, 15 mins.)
THE HARD DAYS KNIGHTS
A breezy light-hearted spin on that American staple, the tribute band. Four young lads suffer the same issues as their lovable mop-top idols: competitive spirits, “creative differences” and equipment failures. This particular rehearsal will expose every member - warts and all. (Dir. by Alex Italics, 2012, USA, 7 mins.)
FIVE YEARS
On the first day of his probation sentence, Will gets a desperate call for help from a friend in crisis. (Dir. by Durier Ryan, 2013, USA, 13 mins.)
16
MR. NOBODY
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 1:00PM
“There is plenty to love here… the film leaves you with a feeling of having watched something very special. Definitely recommended!” – Niels Matthijs, Twitch Starring Jared Leto, Sarah Polley and Dianne Kruger and featuring Rhys Ifans, Linh-Dan Pham and Juno Temple. The philosophical sci-fi/romance Mr. Nobody tells the story of Nemo (Jared Leto), the world’s oldest man. In 2092, Mars has become a trendy vacation destination and humans have achieved immortality, thanks to staggering advances in genetics. At the age of 120 years, Nemo is the last mortal left on Earth. His death is drawing near, and media from all over the world are eager to cover the event. Nemo doesn’t really remember who he is, but he manages, while under hypnosis, to recall fragmented snippets of his life. While recounting this all to a reporter, Nemo reveals his recollections of three alternate life paths, each one shaped by the consequences of specific choices he has made. In each possible life, he is in love with a different woman, with each relationship reflecting the man his choices have led him to be. As these life paths begin to intersect, with the three women entering each others’ alternate lives, the question arises: are any of these lives real or are they all a figment of a dying man’s imagination - the yearning for the path not taken? This ambitious, bold and highly provocative inquiry into how even the most seemingly minor decisions we make can create an infinity of possibilities also stars Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger, Juno Temple, Linh-Dan Pham and Rhys Ifans. (Dir. by Jaco Van Dormael, 2009, France/Germany/ Canada, 141 mins., Rated R)
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9
17
OFF LABEL
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 2:45PM
WITH DIRECTORS DONAL MOSHER AND MICHAEL PALMIERI IN PERSON! “Lyrical … Harrowing … Palmieri and Mosher have taken on a huge and urgent topic, and their work’s impact rests on their refusal to tell viewers how to feel.” – Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9
18
THE CONGRESS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 4:00PM
“An extraordinary and very touching film that exists somewhere in the twilight zone between the existential brainteasers of Charlie Kaufman and the psychedelic wonders of Hayao Miyazaki.” - Empire Magazine
19
THE WAITING ROOM
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 5:30PM
WITH DIRECTOR PETER NICKS IN PERSON! To honor the groundbreaking work of documentary filmmaker (and Tucson native) Kirby Dick, The Loft Cinema is proud to establish the Kirby Dick Social Justice Award, to be presented to a filmmaker selected by Kirby whose work examines issues of social justice. The inaugural award will be presented by Kirby to Pete Nicks, followed by a screening of Nicks’ award-winning documentary The Waiting Room. New York Times Critics Pick - “Confronts you head-on.” - Stephen Holden
Doctors today are liberally writing prescriptions for psychotropic drugs such as Adderall, Ambien, Zoloft, and Prozac (amongst many, many others). Often these drugs are combined in polypharmacy cocktails or are given out for unapproved or untested indications, leading to abuse, dangerous side effects and heavy dependence. In Off Label, Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher (October Country) examine our runaway pharma-culture by weaving together the stories of drug testing subjects, Big Pharma representatives, and many others touched by the rampant use of pharmaceuticals. Together, they create a poetic, sometimes amusing and frequently heartbreaking emotional road trip through an overmedicated, misdiagnosed, and drug-addled America. (Dir. by Donal Mosher & Michael Palmieri; 2013, USA, 80 mins., Not Rated) Digital
ABOUT MICHAEL PALMIERI & DONAL MOSHER
Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher collaborated to direct the acclaimed 2009 documentary feature October Country, which won a grand jury prize at Silverdocs and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Palmieri has directed music videos for Beck, The Strokes, and many others. Mosher is a widely exhibited photographer and writer.
Based on Stanislaw Lem’s sci-fi novel The Futurological Congress, Ari Folman’s mind-bending follow up to his Oscar-nominated Waltz With Bashir tells the story of Robin Wright (played to extraordinary effect by Wright herself), an actress facing the harsh realities of aging in Hollywood. No longer getting the parts she wants, Wright accepts a lucrative offer from ‘Miramount’ to have her image digitized, to be controlled by the studio in the form of a virtual performer; the catch is, she must never act again. Twenty years after relinquishing her identity, the contract has expired and she is summoned to a mysterious congress taking place in an animated world. Although radically different in content to his previous political documentary, Folman’s slice of sci-fi eccentricity shares a similarly daring stylistic approach, blending live-action and psychedelic animation to wholly unique effect. As a scathing satire on the movie industry it’s fascinating; as an exercise in formal experimentation, it is never less than dazzling. Co-starring Paul Giamatti, Jon Hamm and Harvey Keitel. (Dir. by Ari Folman, 2013, France, 122 mins., Not Rated)
The Waiting Room is a character-driven documentary film that uses extraordinary access to go behind the doors of an American public hospital struggling to care for a community of largely uninsured patients. The film – using a blend of cinema verité and characters’ voiceover – offers a raw, intimate, and even uplifting look at how patients, staff and caregivers each cope with disease, bureaucracy and hard choices. (Dir. by Peter Nicks, 2012, USA, 81 mins., Not Rated)
ABOUT PETER NICKS
Peter Nicks’ first feature documentary The Waiting Room, which chronicles a day-in-the-life of an Oakland, CA hospital waiting room, was released in 2012 to critical acclaim, being named by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle as the best documentary of 2012 and shortlisted for an Academy Award. The Washington Post named The Waiting Room one of the “ten best films of 2012” and the film garnered numerous accolades including the Stella Artois Truer The Fiction filmmaking grant, Gotham IFP and Independent Spirit Award nominations for best documentary and a Cinema Eye nomination for best debut feature. Prior to his recent work in film, Nicks worked in television for several years and earned an Emmy for Blame Somebody Else, which explored human trafficking during the Iraq War. Nicks is now developing the second of a trilogy of characterdriven films exploring health care, crime and education in Oakland, CA. He received his BA in English from Howard University and his MA in journalism from UC Berkeley. He lives in Piedmont, CA with his wife and two children.
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WINTER IN THE BLOOD
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 7:00PM
WRITER/DIRECTOR ALEX SMITH AND STAR CHASKE SPENCER IN PERSON! Presented by Arizona State Museum’s Native Eyes Film Showcase with support from Tohono O’odham Nation Museum and Cultural Center and Indigenous Strategies. CO-SPONSORED BY UOFA SCHOOL OF THEATRE, FILM & TV
“The film is artfully and skillfully made, with stunningly gorgeous cinematography of Montana’s High Line, and pitch perfect, highly detailed ‘60s era production design. The score is beautiful, evocative and moody, and the performances … feel authentic and lived in.” – Katie Walsh, Playlist Based on James Welch’s classic novel of Native American life, this hauntingly beautiful movie follows a young Blackfoot Indian’s alcoholfueled search for his wife, his rifle, his identity - and salvation. Starring Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga), David Morse (The Green Mile), Julia Jones (The Twilight Saga) and Gary Farmer (Dead Man). (Dir. by Alex Smith & Andrew Smith, 2013, USA, 105 mins., Not Rated) Digital
ABOUT ALEX SMITH
Alex Smith, along with his twin brother Andrew, wrote and directed the award-winning 2002 feature film, The Slaughter Rule, starring Ryan Gosling and Amy Adams. Winter in the Blood is their second feature film. Alex teaches Filmmaking at the University of Texas at Austin, and is the Creative Director of the non-profit University of Texas Film Institute, where he produced Dance with the One, which premiered in main competition at SXSW 2010, and was made entirely by students but mentored by film industry professionals
ABOUT CHASKE SPENCER
Chaske Spencer was born of the Lakota Sioux tribe, and raised on Indian Reservations in Montana and Idaho. Chaske moved to New York City and was cast in his first off-Broadway play, Dracula, playing the title role. Since then, he has starred in numerous films and television projects, including Skins, Dreamkeeper and Steven Spielberg’s Into the West. He has also received major attention playing “Sam Uley,” the alpha male leader of the werewolves, in the popular The Twilight Saga film series. Most recently, Chaske starred in the NBC pilot Frontier from writer/exec producer Shaun Cassidy.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9
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A TEACHER
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 8:00PM
WITH WRITER/DIRECTOR HANNAH FIDELL IN PERSON! Winner! Emerging Woman Award, SXSW Film Festival 2013 “What makes the film work is that this potentially lurid material is treated at all times with sensitivity and probing psychological seriousness.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter Part psychological thriller and part provocative character study, A Teacher explores the unraveling of a young high school teacher, Diana (Lindsay Burdge), after she begins an affair with one of her teenage students, Eric (Will Brittain). What starts as a seemingly innocent fling becomes increasingly complex and dangerous as the beautiful and confident Diana gets fully consumed by her emotions, crossing boundaries and acting out in progressively startling ways. Lindsay Burdge delivers a deeply compelling and seamlessly naturalistic performance that brings us into the mind of an adult driven to taboo against her better judgment. (Dir. by Hannah Fidell, 2013, USA, 75 mins., Not Rated) Digital
ABOUT HANNAH FIDELL
Hannah Fidell is a director, writer, and producer based in Brooklyn and was recently named one of Filmmaker magazine’s annual “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” Two of her short films, The Gathering Squall and Man & Gun, screened at SXSW in 2012. A Teacher, which she wrote, directed, and co-produced with Kim Sherman, is her first feature film. In May, Fidell attended the Champs-Elysees Film Festival, where A Teacher was awarded the US In-Progress Grand Prize.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9
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THE ROOM
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 10:00PM
Featuring a very special meet and greet with The Room star Philip Haldiman (Denny) before the movie! Celebrate 10 glorious years of The Room by mixing, mingling and maybe even tossing a football with Philip Haldiman (“Oh, Hi Denny!”), one of the stars of the cinematic phenomenon, at an informal meet and greet on the Loft’s Backlot Bar and Lounge. Philip, who shot to cult film fame as the irrepressible Denny in Tommy Wiseau’s runway hit, will have the latest copies of his new comic book, My Big Break, available for sale and signing, and will be sharing anecdotes from his days on set with the cast and crew of The Room. In this comic book series, Philip chronicles his life in Hollywood, as well as his experiences working on the film. Issue No. 1 of My Big Break offers a surreal sneak peek into his first meeting with Tommy Wiseau and his audition for The Room. This “Denny-tastic” backlot mixer will be followed by a special 10th anniversary screening of the one, the only The Room, and every ticket holder will receive their very own plastic spoon! The Room is a cinematic experience unlike anything you have ever seen – an electrifying, soul-searing explosion of love, passion, betrayal and lies, starring the truly unique writer/director Tommy Wiseau as Johnny, a successful, happy-go-lucky banker with a great job, cool friends and even a girlfriend he hopes will someday be “The One.” But wait! Cruel fate is lurking around every corner, and before you can say “Oh, hi doggie!,” drugs, deception, soft-core sex and a cheating heart begin to unravel Johnny’s life. Our hero is soon trapped by vicious betrayals from everyone around him and he must find a way out before he is torn apart! The ultimate cinematic car crash from which you will definitely NOT want to look away, The Room is a cult sensation that is hilariously awful and borderline surreal in ways that can only be explained by sheer artistic madness. From its gloriously wooden dialogue to its bizarre green screen depiction of San Francisco to its unsettling obsession with spoons, footballs and breast cancer, The Room is a film so deeply insane it must be seen to be disbelieved. (Dir. by Tommy Wiseau, 2003, 99 mins., Rated R) Digital
ABOUT PHILIP HALDIMAN
After watching The Room, it’s easy to tell that Philip Haldiman wasn’t born to act. But the one thing he DID start doing not long after being thrust from the warm confines of his mother’s womb was write. It took his experiences in Los Angeles and his time working on the outrageous cult film to come full circle and realize that he should stick to writing. A theater degree, a number of credits in films you’ll never see, a unique cinematic phenomenon and a journalism career later, he looks to his next project — a comic book series. By day, Haldiman works as a reporter for The Arizona Republic.
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BACKLOT SHORTS - FREE ADMISSION!
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 10:00PM
These ain’t your grandma’s shorts. Join us on the Mooney Backlot as we contemplate the dark underbelly - with humor, music, animation, and other coping mechanisms.
ANIMATION HOTLINE
A series of micro-animations that use crowd-sourced voicemail messages for inspiration. (Dir. by Dustin Grella, 2012, USA, 6 mins.)
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ZERO CHARISMA
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AT 10:30PM
Winner! Audience Award, SXSW Film Festival 2013 “Zero Charisma is the nerd movie I’ve been hoping to see for years.” - Devin Faraci, Badass Digest
BACK HOME
A music video for dark folk band Rasmus Leon. Shot over the course of a night and featuring Tom A. England, the video distills the 6 alchemical elements he is comprised of between birth and death. (Dir. by Dustin Grella, 2013, USA, 5 mins.)
PLUMAS
A hunter embarks, with a pair of eggs, searching for his next trophy. (Dir. by Quike Frances, 2013, Spain, 8 mins)
RIDE OVER
Winnie just wants to ride her bike, while Maude, her mother, is just trying to hold it all together. Take a spin with Winnie and Maude as they playfully go head-to-head in an alternate reality of control and rebellion in this beautifully scored, hand-painted animated short. (Dir. by Mik Garrison and Zoe Matthiessen, 2013, USA, 6 mins.)
THERE’S AN OCTOPUS IN YOUR HEAD
An emotionally masochistic ‘pancake master’ attempts to unravel the mysteries of his mind by engaging in heavy-metal musical confrontations with the devil. (Dir. by Ari Grabb, 2013, USA, 8 mins.)
MEETING MR. ELM
A man gets a surprise visit from his girlfriend’s psychotic ex-boyfriend, who isn’t at all what he appears to be... (Dir. by David Bornstein, 2013, USA, 6 mins.)
THE APOCALYPSE
Four uninspired friends try to come up with a terrific idea of how to spend their Saturday afternoon. The Apocalypse. (Dir. by Andrew Zuchero, 2013, USA, 5 mins.)
UNLOVABLE
Ah, obsessive love… it never turns out well, but our gal turns her frown right upside down! (Dir. by Jackie Hutchinson, 2013, USA, 4 mins.)
#POSTMODEM
Two Miami girls and how they deal with the technological singularity. (Dir. by Lucas Leyva and Jillian Mayer, 2013, USA, 12 mins.)
MONOMYTH
Winona, a young woman struggling to become a fantasy novelist, creates a heroic, sword-wielding character named Oraflex to distract her from her unbearably mundane reality. (Dir. by Sam Cooke, 2013, USA, 21 mins.)
As the strict Game Master of a fantasy role-playing game, Scott (Sam Eidson) leads his friends in a weekly quest through mysterious lands from the safety of his grandmother’s kitchen. But his mastery of his own domain starts to slip — along with everything else in his life — when neo-nerd hipster Miles (Garrett Graham) joins the game, winning over the group with his confident charm and dethroning Scott with an unexpected coup. Caught in delusions of grandeur, Scott must roll the dice and risk everything to expose Miles as the fraud he believes him to be. A darkly comedic fable of epic proportions, Zero Charisma is an ode to nerds from every realm. (Dir. by Katie Graham & Andrew Matthews, 2013, USA, 86 mins., Not Rated) Preceded by the short film
THERE’S AN OCTOPUS IN YOUR HEAD An emotionally masochistic ‘pancake master’ attempts to unravel the mysteries of his mind by engaging in heavy-metal musical confrontations with the devil. (Dir. by Ari Grabb, 2013, USA, 8 mins.)
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10
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WALTER: LESSONS FROM THE WORLD’S OLDEST PEOPLE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 11:00AM
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - FREE ADMISSION! SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 11:30AM
WITH DIRECTOR HUNTER WEEKS IN PERSON!
SPONSORED BY GEICO
“Leisurely … intimate … heartfelt.” – Eric Monder, Film Journal International
A special free 35mm screening of the French fantasy classic, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passing of poet, painter and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont’s fairytale masterpiece – in which the pure love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral but gentle beast – is a landmark of motion picture fantasy, with unforgettably romantic performances by Jean Marais and Josette Day. (Dir. by Jean Cocteau, 1946, France, in French with subtitles, 93 mins., Not Rated) 35mm
After an encounter with Walter Breuning, the World’s Oldest Man, Hunter Weeks and his fiancée Sarah, embark on an adventure to meet the oldest people in the world, including some of the people born in the 1800s. Capturing the extraordinary lives of people 110 years or older, including World’s Oldest Person, Besse Cooper of Georgia, the couple’s journey sheds light on what is truly important in life. Traveling across the United States, Cuba, and Italy, Hunter and Sarah explore life’s lessons, connecting us through the stories of several living supercentenarians and the families that support them. Walter takes viewers on a marvelous journey, a story of perseverance and purpose, meditations on love and life. (Dir. by Hunter Weeks, 2013, USA, 84 mins., Not Rated) Digital
ABOUT HUNTER WEEKS
Hunter Weeks has directed and produced six feature films, including the award-winning documentaries Ride the Divide (2010), 10 MPH (2007) and Where the Yellowstone Goes (2012). He is also the author of the 10 MPH DIY Manual, which discusses unique PR, marketing, and distribution insights on how to distribute indie films both digitally and conventionally without a major distributor. Hunter is a contributor and consultant with Workbook Project and has spoken on his achievements in distributing and marketing films at various major film events, including the Sundance Film Festival, Galway Film Fleadh, The Conversation, and DIY Days.
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THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 2:00PM
TATANKA
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 1:30PM
WITH DIRECTOR JACOB BRICCA IN PERSON! SPECIAL PREVIEW SCREENING! SPONSORED BY UOFA SCHOOL OF THEATRE, FILM & TV What would you sacrifice to change the world? In the compelling documentary Tatanka, the son of a sixties activist confronts the enigma that is his father, a man whose uncompromising idealism helped build a movement but nearly tore his family apart. Featuring Joan Baez, Dolores Huerta and Daniel Ellsberg. (Dir. by Jacob Bricca, 2013, USA, 87 mins., Not Rated) Digital
ABOUT JACOB BRICCA
Jacob Bricca is the editor of a dozen feature films, including Terry Gilliam’s Lost in La Mancha. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
THE HARVEY GIRLS: OPPORTUNITY BOUND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 4:15PM
WITH VISUAL EFFECTS ARTIST PETE KOZACHIK IN PERSON!
WITH PRODUCER/EDITOR THADDEUS HOMAN IN PERSON!
SPONSORED BY GEICO AND SUVA
SPONSORED BY SIROW: SOUTHWEST INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN
Pete Kozachik is an award-winning animator, visual effects artist and cinematographer, who will present a 20th anniversary screening of his first major film, the animated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Pete’s other credits include Corpse Bride and Coraline. Pete’s next project has just been announced: Auntie Claus, a stop-motion animated feature based on Elise Primavera’s book. Pete is also the brother of Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik. “T’was a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you’ve seen in your dreams. For the story you are about to be told took place in the holiday worlds of old. Now, you’ve probably wondered where holidays come from, if you haven’t I’d say it’s time you begun.”
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And so begins Tim Burton’s fanciful tale of Pumpkin Kings, Oogie Boogies, and Sandy Claws, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Filled with terrifyingly beautiful sights and one hell of a catchy soundtrack, The Nightmare Before Christmas tells the simple story of Halloween Town’s most famous citizen, Jack Skellington, and his desire to bring the colorful joy of Christmas Town to the German-expressionistic gloom of his community of ghouls through some of the most remarkable stop-motion animation ever seen. (Dir. by Henry Selick, 1993, USA, 76 mins., Rated PG)
ABOUT PETE KOZACHIK
Animator, visual effects artist, and cinematographer Pete Kozachik began collaborating with Henry Selick in 1990, and was the director of photography on the director’s features James and the Giant Peach (for the stop-motion portions) and The Nightmare Before Christmas. On the latter, Mr. Kozachik was also part of the movie’s visual effects team, and as such was an Academy Award nominee.
The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound is a new documentary that explores how starting in the 1880’s, over 100,000 brave young women, Harvey Girls as they were called, made an unusual decision to leave home and travel west to work as waitresses along the transcontinental railroad opening the doors of both the West and the workplace to women. (Dir. by Katrina Parks, 2013, 57 mins., Not Rated) Digital
ABOUT THADDEUS HOMAN
Thaddeus Homan has had an extensive career in communication arts, including working for top brand marketing firms and ad agencies. After graduating from the University of Arizona, he moved to San Francisco where he parlayed his degree in marketing and eye for design into a diverse career working for industries ranging from toy manufacturing to international engineering and construction. Producing animation for the web brought a whole new dimension of creativity to his work, which led to a career in film production and editing. Thaddeus was the co-producer, editor and DP on the 2011 feature film Better than Crazy and has directed music videos for musicians Chuck Prophet and Stephanie Finch. Preceded by the short film
KEEPER OF THE MOUNTAINS, WITH DIRECTOR ALLISON OTTO IN PERSON! Keeper of the Mountains is a portrait of Elizabeth Hawley and her unlikely key role in the Golden Age of Himalayan mountaineering, her defiance of the traditional gender roles of her day and her decision to settle alone in Kathmandu in 1960, where she has famously lived life on her own terms ever since. (Dir. by Allison Otto, 2013, USA, 25 mins., Not Rated)
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10
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DEAR MR. WATTERSON
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 5:00PM
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A TRIBUTE TO JON LOVITZ
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 6:00PM
AN EXPLORATION OF CALVIN & HOBBES!
AT A PRIVATE RESIDENCE, NOT AT THE LOFT CINEMA
“The film will send a viewer scrambling for their lovingly battered old copies of Yukon Ho! or Something Under the Bed is Drooling.” - Rob Thomas, Capital Times
PASS HOLDERS: $25 • LOFT MEMBERS: $40 GENERAL ADMISSION: $50
Calvin & Hobbes dominated the Sunday comics in thousands of newspapers for over 10 years, having a profound effect on millions of readers across the globe. When the strip’s creator, Bill Watterson, retired the strip on New Year’s Eve in 1995, devoted readers everywhere felt the void left by the departure of Calvin, Hobbes, and Watterson’s other cast of characters, and many fans would never find a satisfactory replacement. It has now been more than a decade since the end of the Calvin & Hobbes era. Bill Watterson has kept an extremely low profile during this time, living a very private life outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Despite his quiet lifestyle, Mr. Watterson is remembered and appreciated daily by fans who still enjoy his amazing collection of work. Mr. Watterson has inspired and influenced millions of people through Calvin & Hobbes. Newspaper readership and book sales can be tracked and recorded, but the human impact he has had and the value of his art are perhaps impossible to measure. This film is not a quest to find Bill Watterson, or to invade his privacy. It is an exploration to discover why his ‘simple’ comic strip made such an impact on so many readers in the 80s and 90s, and why it still means so much to us today. (Dir. by Joel Allen Schroeder, 2013, USA, 89 mins., Not Rated)
RECIPIENT OF THE 2013 LOFTY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD! YEAH! THAT’S THE TICKET! Jon Lovitz will be presented with a LOFTY Lifetime Achievement Award at a party at the home of Loft Cinema board member Paul Alexander and his wife Kathy Alexander. The party will include clips from Jon’s career and a discussion with Arizona Daily Star editorial cartoonist David Fitzsimmons. The party will be catered by Heist Pizza Parlour. Jon Lovitz’s career as comedian and actor got started on Saturday Night Live with his oddball characters like Tommy Flanagan, The Pathological Liar, Annoying Man, Master Thespian, Hannukuh Harry and Mephistopheles. Since then he has been seen on every possible format including film, TV, Broadway, comedy clubs, and new media (podcasts, anyone?) His film career includes roles in some of the most popular and funniest films ever made, including Big with Tom Hanks, The Three Amigos (shot in Tucson) with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short, A League of Their Own, High School High, Todd Solondz’s Happiness, The Producers and Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales. He has worked with some of today’s most successful directors including Woody Allen, Penny Marshall, and Rob Reiner. His television career includes one of the Loft staff’s favorite animated series, The Critic and NewsRadio, is the voice of Artie Ziff on The Simpsons and was Archie Baldwin on Two and a Half Men. He has guest starred on some of the most popular sitcoms ever, including Seinfeld and Friends. His stage career includes the lead in Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party (taking over from Henry Winkler), he has sung at Carnegie Hall, at Royal Albert Hall with English Rock Star Robbie Williams. One of the few comedians to start as an actor and then do stand-up, thanking Dana Carvey for helping him take the leap.
SUNDAY & MONDAY NOVEMBER 10 & 11
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FAUST
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 7:00PM
Winner! Golden Lion (Best Film), Venice International Film Festival Employing elaborate camera movements, a dense soundscape, intricate production design and spectacular locations, Faust conjures up a unique and phantasmagoric vision of the Faustian legend about a man willing to bargain away his soul. This latest retelling of Faust – one of the most popular stories in western literature - is a mad, delirious, often surreal and unforgettably beautiful cinematic feast from master filmmaker Alexander Sukurov, director of Russian Ark and Alexandra. (Dir. by Alexander Sukurov, 2013, Russia, in German with subtitles, 140 mins., Not Rated) Digital
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NARCO CULTURA
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 7:30PM
“An eye-opening examination of Mexico’s blood-soaked drug war and its unsettling pop-culture side effects, Narco Cultura is as overwhelming as it is absorbing.” - Geoff Berkshire, Variety
To a growing number of Mexicans and Latinos in the Americas, narco traffickers have become iconic outlaws and the new models of fame and success. They represent a pathway out of the ghetto - a new form of the American Dream, fueled by the war on drugs. Narco Cultura looks at this explosive phenomenon from within; cycles of addiction to money, drugs and violence that are rapidly gaining strength on both sides of the US/Mexican border. (Dir. by Shaul Schwarz, 2013, USA/Mexico, in Spanish with English subtitles, 103 mins., Rated R)
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THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT 11:30AM
“Intellectual rock star Slavoj Žižek dishes out another action-packed lesson in film history and Marxist dialectics with The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology, a riveting and often hilarious demonstration of the Slovenian philosopher’s uncanny ability to turn movies inside out and accepted notions on their head.” - Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
MONDAY NOVEMBER 11
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A TRIBUTE TO BOB SHELTON
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT NOON
SPONSORED BY THE TUCSON FILM OFFICE! RECIPIENT OF THE 2013 LOFTY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD! In his honor, The Loft Cinema is creating the Bob Shelton Tucson Film Legacy Award, which Bob will present at next year’s Loft Film Fest. Bob Shelton personifies film in Tucson! Through his personal dedication, enthusiasm and perseverance, Bob singlehandedly built Tucson into The Hollywood of the Desert. From the 1960s until the early 1990s, Shelton oversaw the production more than 300 films and television shows.
Cultural theorist superstar Slavoj Žižek re-teams with director Sophie Fiennes (The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema) for another wildly entertaining romp through the crossroads of cinema and philosophy. With infectious zeal and a voracious appetite for popular culture, Žižek literally goes inside some truly epochal movies, all the better to explore and expose how they reinforce prevailing ideologies. As the ideology that undergirds our cinematic fantasies is revealed, striking associations emerge: What hidden Catholic teachings lurk at the heart of The Sound of Music? What are the fascist political dimensions of Jaws? Taxi Driver, Zabriskie Point, The Searchers, The Dark Knight, John Carpenter’s They Live (“one of the forgotten masterpieces of the Hollywood Left”), Titanic, Kinder Eggs, verité news footage, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and propaganda epics from Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia all inform Žižek’s stimulating, provocative and often hilarious psychoanalytic-cinematic rant. (Dir. by Sophie Fiennes, 2012, UK/Ireland, 136 mins., Not Rated)
Films included McClintock, starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara and Bob Shelton himself; El Dorado, directed by Howard Hawkes and starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum; Hombre, starring Paul Newman and Frederick March; Dirty Dingus Magee, starring Frank Sinatra and George Kennedy; Monte Walsh, starring Lee Marvin and Jeanne Moreau; Rio Lobo, directed by Hawkes with Wayne and Jennifer O’Neill, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, starring Newman and Ava Gardner; The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, starring Burt Reynolds and Sarah Miles; The Outlaw Josey Wales, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Television series at Old Tucson under Bob’s reign included High Chaparral and episodes of Bonanza, Gunsmoke and Little House on the Prairie. An actor himself, Bob was the driving force behind Tucson’s film industry, which at the time was second only to Los Angeles for production activity. Shelton is a champion of the film industry in Tucson, proving its importance as an economic driver by bringing $20-25 million a year into the local economy. Bob continues to fight for the film industry here, vocally supporting film incentives for the state of Arizona.
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GO FOR SISTERS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT 2:15PM
Two time Academy Award nominee John Sayles (Lone Star) returns to the border in this new thriller starring Edward James Olmos. Bernice (LisaGay Hamilton) and Fontayne (Yolonda Ross) grew up the closest of friends, but took very different paths in life. Twenty years later, those paths cross: Fontayne is a recovering addict fresh out of jail, and Bernice is her new parole officer. But when Bernice’s son Rodney goes missing on the Mexican border, his shady partners in hiding or brutally murdered, she needs someone who can navigate Rodney’s world without involving the police... and turns to Fontayne. The pair enlist the services of Freddy Suárez (Edward James Olmos), a disgraced ex-LAPD detective, and plunge into the underbelly of Tijuana, quickly finding themselves in a potentially deadly cat-and-mouse game with a ruthless gang of human traffickers. (Dir. by John Sayles, 2013, USA, 123 mins., Not Rated)
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LENNY COOKE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT 2:30PM
“A film that will stand with Hoop Dreams and Sugar as the best portraits of failed path to sports stardom.” Filmmaker Magazine In 2001, Lenny Cooke was the most hyped high school basketball player in the country, ranked above future greats LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. A decade later, Lenny has never played a minute in the NBA. In this quintessentially American documentary, filmmaking brothers Joshua and Benny Safdie track the unfulfilled destiny of a man for whom superstardom was only just out of reach. (Dir. by Ben & Joshua Safdie, 2013, USA, 88 mins., Not Rated)
MONDAY NOVEMBER 11
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DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT 4:30PM
MONDAY NOVEMBER 11
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THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT 5:00PM
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STRANGER BY THE LAKE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT 7:00PM
The Loft Film Fest’s first collection of documentary shorts includes a wide range of experiences and techniques, all of them engaging and unique.
Winner! Best Actress & Best Screenplay, Tribeca Film Festival 2013
Winner! Un Certain Regard (Directing Prize), Cannes Film Festival 2013
THE LADY IN NUMBER 6
Winner! Audience Award, Berlin International Film Festival 2013
“An absorbing and intelligent exploration of queer desire spiced up with thriller elements … shot in lush, deceptively serene widescreen tableaux, this improbable cocktail makes for entrancing viewing.” – Boyd van Hoeij, Variety
109 year old Alice Herz Sommer, the world’s oldest pianist and Holocaust survivor, shares her story on how to achieve a long and happy life. One of only 8 documentary short films shortlisted for this year’s Academy Awards! (Dir. by Malcolm Clarke, 2013, Canada / USA / UK, 39 mins.)
Belgium’s official submission for the 2014 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award!
THE HEALING POWER OF ART
“An immensely moving drama … a powerful and haunting tale of love, death and bluegrass … a mournful song played on a broken instrument, with striking visual accompaniment.” – Mark Kermode, Guardian
I’LL BE FINE
Punky Elise runs a tattoo shop. Cowboy Didier plays banjo in a bluegrass band. When they meet, it’s love at first sight. When they move into a homey old farmhouse where their daughter Maybelle is born, their happiness is complete. But when a crisis strikes the hopeful new family, these two very different lovers are forced to fight for their marriage together. Elise finds comfort in religion, while Didier clings to the here-and-now, and the two find their love and faith tested as they drift farther away from each other, grasping for moments of connection amid their rousing country concerts. Flemish director Felix van Groeningen follows up his acclaimed drama The Misfortunates with this powerhouse melodrama. Cutting between moments in time in an increasingly sophisticated play with linearity, van Groeningen weaves together and ultimately fuses the highs and lows of one tragic romance in a timeless tale of star-crossed lovers. Belgium’s official submission for the 2014 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, The Broken Circle Breakdown is an epic, crowd-pleasing, tear-jerking, one-of-a-kind musical romance. (Dir. by Felix Van Groeningen, 2013, Belgium/Netherlands, in Flemish with subtitles, 111 mins., Not Rated) Digital
Children faced with life-altering challenges share their art and reveal how Children’s Healing Art Project (CHAP) has improved their lives. (Dir. by Mariah Dunn, 2013, USA, 20 mins.) A documentary about a family, their home, and the trials of living with a nineteen-year-old son who has autism. (Dir. by Micha Hilliard, 2013, USA, 15 mins.)
JONATHAN
Jonathan wakes up every day at 3:15am to work at a in Ecuador with his mother and sister. When his day ends well past 7:00pm, what would overwhelm most of us simply fuels Jonathan for another day. (Dir. by Abe Zverow, 2013, Ecuador / USA, 15 mins.)
A STORY FOR THE MODLINS
The tale of Elmer Modlin, who, after appearing in Rosemary’s Baby, fled with his family to a far-off country and shut himself away in a dark apartment for 30 years. (Dir. by Sergio Oksman, 2013, Spain, 26 mins.)
THE ROPER
A black man with hip-hop and zydeco roots hard-grafts through the local, all-white rodeo circuits in the Deep South as he dreams of competing in the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. (Dir. by Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands, 2012, USA, 6 mins.)
An idyllic gay cruising spot in rural France provides the backdrop for Alain Guiraudie’s mesmerizing mix of explicit sexual coupling and old-school Hitchcockian suspense. Boyishly handsome Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) spends several languid summer days lounging around a lakeside beach populated by men of all shapes and sizes. He’s most attracted to the muscular, mustachioed Michel (Christophe Paou), who has Franck all but proposing on bended knee after a day of sexual frolic. But Franck’s desire turns to unease when, late one night, he witnesses an act of shocking violence and finds himself drawn into an enticing web of danger that may put his life in jeopardy. As sexual intrigue turns to paranoia, Franck must contemplate the unthinkable: could this sinewy Adonis actually be a murderer? This enigmatic meditation on love, sex and murderous desire is, on the surface, a deeply unconventional thriller. But it’s also something much more - with its graphically un-simulated couplings, rigorously composed widescreen frames, eerily lush landscapes and empathic understanding of gay culture in all its multi-faceted shades, the film also feels like a queer-cinema landmark. (Dir. by Alain Guiraudie, 2013, France, in French with subtitles, 97 mins., Not Rated/Contains explicit sexual situations) Digital
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MUSIC CITY, USA
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 AT 7:30PM
WITH DIRECTOR CHRIS MCDANIEL IN PERSON! In the new documentary Music City, USA, viewers get an intimate, behind the scenes look at the music capital of the world as seen through the eyes of some of the biggest names in music. But Nashville, currently a town built on music, wasn’t always “Music City. “ Find out how this printing and insurance mecca became the music center of the world, and see how, thanks to this thriving music community, the city was reborn after a massive flood devastated the area in 2010 - a rebirth spearheaded by the artists, entertainers and musicians who put the “Music” in Music City. This new documentary illuminates what Nashville used to be, why Nashville was settled and how it grew into the rich cultural mecca it is today. Home to music superstars from ALL genres, Nashville boasts some of the greatest musicians and recording studios in the world, and in Music City, USA, legendary talents like Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, Pam Tillis, Naomi Judd and Ricky Skaggs come together to tell us how Nashville became ground zero for modern music-making. While country music is, of course, a Nashville staple, many rock superstars like The Black Keys, The Kings of Leon, and Jack White of the White Stripes also call Nashville home, and it is this exciting blending of different musical genres, styles and personalities that makes the city so uniquely “Nashville.” Music City, USA is an inspiring, enlightening and entertaining documentary for anyone who believes in the power of music. (Dir. by Chris McDaniel, 2013, USA, 80 mins., Not Rated) Digital
ABOUT CHRIS MCDANIEL
Chris McDaniel is an award winning filmmaker with strong ties to the Arizona film community. He produced the acclaimed documentary Blood Into Wine featuring TOOL front man Maynard James Keenan and his transformation from full time rock star to Jerome, Arizona winemaker. McDaniel also produced the comedy Queens of Country starring Lizzy Caplan and Ron Livingston, shot in Cave Creek Arizona, due out later this year on TriBeCa Films and his current feature, Music City, USA, is his directorial debut. A chiropractor, poet and children’s book author (The Adventures of Dusty Popsallot), this Arizona filmmaker stays busy and assures us his next music-themed film is right around the corner.