Press Release
October 2, 1996
Virginia Film Festival to Present a Rich Selection of Independent Films
Charlottesville, Virginia:- The 9th annual Virginia Film Festival is proud to announce the independent films that will form an integral part of its program, October 31 through November 3, 1996. In order to obtain the widest possible representation of current independent films the Festival solicits specific works pertaining to the Festival theme from leading independent filmmakers, as well as issuing a call to emerging and established artists to submit their work for consideration by a special panel.
New Independent Features are Highlighted
Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nominee earlier this year, Troublesome Creek was invited to the Virginia Film Festival because its powerful subject matter perfectly represents this year's theme of Wild Spaces, Endangered Places. This powerful film is the moving account of director Jeanne Jordan's family's attempts to hold onto their farm. Interspersed with clips from the classic westerns beloved by her parents, Jordan's film (co-directed with Steven Ascher) poignantly depicts their endangered dreams. Troublesome Creek will be shown at the Regal Cinema on Charlottesville's historic downtown mall on Friday, November 1, at 7 p.m.
Staccato Purr of the Exhaust with director Luis Meza
A highly unusual debut feature by writer\producer\director L.M. Meza, this wryly comedic anti-road movie follows the misadventures of a shy young man seeking to leave behind his unhappy life in L.A. for the promise of a new beginning in Texas. Staccato's presentation is sponsored by the Independent Film Channel.
Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day with director Christopher Munch
The acclaimed new film by Christopher Munch weaves a memorable tale of a young, third-generation immigrant's efforts to save a doomed railway. A strong cast including Jeri Arredondo, Peter Alexander, Bok Yun Chon, John Diehl and Michael Stipe, in his feature film debut, have worked with Munch to create a film the Village Voice said was "touched with greatness." This film won the award for cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival.
Synthetic Pleasures
The fast-paced directorial debut of Iara Lee that bills itself as a film about sex, drugs and computers. Launching itself from the premise that mankind is in the process of creating a new "artificial reality" in which to dwell, the film then sets about exploring this brave new world.
Independent Filmmakers Present New Work
James Benning
A recognized leader among American experimental filmmakers, Benning will accompany two films, Deseret and North on Evers. Deseret,
to be shown at the Vinegar Hill Theatre at 7 p.m. on October 31, examines the beautiful Utah landscape, and the Mormon culture that has penetrated
and been shaped by that landscape. North on Evers is the extraordinary tale of Benning's circular road trip across the United States. Marvelously photographed, and intensely felt, it is a revealing portrait of contemporary America.
Suzan Pitt
The Road Runner . . . And Other Cartoon Critters
Perhaps the leading independent animated filmmaker in America, Suzan Pitt will host this special program of animated films at 10 p.m. at Vinegar Hill Theatre on October 2. Pitt's insight into animation history will amplify the Festival's theme: "The animated characters of the Twentieth Century are simulations aimed to fill a void in the world where the wild state of nature has already been destroyed." Included in the program will be two of her own films: Joy Street, which won the Short Film competition at the Sundance Film Festival, and her classic film Asparagus. Rounding out the evening will be two Road Runner films by famed animator Chuck Jones, and the classic The Revenge of the Kinematograph Cameraman.
Ellen Spiro
Roam Sweet Home with Trailers
A work-in-progress introduced by video artist Ellen Spiro, Roam Sweet Home tells the stories of the increasing numbers of retirees who abandon a permanent address for the freedom of life on the road in an RV. This film will be preceded by a slideshow of photographs from Carol Burch Brown's new University Press of Virginia book Trailers with accompanying narration by poet David Rigsbee.
Austin Allen
Claiming Open Spaces
Allen crisscrosses the country to bring us an exploration of the complex functions served by public parks in African-American neighborhoods, from being the sites of political and civic struggle to spaces of cultural celebration.
Short Films and their Directors to Appear in Compilation Programs
My Father's Garden and The Burning Barrel: Two powerful examinations of the heavy toll inflicted on farming communities by economic and technological change (Nov. 1, 4:00 pm, Vinegar Hill). Filmmakers Tim Schwab and Christina Craton will attend.
Surviving Southern Landscapes is the title of the program which presents three new shorts: Tribes (Glen McClannan), Coolbreeze and Buzz (Lani Sciandra) and They Live in Guinea (Jonathan Mednick). Covering a gamut of subjects from post Civil War racism to the daily struggles of fishermen, these films (two of which were filmed in Virginia) are united in their poignant treatment of the Southern landscape (Nov. 1, 7:00 pm, Vinegar Hill). Filmmakers Jonathan Mednick and Glen McClannan will be present.
Why Drive Away? is a collection of films and videos on the appreciation of home and place, countering the ethic of "mobility as freedom" conveyed by the Festival's many road movies. Included in this program is Mark Street's Why Live Here, Sian Evans' Home is Where the Heart Is, The Idea We Live In (Pilar Rodriguez), and Katherine Dieckmann's music video Stand. (Nov. 3, 1:00 pm, Regal). Filmmaker Mark Street will be present.