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Posts Tagged 'Kris Swanberg'

MFF Unveils the First 10 Titles of Our 2015 Lineup!

Published April 10, 2015 2015 Lineup , Film Guide , First 10 Titles Closed
Tags: 2015 Maryland Film Festival, A Wonderful Cloud, Alison Bagnall, Breaking a Monster, Christopher K. Walker, Eugene Kotyarenko, Funny Bunny, Henry Gamble's Birthday Party, Jeffery Schwartz, Kris Swanberg, Luke Meyer, Michael Beach Nichols, Nathan Silver, Olivia Wyatt, Sailing a Sinking Sea, Stanley Nelson, Stephen Cone, Stinking Heaven, Tab Hunter Confidential, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, UNEXPECTED, Welcome to Leith

We have begun unveiling the lineup for our 17th annual festival, which will take place May 6-10 in downtown Baltimore and include approximately 50 feature films and 12 short-film programs from around the world.

The first ten feature films announced for MFF 2015 include the area premieres of highly anticipated independent narrative and documentary features, including Stanley Nelson’s riveting Black Panthers documentary, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution; Kris Swanberg’s nuanced and emotionally resonant character study, Unexpected; Olivia Wyatt’s immersive look at Moken culture, Sailing a Sinking Sea; and Eugene Kotlyarenko’s delightfully anarchic rom-com, A Wonderful Cloud. Also just announced for MFF 2015 is the world premiere of Stephen Cone’s vibrant coming-of-age drama Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party.

Lineup announcements will continue over the next 2 weeks. The first ten titles announced for MFF 2015 are:

THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION (Stanley Nelson)

THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION (Stanley Nelson) Master documentarian Stanley Nelson has demonstrated an unparalleled ability to bring history to life with films such as Freedom Summer; The Murder of Emmett Till; and Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. Here he turns his lens on the revolutionary Black Panther Party and the various cultural forces that worked to support or destroy the group, creating an essential portrait of a singular radical moment in the American experience.

BREAKING A MONSTER (Luke Meyer)

BREAKING A MONSTER (Luke Meyer) Viral-video sensation Unlocking the Truth, a teenage metal buzz-band from Brooklyn, navigate the bizarre current state of the record industry in this fascinating, fist-pumping, and often hilarious documentary. Fresh from its premiere at SXSW, this exceptional rock doc follows the band as they sign a major-label record deal and are suddenly caught up in an adult-driven world of contracts, tours, interviews, and branding. From Luke Meyer, co-director of MFF 2006 hit Darkon.

FUNNY BUNNY (Alison Bagnall)

FUNNY BUNNY (Alison Bagnall) The writer/director of The Dish & the Spoon returns with this offbeat, infectious mix of comedy and drama. Kentucker Audley stars as an obesity-awareness canvasser who strikes up a friendship with a wealthy, emancipated 19-year-old named Titty (Olly Alexander) and the animal-rights-activist object of Titty’s desire, Ginger (Joslyn Jensen). Co-starring Josephine Decker, Louis Cancelmi, and Anna Margaret Hollyman.

HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY (Stephen Cone)

HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY (Stephen Cone) A pool party celebrating the seventeenth birthday of Henry Gamble (Cole Doman), the son of a megachurch preacher (Pat Healy), sets the stage for this expertly observed ensemble drama. As sunny skies fade into moonlight, director Stephen Cone (The Wise Kids, Black Box) offers a subtle and insightful portrait of a community full of pressures and secrets —exploring identity, sexuality, and organized religion in the process. World premiere.

SAILING A SINKING SEA (Olivia Wyatt)

SAILING A SINKING SEA (Olivia Wyatt) This experimental documentary, which premiered at SXSW, looks at the traditional lifestyle of the Moken people, a seafaring community of Burma and Thailand. Olivia Wyatt’s gorgeous and immersive film transports viewers deep into the turquoise sea and onto thirteen different islands, giving us intimate access to a culture where shamans, mermaids, and sea gods collide with present-day practices. Executive-produced by Will Oldham.

STINKING HEAVEN (Nathan Silver)

STINKING HEAVEN (Nathan Silver) This ultra-dark comedy looks at a communal home for sober living in 1990s suburban New Jersey, which spirals into dysfunctional decline when an outsider arrives on the scene. Director Nathan Silver’s film boasts an uncompromising visual aesthetic that goes against the grain of contemporary indie filmmaking—not to mention a fantastic cast that includes Deragh Campbell, Hannah Gross, Keith Poulson, and Eleonore Hendricks.

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (Jeffrey Schwarz)

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (Jeffrey Schwarz) Top-notch documentary biographer Jeffrey Schwarz has captivated MFF audiences with definitive looks at iconic personalities William Castle, Vito Russo, and Divine. Now he delivers the warm and intimate story of 1950s Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter, who simultaneously balanced a stratospheric career on the silver screen with a secret life as a gay man. From his rise to stardom to his reinvention as a cult-film star with John Waters—and a number of fascinating surprises—it’s all here.

UNEXPECTED (Kris Swanberg)

UNEXPECTED (Kris Swanberg) High-school science teacher Samantha (Cobie Smulders), already dealing with stress and uncertainty as her low-income school prepares to close, finds out she’s pregnant. When she discovers her favorite student Jasmine (Gail Bean) is also with child, the two form a tight and unconventional bond. From Kris Swanberg (whose earlier features Empire Builder and It was great, but I was ready to come home. both screened within MFF) comes this refreshing character study that mines honest emotions and the quiet battlefields of love and friendship for real beauty and insight.

WELCOME TO LEITH (Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker)

WELCOME TO LEITH (Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) This edge-of-your-seat documentary follows the arrival of notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb to a small town in North Dakota, where he promptly buys up land for like-minded collaborators and disrupts town council meetings, leading to fears that he plans a neo-Nazi takeover. As his behavior escalates further into the outrageous and threatens to get violent, a once-placid community must decide how to react.

A WONDERFUL CLOUD (Eugene Kotlyarenko)

A WONDERFUL CLOUD (Eugene Kotlyarenko) When his ex-girlfriend visits him in Los Angeles to resolve some lingering business entanglements, Eugene seeks to revisit old feelings, and introduces her to an LA populated by a wild cast of artists, scenesters, and eccentrics. Variety called this gleefully anarchic romantic comedy “a raucous, wholly improvised 21st-century Annie Hall.” Starring director Kotlyarenko (whose 0s & 1s had its world premiere at MFF 2010) and Kate Lyn Sheil (Sun Don’t Shine, House of Cards).

Jed’s Sundance Updates #3: Kris Swanberg and Rodrigo Garcia

Published January 28, 2015 Sundance Film Festival Closed
Tags: Kris Swanberg, LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT, Rodrigo Garcia, Sundance 2015, UNEXPECTED

Sundance 2015 is now in full swing and Jed Dietz has been checking out the latest film offerings from MFF filmmaker alums like Kris Swanberg whose film UNEXPECTED just had its world premiere, and Rodrigo Garcia whose film LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT just opened at Sundance.

Here are his updates:

Pictured above, MFF alum Kris Swanberg (far left) and cast members on stage for Q & A after the successful premiere of UNEXPECTED, her beautifully wrought film about two women dealing with their first pregnancy. Amazing.

Pictured above, MFF alum and winner of the Maryland Filmmaker Fellowship Rodrigo Garcia (right) takes questions with Ewan McGregor (center) who plays both Jesus and Satan in LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT, a remarkable, improbable, beautiful and profoundly spiritual film about the time late in his life that Jesus spent in the dessert facing temptation and confronting his responsibilities.

Stay tuned for more updates from Sundance 2015 on the MFF blog!

Several MFF Alums Featured in Sundance 2015 Lineup!

Published December 11, 2014 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: Andrew Bujalski, Bill Ross, Bobcat Goldthwait, Charles Poekel, Craig Zobel, Daniel Junge, Diego Ongaro, E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Hannah Gross, Kentucker Audley, Kris Swanberg, Marielle Heller, Rick Alverson, Sundance 2015, The Ross Brothers, Turner Ross

Sundance Film Festival has recently announced its 2015 lineup and we’ve spotted several MFF alums who will be presenting films in the competition. Sundance takes place January 22-February 1, 2015 in Park City, Utah. MFF Director Jed Dietz will be in attendance once again this year; stay tuned for updates from him on the MFF blog! In the meantime, here is a list so far of MFF alums presenting films at Sundance (film descriptions taken from the Sundance website):

In the U.S. Dramatic Competition:

Marielle Heller, one of the recipients of our 2012 Maryland Filmmakers Fellowship, will present THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) – Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she’s sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.

Andrew Bujalski, who directed MFF 2013’s COMPUTER CHESS, will present RESULTS / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) – Two mismatched personal trainers’ lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.

Long time MFF alum Kris Swanberg will present her new film UNEXPECTED / U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) – When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she’s pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.

Craig Zobel, who directed MFF 2012’s COMPLIANCE, will present Z FOR ZACHARIAH / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) – In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman’s affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.

In the U.S. Documentary Competition:

Bobcat Goldthwait, who directed MFF 2013’s WILLOW CREEK, MFF 2011’s GOD BLESS AMERICA and MFF 2007’s John Waters pick SLEEPING DOGS LIE, will present his documentary debut CALL ME LUCKY / U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) – Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.

Daniel Junge, who co-directed MFF 2014’s FIGHT CHURCH, will be presenting his film BEING EVEL / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) – A candid portrait of American icon Robert “Evel” Knievel and his legacy.

E. Chai Vasarhelyi, who directed MFF 2009’s YOUSSOU NDOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE will be presenting MERU / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) – Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.

The Ross brothers (Bill Ross and Turner Ross), who directed MFF 2012’s TCHOUPITOULAS, will present WESTERN / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) – For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life.

In the NEXT <=> Lineup:

Diego Ongaro, whose short BOB AND THE TREES screened within MFF 2012, will be presenting his feature BOB AND THE TREES / U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro) – Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory.

Charles Poekel, who was a producer on MFF 2011’s FAKE IT SO REAL, and Hannah Gross and Kentucker Audley, who are alums for multiple prior MFF films, are part of
CHRISTMAS, AGAIN / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) – A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche.

Rick Alverson, who directed MFF 2012’s THE COMEDY, will present ENTERTAINMENT / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) – En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek.

Click here for the complete list of released titles for Sundance 2015!

LUV, GAYBY, THE COMEDY, and 9 More Announced for Maryland Film Festival 2012!

Published April 17, 2012 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Tags: Athina Rachel Tsangari, ATTENBERG, Brian M. Cassidy, David and Nathan Zellner, EMPIRE BUILDER, FOUND MEMORIES, Gayby, Júlia Murat, Joachim Trier, Jodi Wille, Jonathan Lisecki, KID-THING, Kris Swanberg, LUV, Maria Demopoulos, Martha Stephens, Maryland Film Festival 2012, Melanie Shatzky, OSLO AUGUST 31st, Peter Baxter, PILGRIM SONG, Rick Alverson, Sheldon Candis, THE COMEDY, THE PATRON SAINTS, THE SOURCE, WILD IN THE STREETS

Following up on last week’s first line-up announcement, the Maryland Film Festival proudly announces twelve more features for MFF 2012 (May 3-6 in downtown Baltimore).

Among these titles are LUV, the Baltimore-shot drama which premiered at Sundance 2012 and boasts an all-star cast that includes Common, Charles S. Dutton, Danny Glover, and Michael Kenneth Williams; GAYBY, fresh from its premiere at SXSW 2012, a warm-hearted comedy about two best friends, a gay man and straight woman, who decide to have a child together; and THE COMEDY, a dark and challenging mix of comedy and drama starring Tim Heidecker.

As with every year, the MFF 2012 full line-up will include 40+ new feature films and 75+ new shorts from around the world, as well as a vintage 3-D film, a silent film with live music by Alloy Orchestra, and a favorite film selected by legendary filmmaker and MFF board member John Waters.

All U.S.-made feature films will be presented by their filmmakers.

Without further ado, the second batch of features announced for MFF 2012 are:

ATTENBERG (Athina Rachel Tsangari)
A young woman with a bizarre way of looking at friendship, love, and life spends long hours with her father, their small town’s chief architect now on his deathbed. DOGTOOTH fans take note: ATTENBERG is directed by that film’s associate producer, co-stars that film’s director Yorgos Lanthimos, and has an offbeat sensibility that, while all its own, can only have DOGTOOTH as its closest point of comparison.

THE COMEDY (Rick Alverson)
Tim Heidecker stars in this abrasive, challenging, and yes, hilarious film, arguably closer in tone to FROWNLAND or THE IDIOTS than it is TIM AND ERIC’S BILLION-DOLLAR MOVIE. A group of jaded, ultra-privileged Brooklynites with sharp comedic tongues and little respect for social norms seeks out confrontational situations, with sometimes shocking results.

EMPIRE BUILDER (Kris Swanberg)
A young mother (Kate Lyn Sheil, also of MFF 2012 titles SUN DON’T SHINE and THE COMEDY) seeks a rural retreat from the doldrums of married life. The second feature film from Kris Swanberg (MFF 2009’s It was great, but I was ready to come home).

FOUND MEMORIES (Júlia Murat)
In this stunningly shot drama from Brazil, a young female photographer sets out on a hike and stumbles upon a mysterious village populated entirely by elders. Her well-intentioned presence there disrupts the flow of their daily rituals, causing them to contemplate their mortality and look at life differently.

GAYBY (Jonathan Lisecki)
Warm-hearted, often explosive humor and vibrant characters drive this crossover comedy about best friends—a gay man and a straight woman—who in their 30s decide to make good on their promise they made back in college to have a child together.

KID-THING (David and Nathan Zellner)
This beautifully shot feature from the directors of GOLIATH (MFF 2008) shows us a slice of Texas populated by listless moments, odd behavior, and piles of pop-culture debris – all seen through the eyes of a mischievous 10-year-old girl who, through solitude, has developed a unique outlook on life.

LUV (Sheldon Candis)
An all-star cast that includes Common, Charles S. Dutton, Michael Kenneth Williams, Dennis Haysbert, and Danny Glover drives this Baltimore-set drama about a man who, just released from prison and trying to start a new life for himself, takes an interest in teaching his 11-year-old nephew how to be a man.

OSLO, AUGUST 31st (Joachim Trier)
From the director of the spectacular REPRISE (2006) comes this poetic and deeply moving account about a recovering addict on his first day leave from a recovery program. As he reconnects with old friends and family and fantasizes about a clean life on the outside, will he fall prey to his old demons? Reverently based on the same novel that inspired the Louis Malle classic THE FIRE WITHIN.

THE PATRON SAINTS (Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky)
This extraordinary documentary gives us a poignant look into the daily lives of residents of a home for the aged and disabled. Incapable or unwilling to self-censor, they say whatever is on their minds, giving us unforgettable access to a phase of human life we may have never before looked at head-on.

PILGRIM SONG (Martha Stephens)
In this atmospheric, sensory-rich mix of comedy and drama, a downsized middle-school teacher in a struggling relationship sets off alone for a hike on the Sheltowee Trace Trail, meeting a cast of characters worthy of Kaurismaki or Jarmusch along the way.

THE SOURCE (Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos)
This is the ultimate documentary about The Source Family, a spiritual group that formed in L.A. during the height of the psychedelic era. Central to their story is their Sunset Strip restaurant The Source, their albums and performances as Yahowa 13, and, above all, Father Yod, a former Marine and jujitsu expert who reinvented himself first as a vegetarian restaurateur and then as a spiritual guru.

WILD IN THE STREETS (Peter Baxter)
Since medieval times, the UK town of Ashbourne has played an annual, multi-day game that divides the town into two groups, the Up’ards and Down’ards, each hellbent on carrying a beautiful handmade four-pound ball to one of two goals three miles apart. This riveting documentary captures the tradition in all its sweat and glory.

Note for press: Festival artwork and images for announced titles are available for download here:

http://mdfilmfest.com/press_images.cfm

More picks from Programmer Eric Allen Hatch!

Published May 5, 2009 1 Closed
Tags: Albert Wagner, Alexander the Last, American Visionary Art Museum, AVAM, Baltimore, but I was ready to come home, Costa Rica, culture shock, Delroy Lindo, Eric Hatch, Film, friendship, Hannah Takes The Stairs, It was great, Kris Swanberg, lost love, Maryland Film Festival, One Bad Cat: The Reverant Albert Wagner Story, outsider art, race, religious conversion, slavery, Thomas G. Miller, visionary art

It was great, but I was ready to come home.

May 8, 3pm, Charles Theatre 2

May 10, 1pm, Charles Theatre 2

Here we have an impressive feature debut, a novella-length character study directed by and starring Kris Swanberg (if the name sounds familiar, MFF regulars may know the work of her husband, Joe, including MFF ’07 title Hannah Takes The Stairs and this year’s Alexander the Last). It was great… concerns two female best friends who travel together through Costa Rica and the subtle ups-and-downs they experience together. This quiet, novella-length drama hones in on very specific emotions and thoughts with startling precision, leaving us with much to digest regarding best-friendship, culture shock, and lost love. If you appreciate delicate, character-driven, big-on-atmosphere films like Old Joy, Hamilton, and Wendy and Lucy, this one’s a must-see!

Click here to purchase tickets to It was great, but I was ready to come home.

ONE BAD CAT: THE REVEREND ALBERT WAGNER STORY

May 8, 6:30pm, Charles Theatre 3

May 9, 12:00pm, UB Student Center

Do you enjoy going to Baltimore’s own American Visionary Art Museum? Do you find yourself drawn not only to the artwork, but also to the fascinating biographies of the outsider artists behind AVAM’s startling collection? Then you’ll definitely want to see the documentary ONE BAD CAT: THE REVEREND ALBERT WAGNER story. Cleveland-based African-American artist Wagner, whose work is featured prominently at AVAM, experienced a religious conversion midway through life, and decided to devote the remainder of his life to preaching (which he does seated behind a drum kit, conveying his world view to a congregation largely consisting of his extended family) and his extraordinary artwork, which poses tough questions about race, sex, and the legacy of slavery. Narrated by Delroy Lindo, this is one of many can’t-miss docs in MFF 2009’s line-up.

Click here to purchase tickets to ONE BAD CAT: THE REVERAND ALBERT WAGNER STORY!

Maryland Film Festival Blog

Posts Tagged 'Kris Swanberg'

MFF Unveils the First 10 Titles of Our 2015 Lineup!

Jed’s Sundance Updates #3: Kris Swanberg and Rodrigo Garcia

Several MFF Alums Featured in Sundance 2015 Lineup!

LUV, GAYBY, THE COMEDY, and 9 More Announced for Maryland Film Festival 2012!

More picks from Programmer Eric Allen Hatch!

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