Growing Up and Other Lies
Dir. Darren Grodsky & Danny Jacobs, U.S., 2014, 90 min.
Sat, Nov 22 at 5:30pm, Tivoli Theatre
SLIFF veterans and St. Louis natives Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky ("Humboldt County") return to their hometown with an anti-coming-of-age comedy. After living for years as a struggling artist in New York City, Jake (Josh Lawson of "House of Lies") is calling it quits and returning home to Ohio. On his last day in the city, he persuades his three oldest friends - Billy (Jacobs), Rocks (Adam Brody), and Gunderson (Wyatt Cenac of "The Daily Show") - to help him retrace their greatest adventure together: a walk down the entire length of Manhattan. But their attempt to reclaim the glory of their early 20s doesn't go quite as planned. Over the course of the day, buried conflicts emerge as Jake encounters his ex-girlfriend (Amber Tamblyn), and his friends experience their own crises of manhood. The quartet's journey down the island brings them to haunts old and new, forcing them to confront the inevitable disappointments of adulthood and the changing nature of their friendship.
With co-directors Grodsky and Jacobs and producer Katie Mustard, who receives SLIFF's Women in Film Award.
The 50 Year Argument, 12:15pm
Teacher of the Year, 8:30pm
Shorts 9: Interesting Individuals
Various directors, 113 min.
Sat, Nov 22 at 12:00pm, Tivoli Theatre
A program featuring some of the most interesting people -- and creatures -- you'll ever meet.
The Assistant (Julie Cohen, U.S., 2014, 16 min.): Joanna (Janeane Garofalo), a demanding boss, returns to the office after lunch to find her assistant lying on the couch ... dead.
The Fan (Antony Wabb, Australia, 2014, 17 min.): Daniel's lonely and mundane life quickly changes when he inherits an unlikely new friend.
He Took His Skin Off For Me (Ben Aston, U.K., 2014, 10 min.): A simple love story about a man who takes his skin off for his girlfriend.
Lessons Learned (Toby Froud, U.S., 2014, 16 min.): A boy is surprised when, at his annual birthday visit with his grandfather, he receives an intriguing gift instead of the regular tea and cake.
The Life and Death of Tommy Chaos and Stacey Danger (Michael Lukk Litwak, U.S., 2013, 10 min.): Dinosaurs have invaded Earth, but neither Tommy nor Stacey care now that they've found each other.
Maple Leaves (Sophie Brooks, U.S., 2013, 13 min.): A couple breaks into an ex-girlfriend's apartment to kidnap a cat.
A New Man (Hughes William Thompson, U.S., 2013, 9 min.): After his wife leaves him, Charles begins to assume the identities of strangers at a local coffee shop to avoid being alone.
T>PE Recorder (Douglas Horn, U.S., 2014, 7 min.): All of Joe's conversations are pre-recorded. Alison can't let him get away with that.
This Was My Son (Rob Underhill, U.S., 2014, 7 min.): Chicago-born Mamie Till tells the world what a culture of racial hatred did to her only son, Emmett Till.
The Walrus (Luke Randall, U.S., 2014, 8 min.): A walrus who has everything feels something is missing.
Shorts 10: Food on Film, 10:00pm
Dir. Jérôme Enrico, France, 2012, 87 min., French
Sat, Nov 22 at 7:00pm, Plaza Frontenac
Xenophobic old Paulette (Bernadette Lafonte, an icon of the New Wave) lives alone, but her meager pension is too small for her to get along, and soon her possessions are repossessed and phone cut off. Desperate to earn money, she makes a hilarious foray into dealing cannabis, but the local dealers don't take kindly to her unexpected success, and they beat her up and rob her. Paulette refuses to give up so easily, however, and instead cooks up a plan to sell cakes and biscuits spiced with pot. Suddenly, a huge demand develops for her elaborate pastries, and the noisy lines of people tip off her elderly companions, who soon join the new business. But troubles persist -- her supplier wants Paulette to deal to children, and her cop son-in-law is getting awfully suspicious -- and she fears her income and new success will go up in smoke.
Sponsored by: Jane M. & Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation
The Priest's Children, 12:00pm
My Sweet Pepper Land, 4:40pm
Dir. Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, Romania, 2013, 86 min., Romanian
Sat, Nov 22 at 9:15pm, Plaza Frontenac
Told with beautiful simplicity and infused with subtle power, "The Japanese Dog" is a moving tale of loss and recovery. When a flood strikes Costache's village in Romania, his wife and all of their possessions are swept away. Now in a village shelter, Costache refuses to sell his land and move onward. He plans to rebuild, and rebuffs the help and advice of his neighbors. The story takes another turn when Costache's estranged son -- now living in Tokyo -- hears of his mother's death and father's plight and arrives unexpectedly with his Japanese wife, son, and "dog" of the title -- an electronic toy robot. Sifting through the rubble of his past, Costache discovers that more than enough remains to build a future. Variety writes: "Understatement and a beguiling sensitivity are the hallmarks of 'The Japanese Dog.'"
Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, 12:05pm
Tribute to the Nicholas Brothers
Sat, Nov 22 at 6:00pm, Webster U./Moore
The fabulous Nicholas Brothers, Fayard (1914-2006) and Harold (1921-2000), are among the greatest dancers of the 20th century. Despite racial hurdles, the self-taught African-American entertainers became one of the biggest musical acts of their time, headlining on Broadway, radio, and television and in vaudeville and nightclubs. But it was their dazzling, show-stopping numbers in movies like "Down Argentine Way," "Sun Valley Serenade," and "Stormy Weather" that made them international icons. Known for effortless balletic moves, elegant tap dancing, perfect rhythms, and jaw-dropping leaps, flips, and splits -- along with a consummate grace, sly sense of humor, and unmatched chemistry -- the brothers are in the end impossible to categorize. The dancer's dancers, their fans have included Gene Kelly, who teamed with them in "The Pirate"; Bob Fosse and Gregory Hines, whose first acts were modeled on them; ballet legends George Balanchine and Mikhail Baryshnikov; Michael Jackson, who once had Fayard as a dance coach; and Fred Astaire, who named their "Stormy Weather" staircase number the greatest of all musical sequences. This special tribute -- featuring clips, home movies, and interviews -- will be presented by Bruce Goldstein, director of repertory programming at New York's Film Forum, a friend of the brothers and writer and co-producer of a 1991 documentary on the team.
With presenter Bruce Goldstein
Co-presented by Dance St. Louis
Sponsored by: Mary Strauss
Also screening at Webster:
Master Class: Documentary Interviewing Techniques
Sat, Nov 22 at 1:00pm, Webster U./Sverdrup
Documentarian Doug Pray conducts a master class on proven techniques for obtaining great interviews. The class covers all aspects of the art of performing interviews for documentary films, including preparing interview questions and their wording; understanding the psychological dynamics of the director-subject relationship; maximizing dramatic, emotional, or humorous responses; getting succinct answers; and saving a bad interview. Although not a technical class with production equipment, Pray touches on camera, lens, and lighting basics for interviews. This informal and participatory session appeals to filmmakers of all skill levels. Pray is an Emmy-winning director with more than 25 years of experience conducting interviews for feature documentaries, nonfiction shorts, and commercials. His documentaries include "Hype!," "Scratch," "Infamy," "Big Rig," "Surfwise," and "Art & Copy." SLIFF offers a free screening of his latest work, "Levitated Mass", and presents Pray with its Contemporary Cinema Award.
With documentarian Doug Pray
Co-presented by Webster University Film Series
Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People
Thomas Allen Harris, U.S., 2014, 94 min. FREE
Sat, Nov 22 at 7:30pm, Brown Hall
In partnership with the Henry Hampton Collection at Washington University Libraries, SLIFF inaugurates a four-program series of presentations by minority documentarians; the series will continue in 2015. "Through a Lens Darkly" is the first documentary to explore the role of photography in shaping the identity, aspirations, and social emergence of African Americans from slavery to the present. The film probes the recesses of American history by discovering images that have been suppressed, forgotten, and lost. Bringing to light hidden and unknown photos shot by both professional and vernacular African-American photographers, the film opens a window into the lives, experiences, and perspectives of black families -- a perspective that is absent from the traditional historical canon. Inspired by Deborah Willis's book "Reflections in Black," the film features the works of Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Anthony Barboza, Hank Willis Thomas, Coco Fusco, Clarissa Sligh, and many others. The New York Times' A.O. Scott writes: "Mr. Harris's film is a family memoir, a tribute to unsung artists and a lyrical, at times heartbroken, meditation on imagery and identity." SLIFF also presents Harris' related project, the Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Roadshow.
Co-presented by Henry Hampton Collection at Washington University Libraries
Part of Henry Hampton Minority Documentarian Series
Sponsored by: African & African-American Studies Program and Center for the Humanities at Washington University
Also screening at Brown Hall:
Amka and the Three Golden Rules, 12:00pm
The Boxcar Children, 2:00pm
Tribute to Roberta Collins
Jonathan Demme, U.S., 1974, 83 min. $15
Sat, Nov 22 at 8:00pm, KDHX
Screen Syndicate, a side project of Southern Illinois-based Americana band Stace England and the Salt Kings, explores the fascinating history of Roger Corman's New World Pictures and the exploitation films made by the company in the 1970s. The life of actress Roberta Collins -- a Hollywood story of sadly unfulfilled promise -- is the vehicle used to navigate the period. Collins lit up the screen in films like "The Big Doll House," "Women in Cages," and "Death Race 2000," often outshining such contemporaries as Pam Grier. But Collins was unable to break out of the B-movie grind, playing minor roles in increasingly poor productions before finally exiting the business. She died in obscurity in 2008. Screen Syndicate combines original songs, film clips, trailers, and other material into a unique live-music experience that pays tribute to Collins. The band has performed at numerous film festivals in the U.S. and Europe -- appearing twice at SLIFF -- with shows about pioneering African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and Cairo, Ill. The concert is part of a double bill with "Caged Heat", which co-starred Collins.
Decades before "Silence of the Lambs," acclaimed director Jonathan Demme made his debut under the auspices of drive-in king Roger Corman (a former SLIFF Lifetime Achievement Award honoree) with this women-in-prison classic. When Jacqueline (Erica Gavin) is caught in a drug bust and sent to the hoosegow, she falls in with a group of inmates -- including Collins -- who eventually rise up against the sadistic warden (Barbara Steele). Although certainly delivering the nudity and violence that Corman required in his exploitation fare, Demme takes a slyly satirical approach that even manages to incorporate a bit of feminist perspective and social consciousness. For contrast, this year's SLIFF also features Demme's latest, "A Master Builder."
With "Caged Heat" and live concert by Stace England and Screen Syndicate
Special-event ticket price of $15 for film and concert
Doug Pray, U.S., 2013, 90 min. FREE
Sat, Nov 22 at 7:30pm, Steinberg
It's not a bird! It's not a plane! It's Super Rock! "Levitated Mass," a sculpture of monolithic proportions 40-plus years in the making, was conceptualized by Californian artist Michael Heizer and finally realized with the transportation and arrival of its key component, a 340-ton granite boulder. The journey of this visually minimalistic piece took a mammoth group effort and years of planning, culminating in an 11-day journey. Director Doug Pray ("Art & Copy," "Hype!," "Scratch") chronicles the entire epic process, including the rock's unearthing from the desert and the carting of it for 105 miles through 22 cities at a pace of 5 mph to its current home at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Describing the film as "skillfully structured and highly entertaining," Variety writes: "Partly an exploration of an artist's oeuvre, partly a procedural for logistically nightmarish transport, partly a record of an 11-day spontaneous 'happening,' and partly an amalgam of different views on art, the film manages to appeal to art lovers, pop-culture disciples and high-concept skeptics and supporters alike."
With director Pray, who receives SLIFF's Contemporary Cinema Award
Sponsored by: Alison & John Ferring
Bending the Light, 5:00pm
Sat, Nov 22 at 10:00pm, Centene Center
SLIFF is famed among guest filmmakers for its St. Louis-style hospitality. This year, members of the general public will be allowed behind the velvet ropes for one of our most titillating filmmaker parties -- a burlesque show that we're modestly dubbing "Spectacular, Spectacular." Celebrated local entertainer Show Me Charlotte -- hostess of "The Gayborhood" on the X (1380 AM) and queen of everything -- hosts and performs in a sexy burlesque revue show. And that's not all! Additional performers include the Riot Kids, the Seven Deadly Sinners, Sofie de Sade, and Bettie LaBootie. "Spectacular, Spectacular" only hints at fabulousness that will be on display. Words simply can't capture the event -- there are no words in the vernacular. Doors open at 10 p.m., with showtime at 11 p.m. Attendees must be 21 years of age or older. The $20 ticket includes show, complimentary Stella Artois, New Amsterdam vodka, Big O liqueur, and wine served by Cocktails are Go, plus light hors d'oeuvres prepared by Chef Elizabeth Schuster and the Tenacious Eats culinary team. Only a limited number of tickets are available, with advance purchase available through Brown Paper Tickets. Get 'em while you can!
With live burlesque show. Special-event ticket price of $20 for show and drinks
Sponsored by: New Amsterdam Vodka
