Page 14 - the NOISE July 2014

CW FROM TOP LEFT: The Immigration Paradox by Lourdes Vasquez, at the Jerome Indie Film Fest June 12-15; Mi Ojo Derecho, playing during PIFF’s Sneak Preview at Prescott’s Peregrine Book Co. June 14; Driving Miss Daisy with Angela Lansbury at Sedona’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre June 4-10; Bloody Border, at the Local Film Fest at Flagstaff’s Doris Harper-White Theater.
With the summer upon us, and the two NAU Film Series on hiatus, we have a great film festival returning. The Jerome In-
die Film & Music Festival celebrates a sec- ond year, after taking Northern Arizona by storm last June at three wonderful venues in the mile high city. Prescott Film Festival will start preparations for their July Film Festival with some announcements and Sedona Film Festival will have an eclectic line-up of films, live shows and international plays at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. June is a time to enjoy the great outdoors and sally forth to a unique film festival in Jerome.
Toni Ross came up with the idea for the Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival after having an art gallery there for many years. As a child her parents would bring her to Jerome and she thought there was some- thing unique about this ghost-town/mining town on the side of a hill. The pace of the town is from another era. Spook Hall has been renamed for Toni’s son Trey Brayden, who died at seven months old. The Festival plays for four glorious days June 12-15 and has films, music, parties and camping at the Gold King Mine for a nominal fee and “the noise” curfew is 2AM. The major venues are the Trey Braydon / Spookhouse Theatre, the Lighthouse Theatre aka the Firehouse Station and the Gold King Mine.
This writer caught up with Ms. Ross and asked: What’s new this year?
“We have a camping option at Gold King Mine for just $25 a night. This option puts them in Jerome and just a few minutes from the primary venues. Nellie Bly has graciously offered their newly refurbished space adja- cent to the gallery as a new screening venue. The majority of the bands will be playing at the Film Fort and then we will also be show- casing bands before each starlit screening at the Gold Mine.
“With a 146 total entries from places like Australia, Poland, Greece, Spain and Japan, there will be quite a few foreign film pro- grams. As always the festival will be high- lighting Arizona filmmakers in a big way.
“This year we added a few new parties: The Hair of the Dog Brunch and the Wicked Wild West Cowboy, Corset & Crown Gala, where guests are encouraged to dress in cowboy or steampunk to pay homage to the town’s roots.
“Fridaynight’sstarlitscreeningwillbeWhat is... a mockumentary concert film submit- ted by Maynard that highlights the Pucsifer Tour. Saturday night’s starlit film will be Rich Hill, an amazing documentary about a family of young kids living their lives without adult supervision that won the Jury Grand Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
“Also, sponsors from last year have climbed aboard again to support this baby festival and they include the Jerome Historical So- ciety, the Jerome Fire Station and Hensley, Rangelo Productions.”
Thanks Toni! Lots of great new things hap- pening at the newest fest in the West!
One film featured at the Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival will be Lourdes Vasquez’s The Immigration Paradox, a profound docu- mentary that will hopefully become a tem- plate for other filmmakers to follow. This film presents a point of view not attached to the simple right/wrong formula most docs fol- low. Ms. Vasquez looks at the pawns on the ground fighting for or against immigration and SB1070 issues and shows how they’re being manipulated and exploited by the money above them, dividing and conquer- ing the two factions in the process.
This writer asked Ms. Vasquez what moti- vated her to make this film.
“Our working class common ground, re- gardless of race or legal status made me realize we have a lot more in common, yet we’re so divided, blaming each other instead of focusing on solutions that would make us stronger. It took seven years from the origi- nal concept to first screening as my journey took me places I never expected. From camp- ing with Minute Men, to following a migrant in Tonala, Mexico, to interviewing a Tea Party couple in the middle of nowhere, who had a rifle in their house, but leaving four hours later with their blessing.”
This writer further prodded: what are your hopes for this film?
“I hope this film will show that the working class, regardless of race or legal status needs to unite. We have been conditioned to think we are each other’s enemies, when in fact,
we have more in common and will benefit if we unite to fight for a greater cause. If we truly want change, this will have to be a col- lective effort.”
Thanks Lourdes! Watching your film made me realize both sides are played against the other by corporate media, to continue our endless in-fighting, while “they” walk away economic winners. Don’t miss this film & find film scheduling at Jeromefilmfestival.com
The Prescott Film Festival readies for their July festival as Helen, Chris, Pat and the cinephiles in Prescott narrow their selection to the best films in Northern Arizona. This festival, now in its fifth year, really has come light years and smoothly integrated modern technology and the best notions of how to throw a festival into a 21st century menagerie of cinematic fun!
On Saturday June 14 at the Peregrine Book Company, PFF will host a sneak pre- view of their festival, showing five short films from their official selection. Some of the films screening: Mi Ojo Derecho, Woody, and A Lovely Treat. They will have a special one-night-only price discount on PFF passes. The event is free to the public, so plan to get there early, as seats are limited. Mark your calendars. Prescottfilmfestival.com
The Sedona Film Festival in conjunction with the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, bring you film gems from around the world to inspire and provoke debate and thought. Check out what they have in store for you this month at: Sedonafilmfestival.com .
6/1 — The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the Nat’l Theatre of London
6/2 — Live show: Michael Miles: From Sen- egal to Seeger
6/3 — Film: The Unknown Known
6/4 — Film: Then There’s Mike and Darol 6/4-10 — Driving Miss Daisy with Angela
Lansbury
6/11 — Film: Next Goal Wins
6/12-15 — Live show: Dolly Parton Tribute 6/13-18 — Film: Fed Up
6/19 — Alive Mind Cinema Series featuring
The Forgotten Kingdom
6/22 — Henry IV-Part I from the Royal Shake-
speare Company
6/23-38 — The Nance direct from Broadway
starring Nathan Lane 6/27-7/2 — Film: Lucky Them
There’s a film fundraiser for Radio Free Flagstaff at Theatrikos’ Doris Harper White Theatre. Three interesting local feature films, made by Flagstaff residents, play starting at
1PM Saturday June 14. The six-dollar dona- tion will help push the approval process into its final stages and get Northern Arizona a community access radio station. The Local Film Festival will showcase three films.
Staged II by this writer is a pseudo-docu- mentary about a young filmmaker who takes her two estranged brothers on a 5600-mile road trip to discuss the left/right paradigm as they investigate “conspiracies in America” but soon find out their biggest conspiracy was at home.
Unconscious by Stephen Root is a comedy about a young man with ambitions to write the great American novel, but has nothing to write about. When a typewriter falls on his head, he loses his memory and wakes to find he’s written a best selling novel. Hilarity ensues as Flagstaff locals explore this comic gem in a most compelling way.
Bloody Border is about three hit men and two immigrants who have to survive the night in a zombie infested border town. Bry- an & Catherine Goff are the creative talent behind this first part in a three-part trilogy that plays with the notion of SB1070 in a
“night of the living dead” sort of way!
The three filmmakers hope to be available after each screening for a Q & A helpful to
other filmmakers looking to shoot locally! On a final note, Sedona Film School, for-
merly known as Zaki Gordon Institute clos- es its doors after 14 years of serving Northern Arizona students. 290 film graduates, 66% of which have found jobs in the film industry, got a chance to say goodbye on Sunday May 25. This celebration, at The Mary D. Fisher Theatre, ended with a wonderful tribute film by a talented student, Taylor Camarot, called Pursuing the Void. It follows six Sedona Film School students pursuing their aspira- tions as filmmakers. In nine months, for a fraction of what a “real” film school would charge, these students made their dreams come true. It was a fitting film to show as the end piece in a fourteen-year school’s journey. Goodbye and good luck to all of you!
| Bob Reynolds knows his Q&A.
bob699669@hotmail.com
14 • JUNE 2014 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us