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Guide to the Indianapolis International Film Festival
Posted: Apr 16, 2008 in Things to do, Movies
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VENUE INFO
Eleven days. One-hundred and thirty-seven movies. Something approaching five days of round-the-clock movie-watching.
The fifth annual Indianapolis International Film Festival is a cinephile's dream.
Whether you like sexy comedies, sobering foreign dramas, thought-provoking documentaries or whimsical shorts, you'll find something to love at this year's fest, which runs April 23 through May 3.
What follows is one film lover's road map for this year's IIFF. It's based on the small portion of movies I've managed to see (fewer than 30) as well as others that have plenty of buzz, or just sound interesting.
No, you won't see me actually making all these stops. Call this my dream itinerary, if time and budget were not a concern.
Indianapolis International Film Festival
When: April 23 through May 3.
Location: Landmark Keystone Art Cinema, 8702 Keystone Crossing. (except as noted below)
Tickets: $10 per show; bundles of 10 tickets are available for $75 and all-access pass for $125.
Info: (317) 513-9379, or www.indyfilmfest.org.
Visit www.indyfilmfest.org for descriptions of all the films and a schedule. Then plot your own week-and-a-half of cinema.
Chris' picks
Here are a few films from the 2008 Indianapolis International Film Festival that I've seen and recommend:
"Der Ostwind": Hauntingly beautiful live-action/animation short set among WWI aerial dogfighting. In "Thrilling Shorts" program. (11 minutes. 6 p.m. April 26; 8 p.m. April 28; 3:30 p.m. April 29.)
"Karl Rove, I Love You": Dan Butler's thoroughly "meta" contemplation on a political figure is a genuine original. (97 minutes. 1:45 p.m. April 28; 8 p.m. April 29; 5:45 p.m. April 30.)
"Quest for the Missing Piece": Despite the flip title, it's a penetrating look at identity, sexuality and religious covenants. (52 minutes. 7:45 p.m. April 27; 7:30 p.m. May 1.)
"Turn the River": A top-notch drama in which the gambler is a woman who out-hustles the men. (92 minutes. 8 p.m. April 25; 6 p.m. April 27.)
"A Day's Work": Engrossing drama intelligently approaches the subject of illegal immigration. In "Thrilling Shorts" program. (17 minutes. 6:15 p.m. April 26; 8 p.m. April 28; 3:30 p.m. April 29.)
"African Booty Scratcher": A sensitive portrait of a first-generation daughter of African immigrants. In "Ties that Bind" program. (13 minutes. 5:45 p.m. April 26; 6 p.m. April 28; noon April 29.)
"An Unlikely Weapon": Hands-down the best film I saw before the festival; a thoroughly engrossing portrait of the power of photography. (98 minutes. 12:15 p.m. April 25; 4 p.m. April 27.)
"Spider": A very short, very black comedy that will make you laugh, then feel guilty about it. In "Thrilling Shorts" program. (9 minutes. 6:15 p.m. April 26; 8 p.m. April 28; 3:30 p.m. April 29.)
"Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story": Far superior to "Matinee," the feature film loosely based on Castle and starring John Goodman. (74 minutes. 3:45 p.m. April 25; 9:30 p.m. April 27; 7:30 p.m. April 30.)
Wednesday, April 23
7 p.m., "Son of Rambow": The opening night film is a whimsical look at a twisted sort of love of film. In the early 1980s, two ostracized English boys begin filming their own version of the Sylvester Stallone action flick.
9 p.m., Opening Night Party: Sullivan's Steakhouse, 3316 E. 86th St. Tickets to the opening-night film and party are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Thursday, April 24
7 p.m., "The Flight of the Red Balloon": The classic "The Red Balloon" gets an update, starring Juliette Binoche and directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. The original "Balloon" also plays at noon April 26 and 27.
9:15 p.m., "1000 Journals": This documentary looks at an artist's novel experiment: releasing 1,000 empty journals into the world to see what happens to them. Only one is returned to him in San Francisco, its pages filled. This is the story of the other 999.
Friday, April 25
12:15 p.m., "An Unlikely Weapon": This contemplative documentary examines the work of Eddie Adams, the photojournalist who took one of the most famous pictures of the 20th century -- the execution of a Viet Cong prisoner during the height of the Vietnam War.
3:45 p.m., "Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story": Illuminating doc of schlock filmmaker Castle.
8 p.m., "Turn the River": Meet glamorous movie star Famke Janssen (the "X-Men" trilogy, pictured left), who goes down and dirty in "River" as a pool hustler/cardshark trying to make enough money to get her and her son out of a tough situation. Janssen and writer/director Chris Eigeman will take questions after the show.
10:30 p.m., "Dirty Shorts for Clean Minds": This collection of risque short films includes "Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre!," a horror film with a twist; "Why We Wax," about the practice of personal deforestation; and "The Legend of My Heart-Shaped Anus," about ..... well, exactly what the title says.
Saturday, April 26
Noon, "Beyond Belief": The title says it all. Two women who lost their husbands in the 9/11 terrorist attacks make the astonishing choice to dedicate themselves to helping fellow widows in Afghanistan.
3:30 p.m., Doc Talk (panel): Documentary filmmakers George Adams, Joe Pacheco and Klaudia Kovacs will talk about the art of non-fiction movies. At the Hyatt Place, 9104 Keystone Crossing.
7:45 p.m., "Young @ Heart": OK, I'll admit it sounds hokey -- a doc about a group of elderly citizens who sing rock 'n' roll songs to audiences, including prison inmates. And that title -- oy! But this film has been getting great reviews.
10:15 p.m., "Quench": Set and shot entirely in Richmond, Ind., by Hoosier filmmaker Zack Parker, "Quench" is a creepy, sexy drama that pokes at the underbelly of small-town America. Parker will be there to take questions.
Sunday, April 27
2 p.m., "After the Fall": This doc makes its world premiere. Two journalists return to Saigon for the 30th anniversary of the city's fall to the North Vietnamese. Little do they know that secret police are following their every move.
3:30 p.m., No Budget? No Problem (panel): Producer Mark Stolaroff ("True Love") talks about how to make, market and distribute a film on a micro-budget. At the Hyatt Place, 9104 Keystone Crossing.
8:15 p.m., "Take": Minnie Driver stars in this harrowing drama that takes place during two pivotal days -- one a great tragedy, and the other the aftermath.
10:15 p.m., "Making Trouble: Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women": Joan Rivers, Gila Radner, Wendy Wasserstein and Fanny Brice are among the titans of comediennes examined in this documentary.
Monday, April 28
3:45 p.m., "This Beautiful City": An amazing performance by Caroline Cave roots this ensemble drama of haves and have-nots co-existing in an unnamed Canadian city.
8 p.m., "Brick by Brick: A Civil Rights Story" and "Mr. Dial Has Something To Say": This pair of documentary shorts examines the African-American experience in different ways.
10:15 p.m., "Anamorph": Willem Dafoe, the character actor with a devilishly angular face, plays a detective on the trail of a serial killer.
Tuesday, April 29
1 p.m., "The Power of Children": This collection of short films focusing on wee ones includes "Riley's Story," about an Indianapolis girl battling a rare disease.
5:45 p.m., "Operation Filmmaker": Actor/director Liev Schreiber invites a young Iraqi filmmaker whose school was destroyed during the U.S. invasion to come work on his film, "Everything is Illuminated."
8 p.m., "Karl Rove, I Love You": Hoosier star Dan Butler (Bulldog on "Frasier") stars, co-writes and co-directs this mockumentary. Stick around to meet Butler himself, who will attend the screening.
Wednesday, April 30
1:45 p.m., "Iron Ladies of Liberia": No, it's not a chick version of the summer comic book movie starring Robert Downey Jr. It's about the African country, which emerged after nearly two decades of civil war with the 2006 election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Sirleaf will receive an honorary degree from Indiana University on May 3.
3:45 p.m., "Pop Skull": This surreal drama/horror film examines a lonely drug addict's struggle to discern reality from illusion.
7:45 p.m., "Chronic Town": A wayward taxi cab driver tries to make it through life in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the help of a little marijuana and a lot of booze. Dan Butler co-stars.
Thursday, May 1
3:15 p.m. and 6 p.m., "JUMP!": Special free screenings of this documentary will take place at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St. The movie is about the growing competitive field of jump-rope teams. The screening will kick off Jump Kids Jump, a health campaign to help physical education teachers promote fitness through jump-rope. It's a partnership between Riley Hospital for Children, Clarian Health Partners and the Indy Air Bears Jump Rope Squad.
7:30 p.m., "Souvenirs" and "Quest for the Missing Piece": These two docs take the perspective of Israeli filmmakers examining the Jewish legacy from, um, south of the border. "Souvenirs" is one man's journey to find the girlfriends his father bedded during World War II. "Quest" is a man's search for the mohel, or man who circumcised him, and features the cringe-worthy circumcision of a 7-year-old boy.
10 p.m., "Gunnin' for that #1 Spot": This documentary looks at the annual street ball basketball competition held every year in Harlem's legendary Rucker Park, where two dozen of the nation's top players -- including some Midwesterners -- lay down the leather.
Friday, May 2
7 p.m., "Mongol": One of five nominees for the best foreign-language Oscar, closing-night film "Mongol" is an epic about the life of Genghis Khan.
9 p.m., Closing Night Party and Awards Ceremony: at the Brazilian Grill, 2654 Lake Circle Drive; the festival culminates with the presentation of awards in a variety of categories. Tickets to the closing night film and party are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Saturday, May 3
Noon to 8:45 p.m., Award Winning Films: The Best of the Fest get a victory lap at special showings.
By Christopher Lloyd
Was excited...until I learned this is a "Northside Only" event. It used to downtown, then all over town. Now I'm truly disappointed. What about the rest of Indy, what happened?
Was excited...until I learned this is a "Northside Only" event. It used to downtown, then ...
I think it was a matter of venue. They have to book the theater(s) I'd imagine ahead of time, and I personally think that putting it at one venue cuts down on the confusion factor of going to the wrong place for a film. I personally liked the feel of having it at several locales too, but if you're going to center it at one place Landmark Keystone Art is the place to do it. It's a great facility.
I live on the southside but that didn't stop me from seeing 2 films tonight & going back to see a few more next week. They do a nice job at the Keystone Art Cinema & it's a GREAT arthouse theatre. Last year, a few screenings were held at Key Cinemas near me on the southside. But let's be honest, that theatre is in poor condition & NO ONE went to the screenings there. I was the only moviegoer for one feature & another one had only 5 or 6 people.
I went to see Turn The River tonight-- great movie!!! The theatre was 2/3 full which was a pretty nice turnout but you'd think a big city like Indy could sellout a smallish theatre when movie-star Famke Janssen & first-time writer-director Chris Eigeman (an outstanding actor himself) came all the way to Indy for a post-screening Q&A.
p.s. This Beautiful City was one messed-up movie. As the review stated, Caroline Cave & a couple of her co-stars gave some amazing performances but those performances were overshadowed by the director/editor's weak effort & a terrible final act.
p.s. This Beautiful City was one messed-up movie. As the review stated, Caroline Cave & ...
I find that ensemble movies with interconnecting storylines are among the hardest ones to pull off successfully. Only Robert Altman really mastered the form, and even he only hit a home run a few times. My opinion about "Beautiful City" is one I often end up saying about these type of movies: I liked it in pieces. Cave was outstanding; other elements, not so much.
I find that ensemble movies with interconnecting storylines are among the hardest ones to pull ...
I'd have to throw Paul Thomas Anderson in there also with "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia," but I'd give you that two ensemble films wouldn't make him a "master" of it. :)