The SILVER CITY FILM FESTIVAL

NOVEMBER 11-13 with screenings and events in Downtown Silver City

 

DOCUMENTARY

 

FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: The Story of American Film Criticism  

The first documentary to dramatize the rich saga and history of American movie reviewing. Directed by The Boston Phoenix’s critic, Gerald Peary, “For the Love of Movies” offers an insider’s view of the critics’ profession, with commentary from America’s best-regarded reviewers.

 

SOLDIERS OF CONSCIENCE

When is it right to kill? In the midst of war, is it right to refuse? Eight U.S. soldiers today, some who killed and some who said no, reveal their inner moral dilemmas in Soldiers of Conscience. Made with official permission of the U.S. Army, the film transcends politics to explore the tension between spiritual values and military orders.

 

RUN TO THE EAST

News headlines reinforce negative stereotypes of Native Americans. They live in communities associated with drug use, alcoholism, and random acts of violence. In these societies defined by loss and a lack of infrastructure, substandard education and addiction have led to despair. A pocket of hope lies in the sport of endurance running.

 

THE CATS OF MIRIKITANI

The story of Jimmy Mirikitani, an 85-year-old Japanese American artist raised in Hiroshima, but by 2001 living on the streets of New York City.  Mirikitani recalls life in the Japanese internment camps during WW2 while reflecting on the role of art and peace promotion in his current world.

 

BLUE ALCHEMY: STORIES OF INDIGO

A feature length documentary by Mary Lance that examines the blue dye indigo. Indigo has captured the human imagination for millennia and people around the globe have used it to improve their lives, preserve their cultural integrity and to bring beauty to the world.


WINDSONG

Filmmakers Gary Emerson and Elmer Armstrong investigate the history of wind power and it's uses.

 

BATAAN: THE MAKING OF A MEMORY

Director Stephanie Dove chronicles the creation of the Bataan Memorial sculpture in Las Cruces NM along with veterans and families connected to the Death March. This film documents not only the project but the experience as told through the eyes and voices of the few remaining survivors.

 

TOUCH THE SOUND

This film by Thomas Reidelsheimer is a portrait of the Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Deaf since childhood, she disdains the use of hearing aids and sign language, relying instead on lip reading and, more crucially, on the use of all of her senses, especially touch, to "hear" with her entire body.

 

ALISON WATT – A PAINTER’S EYE

The youngest-ever Associate Artist at the National Gallery, London Alison Watt was given unlimited access to a collection which has long inspired her. Award-winning director and cinematographer Thomas Riedelsheimer goes inside her head to view the world through her very particular eyes. This film observes the artist as she concentrates on the exhibition, and eavesdrops, with fascinating results, on her solitude.

 

WOVEN STORIES: WEAVING TRADITIONS OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

Weaving in Northern New Mexico has joined distinct cultures into a human tapestry with a common love for fiber and spirit of place. These traditions continue in the small NM communities of Mora, Taos, Tierra Amarilla, El Rito, Espanola, Truchas, and Chimayo, each one bringing a specific contribution to the art and practicality of fiber.

 

 

NARRATIVE

 

MANUAL PRACTICO DEL AMIGO IMAGINARIO

Fernando is a shy 27 year old who is visited by an old classmate.  This visit arouses jealousy in his imaginary friend, Captain Kiloton, a superhero that has stood by Fernando’s side since he was a kid.

 

ALL ABOUT DAD

A film by Mark Tran. The story of a Vietnamese-American family with a loving, but strict, Father whose rigid expectations threaten to ruin the ambitions of his children.

 

STRINGS

A suspenseful thriller directed by Mark Dennis and Ben Foster of Austin Texas. In the wake of his daughter's death, a troubled musician seeks out an experimental therapist to turn his life around. When the therapist calls for him to leave everything behind and take on a new identity, the musician realizes his new life isn't what it seems.

 

RED MESA

Set at the the US/Mexico border, “Red Mesa” is the coming of age story of 17 year-old Lynn, caught between her love for her grandfather and her forbidden romance with a Mexican laborer.  Lynn’s deception of both men leads to a terrible accident.  She comes face to face with the painful realities of the border, realizing that meaningful relationships can only be based on honesty and the courage to stand up for what you believe. By Ilana Lapid.

 

ALL SHE CAN

In a small south Texas town, there aren't many career options. Luz Garcia, a fiery high-school athlete, is determined to forge a different future by attending college. With her one shot at a scholarship riding on the state power lifting championship, she sees no choice but to bend the rules to ensure her victory. Luz's rashness and frustration land her in hot water, but they also fuel her with courage and empowerment.

 

MORE THAN ONE

An unfortunate incident takes place along the Rio Grande river, between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. It reveals how much these cities and their people have in common, and how things aren’t always what they seem.  The Senior Project of a team of Filmmakers from The Creative Media Institute: Director: Devon Stinson, Producer: Lex Stathis, Director of Photography: Neil Solberg.

 

 

MOTEL ROOM 11

A short discreet call and a shady meeting set the scene.  What seems to be a man’s rendezvous with a mysterious woman turns out to be a man’s desperate attempt to save the woman he loves. Venezuelan-Mexican Director Jonathan Herrera seeks to translate into film the things he has experienced and seen around him.

 

DIE ROTE JACKE

A boy is hit by a car and dies. The father donates the boy's red jacket to charity, where it journeys to in war-torn Sarajevo. After being discovered eventually by UN he is sent to Germany where he escapes one scenario to arrive unknowingly into another.

 

LA ORQUESTA DE LAS MARIPOSAS (The Butterfly Orchestra) 

Federico is a lonely and withering conductor, unable to conduct and imaginary orchestra without the instruments sounding out of time and out of tune.  Some unexpected performers turn up to help.

 

EL CORTEJO (The Cortege)

Capi is the oldest gravedigger in the cemetery.  Used to working amidst the suffering of others and the jokes of colleagues, there is only one person capable of taking him out of his daily routine.  Marta is his last hope.

 

LES RIDEAUX ROUGES (LAS TELAS ROJAS) The Red Curtains

Jose, a young man and orphan, and Pablo, a boy of 13, flee the city under threat and are condemned to drift.  To find his destiny, Jose must solve the mystery of his identity, and will have to enter the adult world.

 

DREAMWORLD

A late night in a hotel and ringing phones.  The mindscape of dream and memory.  Directed by Matt Wilson at the Creative Media Institute.

 

ANIMATION

 

SITA SINGS THE BLUES

An animated feature by American artist Nina Paley that intersperses events from the Ramayana, illustrated conversation between Indian shadow puppets, with scenes from the artist's own life. The mythological and modern biographical plots are parallel tales that share numerous themes.

TIKI

Animated antics in the jungle.  An early 2D animation by Seth Powers.

2 FILMS by GARY LUND

Froggy Went A Courtin’ is based on the traditional song which traveled from England to Appalachia.  The film recounts the courting, marriage and adventures of Froggy and Miss Mouse.  Hey Diddle Diddle is playful in it’s color, music and tempo.


THE TRUTH

Silver City Student Filmmaker Mikayla Pena looks at the mysteries that may lie behind some relationships.


MAGGIE & MILLY & MOLLY & MAY

A cut out animation by Kerry J. Forsythe featuring the poetry of e.e. cummings.


HIGH MOON

Somewhere in the desert, there is a showdown - based on a shadowed history.  Animation and music by Seth Powers.


OB AT THE MUSEUM

A 3D animation by Nathan Bertelsen that follows an Ugly Doll through a gallery - with some unexpected results.

 

DARK SPACE

3D Animator Jacob Ovrick ventures into the great unknown where an anxious space traveler, an irritable robot, and a scatter-brained alien stowaway must contend with the most volatile force in the galaxy: each other.

 

THE FILMS OF ZAC WITTSTRUCK

Grandpa Quesi reminisces with friends at the Institute of Mental Awareness in two animations by Zac Wittstruck.  In another, TV and BOOKS have a grave showdown.  STYE marks a foray into live action filmmaking.




CONTACT SCFF

FESTIVAL DETAILS

DIRECTIONS and MAPS

SUBMISSIONS

VENUES/TICKETS

TRAVEL/LODGING

2011 FILMS

2011 SCHEDULE

2011 HONORS