• THE LENA BAKER STORY

"... It was heart wrenching, truthful, and powerful, and the performances were absolutely stellar.  Tichinia Arnold as Lena Baker gave an incredibly convincing performance and the execution scene with the close up on her as she was strapped in and gave her last words was a masterpiece . .."

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DANCE OF THE DEAD

"... The dead rise, as they tend to do, the reason established here simply and effectively in the opening scene by the three enormous nuclear power plant towers looming over the town.  They rise on prom night and the only ones aware of it in time to stop them from eating everyone at the tasty buffet of the prom ..."

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THE STONE ANGEL

".. Based on the best selling novel by Margaret Laurence, this beautifully shot drama tells the story of feisty, headstrong, passionate Hagar Shipley.  We first meet Hagar present day near the end of her life played by the incredible, Oscar-winning Ellen Burstyn ..."

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COYOTE

"... On a weird whim they decide to smuggle him back across the border.  High on the adrenaline rush and ease of their success they decide to do it again, especially after discovering the high price many would pay, especially for “coyotes” who aren’t dangerous, treacherous thugs like many those crossing the border are often forced to deal with. They have brochures, a sales pitch ..."

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THE PROJECT

"... The interesting thing that this film does is show how hard it must be for documentary film makers to involve themselves totally in the lives of a subject they grow to care about and yet still remain detached as they watch those subjects struggling with obstacles and bad choices. The temptation to help and not just observe ..."

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MAKE OUT WITH VIOLENCE

"... I really wanted to like this movie.  The concept is just so original.  A surreal, genre crossing story focusing on twin brothers Patrick and Carol Darling and their circle during their summer after high school that deals with last chance crushes, future uncertainties, and the disappearance of their friend, sweet, beautiful Wendy Hearst ..."

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FIGHTFUCKPRAY

 "... This film is done in three parts, Fight, Fuck, and Pray, each directed by a different director.  Fight follows Walker, Cass, and Ethan on Walker’s first day out of jail as they are determined to have a true boy’s night out.  Fuck follows Ethan’s newly-ex ex-fiancée Kate .."  

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SKILLS LIKE THIS

"...Skills Like This” is hysterical and original.  The dialogue, the characters, the performances, the story, the relationships, the humor, the quarter life crises and self realizations are all quite excellent.  But it’s not pure fluff or a cakewalk, the risks .."

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SON OF RAMBOW

"... Son of Rambow (purposefully misspelled for legal and non-confusion purposes) is a fun, funny, fresh, touching, inventive, superbly filmed, directed, and acted coming of age film centering around the unlikely friendship between shy Will Proudfoot, raised in isolation amongst a religious sect called The Brethren ..."

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LIKE MOLES, LIKE RATS

"... Filmed and set in Huntsville, Alabama, this post-apocalyptic tale occurs 20 years after “The Fall,” which, though the specifics were somewhat unclear, appeared to be a nuclear attack on America.  It follows three intertwining stories .."

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IRIS CHANG: THE RAPE ON NANKING

"... In the early stages of World War II, in July 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army, which at the time already controlled a large section of northeastern China, launched an undeclared war against the Republic of China. Their troops marched across the country destroying everything in their path.  Five months later, troops entered ... "

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THE VISITOR

"... This closing night film is the sophomore effort by the director of critically acclaimed film,“The Station Agent.”  Here, 62 year-old widower Walter Vale (veteran actor Richard Jenkins) is sleepwalking through his life as a tenured professor working on a book he has no intention of finishing.  He has lost his passion ..."

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YOUNG @ HEART

".. This documentary follows the antics of the Young @ Heart Chorus as it rehearses new songs for its upcoming show Alive and Well.  The chorus is composed entirely of senior citizens who sing, not cute, old-fashioned ditties, but everything from the Ramones to The Clash to Coldplay to Sonic Youth.  And they do it well! …"

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JUMP!

"... Did you know jumping rope was an actual sport with regional, national, and even international competitions?  Yep, me neither. That is until I saw this very well done, very engaging documentary by director Helen Hood Scheer ..."

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BAMA GIRL

"... This eye-opening documentary follows witty, charming, ambitious, lovely, young Jessica Thomas in her quest to be homecoming queen at the University of Alabama.  She is an outstanding student with a high GPA, has a host of honors and awards to her name ..." 

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MONSTER CAMP

"... Now granted, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea for a weekend trip.  But once you watch this documentary you see that it is not as fringe and odd a thing as it might at first seem.  It’s an escape, just like sports for some, reading or writing or movies for others.  On the down side there is of course the danger of getting too addicted to the fantasy ..." 

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VOICES OF SAMFYA

"... One thing you definitely get from both of these films is how eager the women of Africa are to break their traditional cultural bonds if given the chance.  They want education, they want to start their own business, and they want to pull their families out of poverty.  And the heart breaking thing is that it takes so little ..." 

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SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY

"... This winner of the Special Jury Prize for Pure Documentary Entertainment chronicles the life and career of the great William Castle. Part filmmaker, part showman, Castle became a brand name in movie horror in the 50s and 60s by delighting movie-going audiences with a combination of B-movie thrills and outrageous gimmicks. ..." 

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COMEDY SHORTS

  AQUARIAM

  CLAIR

  HIRSUTE

  VACUUM

  STRUCK

  MAKING THE MAN

  PRIMITIVE TECHNOLOGY

  WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS

  THE DIAGNOSIS  

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COMING OF AGE SHORTS

   THE STATE OF SUNSHINE

   BLUE DRESS

   CHICKAMAUGA

   THE TRUTH ABOUT FACES

   SMALL AVALANCHES  

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ANIMATION EXTRAVAGANZA

  TO MANY SHORTS TO NAME!

  17 FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY.

   ALWAYS A FESTIVAL FAVORITE.

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