Starring Buster Keaton
$20 online & at the door
$5 students with ID
Sponsored by:
The Silent Film Showcase has been a signature element of the Beloit International Film Festival since its inception. Sponsored by BMO Harris, the silent film along with live musical accompaniment, has drawn large audiences in Beloit and has been duplicated at other film festivals around the nation.
This year, BIFF is again joining forces with The Beloit Memorial High School Jazz Orchestra at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, for the screening of the historic comedy blockbuster The Cameraman, featuring Buster Keaton.
“Anybody who heard the impressive BMHS Jazz ensemble last year was very impressed,” notes Max Maiken, executive director of BIFF. “These students have brought recognition to Beloit with their outstanding performances around the country. It is a memorable experience to hear them perform the full music score, brilliantly synced to the film by director Chris Behrens. Their performance helps to create the feel one would have had in a first-run big city movie house in the 1920s.”
The Cameraman shows Buster Keaton at his peak and has been described as a “perfectly constructed comedy.” With Keaton both as co-director and star, the film was a huge success when released in 1928. In 2005 it was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
The film tells the story of a clumsy sidewalk photographer who is hopelessly in love with a woman working at MGM Studios. He trades in his tintype operation for a movie camera and sets out to impress the girl (and MGM) with his work.
The program will be presented at Beloit Memorial High School auditorium which offers adequate seating and convenient parking.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students of all ages. “Each year it is refreshing to watch generations of viewers come together, still finding that the wit and genius of film pioneers such as Buster Keaton has not been lost over the past 90 years,” says Maiken.
The Beloit International Film Festival, celebrating its 13th season, is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with additional support provided by Visit Beloit. Support for the Festival comes from area businesses and civic organizations, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Individual support for BIFF is provided through membership in the BIFF Founders and the Film Society of Beloit.
Synopsis
In 1928, MGM absorbed Buster Keaton’s neighboring studio into their much larger studio, making him an employee. The Cameraman was his first film with them. Reportedly, initial filming had some issues as Keaton had been use to directing himself as well as creating his own routines for his films. Director Edward Sedgwick supposedly relinquished some control of the film to Keaton as production went on. IMDB even lists Keaton as an uncredited director on the film.
Keaton plays a man working the streets taking tintypes of people for 10 cents a piece. A tintype is a photograph developed on the spot on a piece of metal. He meets a beautiful girl, Sally, on the street and follows her to her job, which is as a receptionist at the MGM motion picture news agency. Talk about self promotion.
Joseph Frank “Buster” Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966)[1] was an American actor, comedian, film director, producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer.[2] He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname “The Great Stone Face”.[3][4] Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton’s “extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, he worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor–director in the history of the movies”.[4] His career declined afterward with a dispiriting loss of his artistic independence when he was hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and he descended into alcoholism, ruining his family life. He recovered in the 1940s, remarried, and revived his career to a degree as an honored comic performer for the rest of his life, earning an Academy Honorary Award in 1959.
Accompanying the Silent Film
Under the direction of Mr. Chris Behrens
National Board Certified Teacher
The BMJO has developed a tradition of exceptional and nationally recognized jazz music program. BMJO was first invited to the nation’s leading high school jazz band festival and competition Essentially Ellington hosted by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York City in 2009. Hundreds of high school jazz bands from across the country submit three performances for the judges of internationally known jazz masters at the Lincoln Center for blind review. Each year only fifteen are invited to New York for the nation’s foremost high school jazz band festival and concert.
In 2012 BMJO was invited back again. And BMJO has earned an invitation back each year since. Quite a feet considering their competing with metros many of which are considerably larger than Beloit, arts magnet schools or both. The Beloit Jazz Band program is well known and recognized at the Lincoln Center in New York and among the greatest H.S. Jazz programs across the county.
One thing that doesn’t get mentioned is the fact that these students aren’t just exceptional musicians, they’re also exceptional students. It should be noted that the average GPA of the student-musicians hoping to make it to Essentially Ellington this year is 3.6.
Sat. Feb. 24, 7:30 PM
Schubert’s Luxury 10 Theater
Sponsored by:
Frozen, one of the favorite family movies of all time, with songs that keep popping into your head, will be the BIFF2018 Sing-A- Long feature film. The Walt Disney animated classic will be screened Sat., Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m. at Schubert’s Luxury 10 Cinema on Cranston Road in Beloit.
The BIFF Sing-A- Long, this year sponsored by the Janesville law firm of Brennan Steil SC, and U.S. Cellular and a generous anonymous friend, has become one of the most popular BIFF events, with films like Sound of Music, Grease and Hard Day’s Night. Getting dressed up is an option enjoyed by many in the audience.
This year’s modern classic, rated PG, is the perfect sing along film for the whole family this frigid season. Frozen tells the story of the optimistic Queen Elsa who accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice, cursing her home to infinite winter. Her sister Anna teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer and a snowman to change the weather conditions.
And to add to the fun, the festive evening offers an opportunity for queens and princesses and mountain men to dress up and compete for prizes. Even reindeer will be allowed to compete. Popcorn and soda will be provided, compliments of Luxury 10.
Winner of two Academy Awards among its long list of awards, the 2013 film was directed by Chris Buck and by Jennifer Lee who also wrote the screenplay. The cast of voice actors includes Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell. And have no fear, if you have forgotten some of the words to “Let it Go” or “I want to Build a Snowman.” The words will be displayed at the bottom of the movie screen.
Tickets for the BIFF Sing-A- Long are $10 plus a purchase fee, and will go on sale online later in the month.
The Beloit International Film Festival, celebrating its 13th season, is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with additional support provided by Visit Beloit. Support for the Festival comes from area businesses and civic organizations, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Individual support for BIFF is provided through membership in the BIFF Founders and the Film Society of Beloit.
Film trailers are the perfect vehicle for their intended purpose, introducing the film in as compelling means possible and to encourage attendance.
We invite our filmmakers to provide Filmmaker Introductions. These are certainly intended to help encourage attendance as well however, we’re also trying to foster greater person-to-person connection between our guest filmmakers and our BIFF audiences.
We really appreciate getting to know the BIFF filmmakers. And we enjoy a little more insight into the the why of the film and the filmmaker’s intent and connection with their project. We find the Filmmaker Introductions particularly compelling and personable. We offer these to you in the hopes you might as well.
– The Boogie Men
– Switchtrack Alley
– The Orphans
– Star Wars Film
Third Street, Ironworks Campus, Downtown Beloit
Saturday July 15th, 1 PM Start
(right after Beloit’s Farmer’s Market)
$5 Adults / Kids Free (12 and under)
July just screams PARTY!
And the Beloit International Film Festival, where people go to have fun, knows how to throw a good one. On July 15, BIFF will celebrate the summer with a day-long block party topped off with one of last year’s blockbuster feature films.
BIFF, the City of Beloit and the Ironworks will need a full block to hold it all when we throw A SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER BLOCK PARTY. The Saturday fun will kick off at 1 p.m. on Third Street on the Ironworks Campus, immediately following the Beloit Farmers’ Market.
The beer will be chilled and a lineup of gourmet food trucks will be providing sustenance for a packed afternoon and evening of music, dancing, food and film.
Sponsored by:
An array of popular bands will keep the street jumping. On the Hendricks Commercial Properties Main Stage, The featured headliner BOOGIE MEN will be bringing uptown funk to downtown Beloit, providing the soundtrack for the ultimate dance party. With their “Boogie Nation” following, from Chicago to Madison and Summerfest to Beloit, they will share their love for music, dance, and the art of having fun performing current hits and old school favorites.
In addition, local favorite groups will be opening for The Boogie Men including the Beloit-based Switch Track Alley and Wisconsin’s legendary acoustic duo, The Orphans.
And for the perfect family closer to a perfect family party, when the sun goes down the inflatable BIFF Big Screen will go up. BIFF will join the Rebel Alliance as it makes a risky move to steal the plans for the Death Star, setting up the newest addition to the epic Star Wars saga in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
Proceeds from the event will support BIFF’s year-round community programs.
March 4th, 5:15 PM, La Casa Grande
Free!
Sponsored by:
This year attendees at Wednesday evening BIFF Year ‘Round screenings of independent films under consideration for BIFF could vote for the Blackhawk Bank BIFF Year ‘Round People’s Choice Award. That award went to
The Ken Hendricks Award for General Excellence was presented to (Person) for a body of creative work and personal support and involvement in film festivals nationally.
The Josh Burton Award for Creative Excellence, honoring the creative spirit of the late Beloit actor and director, went to
BIFF’s top Power of Film Award, recognizing quality of filmmaking and impact on audiences, was presented to
Accepting the award
Kent Eymann, Publisher of the Beloit Daily News
March 4th, 5:15 PM, La Casa Grande
Free!
Sponsored by:
We will populate this page featuring the award winners following the announcements.
Join us Sat. March 4th. 5:15 pm at LaCasa Grande.
BIFF’s top Power of Film Award, recognizing quality of filmmaking and impact on audiences, was presented to
This year attendees at Wednesday evening BIFF Year ‘Round screenings of independent films under consideration for BIFF could vote for the Blackhawk Bank BIFF Year ‘Round People’s Choice Award. That award went to
Best Narrative Feature went to
One of two best narratives short went to
One of two best narratives short went to
This years best documentary short goes to
The three named awards are selected by BIFF staff and reviewers who have viewed all the contenders, and are selected for special merit, creativity and influence.
The Director of Programming Award was presented to
The Ken Hendricks Award for General Excellence was presented to (Person) for a body of creative work and personal support and involvement in film festivals nationally.
The Josh Burton Award for Creative Excellence, honoring the creative spirit of the late Beloit actor and director, went to
Suds O’Hanahans, 435 E. Grand Ave.
Sponsored by:
This outreach and educational concept was developed by the Beloit International Film Festival several years ago to promote and present films dealing with significant issues touching us as a community and as individuals.
“Life-changing” and “inspiring” are words that have been used to describe BIFF’s annual tribute to the human spirit. Encouraging change through the BIFF CARES series is BIFF’s way of recognizing the influence that film can have to move us.
Films, engaged filmmakers and local experts have dealt with topics ranging from teen homelessness and child abuse to end of life issues. One of the festival’s most successful programs, BIFF CARES films are presented multiple times in different venues, reaching thousands in the process.
This year’s BIFF CARES program will include a variety of films with a focus on mental health challenges and issues, from childhood to mature years. Films will examine the developmental repercussions of homelessness and the vulnerability of adolescents’ mental health created by electronic devices, to issues relating to post traumatic stress disorder, and one man’s effort to buoy the spirits of a sick child far from home.
Directed by Michael Leoni
USA | 1 hr. 44 min. | 2016
Directed by Grant Hume, Emily Guske, Nick Talan, Nicholas Stange
United States | 1 hr. 40 min. | 2016
Directed by Mark Allen Davis
United States | 46 min. | 2016
Directed by Delaney Ruston
United States | 1 hr. 8 min. | 2016
BIFF is taking over downtown Beloit for 10 days of films, festivities and fun! Check out the menu of nightlife options we‘re offering before and after films this year. There’s something for everyone.
You might even catch musical members of the BIFF staff sitting in with some of the fine bands we’ve got lined up! So be sure to join us for the finest entertainment the area has to offer…all BIFF long!
Sponsored by:
Kick off the festival with this 6 piece rock band from the Southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois area. Enjoy the hits of Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Three Dog Night, and a whole lot more! And don’t forget to order a tapper of BIFF’s favorite festival beer, Stella Artois! Nightly drink specials and no cover charge!
When the screens go black, it’s time to kick back…with the rockin’ power of Wildflower! Your favorite hits from the 70s, 80s & 90s including Journey, Motley Crue and Alice In Chains. Enjoy a Stella Artois, get your dance card punched, and don’t forget to wear your big hair! Nightly drink specials and no cover charge!
While we’re all celebrating Indie films, the Academy is awarding…well…mostly, the other kind! Watch the stars of the Oscars with the stars of the BIFFYs on the flat screens of Merrill & Houston’s. Purchase a fantastic dinner or just order drinks and a snack. And share your thoughts about BIFF’s opening weekend with the rest of the movie-lovers!
Every Monday night a Blues Jam breaks out at the GAP, hosted by area guitarist, Dave Potter and his crew. Sit back or sit in! Some of the finest local talent in the genre will be trading licks and singin’ them songs ’bout the killin’ floor! Nightly drink specials and no cover charge!
Big Mac, Dr. Ed and Pete will take you on a musical journey that you have never been on before. From “twisted” covers to clever originals, this group is guaranteed to bend your mind, push your envelope and make you say “ahh” over and over again! Nightly drink specials and no cover charge!
Join Russ and his cohorts as they entertain you…and possibly accompany you… when you visit the GAP for Open Mic night! You can go solo, if you like. Or you can invite the band to back you up (They know a ton of songs). You might even get to see a few of the BIFF staff and management onstage making fools of themselves! C’mon. You know you want to do this! Nightly drink specials and no cover charge!
They brought the house down during BIFF 2016, and they’re back to tear the roof off the sucka in 2017! This is an all-star line-up that no one should miss! Local legends in a variety of genres that will light up the night and put everyone in the right head space for BIFF 2017’s second amazing weekend! Let there be groove!! Nightly drink specials and no cover charge!
Finn Bomgaars, the area’s leading authority on all things Karaoke, is your host for a third consecutive year, bringing his unique style and deep catalog to the Suds stage! You’ve been watching others perform on screens all over Beloit for a week. Now it’s YOUR turn to show off your inner entertainer. If courage is an issue, we recommend a couple of Suds’ delicious beverages to help coax you into the spotlight! Free peanuts!!
It’s getting close to curtain time for BIFF 2017. Only one day left of indie film mania. Don’t let it get you down! Join Kevin Patrick and Greg Gerard of The Orphans for a classic evening of your favorite feel-good songs from the 70s and beyond. The Eagles, CSNY, Dylan and Johnny Cash are just a few of the artists whose timeless songs are brought to life by these two veterans of the Midwest regional music scene.
No tickets required for this FREE screening.
Sunday March 5, 2017 — 2:30 PM
Schubert’s Luxury 10 Theater
2799 Cranston Rd. Beloit
Sponsored by:
One of the most popular events of the Beloit International Film Festival in recent years comes at the very end. There is good reason.
The First National Bank and Trust Company Classic Film is the final official event on the ten-day BIFF schedule and it is offered free.
In addition, the community gets to select the film they want to see once again on the big screen from among the great films of all times.
This year, the community chose “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” as the most popular among available films surveyed, beating out other cinematic classics including Citizen Kane, Bridge On The River Kwai, and Bonnie & Clyde.
Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in a simultaneously humorous and sobering tale of racial climate change in the US during the 1960s. As poignant and relevant now as it was back then, it portrays a time in American history when inter-racial marriages were still illegal in many states.
In recent years this closing event of BIFF has drawn overflow crowds, presenting films such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Braveheart, and last year’s The Maltese Falcon.
Yes, there are serious faults in Stanley Kramer’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” but they are overcome by the virtues of this delightfully old-fashioned film. It would be easy to tear the plot to shreds and catch Kramer in the act of copping out. But why? On its own terms, this film is a joy to see, an evening of superb entertainment.
Entertainment, I think, is the key word here. Kramer has taken a controversial subject (interracial marriage) and insulated it with every trick in the Hollywood bag. There are glamorous star performances by Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy made more poignant by his death. There is shameless schmaltz (the title song, so help me, advises folks to give a little, take a little, let your poor heart break a little, etc.). The minor roles are filled with crashing stereotypes, like a Negro maid who must be Rochester’s sister and an Irish monsignor with a brogue so fey and eyes so twinkling he makes Bing Crosby look like a Protestant.
And there is the plot, borrowed from countless other drawing room comedies about “ineligible” suitors. Only this time the controversial suitor is not a socialist (“Man and Superman”), a newspaper reporter (“The Philadelphia Story”) or even a spinster (“Cactus Flower”) — but a Negro.
Sponsored By:
It is the best rock & roll comedy adventure, and probably the greatest historic sing along film of all time. And now, the Beloit International Film Festival invites you to dig out the Beatles wigs and relive the era.
This year’s BIFF Sing-A-Long film will be the classic Beatles 1964 hit A Hard Day’s Night, featuring more than a dozen early songs by the boys from Liverpool. Directed by Richard Lester, it captures the Beatles at their beginning, and London before it really learned to swing. The Beatles drew massive enthusiastic crowds, but they had not yet set the heavens ablaze.
The Sing-A-Long event is sponsored by the law firm of Brennan Steil, S.C of Janesville, WI.
The film will be presented on Saturday February 25th, 7 p.m. at Schubert’s Luxury 10 Cinema on Cranston Rd. in Beloit. Prior to the screening there will be costume and singing competitions with prizes awarded. Popcorn and soda will be provided, compliments of Luxury 10.
And don’t worry if you have forgotten some of the words to All My Loving and I Wanna Be Your Man. The words will be shown at the bottom of the movie screen. Girls will be encouraged to scream at random.
A Hard Day’s Night, is a frenetic cinéma vérité romp with the Beatles as they travel from Liverpool to London. Director Richard Lester is one of the most influential directors of the 1960s, and continued his career into the early ’80s with such films as The Knack…and How to Get It and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His style in A Hard Day’s Night and Help!was seen by many as inspiring the music video.
The Beloit International Film Festival, celebrating its 12th year, is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with additional support provided by Visit Beloit. Support for the Festival comes from area businesses and civic organizations, and individual support for BIFF is provided through membership in the BIFF Founders and the Film Society of Beloit.
Starring Harold Lloyd
7:00 PM Film/Performance
$20 online & at the door
$5 students with ID
Sponsored by:
A signature element of the Beloit International Film Festival since its first year has been The BMO Harris Silent Film Showcase. Not only has it entertained audiences of all ages in Beloit, it has been duplicated by other film festivals around the country.
This year the Silent Film Showcase, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, will present an historic comedy blockbuster of the silent era on the big screen in a new venue. It will also feature the exciting sound of one of the finest high school jazz ensembles in the country.
The Beloit Memorial High School Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Chris Behrens, will provide the musical accompaniment to the film. This BMHS Orchestra has brought home top awards for their performances and has been invited to play at Lincoln Center in major national competitions. Their talents will help to create the feel one would have had in a first-run movie house in the 1920s.
They will perform the score to the feature length 1925 film classic, The Freshman, starring the silent era genius Harold Lloyd. The film offers the timeless tale of the nerdy freshman wishing to gain popularity on campus despite the antics of bullies and the competition from the captain of the football team.
The program will be presented at Beloit Memorial High School, making its debut at a BIFF venue. “This is an ideal setting for this popular event,”, “We will have plenty of seats for an event that has often sold out. And we will finally have adequate and convenient parking.”
Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students of all ages. “We have instituted student pricing this year since this is such a great family event,” says incoming Executive Director Max Maiken. “Each year it is refreshing to watch generations coming together and finding that the humor has not been lost over the past 90 years.”
The Beloit International Film Festival, celebrating its 12th year, is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with additional support provided by Visit Beloit. Support for the Festival comes from area businesses and civic organizations, and individual support for BIFF is provided through membership in the BIFF Founders and the Film Society of Beloit.
Synopsis
Harold Lloyd, besides being funnier than either Keaton or Chaplin, was also more of a romantic leading man. This is evident in his sweetly simple movie The Freshman.
The plot is now a worn out cliché. Harold ‘Speedy’ Lamb goes off to college. He takes with him only his youthful optimism and a clever little jig that he saw in a movie and that he does every time he meets someone new. Oh yeah, and his dreams of being a star football player. But Harold has one small problem, namely that he lacks any apparent talent. Out of pity, however, he is made the team water boy, although he is under the impression that he is really on the team. Unaware that his classmates are being completely facetious in their treatment of him as a popular hero, Harold adds new meaning to the old adage that ignorance is bliss.
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer who is most famous for his silent comedy films.
Harold Lloyd ranks alongside Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton as one of the most popular and influential film comedians of the silent film era. Lloyd made nearly 200 comedy films, both silent and “talkies”, between 1914 and 1947. He is best known for his bespectacled “Glasses” character, a resourceful, success-seeking go-getter who was perfectly in tune with 1920s-era United States.
His films frequently contained “thrill sequences” of extended chase scenes and daredevil physical feats, for which he is best remembered today. Lloyd hanging from the hands of a clock high above the street in Safety Last! (1923) is one of the most enduring images in all of cinema. Lloyd did many of these dangerous stunts himself, despite having injured himself in August 1919 while doing publicity pictures for the Roach studio. An accident with a bomb mistaken as a prop resulted in the loss of the thumb and index finger of his right hand (the injury was disguised on future films with the use of a special prosthetic glove, though the glove often did not go unnoticed).
Although Lloyd’s individual films were not as commercially successful as Chaplin’s on average, he was far more prolific (releasing twelve feature films in the 1920s while Chaplin released just four), and made more money overall ($15.7 million to Chaplin’s $10.5 million).
Accompanying the Silent Film
Under the direction of Mr. Chris Behrens
National Board Certified Teacher
The BMJO has developed a tradition of exceptional and nationally recognized jazz music program. BMJO was first invited to the nation’s leading high school jazz band festival and competition Essentially Ellington hosted by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York City in 2009. Hundreds of high school jazz bands from across the country submit three performances for the judges of internationally known jazz masters at the Lincoln Center for blind review. Each year only fifteen are invited to New York for the nation’s foremost high school jazz band festival and concert.
In 2012 BMJO was invited back again. And BMJO has earned an invitation back each year since. Quite a feet considering their competing with metros many of which are considerably larger than Beloit, arts magnet schools or both. The Beloit Jazz Band program is well known and recognized at the Lincoln Center in New York and among the greatest H.S. Jazz programs across the county.
One thing that doesn’t get mentioned is the fact that these students aren’t just exceptional musicians, they’re also exceptional students. It should be noted that the average GPA of the student-musicians hoping to make it to Essentially Ellington this year is 3.6.
They really as good as I’ve heard?
Sample from prior years BMJO performances.
Sorry, can’t show you this year’s band as they’re still in competition and don’t want to tip their hand.
You’ll just have to come out and experience them live. :-)
Presented by:
Melissa Gilbert who played Laura Ingalls Wilder for 10 years on Little House on the Prairie and former president of the Screen Actors Guild and Tim Busfield, director and Emmy Award winning actor for his work on Thirtysomething will present a workshop at BIFF of interest to filmmakers and students of film. Ms. Gilbert has appeared in scores of films for television and the big screen, and toured on stage as “Ma” Wilder in a musical version of Little House. She is currently a candidate for Congress in Michigan. Mr. Busfield has been a regular or recurring character on 11 television series. He has appeared in over 30 feature films and television movies, has directed more than 90 television episodes and has appeared in over 50 plays. Tim Busfield is the founder of and sits on the board of B St Theatre in Sacramento, CA where education is a fundamental aspect of their mission.
Among the topics they will discuss are getting started in filmmaking, making films on a tight budget without sacrificing storyline, film centers outside of New York and L.A., and turning a story into a screenplay.
We’re thrilled that this duo has a narrative feature in this season’s BIFF, One Smart Fellow.
We scheduled two screenings of One Smart Fellow. Due to overwhelming demand though both screenings sold out well in advance. So, we have just added an additional screening for this film.
Additional Screening Added!
Sat. Feb. 27th, 7:30 pm, Hendricks Center for the Arts
(And if this one sells out also… well, we’ll figure something out, yes?)
From an uplifting documentary about an extraordinary woman scaling new heights despite the lack of arms and an extraordinary film demonstrating the persistence and courage of a filmmaker chronicling the Jihadist teaching and opposition in Pakistan, to the story of creative interaction between a five year old and a 50 year old and the creative work of individuals devoted to making film festivals successful, the Beloit International Film Festival handed out the laurels with the 2016 BIFFY awards Saturday evening.
Honoring feature length and short form narratives and documentaries, 10 BIFFYs were distributed at Saturday’s Awards Ceremony at La Casa Grande Restaurant in Beloit.
Many of the more than 100 filmmakers attending BIFF were on hand to receive the awards.
In addition to the awards for merit in specific film genres, there were also four “Feature” awards for overall achievement, designated by the selection committee that viewed all 800 films submitted to BIFF this year.
BIFF’s top Power of Film Award, recognizing quality of filmmaking and impact on audiences, was presented to Among the Believers. It was accepted by director Hemal Trivedi, this year’s BIFF Honorary Chair. The courageous film examines the clash in Pakistan between the Jihadists and those who find the radical teachings in the madrassas, in conflict with the tenets of Islam.
Directors
Hemal Trivedi
Mohammed Naqvi
This year attendees at Wednesday evening BIFF Year ‘Round screenings of independent films under consideration for BIFF could vote for the Blackhawk Bank BIFF Year ‘Round People’s Choice Award. That award went to Right Footed a feature length documentary that tells the story of Jessica Cox, born without arms as a result of a birth defect, who learned to type, drive a car and fly an airplane, all with her feet. It follows her transformation into a mentor and leading advocate for people with disability. Right Footed also received the Best Documentary Feature Award.
Directed by Nick Spark
Best Narrative Feature went to One Smart Fellow, co-directed by Tim Busfield and starring Busfield and Melissa Gilbert. It is the tale of a family weekend at the beach where they experience an event that will change their lives forever.
Directors
Timothy Busfield
Tommy Lohmann
The Director of Programming Award was presented to Hell’s Heart from director-producer-writer Ryan Denmark. The narrative feature examines the demonic forces playing on a man as he prepares to marry the daughter of a woman he saw murdered when he was a child.
Directed by Dawn Fields
The award for Best Narrative Short was shared by two films. Fragile Storm, a 10-minute tear-jerker from director Dawn Fields concerns a scared young woman who goes to extreme measures to escape the clutches of a terrifying older man only to realize the shocking truth about why she’s really there. And Pony, a 31-minute film directed by Candice Carella examines the effect that a five year old and her 50 year old rock musician uncle have on each other.
Directed by Candice Carella
BIFF 2016 Best Documentary Short went to The Hermit, a 24 minute film by director Lena Friedrich. She tells the story of Christopher Knight, a man who lived 27 years in the woods of Maine with no human contact and became a celebrity overnight.
Directed by Lena Friedrich
The four named awards are selected by BIFF staff and reviewers who have viewed all the contenders, and are selected for special merit, creativity and influence.
The Director of Programming Award was presented to Hell’s Heart from director-producer-writer Ryan Denmark. The narrative feature examines the demonic forces playing on a man as he prepares to marry the daughter of a woman he saw murdered when he was a child.
Directed by Ryan Denmark
The award this year was presented to a filmmaker Damien Patrik instead of a specific film, for his body of work and passion for filmmaking.
He is the writer/director/ producer of numerous short films which have collectively been official selections and winners in more than 160 film festivals.
Directed by Damien Patrik
The Josh Burton Award for Creative Excellence, honoring the creative spirit of the late Beloit actor and director, went to Field Niggas, directed by New York filmmaker Khalik Allah whose visceral and hauntingly beautiful documentary film portraits have been described as “street opera.”
Directed by Khalik Allah
The Executive Director Award was presented to Resonate Web Marketing and Principals Rick McGrath and Ana Kelly for “extraordinary design and tireless partnership and creativity in communicating the programs and distinction of the Beloit International Film Festival and the Hollywood Film Festival.”
(We’re the BIFF webmasters, set up and manage ticketing/box office among other things. Very surprised by all this.)
Wed Feb 24, 2016 – 5 pm | Domenico’s
Fri Feb 26, 2016 – 5 pm | Domenico’s
Sat Feb 27, 2016 – 5 pm | Domenico’s
Sponsored by:
This outreach and educational concept was developed by the Beloit International Film Festival several years ago to promote and present films dealing with significant issues touching us as a community and as individuals.
“Life-changing” and “inspiring” are words that have been used to describe BIFF’s annual tribute to the human spirit. Encouraging change through the BIFF CARES series is BIFF’s way of recognizing the influence that film can have to move us.
Films, engaged filmmakers and local experts have dealt with topics ranging from teen homelessness and child abuse to end of life issues. One of the festival’s most successful programs, BIFF CARES films are presented multiple times in different venues, reaching thousands in the process.
This year BIFF will offer two films, shown together in the same slot, that illustrate the capacity of individuals, without the use of normal appendages, to achieve great things through perseverance.
(Background image: Birth of an Artist, Dasha)
Directed by Nick Spark
USA | 1 hr. 20 min. | 2015
Jessica Cox was born without arms as a result of a birth defect, but managed to overcome many physical and emotional challenges to become fully independent. She learned to type with her toes, drive a car with her feet, and amazingly — fly an airplane with her feet.
Right Footed follows Jessica as she transforms from a motivational speaker to a mentor, and eventually into a leading advocate for people with disability.
Producer/Director Nick Spark is a Los Angeles based writer and documentary filmmaker with a long standing passion for unconventional characters, including the oft-overlooked female heroine.
Directed by Natasha Babenko
Ukraine | 16 min. | 2015
The Birth of an Artist follows handicapped 17 year old Dasha as she lives her ordinary day: waking up, taking bath, dressing up, eating, playing with her little brother and finally doing what she does the best – painting with her toes. Dasha, native of Sumy, Ukraine, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. Fortunately, her brain cells were not damaged which gave her an opportunity to communicate with her family, learn about the world and develop the talent for painting.
Dasha’s day is full of pain and physical struggle but she manages to focus on her artistic work and fully emerge herself into the world full of love and hope despite very hard living conditions.
Narrated by her loving, supporting mother Dasha’s story reveals amazing but also sad moments of the young artist’s life. The opening of Dasha’s 6Th personal exhibition marks the culmination of the tremendous efforts and love for artistic creation the emerging artist has put into her inspirational and thought provoking work.
Writer, director, producer Natasha Babenko was born in Kiev, Ukraine. “The Birth of an Artist” is her first documentary film. The story about disabled Ukrainian girl who manages to live a life of a prolific artist is an exploration of human potential and determination.
The Beloit International film Festival is primarily focused on the creative work of new and emerging independent filmmakers, but there is one brief moment at the end of BIFF where a great classic film is honored with a big screen presentation. This year’s First National Bank Classic Film is one of the greatest works in the film noir genre, The Maltese Falcon. The 1941 film, directed by John Houston, stars some of the greatest names ever to flash across the silver screen.
In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman (Mary Astor). As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows as Sam’s partner is murdered and Sam is accosted by a man (Peter Lorre) demanding he locate a valuable statuette. Sam, entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, soon realizes he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejeweled Maltese falcon.
(1) The movie defined Humphrey Bogart’s performances for the rest of his life; his hard-boiled Sam Spade rescued him from a decade of middling roles in B gangster movies and positioned him for “Casablanca,” “Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “The African Queen” and his other classics.
(2) It was the first film directed by John Huston, who for more than 40 years would be a prolific maker of movies that were muscular, stylish and daring.
(3) It contained the first screen appearance of Sydney Greenstreet, who went on, in “Casablanca” and many other films, to become one of the most striking character actors in movie history.
(4) It was the first pairing of Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, and so well did they work together that they made nine other movies, including “Casablanca” in 1942 and “The Mask of Dimitrios” (1944), in which they were not supporting actors but actually the stars.
(5) And some film histories consider “The Maltese Falcon” the first film noir. It put down the foundations for that native American genre of mean streets, knife-edged heroes, dark shadows and tough dames.
The BIFF Silent Film Showcase sponsored by BMO Harris Bank has been the centerpiece of the Beloit International Film Festival since its inception, and this year’s production will be a “Wiz of a Wiz” according to Rock River Philharmonic Music Director Robert Tomaro.
Following on the success of last year’s sold-out production of the silent “The Phantom of the Opera,” Tomaro and his friends are back, this time with an original music score and a new production of “The Wizard of Oz.” The program is built around the first silent film version of the story, but it may not be the Wiz you know.
Fourteen years before Judy Garland skipped down the yellow brick road, Hollywood came out with a very wild, very crazy silent film of The Wizard of Oz. Lost since then, Dr. Tomaro will revive it for BIFF with one performance at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at Beloit College’s Eaton Chapel.
Tomaro’s original score will be complemented by songs such as If I Only Had a Brain and We’re Off to See the Wizard, selections from the Broadway musicals The Wiz and Wicked, and a memorable closing tribute to Judy Garland with Over the Rainbow. “This new moshed-up romp will have you rolling in the aisles,” the Maestro promises.
The film will be presented without intermission and will be preceded by a silent cartoon and period newsreel with musical support from the ensemble.
The kingdom of Oz is in trouble.
Princess Dorothea, the rightful heir to the throne, must claim the crown before her eighteenth birthday but is missing. In Kansas, Dorothy is an orphan who lives on a farm with her Uncle Henry and Auntie Em and is unrequitedly loved by two bumbling farmhands. As Dorothy’s eighteenth birthday approaches, Uncle Henry promises to show her the papers that were left beside her when she was found in a basket on the doorstep. Ambassador Wikked arrives from Oz and he and his villains try to prevent Dorothy from claiming her birthright as the princess.
A tornado comes and whips the house containing Dorothy, Henry and the farmhands away, depositing them in Oz. Prime Minister Kruel tries to have the farmhands arrested but they are aided by The Wizard, a court charlatan who helps disguise them as a scarecrow, a tin woodsman and a lion and then pretends that he has brought them to life. The three bumbling idiots try to prevent Dorothy from being fooled into marrying Prime Minister Kruel.
This version was made by Larry Semon, a popular slapstick comedian of the silent era who appeared in some 120 films between 1915 and 1928. Larry Semon was extremely prolific (making an average of 10 films a year). Although almost entirely forgotten today, Larry Semon was once considered up alongside more famous silent comedy stars like Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton in terms of popularity by audiences of the day. Semon directed most of his own films and was known for elaborate slapstick routines and stuntwork, which often escalated the budgets of his films.
Larry Semon unfortunately never found a means of adapting his comedy routines to the growing sophistications of his audiences and was regarded as passe by the arrival of the sound era. Semon put a good deal of his own money into Wizard of Oz but the film was a massive financial flop – although ironically it is the only of his films that Larry Semon is remembered for today, solely for the novelty value that it presents in comparison to the 1939 The Wizard of Oz. (The one other novelty that Wizard of Oz 1925 has is as an early performance from Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy fame who plays the role of one of the farmhand who becomes the Tin Woodsman.
Larry Semon employed both Laurel and Hardy on many of his early films, although never together. Ironically the financial collapse of Wizard of Oz was indirectly responsible for creating Laurel and Hardy – it put an end to Hardy’s employment as part of the Semon stock company whereupon he was taken on by Hal Roach Studios and paired up with Stan Laurel).
This signature BIFF event features members of the Rock River Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Robert Tomaro.
Since its inception, the signature event of The Beloit International Film Festival has been the Saturday evening BMO Harris Bank Silent Film Showcase.
Sold-out audiences have frequently included film festival executives from around the country on hand to see how BIFF creates the program so they might duplicate it at their festivals. This annual celebration of early 20th century film is highlighted by a performance of an original or newly conceived musical score performed by The Rock River Philharmonic.
Prior to the Silent Film screening there will be a reception to benefit the Rock River Philharmonic.
Sat Feb 20, 2016 – 5 pm | Luxury 10 Theater
Adults: $10 | Students: $5
Sponsored by:
The award winning comedy musical tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, an overweight teenager with all the right moves, who is obsessed with the Corny Collins Show. Every day after school, she and her best friend Penny run home to watch the show and drool over the hot Link Larkin, much to Tracy’s mother’s dismay. When auditions are held for the show Tracy goes for it and makes it…and then the excitement really starts, all without denting her ‘do!
Adam Shankman
Director/ Writer
an American film director, producer, dancer, actor, and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson.
Shankman has choreographed numerous films as well as one of the Spice Girls’ tours. He has directed several feature-length films, including A Walk to Remember, Bringing Down the House, and the 2007 remake of Hairspray.
Genre: Comedy, Musical, Romace
Year: 2007
Country: U.S.
Rating: PG
Runtime: 117 min.
Director: Adam Shankman
Website : Singalonga
BIFF 2015 will celebrate regional filmmakers during the first weekend of BIFF with three days of film competition in the Wisconsin-Illinois Showdown. Filmmaking isn’t just for Hollywood anymore. For ten years now, the Beloit International Film Festival has shown our community the power of independent and internationally made films. Many of these films in the past have come from communities just a drive away from our own, dazzling us with Hollywood-quality productions and unique regional flavor. BIFF felt it needed to expand this trend into a full-on weekend, part of the now Ten Days of BIFF. This year BIFF presents its second annual Wisconsin-Illinois Showdown (Feb. 20 to 22, 2015), a weekend showcasing the great caliber of work made on the Third Coast! When audiences walk into each Wisconsin-Illinois Showdown screening, they are given ballots to vote on what they believe are the best films, eventually awarding filmmakers much-deserved recognition.
“We are proud to be showcasing the amazing work of these area artists,”, “These are the sorts of films that are critically acclaimed but not always readily available for viewing. I think that BIFF patrons will find genuine enjoyment in learning of the great cinematic art that’s created right in our backyard.”
There will be dozens of films shown throughout the weekend. All films will be voted on by the audience, resulting in the BIFF Audience Choice Awards for Best Illinois and Best Wisconsin features, documentaries and short films. An awards party announcing the Audience Choice Awards will be held at La Casa Grande in Beloit the following weekend.
According to BIFF Wisconsin Illinois Showdown coordinator Kristin Peterson, “Many great films, ranging from heartwarming dramas to engaging and hilarious documentaries to grindhouse horror, will screen in the Showdown. Four short slots of the best short films made in the region will also screen across the weekend and into the following week.”
BIFF will unveil the 10th installment of its annual film festival program book at a very special release party hosted by The Ironworks Hotel in downtown Beloit on Monday, January 26th, 2015 from 5PM to 7PM.
The event is free of charge and open to the general public. Festivities will be held in the spacious and elegant banquet facility of the recently renovated Ironworks Hotel (formerly the Beloit Inn) located at 500 Pleasant Street in Beloit.
The evening will include an array of complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Guests are invited to arrive around 5PM for a social reception, which will be followed by a series of informative presentations by a variety of BIFF representatives.
A special film screening area will be set up in the banquet facility where guests will be able to enjoy previews of BIFF 2015 film content. The focus of the presentation will be on a cross-section of this year’s comedy, drama and documentary short subject film fare.
The centerpiece of the event will be the unveiling and distribution of the 2015 BIFF program book, this year prepared by the Beloit Daily News in collaboration with Mary Terry of Mary Terry Design. Members of the BIFF Board of Directors will hand out the first several hundred copies of the more than 35,000 units provided to the festival by the BDN with help from the festival staff immediately following the series of VIP speakers.
“We are ecstatic to be celebrating our 10th anniversary and have been working around the clock to put together a 2015 festival that maintains the high level of quality that has made BIFF a success over the years, while developing a host of new features that we feel will make BIFF even more special than it has ever been before. The program release party is always exciting because it not only puts the new program in the hands of our public, but also fills the Beloit area atmosphere with the electricity of anticipation for the coming citywide celebration of independent film.”
The director of the most successful movie musical ever made, will share his stories and his wisdom with audiences as they sing-a-long at this year’s Beloit International Film Festival.
Randal Kleiser, the director of Grease and one of the most respected authorities on film technology, will serve as Honorary Chair of the 2015 Beloit International Film Festival. He will greet audiences and host the BIFF sing-a-long version of Grease. In addition, Kleiser will conduct a seminar on acting, directing and film technology for vising filmmakers and film students.
The sing-a-long showing of Grease, complete with the words at the bottom of the screen for singing great favorites such as You’re the One That I Want, Summer Nights, and Hopelessly Devoted to You, will be presented at the Schubert Luxury 10 Cinema in Beloit on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Kleiser will introduce the film and answer audience questions following the presentation.
Register here to ensure seating
Grease was Kleiser’s first film. Other credits include The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, The Blue Lagoon, Summer Lovers, Flight of the Navigator, White Fang, North Shore, Getting It Right, Lovewrecked, Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway, and the 1996 AIDS drama It’s My Party.
Working in 70mm 3-D, he directed Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, which has been running for more than a decade at Disney Parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, and Paris. This led to the U.S. Government signing him to develop a 360 degree hi-def simulator to train soldiers to deal with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the war in Afghanistan.
In 2007, his University of Southern California thesis film Peege was selected to be added to the prestigious National Registry at the Library of Congress. The 28-minute movie about his grandmother is still drawing accolades for its fiercely honest and poignant portrayal of aging and mental decline. It is only the second student produced film to be placed in the Registry.
With George Lucas, he produced the online course, “USC School of Cinematic Arts presents the Nina Foch Course for Filmmakers and Actors” capturing the teaching of the actress and director who taught at USC for four decades.
Fluent in cutting edge digital technologies, he is chair of the annual Digital Day presentation for the Directors Guild of America, and serves on the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has conducted master classes and has lectured at film festivals around the world.
Once again, BIFF will host “A Taste of BIFF” in Janesville, whereby Janesvillians will get to sample the best films for BIFF 2015 weeks prior to the opening of the festival in Beloit. This year the event will be held in the freshly remodeled Ramada Janesville at 3900 Milton Avenue in Janesville, WI.
Sponsored by:
Ramada Janesville
Comedy Shorts 1 | 5 PM
BIFF Page: Comedy Short #1
East Side Sushi | 7:30 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roazrLGUoO8
BIFF Page: East Side Sushi
Becoming Bulletproof | 5 PM
BIFF Page: Bulletproof
Starfish Throwers | 7:30 PM
BIFF Page: Starfish Throwers
THIS FILM WILL INCLUDE A PANEL OF AREA HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
BIFF Film Page: BIFF Cares
Sponsored By:
Beloit Health System
Documentary Shorts | 5 PM
BIFF Page: Documentary Shorts
Food Patriots | 7:30 PM
BIFF Page: Food Patriots
60 Yrs. Symphony / Vets Roll
in Documentaries 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Thu Feb 20, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Rotary River Center Tickets
Sun Feb 23, 2014 – 2:00 pm — Rotary River Center Tickets
Sixty Years of Symphony
Category: Community, Music
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 30 min.
Director: Beloit Janesville Symphony
Producer: Beloit Janesville Symphony
Synopsis:
This retrospective film looks at the 60 year history of the Beloit Janesville Symphony, with a focus on the three conductors experience throughout each of their tenure in the Beloit Janesville Area.
Vets Roll
Category: Documentary
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 18 min.
Director: Stephen Pickering
Producer: Stephen Pickering
Synopsis:
200 WWII and Korean War Veterans and Rosie the Riveters. 100 Assistants. 10 Badger Buses.
4 days that will change their lives! Follow along as we travel from Beloit, WI to Washington, D.C. as VetsRoll takes these men and women on a trip of a lifetime to visit the memorials that were erected in honor of their service to our country!
Learn how much this trip means to them because it gives these men and women the respect they deserve, which they often never got.
NOTE: Synopsis are typically provided directly by the filmmaker themselves. Often English is not their first language. We ask reader’s understanding for less-than-perfect language and grammar
Where Nature Seems to Smile
in Documentaries 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Sat Feb 22, 2014 – 2:00 pm — Rotary River Center Tickets
Where Nature Seems to Smile:
The Irish in Janesville
Category: Irish, Historical
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 48 min.
Director: Dave Haldiman
Producer: Dan Frediricks, Mike Reuter
Synopsis:
Irish immigrants arrived at the perfect time for Janesville, Wisconsin. They helped to make this small town on the western frontier into a vibrant, successful city. Where Nature Seems to Smile shows us the quintessential American immigration experience, told in stories and family histories by the descendants of those immigrants.
Read more
Comedy Short Slot (2014)
in Comedy Shorts 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Lovers, Liars & Clowns
This trio of characters is drawn from the lyric of the hit Broadway musical number “A Comedy Tonight” and you will see all of them, and more, in this collection of hilarious takes on the human condition. Something familiar, peculiar, appealing, appalling, convulsive, repulsive…well, you get the idea. Something funny will happen on the way thru Beloit when you take in this slot of comedy shorts!
Mon Feb 17, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Domenico’s
Thu Feb 20, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Café Fromage #2
Fri Feb 21, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Bushel & Peck’s
Sat Feb 22, 2014 – 7:30 pm — My Apartment
Sun Feb 23, 2014 – 12:00 pm — Bushel & Peck’s
Community Partner: Finley Dencker
America 101
Category: Comedy, Satire
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 10 min.
Director: Richard Speight Jr.
Producer: Allan Hagan
Facebook:
Synopsis:
One man’s life becomes the lesson of the day when he takes a frenetic ride through his own twisted version of the American experience.
This is How You Die
Category: Comedy, Horror
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 6 min.
Director: Michael Mohan
Producer:
Website:
Synopsis:
What if a machine could tell you cryptically, but with 100% accuracy, how you are going to die?
Ophelia: Love & Privacy Settings
Category: Comedy, Student
Country: Germany
Language: German with Subtitles
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 4 min.
Director: Bin Han To
Producer: Heiko Schulze
Facebook:
Synopsis:
How exposed and public can your thoughts become before it gets embarrassing? Which dirty thoughts could get you into trouble? That’s the problem of our protagonist Hubert.
Anyone can clearly read his thoughts in a speech balloon floating above his head. In our film we accompany him on his challenging search for a girlfriend.
A comedy about ‘The End of Privacy’.
Killer Kart
Category: Comedy, Horror
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: R
Runtime: 15 min.
Director: James Feeney
Producer: Andrew Fairbank
Facebook Page:
Synopsis:
The shopping cart. Four wheels, one basket, and tonight, for the closing crew of a small-town grocery store, a blood-splattered aluminum nightmare.
Hooba Jooba
Category: Comedy, Mature
Country: Canada
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2 min
Director: Max Swiecki
Producer:
Website:
Synopsis:
Hooba is heartbroken after his ex-girlfriend breaks up with him; so it is up to his best friend, Jooba, to help him get back on track and enjoy life again.
Love and Germophobia
category: Comedy
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: R
Runtime: 11 min.
Director: Tyler Spindel
Producer: Tyler Spindel, Alex Cohn, Mark Hyatt, Jared Sandler
Website:
Synopsis:
If your girlfriend had the flu, would you still kiss her? What about if she might have viral Meningitis? For David (TJ Miller), the answer is simple. Absolutely not.
Unfortunately, David’s girlfriend (Kelly Stables) doesn’t see it this way.
GENITAL EXTREME CLOSE-UP, Prologue to a Romantic Comedy
Category: Drama, Erotic
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish with Subtitles
Rating: R
Runtime: 13 min.
Director: David Planell
Producer: David Planell, David Planell, Laura Pugès
Facebook: N/A
Synopsis:
When you wake up with someone you met the night before anything can happen, even what you expect.
Dave vs Death
Category: Comedy
Country: Canada
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 12 min.
Director: Patrick Hagarty
Producer: Anneli Ekborn, Elli Weisbaum, Heather K. Dahlstrom
IMDb:
Synopsis:
From his deathbed, David Kane challenges the Grim Reaper to a game of chess. If Dave wins, his life is spared. For every piece lost, someone he cares about will die.
Hilarity ensues.
The Golden Ticket
Category: Comedy
Country: Canada
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 10 min.
Director: Patrick Hagarty
Producer: Heather K. Dahlstrom, Anneli Ekborn
IMDb:
Synopsis:
Bradley Moore is having a BAD day. He gets dumped, evicted, and fired all before lunch.
But when a stranger offers Brad a Golden Ticket, allowing him to act without consequence for the remainder of the day, Bradley’s day takes an unexpected turn.
NOTE: Synopsis are typically provided directly by the filmmaker themselves. Often English is not their first language. We ask reader’s understanding for less-than-perfect language and grammar
Sign Painters
in Documentaries 2014, WI-IL Documentaries 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Fri Feb 14, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Café Fromage #2 Tickets
Sat Feb 15, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Café Fromage #2 Tickets
Thu Feb 20, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Domenico’s Tickets
Sun Feb 23, 2014 – 2:00 pm — Bagels & More Tickets
Community Partners: Century 21 Real Estate, Grinnell Hall
Sign Painters
Always hand paint
Category: Documentary / Culture
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 81 min.
Director: Sam Macon, Faythe Levine
Producer: Timm Gable, Jonah Mueller
Synopsis:
As recently as the 1980s, storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards and even street signs were hand lettered with brush and paint. But, like many skilled trades, the sign industry has been overrun by the techno-fueled promise of quicker and cheaper. The resulting proliferation of computer-designed, die-cut vinyl lettering and ink-jet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into our landscape. Read more
Channeling
in Feature Films 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Sun Feb 16, 2014 – 2:00 pm — Bushel & Peck’s
Fri Feb 21, 2014 – 2:00 pm — Café Fromage #2
Sat Feb 22, 2014 – 5:00 pm — Club Impulse
Community Partners: Phi Psi, US Cellular
Channeling
You’re only live once
Category: Drama / Sci-Fi
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: R
Runtime: 107 min.
Director: Drew Thomas
Producer: Gerry Santos, Laila Ansari
Synopsis:
A soldier returns home on bereavement leave to discover that his brother’s accidental death…wasn’t.
With 72 hours to solve the mystery, Jonah assumes his brother’s identity, and enters a world of voyeurism and exhibitionism that’s as dangerous as it is addictive – a world in which people broadcast their lives in real time to as large an audience as possible. Read more
Jimmy in Pienk
in Feature Films 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Sun Feb 16, 2014 – 5:00 pm — Bushel & Peck’s
Thu Feb 20, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Club Impulse
Fri Feb 21, 2014 – 2:00 pm — La Casa Grande
Sat Feb 22, 2014 – 2:00 pm — La Casa Grande
Sat Fri Feb 22, 2014 – 7:30 pm — Bushel & Peck’s
Community Partners: First Class Cosmetology School, Totally Tan Inc.
Jimmy in Pienk
Khaki is the new pink
Category: Comedy / Romance
Country: South Africa
Language: English subtitles
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 93
Director: Hanneke Schutte
Producer: Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat
Synopsis:
JIMMY IN PINK is a quirky comedy about Jimmy Bester, a rugged seventh generation corn farmer who can give an accurate five-day weather forecast by simply sniffing the wind. Read more
Street Pulse
in WI-IL Documentaries 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Fri Feb 14, 2014 – 7:30pm — Café Fromage #1 Tickets
Sun Feb 16, 2014 – 12:00 pm — Café Fromage #1 Tickets
Community Partner: GIFTS Men’s Shelter | Janesville
Street Pulse
A Story of Hope and the Homeless
Category: Documentary, Urban
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: PG
Runtime: 68 min.
Director: Marc Kornblatt
Producer: Marc Kornblatt
Synopsis:
Robert and Angel, a homeless couple, are trying to make a normal life for themselves. When we first meet them, they are living under a bridge and biking four miles every day to downtown Madison, Wisconsin where they sell Street Pulse, a newspaper about people such as themselves.
The two met on the street just months after Robert’s release from prison. Now 51, Robert served 26 years for a terrible crime. Angel, 22, diagnosed as bi-polar, was kicked out of her family’s home for repeated bouts of binge drinking. Separated in age by nearly 30 years, they are as unlikely a couple as one might meet, yet they are not only devoted to each other, they are gradually working their way off the street, through hard work and support of a network of volunteers and social services providers.
Street Pulse, the documentary, chronicles Robert and Angel’s life together from the balmy days of summer through the harsh Wisconsin winter. Along the way, we meet other homeless newspaper vendors whose struggles and small successes bring to life the world of a group of people often ignored while trying to survive on the margins of society.
Songs composed and performed by street musicians create a soundtrack that provides another layer of authenticity to this documentary and helps tell the story of the people featured in the film.
NOTE: Synopsis are typically provided directly by the filmmaker themselves. Often English is not their first language. We ask reader’s understanding for less-than-perfect language and grammar
Read more
Date America
in BIFF Year Round Films, Documentaries 2014, WI-IL Documentaries 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Date America
8 Dates, 8 States, 1 Road Trip.
Category: Comedy / Documentary
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 86 min.
Director: Bob Murray
Producer: Bob Murray
Synopsis:
Wisconsinite Bob Murray finds himself in the awkward position of being a bachelor at 34 while all of his peers are settling down and starting families. Read more
Jake Squared
in Feature Films 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Jake Squared
Life is Stranger Than Life
Category: Comedy / Romance
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: R
Runtime: 101
Director: Howard Goldberg
Producer: Howard Goldberg, David K. Wilson, Elias Koteas
Synopsis:
Jake Klein, 50, sets out to make a movie. He hires an actor to play himself and throws a big party. His idea is to shoot the heck out of it and see what he gets. But, everything spins out of control as different, unexpected people show up. Read more
B-Side
in Feature Films 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014B-Side
Love is so damn catchy
Category: Comedy / Romance
Country: US
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 97 min.
Director: Amos Posner
Producer: April Lamb
Synopsis:
MIKE ZUMSTEG is a DJ for an underground internet radio station he helped found. APRIL SIMON is a fading pop star on what she expects to be the final tour of her career.
When April writes in to Mike’s show after he randomly makes a joke at her expense, the two end up meeting and forming an unlikely relationship.
Read more
Circle the Wagen
in Documentaries 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Circle the Wegen
a buddy / roadtrip / docu-dramedy
Category: Comedy / Documentary
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: PG
Runtime: 87 min.
Director: Ryan Steven Green
Producer: Charles Pecoraro, David Torstenson
Synopsis:
Tired of being beat down, discouraged & scared by day-time talk shows & nightly news, the filmmakers of Circle the Wagen were fascinated & uplifted when they learned about the A.I.R.S. List; the Aircooled Interstate Rescue Squad. In addition to being the only way Dave could think of to save his 1972, baby blue Volkswagen bus, (stuck half-way cross the country after the first failed attempt); it was by FAR the most intriguing. Read more
Colegas (Buddies)
in Feature Films 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Colegas (Buddies)
The funniest comedy of the year
Category: Adventure / Comedy
Country: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 100 min.
Director: Marcelo Galvão
Producer: Marcelo Galvão
Synopsis:
“Buddies” is a road movie that shows the simple things in life in a poetic light, through the eyes of 3 characters with Down syndrome, who run away from the institute where they live to gain their freedom. Read more
Putzel
in BIFF Year Round Films, Feature Films 2014, BIFF @ Janesville 2014Putzel
Sometimes you have to cross the street to find true love…
Category: Comedy | Jewish
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Rating: R
Runtime: 88 min.
Director: Jason Chaet
Producer: Rick Moore, Sheri Davani
Synopsis:
For some, life is an adventure filled with opportunities to excel, and worlds to explore. But for Walter Himmelstein, a young man endearingly known as Putzel, life literally doesn’t go beyond his family’s fish store and his community on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
They Drew Fire
in BIFF @ Janesville 2014, Documentaries 2013Combat Artists of World War II
Friday: 4:oo pm – Rock County Historical Society
Sunday: 12:00 pm – Cheese People/ Nikki’s Café
Category: Documentary
Country: Canada
Language: English
Rating:
Runtime: 56 min.
Director: Brian Lanker
Producer: Bonni Cohen
Website: They Drew Fire
During World War II more than 100 U.S. servicemen and civilians served as ‘combat artists’. They depicted the war as they experienced it with their paintbrushes and pens. Their stories have never been told, and for fifty years their artwork, consisting of more than 12,000 pieces has been largely forgotten — until now.
This Web site is a companion to the PBS documentary They Drew Fire, which originally aired in May 2000. Here you will find an extensive art gallery displaying the pieces shown in the film, as well as other paintings by the combat artists. Many of these images have been hidden from the public eye since the time of the war. In addition, biographies of the artists themselves help fill out their stories as seen in the film. The site also provides a page of resources, including information about the history of World War II combat art programs, addresses of museums where the art is kept, and information about the filmmakers, for viewers interested in learning more.
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Short Slot 1
in BIFF @ Janesville 2014, BIFF @ Rockford 2013, Short Films 2013Thursday: 2:30 pm – Bushel & Peck’s
Friday: 6:30 pm – Cheese People/ Nikki’s Café
Saturday: 6:30 pm – Speakeasy 2
Saturday: 4:00 pm – Katie’s Cup
Luminaris
Category: Short Film
Country: Argentina, Spain
Language:
Rating: G
Runtime: 6 min.
Director: Juan Pablo Zaramella
Producer: Sol Rulloni
In a world controlled and timed by the light, a common man has a plan that could change the destiny.
CatCam
Category: Short Film
Country: USA
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 15
Director: Seth Keal
Producer: Seth Keal
Website: CatCam The Movie
Mr. Lee, an adopted stray cat, routinely disappeared from his North Carolina home for days on end. Intrigued by Mr. Lee’s whereabouts, his owner Juergen, a German engineer, created a camera designed to fit around the feline’s neck. Engineered to capture continuous photographs, Juergen hoped to discover the mysterious life of his cat. After many unsuccessful attempts, Mr. Lee returned with the camera intact and photographic evidence of his travels. Intrigued by his findings, Juergen published the photographs on the Internet, unaware that his small invention would send shock-waves around the world and alter his life forever.
Old Country Lullaby
Category: Short Film
Country: USA
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 7 min.
Director: Marc Kornblatt
Producer: Marc Kornblatt
Website: Old Country Lullaby
‘…and you shall inscribe them on the doorposts of your home…’
The quote comes from Deuteronomy and is known the world over by Jews as a symbol of home. The words appear in a passage that children learn to recite from early on and are found, hand-written in Hebrew on parchment, inside the mezuzah, a cylinder-shaped container that Jews place on the right side of their doorposts as a sign of their faith..
In OLD COUNTRY LULLABY, my 7:30-minute dramatic short, the past and future merge as Jules and his daughter Mira pack up their last boxes and take down the mezuzahs in anticipation of selling their home. Lunch is waiting for them across town at their new apartment, but Jules has trouble leaving.
Sitting on the floor in his daughter’s empty bedroom, he can’t remember a certain lullaby he used to sing to her when she was a baby. It may be a small matter to Mira, but to Jules the niggun (Hebrew for wordless melody) he learned from his grandfather seems significant. To him it represents his connection to his ancestors, the old country they left behind and the culture they brought to America.
Singing the tune in its entirety strikes Jules as an important way of holding onto his past as he himself grows older and moves on. He needs Mira’s help to remember.
Transthreeded
Category: Short Film
Country: Spain
Language:
Rating: G
Runtime: 2 min.
Director: Andres Vidal
Producer: Andres Vidal
Earth, the next target.
Quest for Energy
Category: Short Film
Country: USA
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 10 min.
Director: Vinit Parmar
Producer: Ryoya Terao
QUEST FOR ENERGY encourages us to think about our energy consumption and way of life to get closer achieve zero impact on our environment.
Four million islanders want electricity. For eons, they had survived in the dark, lit by dim kerosene lamps. They still burn wood for fire. Millions live like this around the world.. The people of the Sunderbans live less than hundred miles away from Kolkata, India, residing in the largest wetland in the world adjacent to one of the most populated urban areas.
This World Heritage site boasts about two hundred fifty wild, white Bengal tigers, only fifty-two of the hundred-two islands are human-inhabited. These islanders have witnessed massive flooding and realize their islands will be under water because of rising sea levels from climate change. Two islands recently disappeared. The UN reports that 75% of the landmass will be under water due to climate change. Four million islanders risk losing everything, their homes, farmland, animal stock, and their lives.
In the 1990s, the West Bengal government commissioned the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency to electrify its off-grid population without contributing to the degradation of the tender wetland ecosystem. Low cost coal is not an option.
The residents voted to acquire clean energy. Now, three of the fifty-two occupied islands have electricity from a hybrid mini-grid power plant that uses wood to make a biogas, without producing climate-changing emissions. Replenishment of used wood through plantation of new trees makes this process sustainable. But, only about six hundred homes enjoy an electrical connection. How about the other forty-nine islands?
These islanders power their CFL bulbs, fans, television sets, DVD players, cell phones, computers and other appliances from large renewable charged batteries.
Solar panels purchased from local solar shops can be seen on rooftops and straw huts. A local hospital’s solar panels has permitted emergency operations using simple lights and modern vital-sign machines and cured illnesses by administering vaccines kept in cold storage.
For cooking – burning firewood and kerosene, caused burns and even deaths and smoke inhalation problems. Now, manure pits supply ample natural cooking gas from fermented cow manure for a safe and fast cooking experience. It produces zero emissions.
Simple sustainable technology has saved lives, and transformed an off-grid village into a thriving city of entrepreneurs, bustling with energy, and the conveniences of appliances. Imagine what can be done for the rest of the off-grid world still living in the dark.
Cracked
Category: Short Film
Country: USA
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 5 min.
Director: Terence Campbell
Producer: Terence Campbell
Website: Terence Campbell
Facebook: Cracked
Every shot is a pan of broken eggs.
Kaloo School
Category: Short Film
Country: USA
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 11 min.
Director: Sahra Mosawi
Producer: Asmita Shrish
Website: Kaloo School
Facebook: Kaloo School
In between the famous Mountain in rural north Afghanistan there is a village with 2500 families with just two schools for children. Every child spent about 5 hours everyday to go to the school, which is hard and sometimes impossible especially for girls in unsafe environment. But now people in Afghanistan are more aware about education and have freedom of giving their children a full privilege of education. People from villages understand the importance of educating their children regardless of boy or girl.
This documentary is a symbol of present Afghan life, with some hope for their future trying to build better country and explores life of the people in a period of time to show how their way of life change in a positive way after NATO invasion. The aim is to bring to light the human stories in the world’s most dangerous and deprived regions. To show how they live in this situation, fighting for the better tomorrow.
Milo
Category: Short Film
Country: Italy
Language: n/a
Rating: G
Runtime: 9 min.
Director: Simon Pietro De Domenico
Producer: Simon Pietro De Domenico
The storm of silence will be a very common weather phenomenon in 2012. Milo, a boy of 7 years, lives in a world all its own and he does not like ‘outside’ interference. For this reason, one day he decides to record the storm of silence in order to isolate himself in his world.
Old Angel
Category: Short Film
Country: Taiwan
Language: Taiwanese w/ English subtitles
Rating: G
Runtime: 5 min.
Director: Dony Chiang
Producer: Dony Chiang
Old Angel once hurt his wings. He came to the forest to mend his wings among the colossal trees. His wings have healed, but he’s been here for a long, long time.
So long that he’s forgotten how it feels to fly. But he just can’t forget, the last time he tried to flap his wings, that excruciating pain, that crushing despair he felt. Time and again he’s walked to the edge of a cliff, at the edge of the trees, but he’s never summoned enough courage to fly.
The autumn leaves have nearly all fallen, and migrating littleangels arrives near the Colossal Forest. Dim rays of light piercing from the forest catch the eye of one Little Angel. He feels an mysterious force pulling on him, as if it is saying, something needs him. He halts in his tracks, before starting toward its source. . .
Smile
Category: Short Film
Country: Italy
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 8 min.
Director: Matteo Pianezzi
Producer: Matteo Pianezzi
Behind a clown’s makeup there is always a man with his story: the story of his life, that could be happy or not funny at all, even if his clothes and his makeup let us think something definitely smiley. If the Clown is a mime too, it would not be possible to ask him to tell us his story: he would not answer us. The only thing left to do is follow him to see where he takes us, and understand where he is going. We will find out that the Clown, the Mime and the Man are the same person, inevitably.
Bottle
Category: Short Film
Country: USA
Language: English
Rating: G
Runtime: 6 min.
Director: Kirsten Lepore
Producer: Kirsten Lepore
Animated on location at a beach, in snow, and underwater, this stop-motion short details a transoceanic conversation between two characters via objects in a bottle.
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