Connecticut Film Festival Schedule

Valentines Weekend – At The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center

February 12-14, 2010

Connecticut Film Festival Schedule

FRIDAY – Feb. 12

Friday 10:30am

The Kate: Old Saybrook's Crown Jewel

Bob Czepiel's documentary film chronicling the history of Old Saybrooks old town hall and it's transformation into the The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center

Tickets: Free

Friday 11:45am

The Day After Peace

Tickets: $7.50

Charts the remarkable 10-year journey taken by award winning filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish a day of Peace on September 21st. The camera follows Gilley as he galvanizes the countries of the world to recognize this as an official day of ceasefire and non-violence. Dir. Jeremy Gilley, 82 mins.

Day After Peace website & Trailer Link: http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/film/the-day-after-peace

Friday 1:30pm

Monsters From The Id - Documentary

Tickets: $7.50

The 1950's was an idealistic time in American History, filled with hope, opportunity, and wonder. It was also, "The Atomic Age", where new technology promised to both save humanity as well as put it in jeopardy. All of these factors gave birth to one of the most prolific genres in film history, 1950's Science Fiction Cinema. More then just bug eyed monsters and little green men, 1950's Sci-fi Cinema provided science inspiration for millions of eager youths across the country.

Monsters From The Id weaves the intersecting themes of over thirty classic Sci-Fi films in order to tell the untold story of the rise of the Modern Scientist and his role in inspiring a nation. The film continues to explore the psychological and cultural impact of 1950's Sci-Fi cinema in America and asks, "where is science inspiration found today?"

Monsters From The Id Website & Trailer Link: http://www.monstersfromtheid.net/trailer.html

Friday 3:00pm

CTFF Shorts Program 1

Synopsis to follow

Tickets: $7.50

Friday 4:30pm

Brave New West – The CTFF 2008 "Best Editing Award"

Tickets $7.50

"Old West" meets "New West" in the work of writer, publisher, artist, and activist, Jim Stiles, whose independent paper boasts, "Hopelessly clinging to the past."

Brave New West is a story about the eccentric, humorous, and inspiring world of Jim Stiles, whose dedication and imagination has produced one of America's truly original independent newspapers – "The Canyon Country Zephyr." Working alone since 1989 in his small home in Moab, Utah, Stiles combines art, humor, and commentary with honest stories to create an extraordinary historical archive of the rapidly changing landscape and culture of the American West. "The Zephyr" is a captivating visual experience and a humorous and a candid confessional. Brave New West is an off-the-wall odyssey that tells the tale of how one man's passion for the natural world fueled the creation of an enduring newspaper that has become an unlikely institution in the American West.

Brave New West website & trailer link: http://www.highplainsfilms.org/fp_brave.html

Friday 6:15pm

Random Lunacy – The CTFF 2009 Best Documentary Film

Tickets - $8.50

"Poppa Neutrino has all the characteristics of a man who could have built a fortune," asserts The New Yorker's Alec Wilkinson, who is featured in RANDOM LUNACY. Yet the radically itinerant Neutrino's belief that "rent is the thing that beats us," caused him instead to choose a homeless existence for himself and his family. Unencumbered by possessions, save for a video camera kept rolling since the 80's, he led his "tribe" on a quest for pure freedom and adventure.

Random Lunacy website link: http://www.poppaneutrino.com/index.html

Review Random Lunacy: Videos From the Road Less Traveled

by Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

Movies like to pretend they're different, but Random Lunacy really, truly is. The gifted filmmakers Victor Zimet and Stephanie Silber have grabbed themselves a subject who can wiggle off any hook, so they avoid glib judgements and do the smart thing by wiggling right along with him. It turns out to be the only way to tell this questing, quicksilver story. The subject is Poppa Neutrino, the name David Pearlman, now 74, has been calling himself for decades. And since a neutrino is "a sub-atomic particle in constant motion," the name fits. Poppa doesn't work, pay rent, listen to doctors or kiss institutional butt. He prefers to invent his life as he goes along, whether he's building a raft out of scraps and sailing the Atlantic, inventing a new football play or touring the world from Mexico to Russia with his band, the Flying Neutrinos. But don't discount the intellect that Poppa uses to back up his wit and daring as leader of his tribe. That's right, tribe. Family is what you call the Waltons. The collection of wives, children, step-children and believers who make up the Neutrinos defies categorization. And so, using Poppa's own videos to augment their tale, Zimet and Silber throw us into a life that intoxicates, infuriates and leaves us panting for each unique and unforgettable adventure. Prepare to be wowed.

Friday Night Film & Reception 7:30pm

The Baker - The CTFF 2009 "Audience Favorite" Award Winner

Tickets $25.00 Includes Screening Reception immediately following the film with past hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and non-Alcoholic Beverages

Milo is a professional hit man living on the edge. When failing to fulfill a contract for the first time, Milo escapes the city to avoid the wrath of his employers. Hiding out in a remote rural village, the locals mistake him for the new baker. However, Milo soon discovers that you can't always have your cake and eat it.

Starring the cream of British talent, including Damian Lewis (NBC's Life & Band of Brothers), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter) and Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead), The Baker is a killer comedy not to be missed… feature UK - Dir. Gareth Lewis 86min

The Baker website & trailer link: http://www.thebakermovie.co.uk/

SATURDAY – Feb. 13

Saturday - 9:00am – 10:00am & 10:15 - 11:30

Morning Educational Event with film and television director Alec Asten and

Southeastern Connecticut Filmmakers SECTFilm.

High School Students Are FREE with proof of school.

Directing For Film & Television Part 1

9:00am – 10am

15 Minute Break

Directing For Film & Television Part 2

10:15am - 11:30am

Alec Asten will present a lecture about the job of the director, and all the roles and responsibilities the director has on a film or television shoot. The two sessions will be broken up by a 15-minute refreshment break. May include equipment brought by the group for examples.

The cost of both workshops is $15.00 Free upon presenting ticket to Saturday Night Film & Reception

Saturday 12:00pm

PITCHING MAN & Short – Gandhi At The Bat

$7.50

PITCHING MAN: Satchel Paige Defying Time celebrates the life of one of baseball's most enduring legends. Paige was an extraordinary athlete and a genuine American original who played the game for forty years on makeshift rural sandlots and in major league ballparks against the best in the game. Before Jackie Robinson integrated the major leagues in 1947, Paige was the single most important player in the old Negro Baseball Leagues. He was a complicated and compelling figure who rose from poverty in the streets of Mobile, Alabama to the pantheon of baseball immortals in the Hall of Fame. Narrated by actor Billy Dee Williams this 55-minute documentary paints a vivid portrait of American society in transition.

Saturday 1:30pm

Shorts On The Edge – Shorts Program

$7.50

The Beneficiary, Dir. Ted Melfi 18min - A dark tale about three lives that are tragically altered when an ordinary event ignites a chain reaction of paranoia and murder.

15-40, Dir. Christian Bagger, 23 min The true story of tennis player Kai Hansen on his way to winning a spot at the European championships in Sweden under Nazi occupation. His aging tennis champion, Erik is outed as Jew as a massive deportation is staged.

Stolen Youth Dir. Leon Chambers 13min - As the inhabitants of a quiet rural village enjoy their Sunday lunch a young tear-away embarks on a violent and destructive tour. A beautifully shot dark short film about dark secrets.

No Wind, No Waves, Dir. Julian Higgins 22 min - A Chinese man comes to America for the first time to visit his son, but his trip goes terribly awry when he discovers his son has been mysteriously arrested

Saturday 3:00pm

L.A. Comedy Shorts

From The L.A. Comedy Shorts Festival

$7.50

Daryl From OnCar: Ted's screwed. His keys are locked in his car. Fortunately, his 2007 ½ Domestic Minivan has OnCar™ – the revolutionary on-board navigation/concierge/emergency system. Within moments, Daryl, Ted's personal customer service ambassador, unlocks the car remotely. Ted soon realizes that OnCar™ does far more than advertised. One touch of that big red button and Daryl can get Ted virtually anything he wants. Ted considers Daryl one of the family, until Daryl becomes psycho-obsessive and meddlesome – like one of the family. And when Ted tries to make Daryl back off, he discovers that you don't mess with the man from OnCar™…

I Own You: (18:00) OK. So this black guy, who's married to a white girl, finds out that her family used to own his. Crazy right? It could happen. In fact, it did.

Distraxion: (1:50) An office worker's job is made extremely difficult because of his boss's taste in music.

The Deposition of Lou Bagetta:Longtime mobster Lou Bagetta (PATRICK GALLO) knows an unexpected visit is never good news, so when fellow gangster Joey Gusto (DAN OLIVO) drops by it comes down to a battle of wits. Fortunately for Bagetta, Gusto doesn't have many. Baffled by Bagetta's "immortality issues" and lacking improvisational panache in the art of the hit, Joey Gusto struggles with a mark who has decided not only to put up a fight, but to have a good time in the process.

A Bit of Counseling:A British couple seeks therapy for an unusual problem, and finds an unusual solution.

Swear Police: Swear jars suck.

Captain Coulier: Sick of the pressure from his parents to become successful on planet earth, Anthony Coulier impulsively became a space explorer. Although lured to space by the promise of action, adventure, and glory, he now battles space travel's greatest obstacle, boredom. Now in between planets, and with mission operations undercontrol, he becomes restless and argumentative with a distant crew. Loneliness sinks in. Maybe intergalactic space travel isn't his shtick…

Saturday 4:30pm

Searching The 4th Nail – "CT Grown"

2009 CTFF "CT Filmmaker Award" Winner

$7.50

One of the most anticipated screenings is "Searching The Fourth Nail" about filmmaker George Eli's eight-year, personal journey seeking the mysterious and shrouded history, culture and genealogy of America's "Roma" Gypsy culture. This rare documentary explores the very little known life of Roma culture in the U.S. Embarks on a quest for the truth, from the Holocaust Museum to Hollywood, from ancient India to Ellis Island. Dir. George Eli

Saturday 5:40pm

The Wrecking Crew - Documentary

$7.50

The Wrecking Crew were THE Studio Musicians in Los Angeles in the 60s. They played on hits for the "Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Mamas and Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers and were Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. The amount of work that they were involved in was tremendous. They were also involved in groups that I like to call, The Milli Vanilli's of the day. A producer would get the guys in and lay down some instrumental tracks. If it became a hit, they would record an album and put a group together to go on the road. This happened many times with groups like the Marketts, Routers, and T-Bones. The next day they would do the same thing and call it another name. Same musicians, but different group Name. At the time the record industry was primarily in New York, London and Detroit in the late 50's and early 60s. Then there was a surge towards the mid-60s that pushed the recording to the west Coast. So these musicians were recording around the clock for a good 8 years. It's hey day for this group was in 1967 when the charts turned to the west.

Saturday Night Film & Reception 7:30pm

The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee – "CT Grown Film" & "Times Up" and "Gamers" two comedy shorts created by

Connecticut's Film Industry Training program

Directors Richard Dobbs (LAW AND ORDER) and Lew Gould

(JUDGING AMY, MEDIUM) will be on hand to answer questions.

Tickets $25.00 Includes Screening Reception immediately following the film with past hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and non-Alcoholic Beverages

From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (ROBIN WRIGHT PENN) leads a charmed existence. She is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (ALAN ARKIN) thirty years her senior, the proud mother of two grown children, and a trusted friend and confidant to all who cross her path. But as Pippa dutifully follows her husband to a new life in a staid Connecticut retirement community, her idyllic world and the persona she has built over the course of her marriage will be put to the ultimate test.

In truth, looks are deceiving, and this picture-perfect woman has seen more than her fair share of turmoil in her youth. Embarking on a bittersweet journey of self-discovery, accompanied by a new, strange and soulful acquaintance (KEANU REEVES), Pippa must now confront both her volatile past and the hidden resentment of her seemingly perfect life in order to find her true sense of self. By turns wry, humorous, and moving, THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE presents the complex portrait of the many lives behind a single name.

SUNDAY – Feb. 14

Further Your Film Making Education

$15.00 Includes Lectures & The State Of Independent Filmmaking In Connecticut

High School Students Are FREE with proof of school.

9:00 - 11:30: Morning Educational Event with Luz Ramos and Marty Lang. The Morning will be divided into three sections:

1) Becoming an actor in film and television

2) How to work with producers and casting directors

3) A PowerPoint presentation "How actors can pull together resources in Connecticut to make their own projects"

11:30 - noon: Refreshments

The State of Independent Filmmaking in Connecticut

12:00pm - 1:30pm: High School Students Are FREE with proof of school.

$7.50

Educational Panel Discussion With:

Marty Lang – Writer, Producer and Director, Quinnapeac University Professor and Instructor Connecticut Film Industry Training Program

Luz Ramos – Actor, Acting Coach and Executive Director of The New

England Film & Television Expo

Alec Asten – Film and Television Writer, Producer and Director - Alec

Alex Calvo – Writer & Director of The Other Side Of The Tracks

Sunday 1:45pm

CT Filmmaker Shorts

Balls, Dir. Patrick Davin, 18 mins - Tom and Ron, were friends and competitors at a New York acting conservatory until Ron discovered the girl he loved had an affair with Tom. Years later, Ron and Tom, both stay-at-home fathers, meet by chance and attempt to work out their differences.

The Pilgrim Dir. Elizabeth Page 10min - A five-year-old child tries to teach her Hispanic babysitter about Thanksgiving in a quiet afternoon but when Immigration Enforcement bursts in and arrests her nanny, she learns how we treat our pilgrims today.

Tick Tock Dir. Dan Cooperbey 21min - A mysterious antique gypsy pendant watch that warns the wearer when they have only 13 minutes to live. Just enough time to pray, say goodbye to loved ones, repent your sins and save your soul ... or not.

Swing Vote Dir. Rebecca Pelletier 16min - What side are you on? Forming an underground organization of women, best friends Casey and Billie concoct a scheme to convert Republicans and swing the Presidential election using sex.

Sunday 3:30pm

Length Doesn't Matter – Shorts Program

Glimpse – Animation

Tuesdays Are Orange, Dir. Cuyler Bryant - Alone in his apartment, a young man clings to routine as he struggles to cope with everyday life. Today is Tuesday; on Tuesday he takes the orange pill. But is the shift in reality that follows just part of the routine, or a chance to escape it?

The Brick Wall Bubble Gum Girl, Dir. Benjamin Rutkowski - An impressionable apprentice photographer bites off more than he can chew when real life mixes with the movies he's been watching.

Swing Vote, Dir. Rebecca Pelletier - What side are you on? Forming an underground organization of women, best friends Casey and Billie concoct a scheme to convert Republicans and swing the Presidential election using sex.

Superglue, Dir. Billy Duberstein- When Dave (a screenwriter) moves to Los Angeles, he reluctantly accepts an invitation for dinner by his distant cousin Paul - an established actor on a daytime soap but finds himself in mortal danger between Paul and his underwear-model girlfriend Lauren.

Prayers For Peace – Animation

Sunday 5:00pm

What Would Darwin Think – Man Vs Nature In Galapagos

Terra Antarctica – Rediscovering the Seventh Continent

$7.50

Follow National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Jon Bowmaster as he takes you through some of the most inhospitable yet most delicate ecosystems on the planet in this double feature presentation:

Terra Antarctica – Rediscovering the Seventh Continent - For six weeks we explored the Antarctic Peninsula by sea kayak, sailboat, foot and small plane, observing the fast changing evolution of this most remote place. Impacted by climate change - temperatures have warmed along the Peninsula faster than anywhere on the planet during the past 50 years - this part of Antarctica is also experiencing a boom in tourism and nations fighting over who owns what as its ice slowly disappears. This National Geographic-sponsored exploration is a one-of-a-kind look at Antarctica from a unique perspective - sea level.

What Would Darwin Think – Man Vs Nature In Galapagos

The impact on the most unique collection of endemic wildlife in the world has been heavy; too many people from the outside world threatening the future of this one-of-a-kind place. Director Jon Bowermaster

Sunday 6:45pm

TiMER, Comedy Romance SiFi CTFF 2009 "Best Feature Film"

$8.50

Finding true love is easier than ever thanks to a revolutionary bio-technological wrist implant called the TiMER, which counts down to the exact moment when people will lay eyes on their soul mates. Heartbreak is a malady of the past. Except that love-starved, pushin'-30 Oona's (Emma Caulfield) hasn't even started counting down. Oona's family and friends all appear set for true love via the TiMER. Yet Oona's starts falling for a barely twentysomething rocker (John Patrick) the pre-TiMER way. Also staring: Michelle Borth, Amedori, Desmond Harrington, JoBeth Williams, Kali Rocha. Director: Jaqueline Schaeffer 82min

Sunday 8:30pm

Doppio (Dubble)

$8.50

A foreign comedy with Luca and Mickey, the two brothers in their thirties who areconflicted about their individual dreams amongst the beautiful backdrop of Milan. Spite, malice, love affairs, revenge, dreams and delusions occur in the space of three days within the dubbing studio complex of soap operas. 104 mins