Between Two Rivers is a new documentary film about Cairo, Illinois, a historic town with a dark and troubled past, located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, in the heartland of America. Filmed, edited and directed by artists Jacob Cartwright and Nick Jordan, Between Two Rivers offers a remarkable insight into a community struggling with severe economic, social and environmental pressures.
2012
Best Of the Fest
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
35 minutes
Director:
Jacob Cartwright, Nick Jordan
Jury Prize Documentary Short Film
Documentary Short
United States
Runtime:
40 minutes
Director:
Christine Lee
Hip Hop Maestro begins with an overture of kinetic concert footage that reveals linebacker sized maestro, Geoff Double G Gallegos, his symphony, Reepus II in A Minor, and the young, vibrant Los Angeles musicians who willingly give their time and talent to this orchestra known as daKAH. Told in first person narration, Double G chronicles his amazing journey as a young composer whose epic vision of bringing elements of hip hop, jazz, funk and reggae into the symphonic audience despite great odds- a.k.a no $. In three movements, this daKUMENTARY shall demonstrate how Double Gs unique leadership and single- minded determination propels daKAH from the Los Angeles nightclub scene to the magnificent stage at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Jury Prize For Documentary Feature
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
35 minutes
Director:
Ana Nogueira
Ana Nogueira is a white South African and Eron Davidson a Jewish Israeli. Drawing on their first-hand knowledge of the issues, the producers take a close look at the apartheid comparison often used to describe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their film breaks down the rhetorical analogy into a fact-based comparison, noting where the analogy is useful and appropriate, and where it is not. There are many lessons to draw from the South African experience relevant to conflicts all over the world. This film is as much a historical document of the rise and fall of apartheid, as it is a film about why many Palestinians feel they are living in an apartheid system today, and why an increasing number of people around the world agree with them.
Jury Prize For Narrative Short Film
Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
27 minutes
Director:
Alexander Gaeta
Marcy Meyers is down on her luck. Faced with piling bills, the remnants of a failed marriage, and now an imminent home foreclosure, she has nowhere to turn but to the hope of a miracle. That miracle she find in Shoot the Moon, a national game show that promises a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win it all. But Marcy's faith in the show comes with a price as her relationship with her daughter, Alice, is put to the test as the clock ticks towards a seemingly inescapable fate. Shoot the Moon tells the story of miracles and the extraordinary places they're found.
Jury Prize For Best Narrative Feature
Narrative Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
53 minutes
Director:
Martha Stephens
Seeking escape from his stalled relationship and unhappy place in the world, a recently pink-slipped music teacher sets out to hike Kentucky's Sheltowee Trace Trail. Among the verdant hills of Appalachia, he encounters various strange characters and becomes the reluctant companion of a gregarious father and son who ultimately help him rediscover what he's been missing.
Audience Award
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
35 minutes
Director:
Wes Pryor
Livin' for a Song is a feature length documentary on the life and music of legendary Nashville songwriter Hank Cochran. A remarkable story that starts in the cotton fields of Mississippi then moves on to California where he partnered with Rock legend Eddie Cochran for much of the 50s then on to Nashville in 1960 where he wrote classics such as 'Make the World Go Away', 'I Fall to Pieces', 'She's Got You' and many more. The film includes intimate performances by Elvis Costello, Brad Paisley, Lee Ann Womack, Ronnie Milsap and others as well as appearances by Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Jeannie Seely to name just a few. After watching this film you will understand why they called Hank: 'The Legend'.
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
20 minutes
Director:
H. Paul Moon
Not long ago, artists from faraway places moved to the unlikely town of Paducah, Kentucky. Down by the river, its LowerTown district is a close community of artists who moved into beautiful old houses, transforming a troubled neighborhood, pioneering the largest artist relocation program in U.S. history. From an egg carver, to a print maker, to a sculptural ceramicist, to an art quilt master, this feature-length documentary profiles the life and work of some artists showing that great art can come from the most unlikely of places.
Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
13 minutes
Director:
Scott Stafford, Allen Martin, Todd Sheene
In 1951, Danville, Kentucky was a picturesque, peaceful small town and it still is today thanks to the grit and determination of three special ladies. Edna L. Toliver, Mary G. Hogsett, and Jennie Rogers weren't handed a place in Kentucky educational lore; they earned it. When the government cheese supply went missing in their elementary schools, the ladies had to get to the bottom of the mystery and fast. Their search led them to Jarvis P. Woodlawn, a nutcase hell bent on the creation of a county school. Edna, Mary, and Jennie had to put their lives on the line to protect their town, their schools, and the future.
Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
17 minutes
Director:
Garrett Bennett
'Sins of the father, sins of the son.' Bigsby, known as 'Big Boss' to his men, is the Seattle crime lord who raises a glass of whiskey with these words to Bodhi in SHUFFLE, whom he saved as young a boy from a life on the streets but raised to become a professional killer within his criminal empire. Bodhi has come to confront Big Boss after his last 'job' was witnessed by a young Boy who is now in danger himself because of what he's seen. Needing to be released from the control of this nefarious father figure so he can move on from his criminal lifestyle, Bodhi must play a high stakes hand of poker with a manipulative man who really only plays solitaire, regardless of the name of the game.
Acclaimed actor Denis Arndt (BASIC INSTINCT), Aron Michael Thompson and Brent David Fraser (WILD AT HEART) star in this powerful and thrilling drama about the challenges faced when trying to break free from the corrupting chains that bind the vulnerable to their unfortunate upbringing. How well will we play the cards we are dealt by life when the stakes couldn't possibly be raised any higher than they are already?
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
21 minutes
Director:
Harvey Hubbell V
About one in seven Americans has some degree of dyslexia. It's a condition that makes it hard to read the way other people do. But by using special techniques, taught or self-invented, most dyslexics can learn to function normally. A lot of dyslexics are brilliant, talented, and successful. The documentary 'Dislecksia: The Movie' will present the latest scientific knowledge about dyslexia, and the experiences of dyslexics. Viewers will come to know dyslexics and those who teach and study them not just as statistics or talking heads, but as people. They'll also learn a lot about dyslexia: its causes, its effects, and what can be done about it.