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9th ANNUAL
JAMES RIVER
FILM FESTIVAL
APRIL 1-7, 2002
Virginia’s Festival for the Independent-Minded |
ALL ADMISSIONS FREE
UNLESS NOTED; DONATIONS ENCOURAGED
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American
Magus: Harry Smith, A Modern Alchemist
VCU Business Building Auditorium, 1:00 p.m.
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Who
is Harry Smith? That may be your first question. The Harry Smith many
of us know is the ethnomusicologist responsible for compiling The
Anthology of American Folk Music (1952), one of the
most influential collections of American music ever released. Comprised
of selections from Smith’s own collection of 78s, it became the
“bible” for legions of folk singers in the ‘60s, including
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. But there are many other sides to Harry Smith.
Paolo Igliori, director and editor of a book of essays on Smith, describes
him as a “filmmaker, anthropologist, painter, folklorist, magician,
alchemist and legendary archivist of sediments of human activity in
motion.” Igliori’s film is an introduction to the strange,
wonderful world of Harry Smith that hopefully will lead to more in-depth
works. |
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Books That
Come Alive: Animation for Children
Children’s Museum of Richmond, 2:00 p.m.
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Weston
Woods specializes in adapting award-winning children’s
books for animated films. This program, recommended for ages
3-10 years and running approximately sixty minutes, features
some of their very latest productions, including Click
Clack Moo Cows That Type, where literate cows
go on strike for electric blankets, with narration by Randy
Travis; Trashy Town,
where Mr. Gilly makes the round of Trashy Town until his truck
is full of glorious garbage, narration by Diana Canova; I
Crocodile, where an Egyptian crocodile catches
the fancy of Napoleon and becomes a celebrity in Paris, narration
by Tim Curry; plus Antarctic Antics
and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
Read the books, and see the movies – these adaptations
are a cut above! Introduced by RMIC board member Janet Scagnelli,
who has twenty years of professional experience in the animation
field. |
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 Focus
on Virginia Filmmakers: The Snowflake Crusade
VCU Business Building Auditorium, 3:00 p.m.
Richmond–based
filmmaker Megan Holley made her first film only a few years ago
but found quick success with her shorts Ivan
and Seven Minutes is a Lifetime in Cigarette
Years.
 With
her first feature attempt, The Snowflake
Crusade, she manages to blend satire and sci-fi in
the charming story of Clive, a clone of a Nobel-winning scientist
suffering an identity crisis, and his co-conspirator, Marigold,
a telemarketer stuck in a dead-end job. As their dreams of escape
and freedom seem suddenly attainable, Clive’s self-destructive
side is rekindled when his parent-donor is honored on a commemorative
postage stamp. Shot in and around Richmond, the film stars Scot
McKenzie as Clive and Leisha Hailey (All
Over Me, The Murmurs) as Marigold. Introduction by
James Parrish, founder of the local Flicker. Ms. Holley will answer
questions after the screening.
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The Juried Competition
Award Winners
The Firehouse Theatre, 7:30 p.m., admission $3
The results of the
5th biennial juried competition will be screened as the 9th JRFF’s
closing event. Call for entries are mailed to over 200 universities, colleges
and institutions, and the competition is open to both students and professionals
in any format. Each short (under 30 min.) is screened twice, and the jury
awards up to $2,000 in prizes at their discretion.
The following titles
have advanced to the screening stage and will be shown in the following
order. Awards will be announced prior to the screening with remarks by
the jurors.
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Reminisce
('01), Ward Howarth, Richmond ( 5 mins., Super-8)
$125.00 AWARD |
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Feline
(2000), Rebecca Rogers, Richmond (1.5 mins., VHS) |
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Variations
on What Cannot Be Heard ('02), Robyn Moore, Boston, MA (11
mins., 16mm) |
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Zilch
('01), Mickey Strider, Midlothian, VA ( 7 mins., 16mm)
$500.00 AWARD |
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An
Unpredictable Thing ('01), Rhonda Keyser, NY, NY (7 mins.,
DV) |
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Sparks
('99), Werner Bargsten, Jersey City, NJ (9 mins., 35mm) |
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INTERMISSION
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The
Peritoneal Surfaces are Smooth and Glistening ('01), Walker
Allen, Richmond (11 mins., Super-8/16mm) $750.00 AWARD |
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The
Southern Jewish Store ('01), Donna Schatz, Richmond, (27 mins.,
Beta SP) $125.00 AWARD |
Jurors are selected
from local academic and professional circles – this year’s jury
was composed of Ashley Kistler, Curator, Hand Workshop Art Center; Trent
Nicholas, VMFA and instructor in film studies at VCU; Ted Salins who studied
film at the New School in NY and Robert Ellis, Department of English,
VCU.
Previous winners have
come from California, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia in the documentary,
experimental and narrative form. Don’t miss this chance to see what’s
happening in national filmdom circles!
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