Smile Politely

Sunday’s New Art Film Festival spotlights local talent

Sunday, October 4th, the Art Theater Co-Op is hosting the 6th annual New Art Film Festival (NAFF) to showcase the work of our talented filmmaking community. Nearly 40 pieces will be shown beginning at 5 p.m. and expected to end around 11 p.m., introduced by festival director Jason Pankoke. Presented by C-U Confidential and sponsored by ThirdSide, Shatterglass Studios, and the Art Co-Op, admission is free. 

The films will be shown in three “blocks”, beginning at 5 p.m. (PG-13), 7 p.m. (R), and 9 p.m. (R)*, and include works spanning the entire spectrum of film: a parodied commercial created by graphic designer Matt Wiley, a music video by Kenna Mae Reiss, Pens to Lens finalists from this and previous years, and documentaries by and about local people and organizations. Genres range from serious to silly, horrific to nostaligic, sci-fi to non-fic, and while 6 hours is a long time to sit, the full schedule shows that the average film is around 5 minutes long. Fitting that this is showing in the Midwest—don’t like this film? Wait 5 minutes, it’ll change.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the “Ordinary Video Series” installment that features air conditioners creating ambient music, but NAFF director Jason Pankoke has chosen the following as the…

Highlights of the 2015 NAFF schedule:

Una Mujer Sin Precio 1961 & Las Fieras 1969 – Mexican genre filmmaker Juan Francisco Moctezuma II ladled his low-budget productions with blunt metaphor and topical references. One by one, his flicks are being restored by NAFF alumnus Alaric Rocha of Chicago; let’s see how good they look – and, better yet, how well they play – today!

The Crossing – Fellow NAFF alumnus Johnnie May, who earned C-U movie street cred long ago as a veteran of the Freaky Film Festival, shares his latest hand-made, hand-animated film from Madison, Wisconsin! A scrap-collecting robot in a vivid wasteland happens upon the well-preserved remains of a cabin … and discovers it might not be deserted after all.

The Thinking Molecules of Titan – The NAFF proudly presents a rare, big-screen encore of the dramatic short based on the science fiction story by Roger Ebert, co-scripted by Andrew Stengele and Patrick Wang (In the Family, Ebertfest ‘13) and directed by Stengele.

To see the full schedule and keep up with important announcements, please reference the New Art Film Festival website and “Like” the official New Art Film Festival page on Facebook.

*while these local films have not necessarily been rated by the MPAA, the festival has requested that these age-restrictions be considered when bringing the family. 5 p.m.:13 & up ; 7 or 9 p.m.: 18 & up. 

More Articles