Show Archives

Directed by Jacob Rosenberg; Written by Bret Johnston
87 Minutes, with a Q&A after

Free to the public.

WAITING FOR LIGHTNING is the story of Danny Way, a young boy from a broken home in Vista, CA, whose passion for skateboarding would one day bring him and his creation, a ramp of prodigious and dangerous proportions, across many cultural and ideological boundaries to attempt the impossible: jump China’s Great Wall on a skateboard. It’s a film about how much abuse the body can sustain, how deep you have to dig to survive the betrayals of family, and how high and far dreams can fly.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ydeYZuBu8

Presented by SVP (Student Video Productions)
10PM – 1AM

Landlocked Film Festival… we’re right in the middle of a lot of land. No coasts, but plenty of culture here in the American heartland.

A competitive festival celebrating its 6th birthday in October 2012, Landlocked presents independent movies from around the world. Thousands of audience members gather in Iowa City’s historic downtown to watch diverse films, from two minutes to two hours long, from artsy experimentation to outrageous comedy, from heartwarming family stories to heartbreaking drama, from hard-hitting documentary to music video to amazing animation

Landlocked Film Festival

Directed by John Pata and Adam Bartlett
90 Minutes, USA, 2012

Dead Weight is an independent film produced in central Wisconsin throughout the course of 2011. It tells the story of Charlie Russell, traveling the wilderness in the wake of an apocalyptic viral outbreak, in search of his girlfriend, Samantha. As his journey brings him closer to his destination of Wausau, WI, he must face physical exhaustion, malicious survivors, and perhaps most menacing, his own emotional burdens. With his newfound traveling companions Charlie must attempt to find attempt to break his obsessions with the past. He must learn to let it go.

Trailer: http://youtu.be/rtwCtoVxqTg

Landlocked Film Festival – $7

Directed by Michael O’Connor
85 Minutes, Germany, 2010

Jim is haunted by visions of his own violent death and is convinced he doesn’t have long to live. He sets out on a journey to find his son, Tom, and reconcile with him, but when they finally meet, Tom rejects his father.

Trailer: http://youtu.be/Fn7BFG6h46A

Landlocked Film Festival – $5

Directed by Mercedes Kane
68 Minutes, Haiti, 2011

The documentary film, Today We Saw the Face of God transcends viewers from their comfortable homes into the poverty-stricken world that Haitians navigate daily. As the team journeys back, they recount the harrowing reality of being first responders in an unprecedented medical crisis.

Trailer: http://vimeo.com/29588970

New American Filmmakers National Film Tour
Presented by the Hawaii International Film Festival and the Vilcek Foundation

The NEW AMERICAN FILMMAKERS National Film Tour is a touring package of films produced by innovative, cutting-edge American immigrant filmmakers over the last five years. The mission of the NAF Tour is to highlight the contributions of gifted immigrant filmmakers to contemporary American cinema.

Directed by Sherwood Hu
108 Minutes
Tibetan w/English Subtitles

Prince Lhamoklodan learns of his father’s mysterious death and returns home to find his uncle has taken the throne – and the widowed queen. The dead emperor’s son wants revenge, but how can he exact it without devastating his mother? In the struggle to face his destiny and fight his demons, a new king is born. Set in ancient Tibet, THE PRINCE OF THE HIMALAYAS is a visually ravishing historical epic with stunning scenery, rich color, and lush costuming. Setting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a completely new context is richly suggestive of the play’s enduring relevance for the modern world. As the proto-typical tale of oedipal anxiety, or of the terrifying possibilities of taking action in the social world, this film re-invents and refreshes a story we thought we knew.

Trailer: http://youtu.be/S3_LnLc7BZc

New American Filmmakers National Film Tour
Presented by the Hawaii International Film Festival and the Vilcek Foundation

The NEW AMERICAN FILMMAKERS National Film Tour is a touring package of films produced by innovative, cutting-edge American immigrant filmmakers over the last five years. The mission of the NAF Tour is to highlight the contributions of gifted immigrant filmmakers to contemporary American cinema.

Directed by Miao Wang
78 Minutes
Mandarin w/English Subtitles

With the preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games as the backdrop, the feature-length documentary, BEIJING TAXI portrays the profound transformation of the ancient capital of China told through the eyes of three taxi drivers. Jiwan Bai, a driver in his mid 50′s, represents the older, lost generation that came of age during the Cultural Revolution. Caixia Wei, is a mother in her mid-thirties and of the younger generation who aspires to a free-spirited life. Zhou Yi, an optimistic and content man in his late thirties that holds on to the more traditional Beijinger’s lifestyle of the past. As the city of Beijing modernizes, their diverse lives are challenged with the impact of socio-economic changes that create struggles and limitation. Though their future is yet uncertain, they continue forward with their daily lives and aspirations. Director Miao Wang’s first feature-length documentary film, BEIJING TAXI, navigates, through a cinematic and poetic style, on the path that a society travels to modernization.

Trailer: http://youtu.be/zQM43Uoo47k

New American Filmmakers National Film Tour
Presented by the Hawaii International Film Festival and the Vilcek Foundation

The NEW AMERICAN FILMMAKERS National Film Tour is a touring package of films produced by innovative, cutting-edge American immigrant filmmakers over the last five years. The mission of the NAF Tour is to highlight the contributions of gifted immigrant filmmakers to contemporary American cinema.

Directed by Arvin Chen
85 Minutes
Mandarin w/English Subtitles

After his girlfriend leaves for Paris, lovelorn Kai (Jack Yao) spends his waking hours studying French in a local bookstore where he meets Susie (Amber Kuo), a worker who takes an interest in him. When an opportunity to travel to Paris to surprise his girlfriend arises, Kai, Susie, and his best friend Gao become entangled in a whirlwind night around Taipei filled with intrigue and adventure. It is both an ode to the sights and sounds of the city famous for its night markets and vibrant culture as well as a brilliantly crafted romantic comedy in which we learn that sometimes the thing we have been searching for all along is right in front of us. Coupled with a jazzy score, AU REVOIR TAIPEI’s delightful visual style has been capturing the hearts of audiences and critics worldwide including winning the NETPAC award for best Asian film at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Trailer: http://youtu.be/Q4OfuLbq1GY

New American Filmmakers National Film Tour
Presented by the Hawaii International Film Festival and the Vilcek Foundation

The NEW AMERICAN FILMMAKERS National Film Tour is a touring package of films produced by innovative, cutting-edge American immigrant filmmakers over the last five years. The mission of the NAF Tour is to highlight the contributions of gifted immigrant filmmakers to contemporary American cinema.

Directed by Quanan Wang
93 Minutes
Mandarin w/English Subtitles

After the founding of the island Republic of Taiwan, permission is given for the first time for a group of ex-soldiers of the National People’s Party to travel from Taiwan to China and be reunited with family members in Shanghai. An aging soldier named Lui Yansheng embarks on this journey to find the one and only love of his life, Qiao Yu’e, whom he left behind in Shanghai without a word of farewell, and their son, who was born after he took flight. However, obstacles await Lui upon his arrival in Shanghai that puts his future with Qiao Yu’e and his relationship with his long lost family in jeopardy.

Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi
93 Minutes, 35MM
French w/English Subtitles

Chicken with Plums is the story of a famous musician whose prized instrument has been ruined. Unable to replace his violin, he decides to die, and eight days later, he renders his soul, yet what seems like the end is really just the beginning. Under its romantic allure, this film is conceived as a thriller with flashbacks and flash forwards which shed light on Nasser’s personality and the reasons for his despair. Death is used as a springboard to talk about life.

“Captivating. A stylized world of romantic longing and artistic melancholy….. Mr. Amalric’s exquisitely soulful performance.” -A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Trailer: http://sonyclassics.com/chickenwithplums/

October 26 – November 1

Landlocked Film Festival… we’re right in the middle of a lot of land. No coasts, but plenty of culture here in the American heartland.

A competitive festival celebrating its 6th birthday in October 2012, Landlocked presents independent movies from around the world. Thousands of audience members gather in Iowa City’s historic downtown to watch diverse films, from two minutes to two hours long, from artsy experimentation to outrageous comedy, from heartwarming family stories to heartbreaking drama, from hard-hitting documentary to music video to amazing animation

Friday, October 26:

7PM – Today We Saw The Face Of God ($5)
8:30PM – Schlafende Hunde ($7)

Saturday, October 27:

4PM – Dramatic Shorts Program #1 ($5)
6:00PM – Writing in Motion: A Nation Divided & City of  Literature ($5)
8PM – Dead Weight ($7)

Sunday, October 28:

3PM – Dramatic Shorts Program #2 ($5)
5PM – Film w/ Panel: Diversity Focus – FREE
7PM – One Tree Three Lives w/ Panel: International Writing Program – FREE

116 Minutes, BluRay

When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn’t going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.

“The scariest, rawest horror movie of the year.” -Andy Greene, Rolling Stone

Also keep an eye out for VHS tapes like this and you will receive free admission to any V/H/S showing!

Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/video/ymoviesredband-29056098/v-h-s-red-band-trailer-29702922.html

Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
93 Minutes, BluRay

Detroit’s story has encapsulated the iconic narrative of America over the last century— the Great Migration of African Americans escaping Jim Crow; the rise of manufacturing and the middle class; the love affair with automobiles; the flowering of the American dream; and now… the collapse of the economy and the fading American mythos. With its vivid, painterly palette and haunting score, DETROPIA sculpts a dreamlike collage of a grand city teetering on the brink of dissolution. These soulful pragmatists and stalwart philosophers strive to make ends meet and make sense of it all, refusing to abandon hope or resistance. Their grit and pluck embody the spirit of the Motor City as it struggles to survive postindustrial America and begins to envision a radically different future.

“A moving and powerful micro-portrait of a hurting nation.” -Indiewire

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/45929284

Presented by the Works-In-Progress Festival
6:30PM to 9PM

Free to the public.

An evening with digital media artist Chip Lord – founding member of alternative architecture and media collective Ant Farm (founded in 1968).

Free to the public.

The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which citizens will ask questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each will have two minutes to respond, and an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate a discussion. The town meeting participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization.

Directed by Jordan Roberts; Starring Charlie Hunnam, Chris O’Dowd and Lizzy Caplan
89 Minutes, DCP

A comedy about two brothers, a girl with a broken heart, a sex tape, an angel and a pig. Frank (CHARLIE HUNNAM) has been tortured, embarrassed, and humiliated — usually on film — by his brother Bruce (CHRIS O’DOWD) his entire life. Now that Bruce has finally kicked drugs and turned his life around, things should be different. But when Frank’s one-night stand with a distressed young woman (LIZZY CAPLAN) goes not quite as planned, Bruce’s camera is ready, as always, to capture it…and share it with the world.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNBu7zzmnyc

Directed by Ron Fricke
102 Minutes, 35MM

SAMSARA is a Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life” and is the point of departure for the filmmakers as they search for the elusive current of interconnection that runs through our lives. Filmed over a period of almost five years and in twenty-five countries, SAMSARA transports us to sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites, and natural wonders. By dispensing with dialogue and descriptive text, SAMSARA subverts our expectations of a traditional documentary, instead encouraging our own inner interpretations inspired by images and music that infuses the ancient with the modern.

“Awesome, gorgeous… spellbinding. Definitely, not to be missed!” -Boston Herald

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp967YAAdNk

Jane Gillooly presents a test screening for the University of Iowa
70 Minutes – DVD, w/ Q&A after

A forbidden love story played out in a decade that would soon spawn the sexual revolution. This experimental film reconstructs a mesmerizing and erotic narrative from 60 hours of reel-to-reel audiotape discovered in a suitcase purchased on eBay. Recorded in the 1960’s, a Mid-western woman and her lover chronicle the details of their adulterous love affair. The film uses this rare audio example to critically examine a time in the United States when it was exceptional to listen to the contradictory words of those who secretly and exuberantly lived a lie while publicly constraining their passion. The couple was reliant on recording devises to document and memorialize their affair. The film suggestively foregrounds the recorder as the confidant, witness, and participant that couple come to depend on — always omnipresent, the recorder creates a welcomed ménage-à-trois. Mirroring the compulsion to confess ones indiscretions in today’s virtual world, these captivating recordings speak to an audience that can remember Bert Parks, as well as one that has never set finger to a rotary phone.

The film underscores the sexual experience of the times, deeply hidden from public view and addresses the morals laws of 1960’s America, the devastation of divorce, and the clandestine lives many adult Americans were forced to lead. Offering an honest portrayal of the dynamics of an unhappy marriage, the effects of institutionalized sexism, the influence of popular culture, and the impact that new technology, portable recording devises, had on their lives.