 OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL |
|
Featured Films
show details
Audience Buzz
Highest Rated Films
Most Visited Films
Most Scheduled Films
entries
read all
from the blog
Oxford Film Festival 2010 Hoka Winners
The Oxford Film Festival is proud to announce the winners of their competition films.
The winners were announced at the Saturday Awards Ceremony held at the Powerhouse Arts Center. The audience award winner was announced on Monday evening after tabulating the ballots. The winner of the Audience Award is "The Last Survivor." A special recognition was given to actor Ray McKinnon for his Achievement in Film. In the Narrative Feature Competition, the film “Carried Away” by Tom Huckabee won the Hoka Award. • Carried Away (Director: Tom Huckabee) Ed Franklin, a young man pursuing his dreams in Hollywood, returns home to Fort Worth, Texas at Christmas time to find his family in turmoil. His parents' marriage is crumbling and his relationship with his two brothers is rocky at best. The discovery that his beloved Granny has been placed in a nursing home after a stroke left her mentally disabled pushes Ed over the edge. He decides to come to his unhappy Granny's rescue. Cast: Gabriel Horn, Jennifer Sipes, Juli Erickson, Jesse Barksdale, Johnny McPhail, Thad Lee. Regional Premiere. Also, “The Scenesters” won the Special Jury Prize. • The Scenesters (Director: Todd Berger) When a serial killer starts picking off beautiful young hipsters on the east side of Los Angeles, a couple of crime scene videographers hatch a plan to catch him before the cops do. The Scenesters is an innovative and quirky murder mystery that both honors and deconstructs the conventions of the classic 'who-done-it?' film genre. The LA-based comedy group The Vacationeers pulled their comedy resources together for Todd Berger’s witty and untraditional script to create a completely original film. Features Sherilyn Fenn. Mississippi Premiere. In the Documentary Feature Competition “The Last Survivor” by Directors Pertnoy and Kleiman won the Hoka award. • The Last Survivor (Director:Michael Pertnoy, Michael Kleiman) The Last Survivor presents the stories of genocide survivors and their struggle to make sense of tragedy by working to educate, motivate and promulgate a civic response to mass atrocity crimes. Consulting Producer Jeff Scheftel also produced TV Nation (OFF 2007). World Premiere. “Naturally Obsessed” won Honorable Mention in the same category. • Naturally Obsessed (Director: Richard Rifkin, Carole Rifkind) An intriguing look into the world of academic research labs, where high stakes -- and even higher competition -- fuel grad students in their race to complete experiments and make discoveries. This documentary unveils the human side of scientific research, casting light on the devastating highs and lows the students face as their lives become consumed with their work. Under the guidance of their advisor, Larry, (who accurately points out that the Ph.D. structure is the last true form of apprenticeship) the graduate students struggle with a variety of problems, both in and outside of the lab. Mississippi Premiere. In Narrative Short Competition the Hoka Award went to “Birthday” by Hanz Stiritz. • Birthday (Director: Hans Stiritz) A portrait of quiet grief, a precious memory, and the love between a mother and child. Mississippi Premiere. Special Recognition was given to “A Journey to the West”. • A Journey to the West (Director: Lawrence Chen) A Journey to the West describes the simple but epic journey of a rural cobbler as he travels into the city of Beijing for the very first time. Regional Premiere. In the Documentary Short Category the film “Dive!” received the Hoka • Dive! (Director: Jeremy Seifert) Grocery stores around the country are filling their dumpsters with food. Not rotten, spoiled food, but billions of pounds of good, edible food.Why? Because the expiration date is nearing? Because it costs less to toss it rather than donate it? Whatever the answer, the contradiction is profound: good food is being thrown away and people are going hungry. Regional Premiere. Also in the Documentary Short category, the film “Where Life Is” received Special Recognition. • Where Life Is (Director: Coyote Marino) Where Life Is follows three severely injured veterans pursuing sport as a means of rehabilitation and readjustment to civilian life. Regional Premiere. In the Animation Category, Best Animated Short went to the film “Topi”. • Topi (Director: Arjun Rihan) 'Topi' depicts an encounter between two strangers during this turbulent time. Bir, a Hindu boy, is waiting to board a train from Pakistan to India with his mother, when a violent turn of events separates them. Lost in the middle of a communal riot, he must find her before it is too late...Regional Premiere. The Experimental Category’s Hoka award was given to “Utsay Mela. • Utsav Mela (Director: Karl Mendonca) Utsav Mela' is a meandering camera roll of a county fair in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh shot on a Bolex and later optically printed and hand painted to preserve the landscape from the exploitative lens of the camera while simultaneously document and (re)present my personal experience of this cultural event. Regional Premiere. “Westhope: Above and Beyond” received a citation for Special Artistic Merit in the same category. • Westhope: Above and Beyond (Director: Shannon Benine) As wars in the Middle East, rising gas prices, and the search for alternative fuels transform American life, Westhope, North Dakota, rides the tail end of an oil boom. Rigs pepper the harsh prairie surrounding the town. But while drilling depletes this non-renewable resource, descendants of Midwestern farmers-turned drillers face the challenge of a dwindling livelihood. Fifty years after the discovery of oil, Westhope residents live in the tension between crude and agriculture, between pump and harvest. As the oil slows, farmers begin to plant sunflowers, canola and other bio-diesel crops. Mississippi Premiere. In the Mississippi Film Category the Hoka award went to the film “Now or Never”. The Special Award for Best Direction was given to “Footsteps” • Footsteps (Director: Matthew Graves) An editor working late on Halloween will need more than energy drinks to stay awake tonight. Matthew Graves' previous short film, Dummy, screened in OFF 2007. . The film “The Butterflies” received the Special Award for Innovation • The Butterflies (Director: Winsor Yuan) John Fisher is a closeted artist in a loveless relationship. He creates and films a project about butterflies and their environment, everything made completely of paper. A Special Award for Documentary went to “Dinner on the Grounds” • Dinner On The Grounds: A Soul Reviving Feast (Director: Sarah Simonson) This documentary presents a three part discussion of the tradition of 'dinner on the grounds' in Mississippi through Sacred Harp Singings, church homecomings, and Memorial Day celebrations. A Special Award for Documentary also went to “Tortillas de Maiz” • Tortillas de Maiz (Directors: Ferriday Mansel, Alan Pike, Duvall Osteen) Profiling the Hernandez family of New Albany, Miss. and their Tortillaria de Cinco Estrellas, this film investigates the ways that Mississippi and the larger South are influenced by Hispanic immigrants, specifically the ways that their traditional foodways are integrated into contemporary southern culture.  Take 5 with "Made in China"
 The Oxford Film Festival begins today! We are gearing up for a great opening night and to end our time getting to know filmmakers before they arrive, we present you with our last Take 5 with. Thanks for taking this journey with us and we will see you tonight at the movies! Judi Krant answers our final questions about her delightful narrative feature, "Made in China." Her film screens Friday at 7:20 p.m. and Saturday at 10:20 a.m. JK: It's an unexpected, inspiring, adventure-driven, informative, chocolate-covered, joyride. OFF: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made? JK: Biggest lesson: Leap and the net will follow. Best part: Showing audiences a side of Shanghai they haven't experienced is great fun. I like hearing people say that they feel they've gone on an adventure with the central character. And since it's a story about novelty inventors, folks always come up to me after the film and tell me about their own hilarious ideas for inventions. I love it. Everyone has a big idea in there somewhere! OFF: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background? JK: I've been a lover of storytelling since I was a little kid, but "Made in China" is my first feature, so I've been elated and humbled by how it has been received. Before this, I was focused on writing screenplays and selling cars that ran on recycled vegetable oil. I was once in a turf war with a mobster over the used oil from a fried food stand. He bullied me into a high-speed car chase that exhausted my veggie-mobile and that scared me right out of the fringe fuel business. After that, filmmaking got my undivided attention. OFF: What’s your dream distribution plan for the film? JK: To get the film seen by as many people as possible and pay back the fine folks who bravely invested in a first time female director making an indie comedy, guerilla-style, in mainland China. OFF: What’s the future hold in store for your film and for you? JK: I just check with the Magic Eight Ball on that one and it said "IT IS DECIDEDLY SO". I think that's a good sign, don't you?  Take 5 with "Dinner On The Grounds: A Soul Reviving Feast"
The 7th annual Oxford Film Festival is getting closer every day. Before we kick off another fun-packed festival, we thought we wouldtake five with filmmakers and get to know them just a little better.
"Dinner on the Grounds: A Soul Reviving Feast," a film by Sarah Freeland Simonson, Melanie Young and Miles Laseter, will screen on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 11:15 a.m. OFF: In 10 words, describe your movie and why someone should see it. Celebrate a Southern tradition that is in danger of disappearing. OFF: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made? Sarah Simonson: The film was part of a collection of documentaries that were made by Southern Studies graduates and undergraduates. I was still an undergraduate, but I was able to work with graduate students Melanie Young and Miles Laseter who brought their own experiences to the table and brought a broader view to the film. It was important to be able to not only work as a group, but really come together with a singular vision as to what direction the project should take. On a personal level, the best part of making the film was learning about aspects of Mississippi and its culture and history that are not explicitly a part of my own background. The exploration of cemetaries and churchyards as public, social spaces also really played a major role in informing my ultimate decision of focusing on architecture and historic preservation in New Orleans. Melanie Young: Be prepared! Having never worked on a film before, we learned very quickly to make sure we had all of the necessary equipment and supplies, as well as a plan, before venturing out into the field. Andy Harper and Joe York of Ole Miss Media and Documentary Projects instilled confidence in us and were invaluable in providing us with everything we needed to make this project a success. The best part? That all of our hard work paid off; we made our first-ever film one we can be proud of, one that was deemed worthy of being accepted into a film festival. OFF: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background? Sarah: None of us had any prior experience with film making. I am not sure any of us had even turned a video camera on before! It was truly a learning experience from beginning to end. I am now a graduate student at the Tulane School of Architecture working on my Master of Architecture and my Master of Preservation Studies. I want to continue utilizing film not only as an integral part of documentary work as it relates to preservation, but also as a part of my work as a designer. Melanie: I'd never picked up a video camera with the express purpose of making and editing a film before this one; my only experience was shooting some home movies and studying documentary photography under David Wharton at Ole Miss. My passion for music and interest in audio engineering has led to my current position as co-producer and engineer for the Highway 61 radio show, hosted by Scott Barretta and broadcast on Mississippi Public Radio Saturday nights at 10. Besides that, I also serve as the circulation manager for Living Blues magazine. OFF: What’s your dream distribution plan for the film? Our ultimate dream goal as a students was to be screened at the Oxford Film Festival. I am not sure if this particular film has a future beyond that, but regardless it will always be not only one of my most memorable college experiences, but also an experience that will be with me as I pursue further work in design and documentary work. OFF: What’s the future hold in store for your film and for you? Sarah: I intend to integrate film into my work as I pursue my thesis, but that is still in such early planning stages that I am not sure where it will lead. Regardless, I know film and I are not through with each other yet. Melanie: Like Sarah, I've no idea what may lay in the future for this particular film, but I enjoyed working on it so much that I plan to incorporate a film into my master's thesis work for Ole Miss. I've also done some videography for Media and Documentary Projects. Hopefully this won't be the last time you hear from me! 
Recent Activity
dbarker added Mississippi Drug War Blues: The Case Of Cory Maye (screening: 2/8/09 1:00 PM) to the calendar
on: 1/2/10 4:32 PM
dbarker added $5 Cover (Sneak Preview) (screening: 2/7/09 5:00 PM) to the calendar
on: 1/2/10 4:31 PM
dbarker added M For Mississippi: A Road Trip Through The Birthplace Of The Blues (screening: 2/7/09 3:45 PM) to the calendar
on: 1/2/10 4:31 PM
dbarker added (Un)wanted (screening: 2/6/09 5:35 PM) to the calendar
on: 1/2/10 4:30 PM
dbarker added Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story Of Black New Orleans (screening: 2/6/09 4:00 PM) to the calendar
on: 1/2/10 4:30 PM
dbarker added Faithful Departed (screening: 2/6/09 4:00 PM) to the calendar
on: 1/2/10 4:30 PM
dbarker added What is the Role of a Film Critic? (Panel Discussion) (screening: 2/6/09 10:30 AM) to the calendar
on: 1/2/10 4:28 PM
dbarker added Sunshine Cleaning (screening: 2/5/09 8:15 PM) to the calendar
on: 1/2/10 4:28 PM
fortej1 added M For Mississippi: A Road Trip Through The Birthplace Of The Blues (screening: 2/7/09 3:45 PM) to the calendar
on: 12/29/09 10:08 AM
fortej1 added The Stanton Family Grave Robbery (screening: 2/6/09 4:15 PM) to the calendar
on: 12/29/09 9:55 AM
© Copyright 2004-2010 B-Side
Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions / Privacy Policy 
|
