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.
2012
Jury Prize For Best Narrative Feature
Narrative Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
53 minutes
Director:
Martha Stephens
REIFF 2012
Audience Award
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
35 minutes
Director:
Wes Pryor
REIFF 2012
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
REIFF 2012
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:
17 minutes
Director:
Garrett Bennett
REIFF 2012
'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?
Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
13 minutes
Director:
Scott Stafford, Allen Martin, Todd Sheene
REIFF 2012
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.
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
21 minutes
Director:
Harvey Hubbell V
REIFF 2012
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.
Narrative Short
Australia
Runtime:
20 minutes
Director:
Chris Smellin, Robert Smellin
REIFF 2012
For his 21st birthday party Derrek and some friends escape for the weekend to an isolated cabin in the middle of the woods. Derrek's brother, Ethan gatecrashes the party and after a malevolent prank goes wrong resulting in the death of Derrek's girlfriend. Reactions vary from calling the police to disposing of the body, sides are taken and they question what they would do to survive.
Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
19 minutes
Director:
Joshua Overbay
REIFF 2012
A family. A piece of land. A depression sweeping the country.
When a prodigal returns, when both brothers are desperate, how can a severed tie be bound again? Are sins ever forgotten? This film explores the relational dynamics between two brothers with very different lives.
Documentary Short
United States
Runtime:
18 minutes
Director:
Angela Aguayo
REIFF 2012
In November 1970, university, state and local police shot 778 Bullets into an off campus rental house in Carbondale, IL. The residence was rented to a handful of university students, some were assumed to be associated with the local Black Panther Party. Unlike other police raids of known Black Panther residences across the country, the Carbondale Panthers shot back. Using archive material, newspaper accounts, witness testimony and experts in the field, 778 Bullets recovers a little known history of resistance and resilience of the human struggle for self-determination. The dominant memory of the Black Panther Party would have us believe that the Panthers existed only in major urban cities; this story documents a more rural presence of radical politics and the struggle for civil rights.
Narrative Feature
Germany
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
25 minutes
Director:
Michael O'Connor
REIFF 2012
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. At first Tom rejects his father but then they grow closer and it seems that everything might turn out well. But past events re-emerge in the form of an old friend with an ax to grind, and Jim's visions become more and more menacing. When Tom disappears Jim is certain everything is playing out exactly as he foresaw. He sets out to rescue Tom. This time his search leads him to a showdown with his past - finally he understands what his visions mean.