2009 Minneapolis Underground Film Festival
December 4-6 2009
Directions: 2501 Stevens Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55404
$9
Regular Admission Pre-purchase individual shows
$49
Contact: MUFF2009
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Friday December 4 2009 7:00PM Opening Night Film
“The Seducer” World Premiere with filmmaker Q&A
Title: The Seducer (2009, 137 min., USA)
Producer/Director: John Koch
Writers: John Koch (screenplay), Fyodor Dostoevsky (short story "White Nights")
Cast: Zachary Humes, Betsy Hieb, Jon Ferguson, Sara Richardson, Victoria Nohl, and Beth Erickson
Editors: John Koch, Paulina Jurzec
Director of Photography: John Koch
Camera: John Koch, Garrett D. Tiedemann
Sound Design: Brian Murnion
Original Score: Ben Siems
Additional Music: To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie
The film is an adaptation and present-day re-imagination of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1848 short story "White Nights", and through this tragic tale of love and loss, the questions and consequences of seduction are explored. 170 years after the story's original publication, the fundamental conflict between masculine and feminine energies within it remains universal and as relevant as ever in contemporary life.
A lonely, wandering dreamer on his nightly patrol of empty streets happens upon a young woman, Sophia, who is waiting by the river for her long-absent lover to make his promised return. Sophia and the Dreamer form a fast friendship, as they proceed to meet on four consecutive nights, each night awaiting the appearance of the mysterious seductive man. As the two become closer and patience begins to wear thin, the situation becomes tense for all involved. It is a love triangle with desire moving in all the wrong directions. Will she persevere for the man she really wants? Will he ever return?
The dialectic that exists within The Seducer is a struggle between two different kinds of men and the woman who comes between them. On one side, there is the Seducer – a strong-willed, confident man who has predictably acquired his share of success in life. On the other side is the Dreamer – an eclectic, overly sensitive loner who lives most vitally within the confines of his own mind. The film is an exploration of the dynamic between these two types of men and the woman who is caught in the middle. It raises questions about the undeniable power of seduction, the question of morality (or amorality) that comes into play and the unintended effects and consequences of both seductive and anti-seductive actions.
http://www.mnartists.org/John_Koch
2009 Program
Friday December 4 2009 9:30PM
“T.M.A.”
Title: T.M.A
Year: 2009
Running time: 96 minutes
Country: Czech
Director: Juraj Herz
Writer: Martin Nemec (screenplay)
A man leaves his busy city life for the peace of the country home where he spent his early childhood. His new life is soon disturbed by strange events.
Friday December 4 2009 9PM-2AM
Opening Night Party
Friday December 4th 2009
Saturday December 5th 2009
Sunday December 6 2009 10:00AM
“Lenders Morgan” with filmmaker Q&A
Title: Lenders Morgan
Year: 2006
Running time: 94 minutes
Country: USA
Director: Jon Russell Cring
Writer: Jonathan Richard Cring
Colliding forces of repression and sexual curiosity in a small Southern Ohio town foster the disappearance of a young girl, Taylor Feazel. Swept away on a whirlwind of mania, she is thrust back home, everything changed yet still the same. Where is Taylor Feazel?
Saturday December 5 2009 10:00AM
“LIVING ON YOUR FEET. THE STRUGGLES OF CIPRIANO MERA”
Original Tittle: VIVIR DE PIE. LAS GUERRAS DE CIPRIANO MERA
English Tittle: LIVING ON YOUR FEET. THE STRUGGLES OF CIPRIANO MERA
Director: VALENTÍ FIGUERES
Production Country: SPAIN
Year of Production: 2009
Length: 124 minutes
“LIVING ON YOUR FEET” tells the story of the odyssey of a scavenger and a poacher turned bricklayer, a UGT activist turned revolutionary and man of action in the CNT (National Confederation of Labour). It is the life of a bricklayer who commanded the 4th army corps during the Spanish Civil War and who defeated Mussolini’s generals; a general who took up the trowel again after the war, but who remained firm in his objective: to kill Franco. It is also the untold story of a waiter, a tailor, a railway worker… who in their double lives were: “El Viejo” (the Old Man), “La Leona” (The Lioness), “El Fraile” (The Monk)…; it is about the lives of all those who hoisted the flag of Liberty and who dared to dream of a ‘New World”.
As a direct consequence of my roots in philosophy and the arts, the narrative approach and visual style of LIVING ON YOUR FEET are highly original and result in a cinematic work which, while not neglecting coherence of narrative, offers the alluring addition of interlocking lines of argument whereby the tempo of history moves in opposite directions and images are composed on the basis of great poetic and evocative intensity: the result is a uniquely new way of seeing the Spanish Civil War.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1451739/
Saturday December 5 2009 2:30PM AUD B Filmmaker Q&A
“doG/gone Aaron skulls Joe” with filmmaker Q&A
Tittle: “doG/gone Aaron skulls Joe”
Director:Arne Mostad-Jensen
Length: 92 minutes
A prose-poem document of life in the backwoods of Northern Minnesota, (ostensibly) a copy of the contents of a personal home videotape. It begins in the woods, wandering around with an old dog, and ends with the old dog wandering off into the woods for the last time--and maybe ALL of it is just an old dog's dream. Should appeal to cultural anthropologists.
Saturday December 5 2009 4:30PM
“Short Film Showcase I” with filmmaker Q&A
Saturday December 5 2009 7:00PM
“The City” with filmmaker Q&A
Tittle: “The City”
Director: James Vogel
Length: 70 minutes
Directed/Produced/Edited: James Vogel
Screenplay: James Vogel, Ezra Stead, Greg Hernandez
Director of Photography: Zach Rasmussen
Lighting: Ben Hippely, Zach Rasmussen
Sound/Boom Operator: Eric Steil
Production Designer: Marshall Winters
Production Assistant: Jess Dalbec
Make-up/Special Effects: Andrea Burish
Visual Effects: Mark Lacroix, Chris Smith
Graphics: Nick Lowder, Grant Gilchrist
Sound Design: Jeremy Hauer
Music: Schoen Oslund, David Erickson
Scott Valdez (Ezra Stead) is a struggling college student majoring in screenwriting. When his professor (Matthew Feeney) suggests that he needs more life experience, Scott seeks to explore his darker persona. This leads him to an unlikely friendship with a brutal, but charismatic hustler known only as T.K. (Greg Hernandez). Together, Scott and T.K. embark upon a strange, dangerous quest that leads in unexpected directions for both of them as they bond through adventures in sex, drugs and death - the American way.
James Vogel's The City is a buddy comedy, a character drama, a moody thriller, and a violent masterpiece. It is a film that will burn itself into your mind like a rusty tattoo needle. Bring the whole family!
http://www.myspace.com/jamesvogelthecity
“Grin and bear it”, Gwen Breismeister, 5 mins
“Happy Birthday”, Ryan Thompson, 12 mins
“Under the N”, Johnny Salvatore, 25 mins
“How to live Better”, Mark Ehling, 20 mins
“Last Exit”, Raysh Weiss, 4 mins
“The Labyrinth”, Jeff Bowers,10 mins
“Love Sick Love”, PJ Gaynard, 23 Mins
“Beelin'”, Dan WiersGalla, 4 Mins
“My Laughing Matter”, John Akre, 3 Mins
“Tape Eleven”, JoEllenMartinson/William Scott Rees, 4 Mins
Saturday December 5 2009 8:30PM
“Living Arrangements” with filmmaker Q&A
Tittle: “Living Arrangements”
Length: 95 Mins
Directed by SAM THOMPSON
Written by TUCKER DRYDEN
Sasha and Billie just found a new apartment right next to their favorite coffee shops and thrift stores. Life couldn’t be better until they discover a blood-thirsty werewolf living in the attic. Coping with the uninvited roommate challenges their vegan lifestyle and may turn these animal savers into animal slayers.
Saturday December 5 2009 10:30PM
“Late Night Showcase” with filmmaker Q&A
Tittle: “Electronica 2”
Length: 20 Mins
Writer-Director: Anthony Rivero Stabley
Emily Dunn's dreams of acting have been consumed by a vain party lifestyle. During the process she CLICKS away photos of her daily existence and ultimately finds her true expression. The question is... What's Real and What's Not?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1337485/
Title: “Sexjunkie”
Length: 10 Mins
Writer-Director: Julia Ostertag
"A film about the difficulty to join love and sexuality and the inability to live without emotional contact", this is how filmmaker Julia Ostertag describes her short film SEXJUNKIE.
In her cinematographic essay Ostertag stages "sexuality as a source of warmth in a cold world".
Director, film critic, and radio play author Jörg Buttgereit on "Sexjunkie", in "Splatting Image" Berlin, March 2004
Tittle: “Porndogs: The Adventures of Sadie”
Length: 82 Mins
Writer-Director: Greg Blatman with Director Q&A
“Porndogs: The Adventures of Sadie” is an outrageous comedy that pretends to be a hardcore porn film by featuring live dogs as the actors. Over thirty of our canine friends, a chicken and a man in a dog suit star in this 82 minute motion picture with the following celebrities doing some of the voices:
Marilyn Chambers
Ron Jeremy
Too $hort
Dustin Diamond
Heidi Fleiss
Paul Rodriguez
Tera Patrick
Evan Seinfeld
Paul Ogata
Sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild, think of it as “Benji Does Dallas.” or “Animal Planet” on Viagra. Porndogs is at once a parody on human sexuality and a satire on adult films where the dogs talk and act just like people… or is it people who act just like dogs? Disclaimer: There is absolutely NO human nudity or beastiality depicted… although the dogs do run around stark naked!
The story is simple. Sadie, the most beautiful yellow lab in the whole wide world, lives an idyllic, pampered life in the suburbs. One day, she comes into heat and has no idea what to do with her new found feelings and urges. When she learns that her loving owners are about to have her spayed, she runs away to the big city where her sexual adventures begin.
After seeing Porndogs, no one will ever look at his/her dog in the same way! And by the way, no animals were harmed or injured during the making of this motion picture... in fact, they rather enjoyed it!
http://business.avn.com/articles/35139.html
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/wtf-marilyn-chambers-makes-a-dog-porno/Content?oid=1495265
www.filmink.com.au/news/sex-dogs-and-porn-at-the-suff
Sadly, Porndogs: The Adventures of Sadie is Marilyn Chambers's last film. And did we mention, despite the title, THIS IS NOT PORN! "The Treachery of Images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe)" – Magritte
Sunday December 6th 2009
Sunday December 5 2009 12:00PM
“Underground Family Showxase” Aud B
“Rooftop”, PJ Gaynard, 12 mins
“Psychopharm”, Mark Payne, 34 mins
“Liminal”, Stephen Keep Mills, 14 mins
“My Friend Root Rot”, Paul Von Stoetzel, 10 mins
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1496808/
“I was a Vagina before I was a black man”, Bruce and John Ervin, 24 mins
Website: http://www.ervinflix.com
“The Proper Motivation” John Calliari 10 mins
Sunday December 6 2009 12:00PM
“Short Film Showcase II” Aud A with filmmaker Q&A
“Steppin’out” Sara Gregerman, 17 mins
“Jimmy Wilson’s Nature Trail”, Jimmy Wilson, 30 mins
“Jimmy Wilson’s”, Jimmy Wilson, 30 mins
Sunday December 6 2009 10:00AM
“Four on the floor” AUD B
Title: Four on the Floor
Year: 2007
Running time: 94 minutes
Country: USA
Director: Jon Russell Cring
Writer: Jonathan Richard Cring
Four on the Floor follows a quartet of gentleman graduating from high school. They decide to form a rock band, but to support their rock-star ambitions, they have to maintain a car repair business. Of course, none of them have experience with automobile repair. They look for a mechanic to teach them a thing or two, and who's also willing to learn bass guitar.
Saturday December 5 2009 12:30PM
“Case File 126” with filmmaker Q&A
Sunday December 6 2009 2:00PM
“Paddle to Seattle” AUD A with filmmaker Q&A
PADDLE TO SEATTLE: Journey through the Inside Passage
Website: https://www.paddletoseattle.com
In homemade wooden boats, J.J. Kelley and Josh Thomas traveled the 1,300-mile Inside Passage. 2008 was the rainiest summer in 15-years in our continent’s only rainforest. For three months Kelley and Thomas Paddled to Seattle facing the hardships that accompany a lifestyle predominantly removed from civilization. The adventure film documenting the project, titled “Paddle to Seattle”, is a stunning display of the awe-inspiring landscape that is the Pacific Northwest. Taken from the perspective of an ancient craft the film speaks to the beauty of people-power over a great distance. The film is interjected with moments of humor that act as a shining credit to the light-hearted spirit of the young adventurers.
The Inside Passage encompasses an enormous chain of islands while maintaining North America’s only rainforest from Alaska to Northern Washington. Encounters with grizzly bears are not uncommon. The rain can fall for two weeks without pause. Rich biodiversity makes room for surreal encounters with unexpected marine life. The film presents interviews from peoples of the region, and a sense of humor provides genuine insights into the experience of two adventurers.
Kelley and Thomas are no newbie’s to big expeditions. They have completed 3 independent 1,000 mile+ adventures. The rules have always been simple: Get there however you can, just no motors allowed. Hiking, biking, and kayaking, the two met on a 2,200-mile trek across the Appalachian Range. They have since branded a unique style of adventure media: Producing film memoirs that take audiences along on cross-continent adventures. Their freshman film “Pedal to the Midnight Sun” aired in August 2008, nationwide on PBS via National Geographic’s Wild Chronicles. It is the first time a kayak journey of the Inside Passage has been brought to the screen. The adventure film is an independent project from
Kelley and Thomas’ production company Dudes on Media.
https://www.paddletoseattle.com
Awards are voted on and include:
Best Feature,
Best Documentary,
Best Short,
Underground Spirit Award,
Best Cinematography and
Audience Choice Award.
Sunday December 6 2009 4:00PM
“Moments and Truths” with filmmaker Q&A
Title: Moments And Truths
Year: 2009
Running Time: 60 minutes
Country: USA
Director: Joshua Priestley
Moments and Truths documents the making of the record Traveling Show by Hobo Nephews Of Uncle Frank in New York City as well as sights, sounds and encounters from all over the country. Directed and edited by filmmaker/photographer Joshua Priestley, and partially shot by the band themselves, Moments And Truths is a uniquely stylized film that captures transient life in a way not previously seen in the banal climate of reality tv-esque band documentaries. It also captures the band at an exciting period as their musicianship, songwriting and musical vision rise to new heights.
www.consideritcorrespondence.com www.hobonephews.com
Sunday December 6 2009 5:30PM
“Short Film Showcase III” with filmmaker Q&A
“Black”, Seth/Nathan Anderson, 40Mins
“More From Life”, Steven Vander Meer, 9 Mins
http://www.meerimage.com/animation/morefromlife/presskit.shtml
“America’s Next Felon”, Ron Johnson, 56 Mins
Sunday December 6 2009 7:30PM
“Short Film Showcase IV” with filmmaker Q&A
Las Vegas, Stefany Anne Golberg, 13 Mins
“Las Vegas” is a short film starring Stefany Anne Golberg and the entertainer Liberace as a New World explorer. Las Vegas is a weird Utopia, with fantasy buildings that exist outside of time and space, transnational, and with the veneer of lawlessness. Like all Utopias, it was created by travelers seeking something better. Like all Utopias, it requires a constant destruction and re-imagining of the past. Like all Utopias, its promises are inextricable from its failures.
The Horses, Nicole Brending, 11 Mins
Through a Gash Darkly, Carey Burtt, 6 Mins
Dream of a Ridiculous man, Carey Burtt, 10 Mins
Eye of the Holy See, David C. Schmidt, 19 Mins
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1391059/
Coffee and Bagels,Owen Wade, 5 Mins
Sunday December 6 2009 9:00PM
Closing and Awards Ceremony
Refreshments served at 7:00PM
Courtesy of
FREE
89 minutes
Adam Mientkiewicz
2009
Two private investigators search for a missing person in a river valley near a large state park.Its dark,its cold and after splitting up they both become lost.There are some menacing individules they encounter while on their search who have other plans for them.Footage is filmed as video documents of their investigation.
Saturday December 5 2009 2:30PM
“Disconnected” with filmmaker Q&A
DISCONNECTED
(USA, 2008, 62 min.)
Executive Producer: Melody Gilbert
What would happen if students who grew up with computers were suddenly forced to live without them? In this disarming documentary, students from Minnesota’s Carleton College take on the challenge of ditching all computers: No Facebook. No e-mail. No YouTube. How will they get their work done? Will they cheat? How will they survive the massive Facebook withdrawal? Led by film professor Melody Gilbert, eight Carleton College students co-created this funny and insightful film.
Liminal
Sunday December 6 2009 4:00PM AUD B
“Filmmaker Career Forum”
Sunday, December 6 - 4:30 to 6 p.m. – MCAD Auditorium 140
Panel discussions and presentations with established filmmaking professionals about career experiences and opportunities.
Forum Panelists: Wendell Andersson (BFA ’94), Liza Davitch (BFA ’95), Bill Rammer (BFA ‘01), and Craig Rice (BFA ’76). Free and open to all festival attendees
Full Version
1-page
9pm-2am at Jasmine 26 Restaurant and Bar,
8 East 26th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Pass holders: 1 Free Drink
Late Night Secret Film:
(2009)
Title: Contact Festival Staff for details.
90 mins
Caution advised, waiver required.
Pass holders: Cast your ballot
