Don’t Miss the Carrboro Film Festival November 18th!

The Carrboro Film Festival is tomorrow, and you don’t want to miss it! Where else can you see 33 great films for $7.00 in one afternoon?

The 7th Annual Carrboro Film Festival on 7th Annual Carrboro Film Festival runs from 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm at the Carrboro Century Center. Tickets are $7.00 for adults and just $3.00 for kids 10 and under. The festival is organized into three, 90-minute blocks. Each block is divided by 20-minute filmmaker question and answer sessions and free popcorn breaks. The last block that begins around 5:15 pm is reserved for more mature audiences, and might include excessive violence, profanity and nudity, so be sure to take the little ones home by then. Feel free to come and go as you please, seeing just a few films or all thirty-three. This is a short-film festival so every movie is under twenty minutes long, and seven films are less than three minutes. At 7:00 pm, the awards ceremony begins, featuring awards designed by local sculptor Mike Roig. Then there is an after party at The Open Eye Café, and everyone is invited!

This year’s festival includes documentaries, narratives, animations and one music video, encompassing themes of drama, comedy, romance and horror. They have all been scrupulously selected by the wonderful and talented Carrboro Film Festival Committee of Nic Beery, Jackie Helvey, Dave Parent, Susan Siplon, Chris Beacham, Rory Bradley, Scott Conary, Liz Levitt-Bradley, Catherine DeVine, Jonny Mambo, Matthew Krieg, Nick Graetz, Pat Neagle, Tremayne Cryer, and Rah Trost. I guarantee there is something for everyone in this year’s line-up. Besides being an entertaining way to spend an autumn Sunday, it just might inspire you to make a film of your own to submit to the festival next year!

FILMMAKER PROFILE: ALAN LEBETKIN

The first film to kick off this year’s festival, The Hindenburglar, is produced by Chapel Hill native Alan Lebetkin, who currently spends his time out in Los Angeles, California doing stand-up comedy, comedic writing, and filmmaking. Lebetkin, like many of us Chapel Hillians, spent most of his childhood exploring the great outdoors. “My neighborhood was surrounded with old, overgrown farmland that me, my brother, and our friends would wander, searching for forgotten cabins in the middle of the forest. Incredibly, there’s plenty of them. We’d find rusted out washing machines and 75-year-old beer cans. It’s crazy how much civilization gets left behind to the elements. I get home to Chapel Hill about 1-2 times a year and always go out for a walk on the trails when I do.”

Lebetkin attributes his love of the arts to his Chapel Hill upbringing. “I became interested in filmmaking as a career slowly but surely. Growing up in Chapel Hill’s vibrant cultural community, I took participation in the arts for granted as a thing that everyone just does. I was always doing something artistic in the background while considering careers in math and science. Over my first year in college I realized I was spending more time watching movies than doing my homework, and I woke to the fact that movies meant more to me than a pleasant escape. I wisely switched majors and turned my hobby into my coursework. That never would have happened if I hadn’t been exposed to so much culture so early on.”

Seeking an adventure, Lebetkin left the comfort of his North Carolina homeland and headed to the west coast to pursue his dreams of filmmaking and comedic writing. “I moved to L.A. after college, after saving up money for a year. The transition was tough because I knew virtually no one, so it took a while to find my groove. Stand-up comedy was when I first started to meet people I liked hanging out and working with. The biggest surprise was the disconnect of how much work you can be offered with how rarely you’ll get paid for it. So, yeah, I work on films all the time, but I don’t make a living at it by any means. Working IT at UCLA is my job, and every penny of that goes into my film projects. I’m just glad to be working on projects with people I like. Money will come eventually. My distaste for the culture of not paying people is also why I’m always sure to pay those who work for me. It’s never as much as I wish I could give them though.”

THE HINDENBURGLAR

According to Lebetkin, “The Hindenburglar was borne out of my work on a weekly live sketch show where we would base each week’s sketches on an audience suggestion from an earlier show. The Hindenburglar was a live sketch produced for our “Hindenburg” themed show. The show’s director, Scott Garner, and I decided to start filming the sketches we liked best, using the same cast we’d come to know and love. Another sketch that I wrote for that Hindenburg show became our first short The Panty Sniper, so that was a productive show. Scott and I wanted to make each short more ambitious than the last, and in this spirit we arrived at doing the Hindenburglar as a live-action/animation combo. Frankly, it was uncharted territory for us, and finding a good background artist and green screen studio was a challenge, but paid off greatly. We learned the ins and outs of conceptual filmmaking as we went. We were lucky though that the compositor, Howard Shur, was part of our original sketch group and just happened to be a world-class compositor working on music videos for A-list acts. We’ve been incredibly lucky to have such a talented team from the beginning, not to mention the writer, Quinn Callens, who’s the only person I know who can write a script as weird as The Hindenburglar.”

Having a film selected for The Carrboro Film Festival was a dream come true for Lebetkin. “Showing The Hindenburglar in the Carrboro Film Festival means the world to me. Scott and I consider The Hindenburglar our best work and this was the first film we decided to go for broke entering in festivals around the country. It’s actually playing in the Hollywood Shorts festival the same day as the Carrboro Film Fest. I’m proudest to be showing it in Carrboro, however, for my home team. Being accepted in the Carrboro Film Festival feels like I’m finally giving back to the Carrboro and Chapel Hill artistic community for making me who I am.”

A CHAPEL HILL RECORDER MOVIE REVIEW: THE HINDENBURGLAR

I had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at this wonderful narrative film, The Hindenburglar, and it is superbly done. This film has it all: a victim, a villain, a hero, a love-interest, a cop, and a very slow, low-flying getaway blimp. It is a tongue-in-cheek, gentle comedic satire, with a nod to the 1930’s Bogart-era style of filmmaking. The faux-dramatic acting of each character is appropriately hilarious yet not overdone. Because it is filmed from beginning to end in one scene, in front of a hand-drawn city backdrop, this film feels more like an intimate theatrical stage production. This works well for the period piece that it is, when films were produced simply with a focus on the story-line instead of on special effects. That said, there are impressive yet playful special effects in this film as well, once the Hindenburglar arrives on the scene in his crazy blimp contraption. What pulls the film together is the full-orchestra musical score, arranged by Erica Zabowski, which is flawlessly incorporated into the action and adds greatly to the 1930’s feel of the piece. It is wonderfully entertaining and the story is wrapped up completely in just five-and-a-half minutes. Try to catch this one if you can! If you missed it, you can now watch The Hindenburglar online by clicking here.

The Hindenburglar is just one of the thirty-three films being shown tomorrow, and if the quality of this film is any indication of the high-caliber of films being presented in The Carrboro Film Festival this year, we are all in for a great day at the movies! See you in the front row!

CARRBORO FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

12:30 — Doors Open
1:05 — Welcome by Carrboro Film Festival founders Nic Beery and Jackie Helvey
1:10 — Festival Show Opener – Mike Wiley in “Sherlock Holmes in Shoot & Submit”
1:15 — Film Block 1 (82 minutes)

• The Hindenburglar
• The Legend of the Buried Bomb of Faro
• Rebuild
• Infinite
• Just a Word – Love = Love – CERTIFICATE (Best Documentary)
• SPOKED – WINNER (Audience Award 2)
• The Social Group – WINNER (Audience Award 1)
• When Walt Whitman Was a Little Girl – CERTIFICATE (Most Creative Storytelling)
• A Beautiful Waste – WINNER (Best Student Film)
• We Will Prevail
• Drowned Out

2:37 — 20-min. Filmmaker Q&A
15-min. Popcorn Break!
3:12 — Film Block 2 (86 minutes)

• Beastie
• Best Friends – WINNER (Best Professional Film), CERTIFICATE (Best Actress, Rachel Brady)
• The Po’ Boy – CERTIFICATE (Most Appetizing Film)
• The Weaver – CERTIFICATE (Best Editing)
• Johnny Awful
• Just a Word
• Life Reflected
• The Mothers
• Coma Home
• Forward Together, Not One Step Back
• So Now Look
• Bloody Sundae – CERTIFICATE (Best Use of Ice Cream in a Stunt)
• Bill Fick: Controlling the Monster

4:38 — 20-min. Filmmaker Q&A
15-min. Popcorn Break!
5:13 — Film Block 3 (90 minutes)

• Artifacts – CERTIFICATE (Best Actor, Tim Holt; Best Cinematography, Greg Hudgins)
• One of These Things is Not Like the Others – CERTIFICATE (Best Script)
• Safe Haven
• Intersect Episode IV
• Amongst Friends
• The Thing – CERTIFICATE (Best Narrative)
• Giving Way
• The Deer
• Lucidity – CERTIFICATE (Best Animation)

6:43 — 20-min. Filmmaker Q&A
7:00 — Awards Presentation
7:15 — After Party at The Open Eye Café, across the street from The Century Center. Free and open to all.

THE FILMS, A-Z

A Beautiful Waste, Student-Documentary – 5:21 – Jon Kasbe
Most people don’t spend their Saturday nights in New York’s sewers. Steve Duncan isn’t most people.

Amongst Friends, Narrative – 16:10 – Ron Fallica
Is a story about a group of childhood friends who get together after three years to reconnect. As the night progresses, a chaotic turn of events leads to the revelation of truth about their past. Will forgiveness be the key that allows them to unlock each other from their guilt in order to reignite their brotherhood?

Artifacts, Narrative – 14:55 – Joseph Keller
Photographer Clayton Ardubon leads a life of indulgence comprised of women and success. But no amount of either can satisfy the hole at the center of his life. That is, until Marion, an ex-lover from his youth, appears unexpectedly at a showing. Fueled by an insatiable curiosity and memories from his past, Clayton tracks down Marion.

Beastie, Student-Animation – 0:54 – Jordan Miron
A short experiment in rotoscopy about a boy and a crustacean.

Best Friends, Narrative – 7:00 – Elizabeth Gibson
Best Friends is a comedy about the kind of star crossed love that sometimes transcends all souls. It was originally entered in the Secret City Film Festival’s Seven Day Shootout with the required elements of romance, a flame, a focus rack, and the line “It was magnificent.”

Bill Fick: Controlling the Monster, Documentary – 4:23 – Frith Gowan
Durham-based artist Bill Fick is known for his prints of grotesque monsters and demons. What kind of person would create art like this and why?

Bloody Sundae, Student-Narrative – 3:38 – Matthew Krieg
A short film that deals with envy, betrayal, death… and ICE CREAM!

Coma Home, Student-Narrative – 7:00 – Adam Perry
A man who has been in a coma for 18 years suddenly wakes up. While in the coma, the man has been dreaming a different life for himself, where he is young and in love. Abruptly he wakes up to find himself old and bedridden, with a wife who has been waiting patiently by his side. Both he and his wife struggle to cope with the new situation.

Drowned Out, Music Video – 4:55 – Crystal Bright
A writing spider fills the screen, scrawling in its web the name of any who disturb it. Three young girls skip up and taunt the spider, sealing their fate. Meanwhile, Crystal Bright & the Silver Hands perform in a zany boutique filled with strange creations and artistic oddities.

Forward Together, Not One Step Back, Documentary – 15:20 – Bruce Orenstein
Documents the efforts of Democracy NC, the NAACP, and other voting rights organizations to stop the state legislature from eliminating early voting and passing a voter ID bill. These measures would have made access to the polls more difficult for students, minorities, and the elderly.

Giving Way, Student-Documentary – 2:56 – Spencer Bakalar
In the shadow of the Olympic Mountains, an undercurrent of change has been rising for several decades. Now the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is celebrating the long-awaited release of the river they call home.

Infinite, Student-Animation – 2:11 – Dwayne Martin
In our world we pride ourselves on who we are and what we want to become. Often times creating our identities through the things we see around us. However, not everyone is in the right place to be able to find their identity.

Intersect Episode IV, Narrative – 7:37 – Piper Kessler
Claire, a present day clairvoyant, comes to the rescue of Deanna, an 80’s telepath. The one thing is, Claire already knows Deanna. Will Deanna recognize Claire? Their paths may not have intersected in the correct space and time and the man bent on killing Deanna might just succeed.

Johnny Awful, Narrative – 10:44 – Nathan Rosenquist
Johnny Awful is a short film about rock and roll, lies, death, burning bridges, hoaxes, manipulation, and the fleeting nature of fame. It’s a comedy. The film taps into the world of unsigned bands, the mythology of dead rock stars, and the problems that come with an entitlement mentality.

Just a Word – Love = Love, Documentary – 4:16 – Mimi Schiffman
“You know, everybody says it’s just a word, but there’s more to it. There’s a feeling of belonging,” said Jeff Enochs of Charlotte, N.C. “I wanted my state to recognize that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together.” Watch Jeff and his partner of six years Brian Helms travel to Washington, D.C., the closest place they can legally marry.

Life Reflected, Student-Documentary – 2:31 – Jon Kasbe
From the moment we’re born to the moment we die, water powers life. Life Reflected explores how our most critical resource goes far beyond traditional power. More than fossil fuels, commerce or industry, water powers life.

Love = Love, Documentary – 2:50 – Mimi Schiffman
Twelve-year-old Isak Atkins-Pearcy loves Legos, doughnuts, and fighting for what he believes in. “I think in a world where everything is right you, could love anyone you wanted to.” He fought alongside his parents and with his junior high Gay Straight Alliance to defeat North Carolina’s Amendment One.

Lucidity, Animation – 2:26 – Jaime Andrews
A girl wakes with an uncontrollable urge to find something. She goes through several changes in what we are intended to feel as a life span or great length of time, a literal life line attached and dragging behind her the whole time.

One of These Things is Not Like the Others, Narrative – 8:19 – Adam Wilson
Josh, a NY grad student, surprises his southern conservative family at Thanksgiving when he brings home his African-American boyfriend.

Rebuild, Narrative – 7: 40 – Devin Forbes
A young girl chases after the chance to save her family.

Safe Haven, Narrative – 13: 53 – Chris Hugo
In a world where everything is falling apart, one family is fighting to stay together. The nation has succumbed to a rapidly spreading infection that affects the brain and central nervous system, leaving the infected in a zombie-like state.

So Now Look, Documentary – 10: 37 – Brian Southwell
Tells the dramatic true story of a blind a capella group that sings in Philadelphia’s train stations. Down on their luck, they nonetheless lift up the spirits of morning commuters with their moving musical improvisations.

SPOKED, Narrative – 8: 58 – Andrew Martin
A modern day drama about how one’s childhood can change the future. In this story, decisions give opportunities, even the bad ones, and people from our past can have a deeper hold on our heart than we ever imagined. SPOKED is the story of Billy, a middle-aged man with no direction in life.

The Deer, Student-Narrative – 8: 49 – Adam Perry
A young, inexperienced hunter finds himself questioning his ability to shoot living creatures after his encounter with an unusual man in the woods who claims to be a deer.

The Hindenburglar, Narrative – 5: 35 – Alan Lebetkin
The residents of a Depression-era city come face to face with the criminal mastermind The Hindenburglar.

The Legend of the Buried Bomb of Faro, Student-Documentary – 8: 22 – Adrienne Ostberg
On January 24, 1961, a B-52 carrying two nuclear weapons crashed in Faro, NC. One bomb landed safely in a tree, while the other broke apart when it hit the earth. A portion of that bomb is still there today.

The Mothers, Documentary – 9: 59 – Leanora Minai
Each month in Durham, North Carolina, a little-known group meets in a reserved room at the public library to share stories of loss and survival.

The Po’ Boy, Documentary – 2: 19 – Patrick Mustain
This video documents how make and enjoy a delicious Cajun sandwich.

The Social Group, Student-Documentary – 18: 33 – Jean Rheem
First formed in 2002, Linda’s autism social group has been meeting every Friday evening for the past 10 years. While the film celebrates their decade long friendship, it also brings into light the looming inevitability of having to grow up.

The Thing, Narrative – 15: 00 – Rhys Ernst
A woman, a transgender man, and their cat travel towards a mysterious roadside attraction known as “The Thing.”

The Weaver, Narrative – 6: 40 – Kieran Moreira
A silent observer collects and catalogs the sounds of his city using old cassette tapes. However, the nature in which he reconstructs the tapes is much more wondrous.

We Will Prevail, Student-Documentary – 4: 44 – Madeline Carlin
A short documentary completed by an Elon University student about the relationship between Winston-Salem couple, Frank Benedetti and Gary Trowbridge.The film was completed during the spring of this year both before and after the passing of Amendment One.

When Walt Whitman Was a Little Girl, Narrative – 11: 37 – Jim Haverkamp
Not your typical History Channel biography, When Walt Whitman Was a Little Girl tells the startling, unuttered truth about America’s good gray poet. Starting out as an ordinary nine year old girl, Walt is soon catapulted into the world with her senses ablaze.

For the complete Carrboro Film Festival schedule, visit: http://carrborofilmfestival.com/2012schedule.shtml or for a printer-friendly brochure (PDF), visit: http://carrborofilmfestival.com/pdfs/CarrboroFilmFestivalProgram2012condensed.pdf

For more information about the Carrboro Film Festival and its creators, click here to read the Chapel Hill Recorder article: “The Carrboro Film Festival”

Category: Arts & Entertainment